SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — According to Del Monte, Charlene Vidaurri of Griffith, Ind., had one of the nation’s best time-saving tips for cooking big holiday dinners this year. She entered the San Francisco company’s “Holiday Heroes” competition via Pinterest.

“During the holidays I make a variety of dishes, everything from the main course to dessert,” said Vidaurri, one of the finalists making the Del Monte “Heroes” list. “So I am always trying to use shortcuts or anything that will help save me time.

“One of the biggest time savers I have found is to use Del Monte canned fruits and vegetables. This is a huge time saver. No slicing, dicing, peeling or pre-cooking. Canned fruits and vegetables are perfect for pies, soufflés, breads, salads and sides.

“Another timesaving trick I use is using cooking spray. I spray it on things such as my cheese grater and zester. This not only helps to keep things like cheese from sticking, it also helps make cleanup a little easier” she said. “I also use it on measuring cups. This helps to ensure sticky ingredients like syrup, peanut butter or honey pour out smoothly. Pre-treated 1/4-cup measuring cups are also the perfect size for making cupcakes.

“Just fill it with your favorite cake mix and pour.”

Just in time for summer’s hol-idays, Del Monte is celebrating Mango Week on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DelMonte where it will explore all the ways you can add a sweet and healthy treat to your meal. Below is a sample of the recipes.

Mango-Rita Slushes

Cool and refreshing, this quick blender drink can be garnished simply with salt, or add a quick twist to the salt with lime zest or chili powder. Serves four.

15-ounce can Del Monte Diced Mangos in Light Syrup, not drained

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup fresh lime juice (or bottled lime juice, such as Rose’s)

1/4 cup orange juice

1 cup ice cubes

4 lime wedges, for garnish

1 tablespoon Kosher salt, for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a blender; puree until smooth, about 30 seconds. To serve, rub rims of margarita glasses with lime wedges; dip rims into salt on a plate and twist to coat. Tip: For best results, chill mangos in can in refrigerator at least 2 hours before preparing mango-ritas.