Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 8, 1995 TAG: 9502080032
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES FOOD EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Take, for example Marcus Krejci of Galax. He loved peanut butter enough to join an international fan club dedicated to the stuff. Unfortunately, Krejci died in September of '94, but one of his favorite concoctions, which his survivors thought he'd be pleased to to share, lives on in a free recipe brochure from the club. To get a copy, send a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope to Recipe Contest Brochure, Adult Peanut Butter Lovers' Fan Club, 1950 North Park Place, Suite 525, Atlanta, Ga. 30339.
San Francisco restaurateur Jerry Dal Bozzo loves garlic enough to own The Stinking Rose Restaurant in that city, whose pungent potables, from appetizers to ice cream, incorporate about 3,000 pounds of the herb per month. In "The Stinking Rose Cookbook" ($9.95, Celestial Arts), Dal Bozzo complements 36 of his eclectic garlic incarnations, including a cough syrup, with selection, storing and serving tips, bits of lore, photographs and caricature drawings. Write P.O. Box 7327, Berkeley, Calif. 94707.
Kids and their classmates love chunky, fudgy treats instead of or in addition to the usual Valentine's Day cards. Families love fluffy pink pies. And for those times when you need to love yourself, canned goods make a quick task of cooking for you or or better still, your delegate.
Lots of folks love red wine, champagne, aged cheese and chocolates included in their Valentine's Day celebrations. However, Cerenex Pharmaceuticals says these consumables may trigger in more than 23 million food-sensitive Americans - heaven, forbid! - a legitimate headache. For the company's free newsletter on living with migraine, write HeadWay, P.O. Box 500, Wendell, N.C. 27591.
One way to avoid chocolate's headaches, as well as its largely unloved calories and cholesterol, is to concoct confections with meringues. Mary King Rapoport of the Virginia Egg Council says to obtain maximum volume, separate eggs while they are cold, then allow the whites to stand at room temperature for about a half hour before beating them. Meringues don't mix well when the weather is damp, and they're best stored in cookie tins, which keep them from weeping. Rapoport says she usually keeps some meringues on hand for a light dessert of sherbert and fruit that satisfies her husband's sweet tooth and shows him her love.
Another way to cut the calories, cholesterol and fat is with new I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Spray, which lists zero in all three categories per serving. The product's spokesman is none other than Mr. Romance himself, Italian model/actor Fabio, whose image has appeared on more than 500 romance novels' covers. Here are some ways Fabio would set the mood for love:
Create a desert oasis in your dining room by draping a large sheet from each ceiling corner and attaching it to the center of the chandelier. Decorate your tent with luxurious pillows. Then sit back and tell the tales of 1,001 Arabian nights while you dine.
Play your favorite big band music. Wear your tuxedo or evening gown, light candles, arrange roses for a centerpiece and break out the champagne.
Throw a '60s beach party for two, with a little Doo-Wop music and lots of grooving and fruging! Be sure to wear your swim trunks or bikini so you can take a dip.
Break out the guitar, the lava lamp and put on your favorite tie-dyed T-shirt and hip-hugger jeans. Sing along with music from Joan Baez, The Weavers and Pete Seeger as you recreate the flower-power era
Set a south-of-the-border mood by playing music by the Gypsy Kings accompanied with frozen margaritas, easily made in the blender.
Or just cuddle up together on a cold winter's night and watch a favorite movie, while you sip hot spiced cider and crunch popcorn, preferably air-popped and spritzed with the healthy spray.
For that purpose, here are some viewing selections compiled by the Pork Information Bureau:
``Jamon Jamon (Ham Ham)'' (1992) - This dark comedy focuses on sex and food and their importance in Spanish society.
``Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?'' (1978) - Comical whodunit with an assortment of gourmet meals and grotesque murders.
``Mystic Pizza'' (1988) - Tale of three women who work in a pizzeria in Mystic, Conn.
``Like Water for Chocolate'' (1992) - The power of food and cooking shapes a young woman's life.
``My Dinner With Andre'' (1981) - Two old friends discuss their problems and share life's philosophies over the course of a meal.
``Eat Drink Man Woman'' (1994) - The relationship between Taiwan's premiere chef and his three daughters is played out at their traditional Sunday dinner.
``The Wedding Banquet'' (1993) - This Taiwanese-American film explores family relationships with vivid use of food throughout.
``Eating'' (1990) - At a birthday party, a group of women sit around and talk about food and life.
``Diner'' (1982) - The problems of growing up are seen through a group of friends hanging out at a 1950s Baltimore Diner. Worth seeing just to spot the young talent.
``Six Degrees of Separation'' (1993) - Posing as a society insider, a con man charms his way into the home of an unsuspecting, high brow couple by whipping up a wonderful feast from seemingly nothing.
``Dinner at Eight'' (1933) - New York City elite are invited to an elegant dinner party. Noted for an exceptional cast, including John Barrymore, Jean Harlow and Lionel Barrymore.
``Babette's Feast'' (1987) - A sumptuous feast serves as a metaphor for life in this exquisitely photographed masterpiece.
Hope your Valentine's Day is filled with lots of good things and especially one or more forms of love.
\ ELEGANT MERINGUE HEART
ROCKY ROAD FUDGE
PINK CLOUD PIE
OVEN ROASTED FREE-RANGE CHICKEN WITH LEMON AND WHITE WINE
LATIN AMERICAN BEEF PICNIC PIES
PEANUT BUTTER- AND HONEY-COATED RABBIT
BAGNA CALDA
(An Italian fondue)
8-CALORIE CHOCOLATE KISSES
(Fat- and cholesterol-free)
\ see microfilm for recipes
by CNB