HELPFUL HINTS
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, Ill.
DEAR HELOISE: Would you reprint your OPINION “Creole Roast” recipe? I loved that recipe, but can’t find it anymore.
— Gloria H., Norman, Okla.
DEAR READER: I’ve always liked this recipe, too.
Creole Roast
2 to 2 ½ pounds beef tenderloin
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon snipped parsley or ½ to 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon celery seed
1/8 to ¼ teaspoon ground red (cayenne) pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
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 hot 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 degrees for rare (about 45 minutes), 160 degrees for medium (about 55 minutes), 170 degrees for welldone (about an hour).
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, Ariz.
DEAR READER: 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 than a box.