Question: I want to have a cupcake-making party for a summer party. How much batter do I need for 24 cupcakes? Corey
Answer: If you make enough batter for a double-layer cake, you will have batter for 24 cupcakes. Fill each muffin liner two-thirds full. If you want to make cupcakes ahead of time, you can freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to two months.
Did you know? The first cupcakes did not have frosting, but instead were topped with lard as a kind of cake-moistening gravy. Winston Churchill was the first person to suggest a kind of sweet frosting on the top of the cakes.
Question: I am hoping that you can offer a solution for my daughter. She recently had her dirty laundry sorted on the floor of her laundry area in the basement of her home. Unfortunately, her sewer line backed up and the basement sewer drain is right in front of her washing machine. Some of her clothes ended up soaked with sewer liquid and now she can’t get the smell out of her clothes. She washed them immediately the conventional way, then washed them again and tried adding vinegar to the washing machine — still no luck at removing that nasty odour. I am thinking that using extra fabric softener in the wash is only going to mask the odour for a short time but not eliminate it totally. What else could she try in order to salvage her clothes? Thanks, Martha
Answer: Before rewashing the clothing, soak them in hot water and borax. Borax contains no phosphates and no bleach, and it is wonderful at zapping hard-to-handle odours. If you cannot locate Borax, use a generous amount of Oxy Clean or 10 drops tea tree oil and vinegar — or add half-cup baking soda to the washing machine. Adding vinegar to laundry loads is a wonderful idea, but for this particular instance you need to use straight vinegar and tea tree oil and soak for at least two hours before laundering.
Question: How can I avoid getting freezer burn on the meat that I buy? M.A.
Answer: All food items will eventually find themselves with freezer burn — which is thousands and thousands of water molecules that have formed into ice crystals. There is a limit to how long food can be stored in the freezer. Here are a few easy steps that you can take to reduce freezer burn. Don’t overcrowd the freezer, make sure that all meat has enough room. Doing this helps the freezer temperature stay constant which reduces freezer burn. All foods should be packaged correctly, squeeze out air before packaging. Some people double-bag meats to reduce freezer burn. Freeze smaller portions and do not freeze foods when they are hot. Allow them to cool before freezing. Correct freezer temperature should be set at -18C.
Who doesn’t love brownies?
Consider the following tips for delicious frosting, and for professionally cut brownie squares.
Line your baking pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour as directed. Bake your favourite brownie recipe. While the brownies are still in the oven, combine the following icing mixture: one tablespoon honey, three tbsp. softened margarine or butter, three tbsp. cocoa powder, one teaspoon vanilla and one cup icing sugar. Allow the brownies to cool, just until warm. Spread frosting onto brownies — this amount of icing is used for 8x8 pans (double if needed). Decorate with coloured sprinkles.
Refrigerate brownies for at least one hour. Lift the parchment paper with the brownies onto the counter. Using a pizza cutter wheel (or plastic knife), slice the squares. For perfectly even size brownies, use a ruler and mark brownie squares with a toothpick before cutting.
Note: Every user assumes all risks of injury or damage resulting from the implementation of any suggestions in this column. Test all products on an inconspicuous area first.
Reena Nerbas is a popular motivational presenter for large and small groups; check out her website at reena.ca.
info@reena.ca
