Dear Heloise: I always have too much leftover pie crust and never know what to do with it. Any hints? — Marilynn in Michigan

Marilynn, roll out the leftover pie dough and brush lightly with melted butter or margarine. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon and then roll it up. Slice into pinwheels about 1 inch wide and place on a cookie sheet. Bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy! — Heloise

STAINED CUPS

Dear Heloise: My cups are all stained from the tea I drink. Since I use delicate, porcelain cups, I don’t want to use anything too abrasive to clean them. How can I get the stain out? — Delores in Hawaii

Delores, first, mix a solution of 50/50 white vinegar and salt. Gently rub the inside of the cup with this mixture using a microfiber cloth. Rinse well. This is an easy solution to cleaning a stained cup, and I have many more cleaning and deodorizing solutions in my pamphlet Heloise’s Fantabulous Vinegar Hints and More. To get a copy, visit www.Heloise.com or send $5, along with a stamped (70 cents), self-addressed, long envelope to Heloise/Vinegar, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001.

By the way, this salt and vinegar solution also works well when polishing copper. — Heloise

BUTTER PATS

Dear Heloise: I found it’s easier to serve butter in uniformed pat sizes. I usually place a stick of butter in the freezer for about an hour, then take it out and use an egg slicer to cut into individual pats. These always look so nice when we have company over for dinner. — Carol in Pennsylvania

CLUMP OF SALT

Dear Heloise: It’s very humid where I live, and my salt keeps forming clumps in the shaker. How can I prevent this? — Sandy in Florida

Sandy, putting a few rice kernels inside the shaker will help cut down on moisture. You also can try storing the shaker with a drinking glass turned upside down to cover it. This will work for sugar, too. — Heloise

ONE EGG SHORT

Dear Heloise: What can I do if I’m one egg short when I’m right in the middle of a recipe? — Beth in Arizona

Beth, that can be so frustrating! You can substitute 1 teaspoon of cornstarch or 1 teaspoon of vinegar in place of the missing egg. This will work just fine for one missing egg, but not for more than one in a recipe. You also might have to increase the liquid in a recipe by 3 or 4 tablespoons. — Heloise

WATER RINGS

Dear Heloise: I have water rings around the inside of my stainless steel cookware. I’ve used everything I can think of, but they never seem to go away. Help! — Meghan in North Carolina

Meghan, saturate a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and rub away those water stains. — Heloise

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Hints from Heloise run occasionally in Lifestyles. Readers may send a hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE, or email: Heloise@Heloise.com. Letters won’t be answered personally.