A Taste of Home is coming soon
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
It’s coming: The Taste of Home “Made Easy” Cooking School will be here November 14!
For those who don’t know, this program is “...geared to home cooks who are looking for economical, quick-to-fix weeknight meals and sensational dishes for entertaining.”
Tamra Duncan, a culinary specialist for Taste of Home, will demonstrate eight wonderful recipes, with step by step instructions. Everyone will get a gift bag full of all sorts of goodies, coupons and a recipe collection, then there will be door prizes throughout the evening from local and national sponsors. To top it off, Tamra will be giving away the dishes she prepares for some lucky person to take home!
There will be limited seating, so don’t wait to get your tickets. All of the tickets are sold in advance (not at the door) at the Gazette, 517 Merchant. The admission is $10, and you can mail payment if you like along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Call us up if you have any questions at 342-4800.
One of this year’s national sponsors is Crosse & Blackwell, makers of relishes, chutneys, and fruit spreads (like lovely lemon curd). They’ve been doing business since 1706, and their prepared products make cooking a lot easier (who has time to make lemon curd?). Here’s one of their recipes.
PORK STRIPS WITH MINTED CHUTNEY GLAZE
3/4 cup Crosse & Blackwell Hot Mango Chutney
1/2 cup Crosse & Blackwell mint flavored Apple Jelly
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 - 3 lbs. pork tenderloin
salt & pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle tenderloin with salt and pepper and cook or grill along with garlic to taste. Cut into strips and transfer to a covered baking pan. In a small bowl, mix chutney and jelly. Serve tenderloin strips with their minted chutney dipping sauce.
The Canola Oil Board is another sponsor for the tour. I was reading up on canola oil, and found that is one of the best plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids. It’s also high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and a source of vitamin E.
The Board says it is fine to substitute canola for some of the solid fats called for in the recipe. They say that as a general rule, use 3/4 cup of canola oil to replace 1 cup of solid fat. This usually reduces the fat in a recipe by 10 percent.
SUNDAY BEST
CHOCOLATE CAKE
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2-2/3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups boiling water
Preheat oven to 350º F. In a large bowl, beat sugar, canola oil, eggs and vanilla for four minutes. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with boiling water to the sugar mixture. Beat well after each addition.
Pour into an oiled and floured 9-x-13-inch cake pan. Bake 40 minutes, or until cake springs back to the touch.
Dickinson’s is another purveyor of fruit spreads, relishes and chutneys working with this year’s Taste of Home “Made Easy” school. According to their web site, only premium, American-grown varietal fruits and pure, high-quality ingredients are used in Dickinson’s products. They also contain no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.
APRICOT PEPPER & ONION APPETIZER
1 jar (8.75 oz.) Dickinson’s Sweet ‘n’ Hot Pepper & Onion Relish
1 jar (10 oz.) Dickinson’s Apricot Preserves OR 1 jar (9.5 ounces) Dickinson’s Apricot Spreadable Fruit
2 cans (8 oz. each) crescent roll dough
Preheat oven to 350º F. Make a filling by combining the relish and preserves. Press 1 triangle of dough into each cup of a greased muffin pan. Spoon about two tablespoons filling into each. Pinch dough ends together. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and serve slightly warm.
Those wacky elves at Keebler are participating, too! Here’s a really great dessert recipe to try for Halloween. A layer of cheesecake is sandwiched between two layers of stewed apples, and the whole thing is drizzled with caramel. What could be better than that?
CARAMEL APPLE CHEESECAKE PIE
1 Keebler Ready Crust Graham Pie Crust
1 can (21 oz.) apple pie filling
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/3 cup pecans, toasted
Place the crust on a baking sheet. Spread half of the filling in it and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla on medium speed until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined after each addition. Gently spread over filling in crust.
Bake on baking sheet at 350º for 30-35 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate at least 3 hours, then spread with the remaining pie filling. Drizzle with caramel topping and garnish with the pecans. Store in refrigerator when you’re not serving.
This year’s school has a new twist: a recipe contest. Bring a copy of your best dessert recipe to the cooking school to enter. Include your name, address, e-mail address and phone number on the entry. There will be a collection box that night and if your recipe is chosen you could win an “ultimate kitchen gift pack from Taste of Home Entertaining” (a $1,000 value), and your recipe will be featured in a Taste of Home “Prize Winning Recipes” magazine. Fame at last.
Next week we’re doing Tailgating Recipes III. The week after that is right before Halloween, which means it’s time once again for your most delicious, yet most gruesome, Halloween recipes! From Penicillin Pizza and Mouse Meatloaf to Witches Fingers, I can’t wait to get my hands on your scary treats. Send them to murphysmenu@yahoo.com or Murphy’s Menu, PO Drawer C, Emporia. Let’s get cooking!