Advice is free in the grocery store, especially in the produce section.

        As I rummage through a bin of rock-hard avocados, one man tells me to put them on top of the fridge (where it's warm) so they'll ripen faster. It seems to work. Speed it up even more by putting them in a paper bag.

        Another man, brandishing a dry, withered piece of ginger root says, “The thing I like about ginger is it never goes bad.”

        Yes, free advice is worth every penny. Ginger should be smooth and firm, but you can keep it almost forever (or about six months, whichever comes first) if you peel it, slice it and store it covered in sherry in a capped jar in the refrigerator. If that's too much trouble, many Asian markets have fresh, minced ginger in a tube.

        The advice keeps coming:

        • Helen of Middletown writes about a prune cake recipe I ran months ago: “Dear heart, don't put chocolate on it.” Caramel icing is the only way to go, she says.

        I agree. (It's even good without the cake. Drop spoonfuls onto waxed paper and top each with a pecan. Let cool and enjoy as candy.)
       

Caramel Icing
       

        3 cups sugar (brown or white)
       1 cup butter
       1 cup buttermilk
       2 tablespoons light corn syrup
       1 teaspoon baking soda

        Heat all ingredients in a 4-quart saucepan over medium flame. Stir occasionally until it reaches soft ball stage, or temperature registers 238 degrees on a candy thermometer. Carefully pour hot icing into mixer bowl and beat until spreading consistency, about 7 minutes. Makes enough icing for a 2- or 3-layer cake.

        • Some gently suggest the recipes in this column could be more healthful. (Did the caramel icing give you that idea?) So here is a recipe for Karen Gault of Cleves, who requested a low-fat, creamy honey-mustard salad dressing. This is from Southern Living All-Time Favorite Light Meals (Oxmoor House; $14.95). Adjust the thickness

        with more or less vinegar.

Honey-Mustard Dressing
       

        3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
        1/4 cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise
        1/4 cup honey
       2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
       2 tablespoons coarse-grain mustard
       1 tablespoon rice vinegar

        Combine all ingredients, cover and chill. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

        Here's another healthful recipe. (Don't get used to this.) Maryann Siebel wants the meatless split-pea soup from Mount Adams' Holy Cross-Immaculata Church. Nancy Stauffer of Finneytown offers this version. She says it's even better the next day.

Meatless Pea Soup
       

        2 cups split peas
       6 cups water
       1 medium onion, diced
       2 cloves garlic, minced
       2 ribs celery, sliced
       2 carrots, peeled and sliced
       1 potato, scrubbed and diced
        1/2 teaspoon marjoram
        1/2 teaspoon basil
        1/4 teaspoon cumin
        1/4 teaspoon pepper
        1/2 teaspoon salt

        Rinse peas. Combine other ingredients with peas and bring to a boil. Simmer, loosely covered, until done. Makes 6 servings.
       

Can you help?

        • Velma Lough in Mount Adams would like a recipe for Szechuan beef similar to that served at Szechuan House.

        • Sheila Minor in Blue Ash needs a recipe for lemon pound cake made from a yellow cake mix; glazed with lemon juice, orange juice and powdered sugar; and baked in a bundt pan.

        • Mark Bleska in West Chester Township wants a corn bread recipe that tastes like Burbank's Real Bar-BQ to serve to his out-of-town in-laws.

        Send food questions, tips, recipe requests and recipes to Saucy Cook, c/o the Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: foodlady@zoomtown.com. Please include name, neighborhood, e-mail and phone number.

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