This recipe for salmon balls bears repeating

Dear Heloise: You had a recipe for salmon balls in The Dallas Morning News some time ago. Is it possible to get this recipe? Herb Hill in Texas

This recipe was a favorite of my mother’s. You will need:

14 ounces canned salmon

1‚Ñ4 cup liquid from salmon

1‚Ñ2 cup flour

1 egg, slightly beaten

Pepper (optional, to taste)

1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

Oil for deep-frying

Drain the salmon and reserve 1‚Ñ4 cup of the liquid. Put salmon into a mixing bowl and break it apart into small flakes using a fork. Add flour, a little at a time, slightly beaten egg and pepper (no salt). Mix well but don’t overmix. Add the baking powder to the reserved liquid and beat well with a fork until foamy. Pour this back into the fish and blend together. Do not overmix! Using two teaspoons or small spoons, scoop out the mixture with one and then use the other to push the mixture off the teaspoon into a fryer of hot oil. After they turn brown (it doesn’t take long), drain on a paper towel and serve!

You can’t make the mixture ahead and then cook. You must fry them immediately. Heloise

Dear Heloise: I was at a friend’s house when she took a cake out of the oven. To test if it was done, she used a special cake tester that was just a thin piece of metal attached to a plastic handle. When I got home, I realized that I have lots of cake testers in my kitchen — toothpicks. They are inexpensive and serve the job just as well as my friend’s purchased tester. I bet you could use a skewer in a pinch if you are out of toothpicks. L. Spangler, Harrisburg, Pa.

Raw spaghetti works as well. Heloise

Dear Readers: Here are three hints to help you save on your grocery budget:

Use coupons only for items that you routinely buy. Many times, coupons in newspapers go with sales at stores for that week. So, check this out and save even more! File coupons by date so that you use them before they expire. Heloise

Dear Heloise: Many times I alter recipes because I lack an ingredient or think a substitution would be better. More often than not, it works out great. But by the time I want to make the recipe again, I’ve forgotten what I did. Now when I alter a recipe, I add a sticky note that lists the changes. If my version doesn’t work out, I can remove the sticky note or mark it “Do not do this again!”

Also, I’ve found that using a pastry cutter to chop hard-cooked egg yolks keeps them lighter and smoother than mashing with a fork when I’m making filling for deviled eggs. Judy in Marysville, Ohio

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