HELOISE Crystalized honey can easily be restored to its original consistency

Dear Heloise: Do you have a hint for crystallized honey -- how to make it usable again? Texans living in Arkansas
Honey! Of course I do, and it's sooo easy!
Just put the honey container (without lid) in a microwave-safe container and place it in your microwave. Use a medium to high setting to "warm" it until it is liquefied again -- approximately 2 to 3 minutes or until the crystals have dissolved. Stop every 30 seconds or so to stir, and be careful not to boil or scorch the honey. Or heat some water on your stove, remove the pan from the heat, then carefully put the honey container in the hot water.
I would like to share with you some of my tantalizing coffee and tea recipes. You can request my four-page pamphlet Heloise's Flavored Coffees and Teas. Just send $3 and a self-addressed, stamped (60 cents), long envelope to: Heloise/Coffees, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5001. FYI: Honey is also a great sweetener for hot tea or coffee. Just put a teaspoon or two in your favorite hot drink and stir -- yummy! Heloise
Dear Heloise: When making meatloaf, simply place all the ingredients in a gallon-size self-sealing bag and mash to mix with your hands. No messy hands, and no bowl to wash!
Just open the bag and empty the contents into your pan to bake. I've used this idea to mix cookie dough as well.
Also, hang those plastic bags from the grocery store on a kitchen-cabinet knob. Great to use when cooking to simply drop in cans, eggshells, potato peelings, etc., as you go -- simplified cleanup in the kitchen. Vickie Wilson, Via E-mail
Dear Heloise: I love to eat stuffed peppers and tomatoes and have found that it is much easier to scoop out the insides using a grapefruit spoon. The spoon has little teeth around the edge, which makes removing the seeds and insides nice and easy. Meg Trischitta, Staten Island, N.Y.
Dear Heloise: I find that if I want to thicken stews or pea or creamed soups, instant potatoes are perfect.
I don't have much luck with flour (too lumpy or pasty) and dislike the way cornstarch sets up when it cools. I also use instant potatoes and bouillon if I need a chicken or beef gravy. Cheryl, Rensselaer, N.Y.
Dear Heloise: I don't have a "store-bought" iron to flatten bacon, so I place bacon in a griddle or large skillet, then put a piece of aluminum foil on top of the bacon. Next, I place my wonderful, old iron skillet on top to weigh it down. I never even have to turn the bacon over because it completely cooks in its own grease. Jane, Via E-mail
Dear Heloise: I save the wrappers from the oleo (oleomargarine -- or margarine, as we now call it) to use to grease muffin tins or cake pans.
I fold them twice and keep them in the freezer until I need them. This keeps them fresh. A Reader, Via E-mail
XSend a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, Fax: (210) HELOISE or E-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.
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