Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Dear Heloise: You printed a reader's sugar-free recipe in a recent column. Now is a great time to remind people that diabetics need to limit their intake of all carbohydrates and not just sugar. All carbohydrates raise blood glucose, and sugar is only one type of carbohydrate. I think that is one of the most misunderstood facts concerning diabetes. Depending on the individual treatment plan, many diabetics would not be able to eat even sugar-free cake, except as an occasional treat. Diabetics often face well-meaning friends who, with the best of intentions, make them sugar-free foods that are still not good for them to eat. It's best to ask what a diabetic is able to eat, as this varies not only from person to person but at various stages of the disease's progression.
I encourage your readers to learn all they can about this disease, as it has dramatically increased in recent years, and type 2 -- the most common type -- is no longer just a disease of adults. Odds are that everyone reading this knows someone who has or will have diabetes. Children are increasingly being diagnosed, and this is often attributed to our increasing obesity rate and our high-carbohydrate diet. Debra Carmichael, Huntsville, Ala.
Debra, it is a good idea to check with friends or relatives before gifting them with food, not only for diabetes but also for different types of food allergies. Heloise
Dear Heloise: When I bake, cook or make desserts for organizations, church, individuals, etc., from time to time, I keep a record of the person or organization and the date on a 3-by-5 card with the recipe. That way, I know if and when I have made the item before. Elizabeth Zeiger, Hershey, Pa.
Dear Readers: We received a request from one of our "men in the kitchen" asking for the white/vanilla icing recipe. It is for our old-fashioned icing recipe and goes as follows:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon flour
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
Pinch of salt
Cream together butter, shortening and sugar (until it is not grainy). Add flour, one teaspoonful at a time, beating well after each addition. Add milk and beat, then add lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Turn mixer on high and beat 12 minutes or until smooth and creamy. To receive this recipe, as well as other cake recipes, please send $3 and a self-addressed, stamped (60 cents), long envelope to: Heloise/ Cakes, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5001. You can add food coloring a drop at a time and beat with a mixer until you get the color of frosting you want. And remember, you can mix two colors -- like yellow and red to make orange, or red and blue to make purple. Just experiment a few drops at a time until the color is the hue that you want. Heloise
Dear Heloise: With the holidays approaching, I have a great suggestion for making peanut brittle. The temperature of the candy is very hot, so I spread it out on a preheated, greased cookie sheet. It spreads quickly and easily. Julie from Minnesota
XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate