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By MARY A. KEITH

Tribune correspondent

Published: July 23, 2008

What is the difference between chili and chili con carne?

Basically, chili is made of beans in a tomato-and-pepper sauce. The term "con carne" is Spanish for "with meat." So chili con carne should contain ground meat or chunks of meat, too.

I froze cider some months ago and recently thawed it. Can I refreeze the part I didn't use? How long will it keep?

If the cider was kept in the refrigerator after being thawed, it can be safely refrozen. But remember to drink it within two days when it is thawed for a second time.

Skim milk is so expensive that I'm planning on diluting it with water to make it go farther. How will this affect the nutrition?

Halving the milk with water will cut the nutritional value in half, too. You'll get only half the protein, calcium and potassium of undiluted skim milk. A way to dilute milk without sacrificing the nutrition is to add some powdered milk. The result will be a cheaper beverage that doesn't taste like straight powdered milk.

My son has a great recipe for spaghetti sauce and caponata with eggplant and onions. Is it OK to can these at home for later use?

There are directions for home-canned spaghetti sauce that are safe. The amount of peppers, onions and other ingredients can't be changed, but you can adjust spices and seasonings to your preference. But there are no reliable recipes for canning caponata. It's a thick mixture that will become very mushy when canned, plus I can't recommend it for safety reasons.

Where can I buy a jelly bag for straining fruit juice? I can't find one. Are there substitutes?

Some local stores carry canning supplies, but they're also easily available by mail order. To make a substitute, fold several layers of cheesecloth and secure over a pan. You can also use a piece of washed white flannel instead of the cheesecloth.

The first step in my recipe for homemade mayonnaise is to "place eggs in boiling water for 30 seconds." Is this long enough to make the eggs safe to eat? Or should I use pre-pasteurized eggs?

Trying to pasteurize eggs in the shell at home is risky business. To make homemade mayonnaise, use the pasteurized-in-shell eggs.

How much soda can I drink without risking osteoporosis? I don't want to lose the calcium, but I do love soda.

The question isn't whether or not you drink soda. Lack of calcium, not enough exercise, or both, is more likely to affect bone density. The study used to claim any carbonated soda is bad for your bones didn't get the same results when testing the effects of non-cola carbonated drinks. So the carbonation isn't the problem.

Mary A. Keith, a nutrition and health agent at Hillsborough County Extension, can be reached at (813) 744-5519 or mkeith@ufl.edu.

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