Hints From Heloise

Sun., Feb. 9, 1997

King Features Syndicate

Dear Heloise: If you’re ever in need of some light and have some nuts but no candles, try this: Place a couple of nuts in a fire-safe dish or ashtray and light them. They’ll burn for quite a while.

Brazil nuts and macadamias work well. - Denise Knebel, San Antonio, Texas

Your nutty hint works great! We tried it here in the office (we put a couple on an aluminum pie plate), and at first the macadamia nuts wouldn’t light until we scraped them, letting the oil out.

We had to keep the match on them a while, but sure enough they lit and burned for about 10 minutes. We tried it on a walnut, and it burned but also created lots of black smoke. Thanks for sharing your idea with us. - Heloise xxxx

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.