Murray

I made soup once with dry beans which I soaked. The soup called for tomatoes. It cooked for hours and hours and hours and hours and the beans never got soft. My sister who is a chef said that the acid in the tomatoes may inhibit the softening of the beans. This time, I'm using canned beans and diced tomatoes. I'd rather not put them in at the end if I can help it. I've noticed that many bean soup recipes use tomatoes. What's the deal? Thanks.

My Dell laptop died over the weekend and I need a new computer yesterday. I checked our local newspapers for deals on Dells but no one even sold them. I live in LA so it's not like I should be limited. I really liked the Dell and would like to get another one but I'm open to suggestions. Must be a wireless laptop. Reasons for buying that computer and price comparison, please.

Also, is there any way to retrieve the files from the old machine? It's not completely dead but it won't boot up. Please say yes as this is crucial. Thanks for any input.

I have heard that adding soda pop (cola, lemon lime) to your cakes and cookies is really good. I want to try it but I can't find an answer as to what it does to your recipe. I especially like my cookies crispy and wondered if the effect of soda pop would make them otherwise. What does it do to your cake? Have searched everywhere for an answer but I think I have the internet stumped on this one. Thanks for any information.

I'm looking for a spicy tofu dressing recipe. Last night I mixed salsa in with the tofu and it tasted OK but obviously, it was the wrong consistency. I'm open to other dressings; however, please keep in mind that I have to keep my sodium intake to a minimum (not tons of soy sauce). I plan to use this dressing as a dipping sauce for raw vegetables. Thanks.

I'm looking for a spicy tofu dressing recipe. Last night I mixed salsa in with the tofu and it tasted OK but obviously, it was the wrong consistency. I'm open to other dressings; however, please keep in mind that I have to keep my sodium intake to a minimum (not tons of soy sauce). Thanks.

I recently made lemon marmalade from Meyer lemons which I grow in the backyard. I only used 2 cups of sugar when the recipe called for three. The marmalade turned out a little bitter. Is there anyway to fix this? More sugar? I'd rather not add more sugar if possible. Any suggestions would be helpful or the only person eating this will be the garbage man. I very rarely throw food away but this is inedible. Thanks.

I can't find the right size lids for my little jelly jars. Heard you could use just paraffin. If so, how would you do it? Also heard that it's not recommended because of bacteria issues. Any thoughts.

Here's a more detailed list.

http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/cutout.ht...

http://cookie.betterrecipes.com/cutoutcookierecipe...

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sugar-Cookies-VI/More...

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Cut-Out-Coo...

http://www.mormonchic.com/recipe/recipebox/pages/c...

http://www.parentsconnect.com/dishes/citrusy_cinna...

http://xmas.autopilotlive.com/cutout

http://www.cookie-recipes.net/cookie-decorating-ti...

I have the flattest hair and want to give it a bit more body. I currently use L'Oreal shampoo and conditioner but it leaves my hair flat. I like the shampoo and don't want to switch. What I have been using is some kind of Clairol mousse after each shower but it leaves my hair so sticky and really hard to brush through. Can anyone recommend a good over-the-counter volumizer or mousse that may achieve the results I'm looking for? Thanks.

I have made the peanut blossoms with hershey's kisses for years and this year want to make something different. I have those pretty candy cane striped kisses so I want them to show.

Also want to make some kind of cookie using red and green M&Ms. Any ideas?

No pre-cookie mix involved, please. Thanks.

Saw it in the store today. It's called Homade Chili Sauce and the phone numbers on the jar are 877-4homade or 877-446-6233. Hope you find it.

I made some lemon muffins half with raspberries and half with blackberries. The muffins sort of sunk in the middle so they don't look as pretty as I had hoped as they will be gifts. They are very buttery and quite sweet already so I'd rather not add a glaze containing butter or a lot of powdered/granulated sugar. Does anyone have any ideas of some alternative ways to make them look better without adding to many more sweet ingredients? I do have some raspberry preserves that I thought might work but what can I mix it with? Thanks for any suggestions. Don't have a lot of time.

I recently made vegetable broth from various roasted vegetables including onions, red and yellow bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, etc. Once it was done, I didn't want to save the vegetables for another dish so I pureed them back into the broth. It's a tad bland. Can you suggest any way to spruce up the broth so I can make other soups from it which don't turn out just as boring? Would prefer not to add additional canned broth as this obviously defeats the purpose. Thanks.

I'm making peppermint brownies tomorrow for a birthday party and only need 1/2 cup of hard peppermint candy. I don't want to buy a whole bag. Just what I need. I live in So. California and have seen it in one of the major supermarkets but can't remember which one. Won't have a lot of time to shop around. Thanks for your assistance.

I'm making peppermint brownies tomorrow for a birthday party and only need 1/2 cup of hard peppermint candy. I don't want to buy a whole bag. Just what I need. I live in So. California and have seen it in one of the major supermarkets but can't remember which one. Won't have a lot of time to shop around. Thanks for your assistance.

I have dried black beans and northern white beans along with a leek. Can I cook them together? I just want to make a small batch with one of the beans. I don't need a soup recipe. Just an idea of what else I may be able to add to make it taste good. This is my first attempt at cooking with a leek. Thanks.

Does anyone know a good way to clean soap scum and other bathroom buildup in between thorough cleanings? I would prefer to use household items rather than buy some expensive product. Thanks.

I may have a job working as a bookkeeper but need to know Quicken. I am familiar with Excel but I would say that these skills are on the intermediate side. Since I don't know if the job could potentially be mine, I don't want to invest a lot of money. Any free tutorials out there just to get my feet wet? The new boss works on a Mac. Would he be able to read my files? Any other suggestions on how to accomplish this without going into the interview sounding like an idiot? Thanks.

I know this sounds a bit strange, but while searching for something on the internet, I found a baked chicken recipe that used lemon pudding (just plain, old instant pudding mix). I can't remember if the pudding was just in the sauce or if you baked it with the chicken. I saved the recipe but then switched to a different browser and lost all of my bookmarks. If the person who requested a "how to" boil chicken in milk sees this, perhaps they'll remember the link I provided. I know it had something to do with that. Also, if you've ever heard of anything remotely close to my description, please advise. No regular lemon chicken recipes, please, unless you have a magic recipe that is real lemonny but still a little sweet. Thanks.

I need two tablespoons of caramel sauce for a cookie recipe I'm making. I noticed that most recipes call for some kind of cream. I'd just go out and buy it, but for two tablespoons, it seems kind of silly. Same for the bottled stuff. I probably won't have a need for it later on. I do know how to substitute heavy cream with milk and butter, but I have only non-fat milk and would this substitution be do the same thing as the real stuff? I'm guessing not. This is for a birthday cookie to I don't want to mess it up. If you have a caramel sauce that doesn't use cream that would be even better. I could probably live with a cup of sauce. Thanks for any suggestions.