HELPFUL HINTS OPINION

DEAR HELOISE: Before I’d shop for groceries, I’d make out a list of things we needed. Sadly, I’d often forget to bring the list with me. To avoid doing that again and again, I started to write out the list the night before, then tape it to my steering wheel in the car. I tried to

put the list in my wallet, but you know how the saying goes: “Out of sight, out of mind.” I forgot the list was there. Using the steering wheel instead made forgetting the list impossible.

— Julia H., Evanston, Utah DEAR HELOISE: My family and I like meatballs, and I have half a dozen recipes on how to make the sauce that goes with them. So, we eat them at least once a week. But, I hated touching the meat. It just gave me the creeps to form the meatballs.

Now, I chill a plastic cutting board in the refrigerator, and while it’s getting cold, I add the spices to the meat, slip on some latex gloves for my hands, and mix the spices into the meat by hand.

Then, I get the chilled cutting board out, and using an ice cream scooper, I get out enough meat to form the balls. With a little manipulation (while still wearing the gloves), I can form the meatballs.

— Lettie S., Altoona, Pa. DEAR HELOISE: It seems that after Halloween, the holidays just rush toward us. Every year, it seems like there is less time to get ready for visitors, bake cookies and make candy for the kids. It was a request of my oldest son that I make cookies from a cake mix a la Heloise. I have no idea what I did with your recipe, which I cut out of the paper over seven years ago! Would you reprint it for me?

— Lisa A., New Haven, Conn. DEAR READER: Yes, I’d be glad to reprint that recipe for you. It’s a popular recipe, and I get requests for it every year about this time.

Cake-Mix Cookies

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix only the above ingredients in a large bowl until blended. Drop the batter by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet about two inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. You must watch them carefully, because they will brown quickly. Ovens vary, so stand close by for the first batch. Make sure to put the baking sheet in the middle of the oven. Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email