Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 2, 1990 TAG: 9005020117
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TONI BURKS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Have the party in the kitchen.
"Kids love kitchens," says Sherry Warchalowski, a party planner from Cape Cod, Mass. "It's the one room of the house where you don't have to worry about ice cream sundaes dropping on the sofa, cake crumbs littering the rug, and sticky fingers marking the dining room table."
Warchalowski says the perfect children's party is the easy party - and the one in which the children themselves can participate.
"Involving the children in the creation of the party helps the child feel he or she is planning the best party ever," she says.
Other tips:
- Have a theme.
- Keep it small. One rule of thumb: invite one more guest than the age of the birthday child.
- Keep it short. Ninety minutes is just enough time for children to arrive, do an activity, have a snack and go home happy.
- Keep it simple. Avoid planning too much to do.
When it comes to activities, never offer a choice. You will inevitably end up with chaos. The whole idea is to have fun - for both you and the children. - Associated Press
\ MICROWAVE IT This recipe cooks in just 10 minutes and relies on ingredients you're likely to have on hand. However, the noodles should be cooked in a saucepan on the rangetop because the microwave is no faster for pasta. Parmesan tuna and noodles 4 ounces spinach noodles or regular medium noodles (3 cups)
1 chopped onion
2 Tbsps. water
1 10 3/4-oz. can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 5-oz. can evaporated milk
cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsps. lemon juice
1 6 1/2-oz. can tuna, drained and flaked
1 4-oz. can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 2-oz. jar sliced pimiento, drained
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in 1 1/2-qt. microwave-safe casserole combine onion and water. Cover and cook on high (100 percent power) for 3 to 5 minutes or until onion is crisp-tender; drain. Stir soup, milk, the cup Parmesan cheese and lemon juice into onion mixture. Fold tuna, mushrooms, pimiento and drained noodles into soup mixture.
Cook, uncovered, on high for 7 to 9 minutes or until heated through, stirring every 4 minutes. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese before serving, if desired. Makes 4 or 5 servings. - Associated Press
\ MARKET SHOPPING Another good week to get out and dig in the garden. And farm markets have everything you need to plant now for summer harvesting.
Hefty tomato plants - some in flower stage and others with tomatoes already forming - are available in red, yellow, pink, big, little and in-between varieties. There are also tomato plants in containers for people who garden in such small spaces as apartment balconies. Cucumber, melon, eggplant, pepper (both hot and mild), squash and zucchini plants are plentiful, too. And new this week are sweet potato plants.
Fresh food items include tender leaf lettuce, mild green onions, potatoes, spinach and greens - all from area garden spots. Silver Queen corn, squash, green beans, tomatoes, asparagus, green peppers and Vidalia onions are among the foods from warmer growing places.
There's a wide assortment of flowers, too, with varieties for planting outdoors and some that are quite happy to grow in hanging baskets.
This, of course, is a big weekend on the Roanoke City Market. It's the occasion of Community School's Strawberry Festival on Friday and Saturday in Crestar Plaza. There'll be family-style entertainment and, for sale, huge servings of strawberry shortcakes made with real, homemade biscuit cakes.
The 11th Virginia Championship Chili Cookoff takes place all day Saturday, with music, a chili pepper eating contest and entertainment that only chili cooks can provide. There'll be samples of chili, too, for those who care to indulge. And the party will continue Saturday night at the all-class reunion, beginning at 7:30 on the market, with music by the Kings.
\ GRAND FINALE If you find a few over-ripe bananas on hand, you might like to put them to delicious use in this cake. Marvelous banana cake 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 cups granulated sugar
2 cups mashed ripe bananas
4 eggs, beaten
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps. soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsps. bourbon or orange juice
1 cup chopped pecans
Banana-nut frosting
Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating well, at medium speed of electric mixer. Add bananas and mix until smooth. Stir in eggs. Combine flour and soda; add to banana mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla, bourbon and pecans.
Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-in. layer pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks. Spread frosting between layers and on top of cake.
Banana-nut frosting: Combine 1/2 cup mashed bananas and 1 tsp. lemon juice; set aside. Cream cup softened butter or margarine at medium speed of mixer; add 1 16-oz. pkg. plus 3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar and 3 to 4 Tbsps. milk. Mix well. Add banana mixture, beating until fluffy. Stir in 1 cup toasted flaked coconut and cup finely chopped pecans.
by CNB