DEAR HELOISE: To prevent a filled pie from bubbling over onto the oven, just roll out the bottom crust a little larger than the pie plate. Pour in the desired filling mixture. Now bring the edge up over the filling/mixture, but only the edges. It's not as pretty as the crimped edge, but hey, no oven to clean!
Also, don't throw out citrus peels. I put them where the neighbor's cat goes to the bathroom. It really works. I save them by placing them in a plastic container and freezing until ready to use. No harm to the animal.
-- Sandy L., Ohio
DEAR HELOISE: You have a recipe for a red velvet cake that was so easy to make and tasted delicious. Would you please reprint that recipe? I've misplaced my copy, and I want to make it for Valentine's Day.
-- Carmela G., exas
DEAR READER: Here it is -- one of my favorite cakes. You'll need:
4 bottles (half-ounce size) red food coloring
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
11/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
21/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
Mix food coloring with cocoa and set aside. Beat shortening with sugar; add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add food coloring mixture and vanilla. Alternately add flour, salt and buttermilk, beating well. Stir in vinegar and baking soda. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until done. Makes one large loaf cake or one three-layer cake.
DEAR HELOISE: While preparing for a party at a rental cabin, I found I had nothing to slice a block of cheese. I took out a long string of unwaxed dental floss and used it to slice the cheese. It worked perfectly!
-- Vivian in Oregon
DEAR HELOISE: I've found some new ideas for a tea ball, such as placing a bay leaf in it and suspending it in soups and stews to get the flavor but not the herb. I can also use one as a scent diffuser by spraying a cotton ball with perfume and placing it inside the tea ball. Then I hang it in my car or my closet to add a nice scent to that area.
-- Mae V.,
Scottsbluff, Neb.
Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email
Heloise@Heloise.com
Food on 02/05/2020