photo by Rex Roof
DEAR SARA: I’m searching for pies that use half-and-half. I was given five quarts of half-and-half yesterday. I’ve got some piecrust dough to use up. Do you have a pie recipe that uses half-and-half? — Laurie, Florida
DEAR LAURIE: You can use some of the half-and-half in French toast, cream soup, scrambled eggs or homemade iced coffee, to name a few. Here are a couple of pie recipes, …

photo by corrieb
DEAR SARA: What requires more water, a bath or a shower? — G.V., forums
DEAR G.V.: It depends. A short shower with a low-flow showerhead will use less water than a bath. If you limit the shower to less than five minutes, you’ll use less water, too. With a bath, you can reuse the water to flush the toilet or to water flowers in the garden to help use …

photo by house of sims
DEAR SARA: I have a question about baking from scratch that is probably a no-brainer, but here goes. I bake everything from scratch. Can I mix the dry ingredients for, say, a chocolate cake and store it in canning jars or some kind of airtight container with a label on it and then just add the wet ingredients? It sounds like an easy plan, but you …

photo by alibree
DEAR SARA: My problem is, when I buy bananas, I have to know where I should store them — either in the refrigerator or on the kitchen counter. The bananas ripen too soon, so give me some advice where to store them (temperature, etc.) — Frances V., Pennsylvania
DEAR FRANCES: You can buy fewer bananas. You can buy them green, too. Remove any plastic produce bags. Store them on …