HELOISE Mock apple pie recipe tastes like the real thing

Dear Heloise: I was just wondering if you have the recipe for mock apple pie. I am really anxious to try it but lost the recipe. If you could get back to me, that would be great. Tracy, via e-mail
I have a great recipe that was originally printed in my mother's column in 1959! This recipe uses regular saltine crackers, yet when you take a bite you will swear it's apples! We have tested this recipe, and it's pretty easy and quite yummy to boot. To give this recipe a try, you will need:
Pastry for a double-crusted 9-inch pie (you can use a premade one)
2 cups water
11/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
20 whole soda crackers (regular, salted)
Butter (for dotting)
Ground cinnamon (for sprinkling)
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan with the pastry, or follow directions on premade crust.
Next, in a medium saucepan, boil the water, sugar and cream of tartar. Add the soda crackers and boil only 1 minute. Spoon gently into the pie shell. Dot the top with butter and sprinkle on the cinnamon to taste. Cover the pie with the top crust and cut vents in it. Bake for 35 minutes. Let the pie cool completely before cutting so it can firm up.
Give this a try, and let us know what you think. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I was just reading your column today regarding what to do with leftover rice. My family uses leftover rice as a dessert. Put some in a small bowl and add some milk, cinnamon and sugar. Briefly heat it in the microwave, just so it's lukewarm. Enjoy. This is a shortcut version of a bread (rice) pudding. Warm in Minnesota
This is a good way to use leftover white rice, but I'm not so sure about fried pork or Cajun rice! Heloise
Dear Heloise: Here's a very good way to remove the core and leaves when cleaning strawberries. Using a regular plastic drinking straw, push the straw into the bottom of the strawberry and push it all the way up through the leaf area. It will cleanly, quickly and easily remove the entire core. It almost makes the chore fun! Carol Sanders, Oshkosh, Wis.
Dear Heloise: I have found a cheap way to obtain practically fat-free chicken/turkey broth. I buy turkey breasts when they are on sale. After cooking the breast in a slow pot, I drain the juice, put it in pint jars and freeze it. When broth is needed, I defrost the frozen broth and skim off the fat, which has solidified on the top. Cheaper than buying broth. Robert, via e-mail
Dear Heloise: I wanted to have fried chicken, but don't you know, I was out of flour. I didn't want to go to the store, so I searched the pantry for a substitution. I came up with pancake mix. You know what? It was delicious! Give it a try sometime. Melissa in Memphis
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. I can't answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.
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