HELPFUL HINTS
DEAR HELOISE: I was ready to bake apples but was short of a pan, so I put them in a cupcake pan and had great apples.
— Rosemarie M., Woodbridge, Va. DEAR
HELOISE: I recently burned coffee in my glass coffee carafe. Getting my hand in there and scrubbing was difficult, until I remembered you OPINION had a hint one time for using baking soda and ice cubes inside the carafe and swirling it around HELOISE
until the burnt coffee came loose. It works beautifully. Thanks for an easy and effective way to remove burnt-on coffee.
— Kassidy C., Lake Charles, La.
DEAR HELOISE: You had a recipe for fried rice that I just loved. Would you repeat that recipe? I haven’t seen it in your column for a long time, and I really would like to make it for my family.
— Judy D., Newton, Kansas
DEAR READER: I love this recipe, too. My mother brought this recipe back with her from her time in China, back in the ’40s.
Heloise’s Fried Rice
3 cups cooked rice (1 cup of dry rice cooked in 2 cups of water, or follow package directions)
4-5 slices bacon (diced) and drippings
3-4 eggs
3-4 cut green onions, tops and all
Leftover bits of pork, beef or ham, chopped into small pieces (optional)
Soy sauce to taste
Cook and cool rice a day ahead or at least earlier in the day. It’s better if the rice has had a chance to dry out a bit. Brown the bacon in a heavy skillet until crisp. Remove bacon and turn down heat. Slightly beat eggs and pour them into the hot bacon drippings. Add rice and onions; mix together. Add bacon and leftover meat. Mix everything together. Add soy sauce until the rice is as brown as you like it. Stir well and cook on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. DEAR HELOISE: I’ve found that my cheese grater can double as a grater for butter, lemon or orange zest. The zest is so fine that I can add it to my orange cream cake to add flavor and color.
— Tamara K., Ashburn, Va.