HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I’d like to serve some pumpkin bread, but I don’t have a good recipe. Can you help me with this?

— Sophie L., Macon, Ga.

DEAR SOPHIE: I have a very good recipe that’s easy to make and delicious: 12/3 cups flour 11/4 cups sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon salt cup chopped pecans 2 eggs, slightly beaten cup salad oil 1 cup canned pumpkin Heat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together dry ingredients. Add nuts and mix well. Set aside. Combine remaining ingredients and add to dry ingredients. Mix just enough to blend. Pour into a greased and floured 9-by-5-by-3inch pan. Bake for 60-75 minutes. There’s nothing like a warm slice of pumpkin bread to bring back the taste and smell of an autumn day.

DEAR HELOISE: I’ve been told by a dietitian that one cup of green tea has less caffeine than one cup of “decaf” coffee. Can you tell me if that is true?

— Marilyn and Jerry,

via email DEAR MARILYN AND JERRY: According to the Mayo Clinic, the caffeine content of a drink varies due to several factors, such as origin, processing and more. However, it offers as a guideline the following information: 8 ounces of brewed decaf has 2-5 milligrams of caffeine, while 8 ounces of brewed green tea has 25-29 milligrams of caffeine. This refers to green tea, which is not decaffeinated.

DEAR READERS: We had a lot of letters concerning a recent recipe for Swedish meatballs, most of which were accompanied by an old family recipe, but none of them were alike:

Mark S. wrote: “Real simple: Your meatballs may be very good … but those are not Swedish meatballs.”

Karin O. wrote: “It’s not the recipe that our Swedish family or my late mother would recognize.”

Arlene N. wrote: “Your meatballs seem more Italian than Swedish.”

“Swedish meatballs” seems to be a generic term for many meatball recipes out there, but the ones sent in all sound wonderful! So, whatever you call your meatballs, “bon appetit.”