Get a potpourri of holiday scents, anythyme

Dear Readers: You can spice up your home with the aroma of just-baked pie without baking one. Don't you love the smells delicious holiday meals leave behind? Savory roasted turkey, sweet-and-spicy pumpkin pie? There's no reason you can't enjoy those aromas anytime you'd like without slaving away in the kitchen.
All you have to do is make some microwave potpourri. For pumpkin-pie potpourri, put 2 teaspoons of pumpkin-pie spice and a cup of water into a 4-cup or larger microwave-safe dish. Microwave on "high" until it boils, then cook for two to three more minutes and allow to cool before removing the bowl.
For a delicious roast-turkey smell, cook 2 teaspoons of thyme or sage in a bowl of water the same way.
You can use your imagination to create a number of tempting aromas anytime you'd like to spice up the atmosphere in your home.
Just be careful -- water can get overheated in the microwave and suddenly "explode." So be sure to let it sit for a couple of minutes before removing from the microwave. Heloise
Dear Readers: Do you know the season for fresh sweet potatoes -- winter, spring, summer or fall? Because of temperature- and humidity-controlled warehouses, the shelf life of fresh sweet potatoes is 12 months -- so this is a year-round tasty treat that contains virtually no fat or sodium and is high in vitamins A and C. Heloise
Dear Heloise: Thank you for all the ways you've made my life easier! I've used so many of your hints. The one that I benefit from daily is keeping extra trash bags right inside the trash can, so as soon as I take the full bag out, I don't have to go fish for a clean one.
And here's a hint that my family and I have been enjoying: When we buy too many grapes and they're going to go bad, just put them in snack-size plastic freezer bags and freeze them. Not only do they taste delicious, but they also take longer to eat, so you feel more satisfied.
Take care of yourself, and thanks again for the daily treat you give my 10-year-old daughter and me. She takes out the Living section of the paper every morning, and then I have to go fish for it! Sonia Salfity, Omaha, Neb.
Dear Heloise: I've discovered that scrubbing hard vegetables, like potatoes and carrots, with a nylon-net scrubber before cooking works better than scraping them with a knife or peeler. It removes less of the peel and leaves more nutrients. P.C. in South Carolina
Dear Heloise: On a cool fall day, I've often heated a good quantity of hot dogs and put them in a wide-mouth thermos. With tongs, deli mustard packs and buns, this sure makes a welcome lunch when fishing in a boat. JoAnn Zwack, Roseville, Minn.
XSend a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, Fax: (210) HELOISE or E-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate