Dear Heloise: When I bake cookies, I like to chill the dough first. So after mixing the dough, I put the dough into a gallon freezer bag with a zip-lock closure. I then roll the outside of the bag with a rolling pin so the dough is spread out inside the bag and evenly flat. I then chill the bag with the dough. When I’m ready to bake the cookies, I cut open the bag and use a cookie or biscuit cutter and place them on parchment paper on a pan. The cookies look very professional that way! I have started to use the freezer bag technique on pie crusts too. — Reader, via email

MARINADE

Dear Heloise: Have you got a marinade recipe for beef cooked on a grill? We have friends coming for dinner, and my husband wants to do something a little different from the usual way beef is prepared so that it’s tender and tasty. — Jean in Minnesota

Jean, yes, I have a yummy recipe suitable for beef, veal or lamb, and here it is! You’ll need:

1 cup dry white or red wine

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 cup salad oil

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon tarragon

1 bay leaf, crushed in small pieces

1/2 teaspoon thyme or marjoram

1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and use as you would a commercial marinade.

If you like this recipe and want to see more easy and delicious recipes like it, including Pico de Gallo, Texas Caviar and Denver Brew, order my “Heloise’s Seasonings, Sauces and Substitutes” pamphlet by visiting www.Heloise.com or by sending $3 along with a long, self-addressed, stamped (70 cents) envelope to Heloise/SSS, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Remember, you should never marinade meats at room temperature because this can allow bacteria to grow rapidly. And never re-use a marinade to avoid cross-contamination. — Heloise

NUTRIENT LOSS

Dear Heloise: I like a lot of your recipes I see in your column and thought you might be able to answer a question for me. For a recipe that goes into the oven, are the nutrients in them destroyed by the heat? — Allan B. in Virginia

Allen, although some methods of cooking foods can lead to a reduction in nutrients, cooking in an oven does not have much of an effect on most vitamins and minerals, except vitamin B. But the longer the cook time at a high temperature, the more nutrients that may be lost. — Heloise

LEFTOVERS

Dear Heloise: I always seem to have a lot of leftover mashed potatoes. I save them for breakfast. I mix them with a little flour, cheddar cheese, onion flakes and salt and pepper. Then I form patties and fry them. My family loves them and nothing is wasted. — Susana in Rhode Island

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Hints from Heloise run occasionally in Lifestyles. Readers may send a hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE, or email: Heloise@Heloise.com. Letters won’t be answered personally.