Helpful Hints

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

DEAR HELOISE: Can you tell me the difference between Greek yogurt and regular yogurt, other than the price?

-- Hazel B. in Idaho

DEAR READER: An obvious difference is that Greek yogurt is thicker than regular yogurt because it is strained of all the whey (or extra liquid). This is what makes Greek yogurt not only thicker, but also healthier, because sugar and carbohydrates also are strained out with the liquid. Many people find that Greek yogurt has a tangy taste that's different from regular yogurt, and almost double the protein, which is why people are really going crazy for it.

If you don't care for the taste of Greek yogurt by itself, try using it in dishes in place of sour cream. Another popular way to eat it is as a dip or salad dressing.

DEAR HELOISE: After chopping onions, the odor can remain on your hands for days, and washing your hands doesn't always help. What works well is to wet your hands, pour on a generous amount of salt and then rub your hands with the salt like it's soap. Be sure to get it under your fingernails, too. If a faint odor remains, a second washing should do it.

Also, if your coffee cups are stained with coffee, rinse them with water and dampen a paper towel. Then pour a small amount of salt into the cup. Scrub the inside of the cup with the damp paper towel. The stain easily comes out. This is especially handy in an office break room, where cleaning supplies are limited.

-- Mary A. in Nebraska

DEAR HELOISE: You have a recipe for an apple pie that doesn't actually contain apples. Can you please reprint it?

-- Callie H. in Oregon

DEAR READER: This Heloise's Mock Apple Pie is delicious, and you're right -- it has no apples in it! Gather the following ingredients:

• Pastry for a double-crusted 9-inch pie

• 2 cups water

• 1 1/4 cups sugar

• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar

• 20 regular, salted, single-stack, square saltine crackers

• Butter (for dotting)

• Ground cinnamon (for sprinkling)

Preheat the oven to 375. Line the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan with the pastry. In a saucepan (medium size), boil the water, sugar and cream of tartar. Add the soda crackers and boil, but only for 1 minute. Spoon the mixture gently into the pie shell. Dot the top with butter, and sprinkle with some cinnamon to taste. Cover the pie with the top crust and cut vents into it. Bake for 35 minutes.

Let the pie cool completely before cutting into it.

DEAR HELOISE: When you open a container of ice cream, before you put the lid back on, put a piece of waxed paper over it. It will be just like when you first opened it.

-- Betty B. in Ohio

Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email

[email protected]

Food on 06/11/2014