DEAR HELOISE: You had a recipe for a no-mix cherry-pineapple nut cake that my husband was wild about. I haven't made it in a while, so I'm not sure what all the ingredients are or the amount of butter to use. Please reprint this wonderful recipe so I can make it for my wonderful guy.
-- Karen P., Kenner, La.
DEAR READER: Karen, yes indeed. This always has been one of my favorites, too.
NO-MIX CHERRY-PINEAPPLE NUT CAKE
1 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple in heavy syrup
1 21-ounce can of cherry pie filling
1 package of yellow cake mix (2-layer size)
1 3-ounce can/package of pecans (1 cup), chopped
1/2 stick of butter or margarine
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Spread the pineapple with its syrup evenly in the pan. Spoon the cherry pie filling evenly over the pineapple. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the mixture, then the chopped nuts over all. Slice the chilled butter or margarine into thin slices, then place evenly over the other ingredients. Bake 50 minutes or until golden. Serve warm. Makes 12 servings.
Remember to always place your cake pan in the center of the rack, and in the middle of the oven, for an evenly baked cake.
DEAR HELOISE: Can you please tell me what is the best kind of oil for a deep fryer?
-- Nancy G., Omaha, Neb.
DEAR READER: Nancy, you need to fry foods at a very high temperature to keep oil from saturating the food and making it greasy. For the best results, experts in the culinary field suggest peanut oil. Peanut oil has a high smoke point, which means you should deep-fry at 350-375 degrees. The exception to this is, of course, is if someone has an allergy to nuts of any kind. Other recommended oils are coconut oil, avocado oil and palm oil. Since so many vegetable oils are ultraprocessed foods, it's best to avoid them for deep frying. These include corn oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, etc.
DEAR HELOISE: When opening a new can of coffee, I use a fork to puncture the foil. The coffee won't splatter out onto the counter.
-- Pat P.,
Youngstown, Ohio
DEAR READER: This releases the pressure of the vacuum seal.
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Food on 09/13/2017