Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 9, 1990 TAG: 9005090041
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TONI BURKS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
He and Pauline Shelton of Farmville will join 24 other finalists at the cookoff to compete for the top prize - an expenses-paid Caribbean vacation for two, $1,000, appliances and other gifts.
Country music fans in the Roanoke market know Akers as on-air personality and operations manager at WJLM-FM (J93). He's an avid amateur cook and already has one recipe contest win to his credit. He received $1,000 in a contest sponsored by Campbell Soup Co. three years ago.
Here's his recipe, a pretty dish featuring baked chicken breasts served atop hot buttered pasta and sauced with a mixture of rose wine, soy sauce, snow peas and water chestnuts.
Rosy glazed chicken
3 whole chicken breasts, halved, boned and skinned
1/2 tsp. salt
tsp. pepper
3 Tbsps. oil
1/2 cup thickly sliced green onions
1 1/2 Tbsps. cornstarch
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup rose wine
2 tsps. soy sauce
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
1 5-oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 cup shredded carrot
Hot buttered spaghetti
Season chicken with salt and pepper. In large frypan, heat 2 Tbsps. of the oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring, until brown on all sides. Remove chicken from pan and place in a single layer in large shallow baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender.
Add remaining oil to frypan over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add cornstarch, stirring until smooth. Add broth and wine. Cook, stirring, until sauce boils and is slightly thick. Add soy sauce, snow peas and water chestnuts; heat thoroughly. Arrange chicken on top of hot buttered spaghetti. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with shredded carrot. Makes 6 servings.
\ MARKET SHOPPING Along with buckle, slump and grunt, one of the oddly named fruit desserts popular here and in England during colonial times was the fool. The traditional fool was a fruit mixture topped with cream or custard. One delightful springtime version uses fresh strawberries and rhubarb, both available now at farm markets. It's a lovely dessert to serve for Mother's Day.
Berry-rhubarb fool
3/4 lb. rhubarb, sliced into 1-in. pieces (about 3 cups)
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
cup orange juice
Dash salt
3/4 cup whipping cream
2 cups strawberries, halved or quartered
Whole strawberries (optional)
In saucepan combine rhubarb, sugar, orange juice and salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat, cover and simmer 7 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Cool slightly. Pour mixture into a blender container; cover and blend until smooth. Chill.
Just before serving, in a large mixer bowl whip cream with mixer on low speed until stiff peaks form. Fold rhubarb mixture into cream just until cream is streaked. Layer rhubarb mixture with the halved or quartered strawberries in chilled parfait glasses. Top with whole berries, if desired.
Farm markets have a colorful assortment of flowers in pots and hanging baskets that are ideal for Mother's Day gifts. And if your favorite Mom prefers something to plant in a flower garden, there are loads of choices - marigolds, impatiens, geraniums, petunias, sage, iris, dahlias, snapdragons, carnations and begonias, for example. A nice selection of herbs is also available for planting outdoors or in window pots.
For a special dinner, look for fresh-from-the-garden spring onions, leaf lettuce, spinach and greens. Tomatoes, green beans, cabbage, peppers, corn, Vidalia onions, asparagus, broccoli and potatoes are other food products offered.
And the right time has finally arrived to get vegetable plants in the ground. Plants for tomatoes in red, pink and yellow, from cherry-size to whoppers, are available along with pepper, squash, melon, zucchini, eggplant, sweet potato, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower plants.
\ KITCHEN QUICKIE Start with a can of potato soup to make this terrific vegetable soup to serve with a sandwich for lunch or supper. If your family goes for flavors on the spicy side, substitute Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers for the provolone.
Cheesy cream of vegetable soup
2 Tbsps. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. margarine or butter
1 cup frozen loose-pack whole kernel corn
1/2 cup chopped broccoli
1/ 4cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup water
1 10 3/4-oz. can condensed cream of potato soup
1 cup milk
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 ounce provolone cheese, cut up
Dash pepper
In saucepan cook onion in hot margarine or butter until tender but not brown. Add corn, broccoli, carrot and water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in soup, milk, cheeses and pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through. Makes 4 side-dish servings. - Associated Press
\ FOR CHOCOLATE LOVERS How this cake got it's name is a mystery, but after one taste, it's easy to overlook such a minor point. And this version is just a bit different from other recipes with the same name. Mississippi mud cake 1 cup margarine
4 eggs
1 cup flaked coconut
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1 13-oz. jar marshmallow cream
Frosting
Beat margarine until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing after each until blended. Add coconut, sugar, flour, cocoa, vanilla and 1/2 cup of the nuts. Stir with a large spoon until well mixed. Batter will be heavy; do not beat. Spread batter in greased 13x9x2-in. pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove cake from oven and spread with marshmallow cream while still warm. Cool 20 minutes, then spread with frosting. Swirl frosting through the marshmallow cream. Sprinkle with remaining nuts.
Frosting: With a spoon, combine 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine, 1 16-oz. pkg. confectioners' sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa and 6 Tbsps. milk. Mix well. - Los Angeles Times
by CNB