HELOISE These hints will help reopen envelopes that have been sealed

Dear Heloise: Sometimes I seal an envelope (like a bill) too soon. How can it be reopened without tearing the flap so it can be closed again? D.M. Myers, Palmdale, Calif.
I have a couple of hints for you:
UPut your iron on low heat and run it over the seal. Quickly follow with a butter knife inserted between the flap and the envelope, and voil & aacute;, it slips right open.
UPut the envelope in the freezer for a day or longer. As soon as you take it out, use a butter knife to gently slide under and break the seal.
UIf you are really in a hurry, slit the top, slip the contents in and seal it with tape. Heloise
Dear Heloise: My 90-year-old aunt, nearly blind and living alone, would have me thread six or eight needles on a spool of thread, both white and black, when I visited.
All she would have to do when a simple mending job came about was remove one needle and the length of thread needed and leave the remainder for later jobs. Threading a needle nearly blind is next to impossible. LaWanda from Pennsylvania
Dear Heloise: I clipped the column containing the recipe for Texas Caviar and made it for last Christmas Eve. My entire family enjoyed it with our tamales. I put the leftovers in the fridge, and my husband made soup out of it. He took a ham hock and cooked it with water. After removing the bone and cutting the ham, he put the leftover Texas Caviar in the mixture along with a can of stewed tomatoes. He simmered this for about 20 minutes. It was some of the best soup I have ever tasted! We served it with lime juice that we squeezed into each bowl after serving. Delicious! Hope you try it. Julia Olene, Converse, Texas
Sounds delicious, and what a great way to use leftovers! For those of you who might have missed the original column, here is the recipe for Texas Caviar. You will need:
1 large jar picante sauce (medium or hot)
2 cans (16 ounces) black-eyed peas, drained
1 can (16 ounces) white hominy, drained
1 cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup chopped white onion
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup seeds and chopped jalapeno peppers (optional)
1 cup chopped green onions (include green tops)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ground cumin
Mix all the ingredients together and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before serving.
Give it a try and let me know what you think. Heloise
Dear Readers: For safety's sake, clean the lint filter and the exhaust duct of your dryer regularly. Dust and lint buildup is a leading cause of home fires. Heloise
King Features Syndicate