Fun activities for a young houseguest and more

Q: My 5-year-old niece is coming to stay with me for a few days. Any advice on how to keep her happy?

A: To make the most of your time together, plan a combination of outings and at-home activities. You may be tempted to pack your itinerary with trips to all the memorable local attractions, such as zoos, amusement parks, museums and shows. But keep in mind that a 5-year-old can easily become overwhelmed by too many new sights. One or two such trips are probably enough for a three-day visit. Balance them with some more low-key outings, such as going to a local playground or library.

Remember that simply playing outdoors, especially in a new backyard or in a neighborhood park, is a perfect activity when weather permits.

For times you'll spend at home, stock up on basics: a children's book or two, perhaps a toy. Don't feel as though you need to buy out the local toy store to keep a child entertained, however. Children bring creativity to all sorts of everyday materials — constructing cities out of cardboard boxes, for example, or jewelry from pasta and string. Have on hand some basic craft supplies like crayons, paper and a glue stick.

Some of your own clothes, like hats, aprons and scarves, can provide great dress-up fun. Many kids enjoy cooking, and your niece might like to help you make and sample whatever is under way in the kitchen.

No matter what you plan, keep your schedule flexible, and don't worry if your niece loses interest in a particular activity — 5-year-olds tend to stay focused for anywhere from 10 minutes to 45 minutes on any given diversion.

Q: I have a recipe for onion rings that suggests "flash freezing" them. What does this mean?

A: True flash freezing is a method employed by commercial food companies to freeze items such as seafood, meat and produce rapidly using sophisticated, ultra-low-temperature freezers. The process is designed to lock in the foods' natural flavors, vitamins and minerals — and eliminate the need for artificial preservatives so they will still taste fresh after they have been thawed.

For home cooking, the phrase "flash freezing" has come to describe the practice of freezing items individually before packaging them for long-term storage in the freezer, so they will not stick together.

This is done by placing a single layer of ingredients or prepared food (such as berries or hamburger patties) on a baking sheet, spaced apart slightly, and freezing them until solid. The foods are then transferred to resealable plastic bags or containers and stowed in the freezer.

This technique is especially handy when cooking in bulk. For example, you can make a large amount of cookie dough, freeze individual scoops and put them in plastic bags. Remove a few at a time and pop them in the oven.