HELOISE: Candy snack is a yummy treat

Dear Readers: The recent recipe for an easy candy snack using pretzels, pecans and caramel candy resulted in a deluge of questions from readers asking what type of candy was used. Since I don’t use brand names in my column or books, here’s a stab at describing it. The chocolate-covered caramels are individually wrapped with copper-colored foil, and are sold either in a bag or in a roll.

For those who may have missed this easy recipe, all you do is take one of the caramel-filled chocolate candies and place it onto a square pretzel, then top with a whole pecan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 4 minutes. After removing from the oven, press the pecan down into the candy and then put in the fridge so they harden.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: Never throw away another orange or lemon peel. Before eating or using the fruit, use a vegetable peeler to shave the colored zest onto a piece of plastic wrap. Spread in a single layer, then fold into an airtight package.

Collect these packets in a freezer bag until ready to use. Remove the needed amount, and chop the zest until finely minced. Use in cooked cereal, fresh cranberry sauce, muffins, pancakes, etc. It adds wonderful flavor!

Joan B. in Linn Creek, Mo.

Dear Heloise: My husband insists on leaving our milk (1/2 gallon) in the refrigerator door. I told him it should be way in the back. He doesn’t believe me. He is the only one who drinks it. We’re at home all day; the refrigerator gets opened a lot.

Connie Y. in Florida

Connie, you are the winner! It is not a good idea to store milk in the door of the refrigerator because of constant changes in temperature, and the higher the temperature, the quicker the milk may spoil.

For milk to remain at its best, it should be stored where the temperature is the lowest and there is no fluctuation, which is in the back of the refrigerator. However, this may make getting to the milk a little difficult. So, the middle of the shelf is OK, but definitely not in the door.

Buy the smallest container of milk to meet your needs. A lot depends on how quickly the milk is used. You want to use it all before it starts to spoil.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: Here is my hint: I use an ice-cream scoop to fill the paper liners inside the tins when making muffins, etc. It is easy to direct the batter into the liners without a mess. The scoops come in assorted sizes. The one I have is equivalent to 2 ounces, and it has a swivel-type insert operated by a thumb lever that scoops the batter into the tin. It works perfectly every time.

Marian Maag, via email

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

King Features Syndicate