No-salt seasoning will perk up your taste buds

Dear Heloise: My father wanted me to inquire about a previous article you had on a no-salt seasoning salt. Can you please reprint it? Thank you. Jennifer, via e-mail

This often-asked-for salt substitute is flavorful and will help you cut back on salt and still be able to enjoy tasty foods. Note: It uses onion and garlic powders, not salts.

5 teaspoons onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon thyme

1‚Ñ2 teaspoon white pepper (can use black)

1‚Ñ2 teaspoon celery seeds

Mix all of the listed ingredients and store in a tightly covered, labeled container in a cool, dry place. Don’t store this or any spices above the stove. They’ll lose their zip. Homemade spice mixes are easy to make. To make other mixes like Heloise’s Seasoned Salt, Pumpkin Pie Spice or Spicy Saltless Seasoning, send $3 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (61 cents) envelope to: Heloise/SSS, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. You will receive the four-page Heloise’s Seasonings, Sauces and Substitutes pamphlet. Need a small amount of milk and there’s none in the fridge? Don’t fret. In a pinch, you can use some coffee creamer that has been mixed with water. Heloise

Dear Heloise: I recently purchased fresh peaches from my local orchard. I also got a hint that kept the peaches fresh for a week on my counter. I was told when storing peaches to not let them touch each other. When I got the peaches home, I placed them in a flat basket and surrounded each with a piece of paper towel. They remained juicy and were not bruised. I also was told not to refrigerate them unless they were very ripe.

I have been married 44 years, and I am still learning new hints. Judy M., Mantua, Ohio

Farm-fresh peaches are a true delight! Eat them as soon as possible to savor the flavor. Heloise

Dear Heloise: I have some favorite drinking glasses that my son sent me when he was overseas serving our country. They had become very foggy and ugly-looking. I didn’t want to have to toss them, but I couldn’t seem to get them clean, and nobody wanted to use them, since they weren’t very appealing.

Then I thought about good ol’ vinegar, your and my favorite cleaner! So, I heated some plain household vinegar and used a nylon-net scrubbie, and scrubbed and scrubbed the glasses until they were clean! Then I washed and dried them, and they were sparkling! Give it a try – you won’t believe it! Brittany, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: When heating soup or anything in a bowl in a microwave, take a paper towel and wet the corners before placing it over the bowl to prevent it from dropping into the soup. William D., Houston

SBlt Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate