A surprise taco taste

DEAR HELOISE » When preparing tacos, if you do not have lettuce on hand, do not fret. You may have a CUCUMBER. Cut it into matchstick-size pieces. It gives the tacos an added crunch. Works great for us!

— Lucille S., Barrington, N.H.

DEAR LUCILLE S. » THE NEED TO

KNEAD?

DEAR HELOISE » You don’t really need to knead bread dough. You can make excellent no-knead bread with much less effort and in a much shorter amount of time. There are numerous recipes; just search online.

— Eric N., via email

DEAR ERIC N. » Kneading bread dough enhances the texture of certain bread recipes, and some people enjoy the act of kneading dough. However, you’re right — there are indeed many recipes that do not require kneading the dough.

DEAR HELOISE » Those plastic bags in cereal boxes that are nearly impossible to tear are perfect for covering the counter when breading meat or flattening meat with a mallet or the back of a small skillet.

— Sherry E., Kerrville, Texas

DEAR HELOISE » Please reprint your recipe for War Cake. I want to make it for my dad, who loves this recipe more than any other cake. Mahalo!

— Kiko H., Hilo, Hawaii

DEAR KIKO H. » Aloha, Kiko. This is an all-time favorite recipe, and I get many requests for a reprint, so here it is:

Using a medium-to-largesize cooking pot/pan, mix together 2 cups brown sugar, 2 cups hot water and 2 teaspoons shortening. Add ½ to ¾ cup raisins and 1 teaspoon each of salt, cinnamon and cloves. Boil for 5 minutes after the mixture begins to bubble.

When the mixture is cold (and it MUST be cold), add 3 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon of baking soda that has been dissolved in a couple of teaspoons of hot water. Mix well, then pour into a greased tube pan and bake 1 hour at 350375 F. You’ll find this cake and many other unique and tasty recipes in my Cake Recipes pamphlet. You can have one by sending $3, along with a stamped (70 cents), self-addressed, long envelope, to: Heloise/ Cakes, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Or you can order it online at Heloise.com. FYI: When your cake is finished baking, run a spatula or knife around the edges to loosen the cake from the pan, then tap the cake pan gently on a flat surface to help loosen the bottom of the cake.

DEAR HELOISE » You have so many cooking hints, but here are a few I don’t think I’ve ever seen in your column:

• Want fluffy mashed potatoes? Just add a well-beaten egg white while whipping up the potatoes.

• Need to separate a yolk from the white? Just crack the egg in a funnel over a glass, and the white will slip through without the yolk.

• Want a nice, white cauliflower after cooking? Just add lemon juice or vinegar to the water it’s cooked in.

— Petronella L., Helena, Mont.