Helpful Kitchen Hints & a Warning

I'll begin with the warning. It seems as if I'm continually receiving these curious e-mails from people trying to get my personal information. I can usually weed those out easily. Tonight, though, I received a suspicious e-mail in an account I reserve for junk mail. It was from a credit card company (?) and it said that I had recently changed my password for online banking. Hmmm. I haven't used that credit card account for a couple of years or better, yet I did do online banking with them in the past. I knew it had to be a phishing attempt, yet I was concerned that they used my full name in the e-mail - something most phishing sites don't often do.

I clicked on a couple of links within the e-mail to check my McAfee Site Advisor and it appeared that all was given the green light. Still, I didn't put in my information but typed in the bank's address into another window. From there, I found the address to report suspicious e-mails and I then forwarded the e-mail on to what I hope is the proper place.

Please....be careful when you receive these sorts of e-mails.

Crooks are relentless but what they don't know is that we have zilcho money.

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Now for the helpful hints:

• Using milk in a bread dough recipe results in a finer texture, whereas using water will yield a coarse textured bread.
• Use instant potatoes to thicken a soup or stew
• Need candle holders for a child's birthday cake? Use miniature marshmallows instead of plastic for a cute edible substitution.
• Place a little fresh or dry mint at the bottom of a cup of hot chocolate for a refreshing treat.
• Stir a cup of coffee with a cinnamon stick for the health benefits of cinnamon as well as for a spicy flavor.