Dear Heloise: Don't throw out those FRUIT AND PUDDING CONTAINERS. They can be washed out and stored to use later when you serve chips, buffalo wings, etc., and you want containers to hold dipping sauces. If you have enough, you can have one for each guest. - Anne J., Chillicothe, Ill.

SOUP TIME

Dear Heloise: I've found that I can make a meal of soup, salad and rolls. I just add noodles, rice or barley to thicken the soup and make it a little more hearty. I always have pasta and rice in my pantry. With a small salad and some rolls, it's a very filling meal. - Roy H., Bowling Green, Ohio

CHERRY SURPRISE

Dear Heloise: I used to have a recipe of yours called Cherry Surprise, but I've misplaced it. Would you reprint it for us cherry-loving individuals? - Brenda M., Bountiful, Utah

Brenda, I love this dessert. It's light and tastes great.
Cream together 2 sticks butter or margarine and 2 cups sugar. Beat 3 eggs and add to the above ingredients. Mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons almond extract and a pint of sour cream. Then add 3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda and l/2 teaspoon salt; mix to blend. Last, stir in 1 cup chopped maraschino cherries and 1 1/2 cup nuts.

Bake in a greased and floured tube pan at 325 F for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
If you want icing for it, you can combine powdered sugar, cherry juice and a drop of vanilla extract. Mix well and spread on a cooled cake.
If you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my pamphlet Heloise's Cake Recipes. These easy-to-make desserts are a nice conclusion to any meal. To get a copy, send $3, along with a long, stamped (70 cents), self-addressed envelope, to: Heloise/Cakes, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Or you can order it online at www.Heloise.com. FYI: Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes or so on a wire rack before trying to take it out of the pan. - Heloise

LEMON ON VEGETABLES

Dear Heloise: I like a little squeeze of fresh lemon on vegetables such as zucchini, spinach, asparagus and Brussels sprouts. This gives these rather bland, ordinary vegetables a nice zip to their flavor and puts a little vitamin C in my diet. - Renee, via email

MUSHROOM MEMO

Dear Heloise: As mushroom lovers, my wife and I have some suggestions for anyone who also loves them:

• Refrigerate them as soon as you bring them home.
• Store in a paper bag. If kept dry, they should last four to five days.
• Do not store in plastic.
• Don't clean them until you're ready to use them.
• Don't soak mushrooms. They'll absorb water, affecting the flavor.
- Gavin and Patty in Oregon

TASTY TIDBIT

Dear Readers: Here is a trivia question that tests your "Food IQ" and might stump your friends.
In the late 1800s, while trying to make cheese with cream and whole milk, a dairyman came up with what popular, multipurpose dairy product we use today? Can you guess? It was cream cheese! - Heloise

READER HELPER

Dear Heloise: My middle-schooler was having trouble reading. I went to the public library and found the audio version of the book she was reading. I brought it home. It is much easier for her to read and follow along when she can hear someone reading the book! - Nancy S. in Texas

Here's a Heloise hug for you both! If your library doesn't have the book title on CD, ask the teacher for another copy of the book. You can read it aloud to her while she follows along. Great family time. - Heloise

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can't answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.
(c)2019 by King Features Syndicate Inc.