Dear Reena, I dyed my eyebrows black. It stained all areas around my eyebrows, and now I look like a scary monster. Help please. — Sarah

Dear Sarah, Here are a few tricks to try, being careful not to get too close to your eyes. Put a little Vaseline or glycerin or olive oil or rubbing alcohol onto a cotton ball. Carefully wipe around your eyes until the black disappears.

Dear Reena, I collect coins and spoons, and over the years they have tarnished. What is an easy way to clean them without damaging them? — Maurice

Dear Maurice, Just like the Statue of Liberty, pennies will turn green with too much exposure to oxygen. Here are a few techniques that will add shine to your coins: Into a cup or a bowl, pour in half cup lemon juice or white vinegar. Add 2 tsp. salt. Drop the coins into the mixture. Wait five minutes and polish. The drawback to this technique is that the coins may turn green if not dried well, and the sparkle is short lived. Brasso is a less risky option for cleaning coins. The least risky option is to use a rubber eraser to polish coins; however, this is quite a tedious process. After cleaning the coins, some people apply Turtle Wax to reduce tarnish, but take caution as this may look great, but lower the value of the coins. For silver spoons, place crumpled aluminum foil in a pan or plastic container. Dissolve one-quarter cup washing soda or salt in enough hot water to cover the spoons. Place spoons on foil and let stand for five minutes, rinse and polish dry with a soft cloth.

Dear Reena, Does baking powder or baking soda make food crispy? — Selena

Dear Selena, Baking powder is a leavening agent which is made by combining baking soda, cream of tartar and cornstarch. Baking powder creates little bubbles when combined with oil dries the skin out leaving it crispy and crunchy. Baking soda can also be used to make foods crispy. For the best results, activate baking soda by combining it with food acid such as vinegar or lemon juice.

Dear Reena, I made homemade perogies and froze them in a sealable plastic bag. When I took them out of the freezer, they were one giant frozen perogy. Can I save them? — Destiny

Dear Destiny, Next time spread the delicious perogies onto a baking sheet and freeze them. When they are frozen, drop them into a sealable bag or container. No need to defrost perogies, cook them from frozen.

Dear Reena, How can I unstick a zipper on my new nylon fitness jacket? — Anonymous

Dear You, Rub the zipper with one of the following: pencil lead, a bar of soap or wax. Some say WD-40 is the answer, but who wants to walk around smelling like WD-40?

APPLE BUTTER TIP

I had several leftover apples this year and decided to make Apple Butter for my toast. It turned out so well that I really must share the recipe. Make it in a slow cooker and the entire house smells amazing! Peel, core and chop five and a half pounds of apples. Place the apples in your slow cooker. Into a separate bowl combine: four cups white sugar, 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, half tsp. ground cloves and half tsp. salt. Mix contents with apples. Cook on HIGH for one hour. Reduce heat to LOW and cook for 10 hours or until mixture is dark brown and thick (stir occasionally). Uncover and cook for one more hour. Pour into sterile jars and store in fridge or freezer. Yum!

SAY CHEESE

• Shred your cheese without it crumbling by freezing the block for 30 minutes before grating and spraying the grater with non-stick cooking spray.

• Before you purchase cheese, consider your taste. Bold, strong flavours include aged cheddars, Gruyère, spiced cheeses and blue cheeses. Milder flavours include Colby, mozzarella, young Brie, fresh goat cheese and Havarti.

• Certain cheeses freeze well, such as Camembert, Brie and goat cheese. Simply place them in a sealable bag or a good quality plastic container to freeze. Defrost them in the fridge; they will still taste great for at least two months. Drier cheeses such as cheddar or Parmesan do not freeze as well; some of the flavour and texture is compromised.

• Use dental floss to slice super soft cheeses. Lay the floss under the cheese, pull it up and cross both ends to slice off pieces without squishing the block.

• When making homemade pizza, keep your crust crispy by sprinkling it with cheese before adding sauce.

• Cream cheese will last longer if you store it upside down to create a secondary seal.

• After slicing a block of cheese, rub the cut end with a layer of butter to prevent it from becoming hard.

• I love making grilled cheese sandwiches, but I don’t like to use my oven and I don’t own a toaster oven. What I do is lay my toaster on its side and then put the toast with the cheese layers in the slots. I have perfectly grilled cheese every time. I also lay a cutting board under the toaster so that my counter is not full of crumbs. Don’t add too much cheese or it will spill over the edges. — Beth

• Most cheese experts agree that storing cheese in plastic wrap is not recommended. Results show that it loses some of its flavour and takes on the flavour of the wrap.

• It is not necessary to store all cheese in the fridge. Hard cheeses can be stored in a cool room with a constant temperature of 8-15 C, while soft and blue cheeses should be refrigerated at a temperature of 5-8 C. About an hour before serving, take the cheese out of the fridge or cool room and let it reach room temperature.

• Give grilled cheese sandwiches a unique flavour by smearing the inside with mayonnaise instead of butter.

• Standing in a hot kitchen grating cheese for hours has forced me to come up with an easier way to do it. Instead of standing a grater up, I lay it on its side and use it to grate cheese. The position is easier on my arms, and the result is less messy. — Mimi

Reena Nerbas is a popular motivational presenter for large and small groups; check out her website: reena.ca. Ask a question or share a tip at reena.ca.

-Reena Nerbas