Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009

Heloise: Cakes in a coffee can

TREAT FOR THE TROOPS

Our church group sends baked goods as care packages to military personnel in Iraq. We brainstormed several ideas, such as shoe boxes, etc., but found that the best way to send a cake to anyone overseas is to bake the cake in a small, metal coffee can. After baking, remove the cake to cool. Then repack it in the can, put the plastic lid on the coffee can and pack the can in a postal box. Soldiers tell us they love getting cakes this way for two reasons: The cake arrives in one piece, and it can be stored easily, with an airtight lid, if it's not eaten all at once. - Gwen, via e-mail

HELOISE'S HOT COCOA MIX

There's a chill in the air, and that means it's time to reprint Heloise's Hot Cocoa Mix recipe.

Combine 2 cups powdered milk, a dash of salt, 1/4 cup cocoa and 1 cup powdered sugar. Store in a nice container. Decorated containers make great holiday gift ideas. Type or hand-write a label with these directions:

Put approximately 4 tablespoons (more or less to taste) into a cup and fill with 8 ounces of boiling water. - Heloise

EASY PEEL

I have a suggestion for people who love avocados, mangos and even hard-cooked eggs, but find them difficult to peel or dice.

Cut and avocado in half, discarding the big pit, and scoop the contents with a teaspoon.

With the mango, you can cut each side off and then scoop. The part left on the pit is then easily diced.

A hard-cooked egg can be cut in half through the shell, and with a small spoon, the yolk and white come out easily. - Trudy, San Antonio

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