Dear Heloise: I was preparing a dish for dinner, and the recipe called for using a piece of cheesecloth to place spices in. Well, I didn’t have any cheesecloth, but I did have four tea strainer balls, one of which was large. I filled the large tea strainer ball and one small strainer ball, and they worked just as well as cheesecloth. — Hannah M., Mellott, Indiana

NO PARSLEY IN THE HOUSE?

Dear Heloise: I had a recipe that called for parsley, and I was out! I looked in the refrigerator and found some fresh celery, so in place of parsley, I chopped up some celery leaves. No one could taste the difference! — Jean D., Chandler, Arizona

COOKIE MAMA

Dear Heloise: I always have frozen cookie dough in my freezer for unexpected guests or when my family feels like have a warm snack during a movie.

I found that sometimes a knife, even a sharp one, can squash cookie dough and make a weirdly shaped cookie. But then, my neighbor told me to use a wire cheese cutter, and it really worked. No more strange-looking cookies. — Greta N., Chelsea Beach, Maryland

STICKY SITUATION

Dear Heloise: I have some sticky spills in my refrigerator, and when I try to get them off, all I do is smear the mess around. How can I get that stuff off my shelves? — Peggy B., Elmhurst, Illinois

Peggy, first, sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on the “sticky site.” Take a wet rag and heat it in the microwave oven for a few seconds; then scrub the sticky area. If a rag isn’t cutting it, you might have to switch to a sponge with a rougher side. — Heloise