Soften hard brown sugar

photo by quinn anya

DEAR SARA: I received a bunch of brown sugar from my kitchen-inept brother, and it’s all dry and hard as concrete. I tried blending some in the blender, but it became very powdery. Any ideas on how I can soften it to its regular soft consistency? — L.N., Canada

DEAR L.N.: There are quite a few ways to soften brown sugar. You can use a hand grater and grate it. You can place the brown sugar in a zipper baggie and add a cut apple, a piece of bread or a small, water-soaked clay saucer. Leave it for a couple of days in the sealed baggie so it regains moisture. You can place the amount of brown sugar that you need in a bowl. Place the bowl and a mug of water in your microwave. Run your microwave for every 30 to 40 seconds, and keep checking your brown sugar until it softens.

DEAR SARA: One of my friends is expecting her first child. She has a family-heirloom crib she would like to use. However, she knows that the bars are too far across to be considered safe now. Are there kits or plans somewhere that she/her husband could use to add bars or whatever can be done? The crib is metal, if that makes a difference. — Kita, New Jersey

DEAR KITA: I understand the sentiment of heirloom pieces, but this is a case where you want the safest product you can get. In my opinion, an old crib that doesn’t pass regulation should be destroyed. Here’s the Consumer Product Safety Commission crib safety guide: www.cpsc.gov/BUSINFO/regsumcrib.pdf.

DEAR SARA: What are some things you can’t go back to buying, now that you make them from scratch? — Kelly, Florida

DEAR KELLY: I have plenty of items that I prefer homemade, but sometimes I still buy things at the store, such as salad dressing, laundry detergent, bread, cleaners and spaghetti sauce, to name a few. The top two items that I can’t go back to buying because I make them from scratch are pancakes and waffles. I can’t believe I ever bought frozen waffles.

DEAR SARA: Have you tried using natural colors to dye easter eggs? Like tea or beet juice or something like that? We’re trying to avoid the food dyes because my son is uber sensitive to them. If all else fails, we’ll just do the plastic things on the eggs instead of coloring them. — Heather, New York

DEAR HEATHER: You can use cranberries, tumeric, spinach, blueberries, grape juice or beets as natural dyes for eggs. Think about foods that stain and take it from there. You can approach this two ways. You can combine the natural food with water and vinegar and boil the eggs in the colored mixture, or you can boil the eggs and let them soak overnight in the natural dye solution (a jar works well) placed in the refrigerator. The amounts should be roughly equal parts water and food (for example, 4 cups water and 4 cups spinach) and 1 to 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Visit www.lakewinds.com/store/Natural-Egg-Dye-Recipes-W4698C18760.aspx for specific dye instructions. I like the idea of natural dyes, but I think it’s a lot of work and food waste when you can buy local eggs from a farmer with Easter egg chickens that are naturally blue, brown, pink or green. Look for a breeder in your area by inquiring through Ameraucana Breeders Club.

photo by observing life

Posted by Sara Noel on April 4 2010. Filed under Question & Answer.
Sara Noel owns Frugal Village, LLC and is a nationally syndicated columnist with Universal Uclick. Bio, Follow me on Twitter, Join us on Facebook