QUESTION: I made a birthday cake for my daughter. I bought chocolate buds to decorate the top of the cake and when I opened the box, I was disappointed because the chocolate looks grey instead of brown. How can I make the chocolate look good and are they safe to eat or should I throw them out? Bernadette (Churchill)
ANSWER: Throw out chocolate? No way! Fat bloom happens to chocolate when the cocoa butter separates from the other ingredients. Sugar bloom, on the other hand, is also grey and has a gritty texture; this is caused by weather conditions such as humidity. Some think bloom happens as chocolate ages, but humidity is almost always the culprit.
Take the delicious chocolate buds and dip them in water. Let them dry on a tea towel and they will appear dark once again. Lastly, please remember this important life rule: If you are ever plagued with melted chocolate on your fingers, you are eating it way to slowly!
QUESTION: I live in a one-bedroom house in a little town in Manitoba. The crickets outside my window make me furious! They chirp all night and are so noisy that I can't sleep. What can I do to attract the critters to an area away from my window? I have a plan to chop their legs off so that they stop rubbing them together. They're driving me crazy! Timothy (Gladstone)
ANSWER: Firstly, it is a myth that the sound of crickets comes from them rubbing their legs together, so you might as well forget about that plan. Secondly, it's really only the male crickets that are robbing you of your sleep, because female crickets are quiet little critters. Before you do anything, consider the benefits of crickets: The sound of crickets helps repel mice and rats and many people keep crickets as pets because the chirping helps them sleep. Crickets eat bread, cereal and vegetables. Crickets need to drink water, and if their food is near water, they will often drown in the water trying to get to their food. There are commercial cricket repellents, or you can make your own by sprinkling borax and cornmeal (or Cornflakes) underneath your windowsill. As temperatures drop, cricket sounds will slow down and so you will sleep once again.
QUESTION: I know you've probably addressed this problem in your column on several occasions, but now that this problem has happened to me, I regret not paying better attention to the solution. I have a water stain on my elm dining room table. I've been told that mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip) will take out the stain. I'm reluctant to go forward with this remedy without the benefit of professional guidance, preferably from you. Therefore, I'm asking if you would recommend that I use mayonnaise, and, if so, how long would I leave the product on the stain before wiping it off? Thank You. Ruth (Winnipeg)
ANSWER: No problem, Ruth. Smear the area with mayonnaise and wait for an hour. Wipe area and check if stain is gone. If stain remains, cover spot with a tea towel and press with a hot iron to draw out excess moisture in wood. If neither solution is successful, then you're best option is to refinish the table.
Question for you:
I was sitting at my friend's house enjoying the weather and the wonderful people. The property has a beautiful, large outdoor swimming pool and is situated near a farmer's field. There were no bugs in sight until the food was served. Suddenly, we noticed flying beetles all around -- on plates, all over the table and landing on each person's clothes and hair. The bugs are black and do not bite, but were annoying. They look like black ladybugs and play dead whenever someone touches them. As soon as the food was taken away, the bugs disappeared. Does anyone know the name of these bugs? Reena Nerbas
I enjoy your questions and tips; keep them coming. Check out my website at
www.householdsolutions.org
