Tips and tricks from good ol' Mom and Dad

 - Don’t throw away bananas that have darkened! Peel and freeze them in a plastic bag until you have time to bake bread or cake.

- When bread is baking, a small dish of water in the oven will help to keep the crust from getting too hard or brown.

- Self-rising flour: 4 c. flour, 2 tsp. salt, and 2 tbs. baking powder. Mix well and store in a tightly covered container.

- Remember: hot water kills yeast. One way to tell the correct temperature is to pour the water over your forearm. If you cannot feel either hot or cold, it’s good to use.

- When cooking in glass pans, reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees.

- When milk is used in making bread, you get a finer texture. Water makes a coarser bread.

- To prevent scorching when scalding milk, first rinse pan in water.

- If your biscuits are dry, it oculd be from too much handling of the dough or the over temperature may not have been hot enough.

- To make bread crumbs, toast the heels of bread and put in blender or food processor.