Freezing lemons lets you enjoy them all year long

Dear Heloise: I think I read in your column that there was a way to freeze lemons. If you would be willing to point me to that information, I would be most grateful. Thank you. Kay Wagner, Billings, Mont.

Kay, lemons do freeze fairly well. Sometimes they can be a bit mushy when thawed, but the juice is still good! You can buy them when they are on sale, put them in a freezer bag and store in the freezer until needed.

When you need lemon juice, set the lemon on the counter to defrost or pop it in the microwave for a few seconds.

You also can slice fresh lemons, cover and freeze on a tray, then put in a freezer bag to store. Freezing lemon juice in an ice-cube tray works also.

Buy the perfect lemons by choosing ones that are firm and have smooth skin. Here’s to enjoying lemons all year-round. Heloise

Dear Heloise: I like to shop at stores that do matching of competitors’ ads. Each week, when I receive the grocery ads in the paper, I scan the bargains, write the item and price at the top of each page, then circle or highlight the item that I want to match. I place one ad on top of the other and clip my grocery list and coupons to the ads I take to the store. This makes it easy to scan the items I want to comp and makes the ad handy if the checker needs to see the item. Tamara D., Tupelo, Miss.

Dear Heloise: Mashed potatoes for family dinners were always the least-fun dish to prepare. Cooking and making the potatoes, then trying to keep them hot — not to mention cleaning used utensils — was a pain.

Then I tried this: Make the potatoes as you normally would and keep hot. Now, lightly spray the sides and bottom of your slow cooker with cooking spray. Next, add 1‚Ñ2 to 3‚Ñ4 inch of warm milk to the bottom of the cooker and 3 to 4 teaspoons of butter or margarine. Do not stir. Spoon potatoes into the pot; do not stir at this time. Cover the pot tightly and turn to warm. At mealtime, remove the lid and stir potatoes into the milk and butter at the bottom of the cooker. You might need to add a bit more milk. Hot potatoes, and no last-minute stress! Jackie Spence, Roswell, N.M.

Jackie, good hint! We checked with a leading manufacturer of slow cookers, and it advised to hold items in the slow cooker for a maximum of four hours. Heloise.

Dear Heloise: Here is a hint for softening butter: If I forget to get butter out ahead of time to soften, I just grate it with a hand grater before mixing. This works beautifully. Avery, via e-mail

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