photo by robotskirts

DEAR SARA: Do you make your own breadcrumbs? When I was little, my mom always made them. She had this little satchel in which we used to put leftover bread. She kept it in the cupboard, and when it was full, we got out the hand-crank grinder and made our breadcrumbs. Things are made with so many preservatives now. I have been afraid of making my own because I don’t know whether the leftover bread would keep before it became moldy. If you make your own, how do you store the bread before you’re ready to grind? And what do you put it in afterward? — Shelly B., Pennsylvania

DEAR SHELLY: Yes, I make my own. Not all of the time, but if and when I have enough leftover bread, I make a point to use it up. I freeze any leftover bread until I have enough to make breadcrumbs. I take it out and place it on a baking sheet in the oven with the light on until dried. Place the bread in a plastic baggie, and use your hands or a rolling pin to make them into crumbs. Or you can break the bread into small chunks and run them through a food processor or blender until you have coarse crumbs, then bake your crumbs in the oven at 200 F for about 45 minutes. Place in an airtight container, and keep in a cool, dry place or in the freezer until ready to use.

DEAR SARA: I got an invite to a good friend’s bridal shower in few weeks. She is Italian and has a huge family-and-friend circle. I know her guest list so far to the wedding is at 350-plus. But on the invite it says bring unwrapped gifts to the bridal shower for time constraints. I have NEVER EVER brought an unwrapped gift anywhere. Would it be wrong to wrap it? I don’t even know what “it” is, but I want her to have a few gifts to open. Or should I follow the rules and bring unwrapped? Oh, and three of my other friends have called to ask me the same thing. So it’s not just me who thinks this is odd. — Amber, Wisconsin

DEAR AMBER: It would be easy for me to say that it’s rude and tacky to say anything about gifts on an invitation. But the fact remains that she’s a good friend and it is their request, so I suggest you follow their request. I’m sure that others will disagree, but it’s simply not worth snubbing this request when it’s a close friend. You can place a gift in an open basket or gift bag or simply place a bow on it. Because there are going to be so many gifts, all eyes will not be on yours. You could also not bring your main gift to the shower at all. You could make a lunch date or plan a get together and bring her a wrapped gift to open then.

DEAR SARA: Do you have any suggestions for getting makeup/face-cream stains out of the collars of my blouses and shirts? I changed brands of face powder and face cream, so I didn’t have this problem until recently. I have used Shout, Dawn dishwashing liquid, OxiClean stain fighter, Stanley degreaser and Sol-U-Mel (Melaleuca) directly on the stain, and then washed in Wisk. I try one and then air-dry and try another. Nothing works. These are cotton or cotton/polyester blends. I hope you can help. Thanks! — Dee, e-mail

DEAR DEE: Try using EverBlum cosmetic stain remover, Carbona stain devil, Afta cleaning fluid or K2r spot lifter (www.superkleendirect.com).

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