HELOISE Recipe for baking-powder mix goes way back

Dear Heloise: In my recent move, I managed to lose the copy of your baking-powder baking mix that I had cut out of the paper. I would appreciate it if you could reprint it. Thank you. Dolores B., Lancaster, Calif.
I remember my mother using this recipe to make biscuits or pancakes when I was a child, so you know this one goes back a few years. You'll need:
8 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
8 teaspoons sugar (optional)
1 cup shortening
Mix all dry ingredients together. Using a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Store in a tightly sealed container.
When making biscuits, use 1/3 cup of milk for each cup of mix. Bake at 450 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. When making pancakes, add just enough milk to make the batter the consistency you like. For this and my other fluffy-biscuit recipes, send $3 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (60 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Recipes, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5001. FYI: You can store this mix in the cupboard, but it will last longer if stored in the refrigerator and used within three months. Another way to use this biscuit mix is for coating chicken. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I love your column and am glad you followed in your mom's footsteps. I've learned a lot from your column. Thank you!
My timesaver and work-saver suggestion is: When bacon is on sale, buy two or three packages. I cook them all up at one time (only one mess!) and towel the grease off well. Then I freeze them and only pull out what I need at any given time, microwave it for only a few seconds, and voil & aacute;! Several of my friends now do it. In summer, those BLTs sound pretty good! Winnie Doherty, via e-mail
Winnie, this is a timesaving and money-saving hint. You don't need to buy the "ready to serve" bacon -- this is it! Thanks for taking the time to write. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I buy bananas often, but the last two or three start getting overripe before I can use them. So I peel and slice them, spread them on wax paper and pop them in the freezer for an hour or so to harden. Then I put them in a freezer bag and just grab several slices whenever I get the munchies. These do not defrost well, as they get mushy, so you only want to wait a few minutes to eat them. But mushy is OK if you want to make banana bread. Millie from Texas
Dear Heloise: When I was going to make a crumb crust for a cream pie, there were no graham crackers in the cupboard. I substituted by taking some whole-wheat-cereal squares and running them through the food processor to make 2 cups of fine crumbs, then added 2/3 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and baked it 10 minutes at 325 degrees. It had a nutlike flavor, and everyone asked how I made the crust. V. Jungwirth, Oshkosh, Wis.
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