‘Soda’ crackers are really just saltines

heloise

Dear Heloise: I had cut out your recipe for “mock apple pie,” but my problem is that I can’t seem to find “soda crackers” anywhere. Do they still make them, and if so, where can I buy them? Thanks for all your great hints. Emily N., via e-mail

Emily, yes, they do still make them — they are just plain old saltine crackers.

Since this is an old Heloise recipe, the term “soda crackers” is what we used.

For my readers who want to try Heloise’s Mock Apple Pie (which you would swear is made with real apples), here’s the recipe:

Pastry for a double-crusted, 9-inch pie

2 cup water

11‚Ñ4 cup sugar

2 teaspoon cream of tartar

20 single-stack square saltine 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 pastry. In a medium saucepan, boil the water, sugar and cream of tartar. Add the saltine crackers and boil for ONLY 1 minute. Spoon the mixture gently into the pie shell. Dot the top with butter and sprinkle on the cinnamon to taste. Cover pie with the top crust and cut vents into the pastry. Bake for about 35 minutes. Let the pie cool completely before cutting, so it has time to firm up. For more tasty and low-cost Heloise recipes, visit my Web site, www.Heloise.com. Heloise

Dear Heloise: Whenever I have an exotic or unusual ingredient for a recipe, I attach that recipe to the ingredient so I don’t have to figure out how it’s used. Rosie in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Dear Heloise: Our family enjoys canned mixed nuts. They are relatively low in sodium, yet they have a saltier taste than we prefer.

I empty the nuts into a sieve, then shake and stir over the sink so that excess salt falls off.

This leaves the nuts more likable to our taste and healthier. M.J. Tomlinson, Richardson, Texas

Dear Heloise: When I purchase hamburger, I repackage it in smaller portions.

After dividing it into small bags, I seal and flatten the package.

When I want to cook it, it only takes a little while to thaw it out. Becky Maley, Canton, Ohio

Dear Heloise: I live alone and like cranberry sauce.

They do not market it in small packages.

I use the small containers from individual applesauce packages (which I save) and fill them up, cover, then freeze.

They thaw quickly. Shirley in Indianapolis

Sounds good, but a cranberry-sauce manufacturer told us that it doesn’t recommend freezing because the sauce can be quite watery when thawed. Heloise

Dear Heloise: It is a bad idea to store heavy objects in the cupboard above your glass cooktop.

A small spice jar falling 36 inches will likely crack the glass. C.L. Messler, Houston

SBlt Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate