Avoiding baking-soda clumps

DEAR HELOISE >> I love to bake, but I hated it when my baking soda or baking powder would clump up into hard balls. I finally took a neighbor’s advice and now stir them into the sugar before adding either one. Apparently, the gritty texture of the sugar breaks down the lumps much easier than the flour.

— Janelle W., Rockford,

Illinois

DEAR HELOISE >> Would you reprint your “Creole Roast” recipe? I haven’t seen it in a while in your column, and I read your column every day. I loved that recipe, but can’t find it anymore.

— Gloria H., Norman,

Oklahoma

DEAR GLORIA >> I’ve always liked this recipe, too. Here it is:

INGREDIENTS

2 to 2 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon snipped parsley or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

PROCEDURE

Trim off all excess fat and rub meat with Worcestershire sauce. Combine the parsley, salt, pepper, celery seed, red pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and ground cloves. Then, sprinkle over the meat and rub in. Cover roast and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator. In a covered grill, arrange preheated coals around a drip pan; test for medium heat above the pan. Insert a meat thermometer near center of roast and place on a grill rack over the drip pan -- but not over the coals. Lower hood and grill until thermometer registers 140 F for rare (about 45 minutes), 160 F for medium (about 55 minutes), 170 F for well-done (about an hour).

If you like tasty dinners with easy-to-follow instructions, then you’ll love my pamphlet “Heloise’s Main Dishes and More.” To get a copy, go to Heloise.com or send $3 along with a stamped, self-addressed, long envelope to: Heloise/main Dishes, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. You’ll be glad you have these easy-to-prepare recipes on hand, especially for special occasions.

DEAR HELOISE >> With seven kids in a blended family, we go through a lot of cereal. Whenever I get a box of cereal, I immediately empty the contents of the box into a large plastic zip-close bag and toss the box in the recycle bin. This is much easier to store than those big bulky boxes. The plastic bag also keeps the cereal fresher.

— Carrie D., Tempe,

Arizona

DEAR CARRIE >> I do the same thing with my boxes of cereal. It’s a great space-saving idea, and as you say, it takes up so much less room that a box.