HELOISE: Biscuits, pancakes: It’s all in the mix

Dear Heloise: I have misplaced your recipe for the dry biscuit mix that can be kept in a sealed container until needed and then liquid is added to it. Please print it again. Thank you very much.

Maxine Scatena, via e-mail

I would be happy to reprint this often-asked-for recipe. This mix keeps well in a cupboard and even longer in the refrigerator. It is less expensive than store-bought mixes and is easy to make. To make Heloise’s favorite Biscuit or Pancake Mix, you will need:

8 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

8 teaspoons sugar (optional)

1 cup shortening

Milk

Mix all dry ingredients together. Using a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Store in a well-sealed container in the pantry or fridge. To make biscuits, use 1/3 cup milk for each cup of mix. Bake at 450 F for 12 to 15 minutes.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: In regard to the reader who had foil adhere to the bottom of her oven: I put my pie plate on a 12-inch pizza pan. It catches any drips but allows the heat to circulate for proper baking results.

Jane, via e-mail

Dear Readers: For delicious cucumbers, soak them in cider vinegar and water for 10 to 15 minutes for a tangy treat. I like full strength, but others prefer a lighter version.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: I enjoy freezing leftovers and smaller portions of meats bought in bulk, but oftentimes these smaller packages get lost in my freezer, and I can’t find what I want when I need it, or I’ve forgotten what I have.

I put to good use the clear-plastic bins that variety salad greens come in by labeling them on the front end and stacking them on the shelves in the freezer. I’ve got one for chops, one for steaks, one for seafood, etc.

When I get more bins, I plan to use them to store smaller items together in the refrigerator: tub margarine, cream cheese and small leftover containers, for example.

Susan, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: I have read and use hints from your column all the time, and thought I would send in mine.

When cutting or peeling onions, to avoid tears, put the onions on a plate, put the plate on top of the stove and turn the exhaust fan on. No more tears.

A Reader, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: When drinking from a canned beverage while driving a vehicle, use a drinking straw. That way, you can feel for the opening in the can, but you don’t have to tilt your head back to get the last of whatever is in the can, thus taking your eyes off the road.

Elliot F. in Newark, N.J.

King Features Syndicate