Dear Heloise: I’ve lost your cake recipe that had CHERRIES AND PINEAPPLE. My family loved it! Would you please reprint it? — Ginny in Spring Branch, Texas

Ginny, I’d love to! Thanks for asking. You’ll need:

1 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple in heavy syrup

1 21-ounce can of cherry pie filling

1 package of yellow cake mix

1 3-ounce can of pecans (1 cup), chopped

1/2 cup of butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Spread pineapple with its syrup evenly in the pan. Spoon the pie filling evenly over the pineapple. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the mixture, then the chopped nuts over all. Thinly slice the chilled butter or margarine, then lay the slices evenly over the other ingredients. Bake for 50 minutes or until golden. Serve warm. Makes 12 servings.

You’ll find this and several more unusual and tasty cake and pie recipes in my Heloise’s Cake Recipes pamphlet, which you can have by sending $3 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (70 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Cake, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Or you can order it online at www.Heloise.com. FYI: Let a cake cool for 10 minutes or so on a wire rack before trying to remove the cake from the pan. — Heloise

FLUFFY EGGS

Dear Heloise: I’m a man who cooks for the whole family. How do you make the real fluffy scrambled eggs like they do in restaurants? I have tried adding milk and water, but no luck. Can you help? — Denny Z., Wellsville, Pa.

Denny, here is the method I have used for years to achieve fluffy scrambled eggs:

First, make certain you whisk the eggs vigorously until they’re light and airy. Then add butter to the bottom of the pan and be sure that the pan is hot before you pour the eggs into it. Using a heat-resistant spatula, gently push the edges to the middle of the pan and keep doing that until there is no liquid left. A few seconds before the eggs are done, remove them from the heat because the eggs continue to cook. That’s how we do them here at Heloise Central. — Heloise

ONION TEARS

Dear Heloise: How can I avoid onion tears? — Della K., Austin, Texas

Della, put your onions in the freezer 15 minutes before using or in the refrigerator overnight. Either way, it will reduce the spray of onion oils. — Heloise

STAINLESS STEEL ­APPLIANCES

Dear Heloise: How do I keep my stainless steel appliances clean and shiny? — Sharon W., Ouray, Colo.

Sharon, it’s really easy to clean stainless steel. Just use window cleaner in a spray bottle or full-strength vinegar. You also can use a little cooking oil on a paper towel to wipe on and a clean cloth to wipe it off. — Heloise

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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.