Question: What is Easter bread and is it difficult to make? Tami
Answer: Easter bread is an Italian and Greek tradition. It's a soft, sweetened, yeasted dough with coloured eggs baked right into the dough (that you don't eat), formed into wreaths or braided. Festive and bright for the Easter holiday, it’s not especially difficult to make, but it does take time.
Question: What is the best way to store raisins? Elmer
Answer: Store raisins in a cool, dry, and dark place. Keep them away from moisture to prevent mould growth, and heat and light so they won’t dry out. A pantry is a great place to store raisins.
Question: I spilled grease from fast food on my leather (smooth leather, not suede) jacket. What do you recommend using to get the stain out? Dilpreet
Answer: Always start with the easiest solution and then move to the trickier solution if needed. Sprinkle the area with one of the following: baby powder, cornstarch or baking soda. If the stain is fresh the powders will absorb the grease and once you brush the powder away, the grease will disappear. If the grease stain is a little older apply one of the powders with a little water to make a paste. Leave it for 15 or 20 minutes and wipe. You can also wipe the area with dish soap and a bit of water since dish soap is created as a natural grease cutter. Another option is to hold a hot hair dryer onto the area and massage the leather to lighten the spot.
Question: I did a cold-water laundry load of my coloured tops these are all items that I have washed before. After the wash, I put all items in the dryer, not realizing that a purple top bled into my favourite turquoise blue sweater. I soaked it overnight in Oxi Stain Remover, then hand washed with soap. It lightened some, but still stained. Is there any recovery for this? Bertha
Answer: One of my favourite stain removers is Sunlight Bar Laundry Soap. Scrub the area and rewash it, this may take a few attempts before you see results. Washing soda and borax are also excellent stain removers. Patience, trial, and error are the keys. Worst case scenario is to redye the blouse with fabric dye.
Question: Do you have any ideas for dyeing and decorating colourful Easter eggs without purchasing a dye kit? Winney
Answer: Make your own egg dye with water, vinegar, food colouring or water and onion skins. Remember, the more colour you add and the longer they soak, the more brilliant the hue. For an interesting design, wrap elastic bands around eggs and soak them in dye solution. Another option is to glue colourful leaves to eggs using white glue or glue the leaves to the eggs and dye the eggs. Remove the eggs from the dye and peel off the leaves to create a leaf imprint. Extra tip: If you don't plan to eat dyed eggs, make glow in the dark eggs by microwaving them for 10 seconds. One in three eggs will glow!
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.
Have a great suggestion or tip? Please send an email at: info@reena.ca. Reena Nerbas is a popular motivational presenter for large and small groups; check out her website: reena.ca.
