Unmolding Gelatin Salads

Here's a few tips on getting that Jell-O molded salad out of the mold and onto the plate.

1.  Have ready a chilled plate, moistened with water. This prevents gelatin from sticking when being unmolded, and allows you to center the mold more easily.

2.  Use a thin-bladed knife to carefully release the gelatin from the edge of mold.

3.  Then with finger on surface of gelatin, pull back gelatin until air reaches bottom of mold, releasing the vacuum.

4.  Turn mold over onto prepared plate. If necessary, place a warm damp towel over the mold and shake the mold lightly.

5.  When gelatin releases, center it on the plate, wiping off any excessive moisture.

Baking in Color ~ Colored Sugar

Instead of spending the money for store-bought sugar sparkles for cookies and cupcakes, make your own in whatever shade you want.

Put the desored amount of sugar in a coffee mug. Add a little food coloring, using liquid coloring for pastel shades, and gel coloring for deeper shades. Stir with a spoon until evenly distributed. It may clump at first, but keep stirring. If it hasn't smoothed out after stirring for 3 minutes, add more sugar.

The finished product should be the consistency of fresh brown sugar. If too wet, add more sugar.

Put a paper towel on a plate. Dump the mixture on the towel to dry, stirring every few hours. When completely dry, sift and put into clean salt and pepper shakers.

This is a lot of fussing around, but if you want a special color, this is a way to get it.

How To Store Fresh Strawberries

This easy tip will keep your strawberries fresh for several weeks.


Do not wash your strawberries before you store them.

Using a sealable container, like a Zip-Lock bag or a Tupperware container, line the bottom with a couple of paper towels. Put berries on the towels in a single layer. If using Tupperware, you can make a second layer, using paper towels in between layers. Seal up and refrigerate.

Wash the berries as you use them.