HELOISE The secret of chili powder: It's one of a kind

Dear Heloise: In your recipe for taco seasoning, you listed two teaspoons of chili powder. This has confused me in many recipes. Is the chili powder the type one puts into chili (with ground meat, beans, tomatoes, etc.), or is it the powder made from hot little chili peppers? No one clarifies this, and it appears in dozens of recipes. Terry Bailey, Washington, D.C.
Chill out -- here's the scoop on that hot topic. After doing some research, we found mention of only one type of chili powder. It is usually a combination of dried chili peppers and such other spices as cumin, oregano, garlic and salt. Just look in the spice aisle at your favorite grocery store. Good luck. Heloise
Here are some favorite food hints from Heloise Central.
UCheese puffs are a great substitute for bread crumbs in meatloaf. Give them a try.
UJazz up plain popcorn with different spices and spice blends. Experiment until you find your favorite. Have you tried sprinkling on some Parmesan?
UMake quick dumplings by cutting flour tortilla strips and then cooking them in some chicken broth. Delicious.
UMake fancy ice cubes by putting a maraschino cherry in each compartment of the ice tray -- just add water.
Dear Heloise: Rest assured, your recipes are still great. I tried your apple pie using crackers and then faxed you about how horrible it was. Well, the joke was on me. Instead of using 1 cup sugar, I used salt. Keep up the great hints. R. Bachman, Staten Island, N.Y.
This brought back memories for one of my secretaries. She once made a chocolate cake, and it was terrible. She couldn't figure out what she had done wrong until her husband pointed out that the canister in the cabinet contained canning salt and not sugar. This is now a joke around their home.
Want to try one of my favorite cake recipes? Please send $3 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (60 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Cake, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Hint: Don't like the white-flour look on the bottom of a chocolate cake? Don't fret. Instead of flouring the pan, use cocoa. The cake will look more appetizing. Heloise
Dear Readers: It is very important that you keep kitchen knives sharp. Did you know that you are more apt to cut yourself with a dull knife? Just ask any emergency-room nurse or doctor. You should also use wooden cutting boards, because they won't damage knife blades. One more knife reminder: Don't put wooden-handled knives in the dishwasher. It takes only a few seconds to hand-wash them. Heloise
Dear Heloise: When I make homemade cookies, they sometimes begin to harden after a couple of days. To keep that fresh-baked softness, I just put a piece of regular white bread in the jar with the cookies, and by the next day the cookies will still be nice and soft, while the bread turns hard and can be thrown away. Works every time. Dawn from Sterling, Va.
XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000; fax to (210) HELOISE, or e-mail heloise@heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate