THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 14, 1995 TAG: 9505110044
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, SPECIAL TO SUNDAY FLAVOR
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
DAD, YOU MIGHT assume it's too late, but it isn't.
Kids, you might think the job is too hard, but you're wrong.
Cooking an excellent but easy Mother's Day dinner is still possible even if you haven't given it a moment's thought before this morning. Even if all you've ever done in the kitchen is spread peanut butter on bread.
Yes, today is Mother's Day.
So let Mom sleep. You needn't bother her with how-to or where-is questions. We'll try to answer them all in this step-by-step plan of attack, which includes food and equipment lists.
Not only will the Crunchy Chicken Legs, Tangy Tossed Salad, Perfect Baked Potatoes and Banana Split Pie be easy to fix, they will be fun to fix too.
The kids will get a chance to shake (the homemade salad dressing), rattle (the chicken legs in a bag of crumbs) and roll (a rolling pin over a mound of cornflakes).
Dad or a child old and wise enough to handle sharp objects will need to cut the skin from the chicken, chop and grate vegetables for the salad, slice bananas for the pie. This older, wiser cook also will need to put food into and take it out of the hot oven.
The menu will appeal to both kids and adults. So much so that Dad may request a rerun for Father's Day, or family members might choose this as their birthday meal.
One slight drawback: When Mom samples the culinary talent of her family, her appetite may be whetted. The nouvelle chefs may be expected to do lots more cooking in the future.
The plan of attack:
1. Using the lists provided here, check the kitchen for food staples such as spices and oil and for equipment.
2. Read recipes through before you begin.
3. Make a trip to the supermarket for needed ingredients.
4. Prepare Banana Split Pie first so it can firm up in the freezer while chicken and potatoes cook.
5. Put both chicken and potatoes in the oven about an hour before you'd like to eat. They cook at the same temperature for just about the same amount of time. (To bake potatoes, prick once or twice with a fork to let steam escape. Rub a tiny bit of oil over each potato and place them directly on the oven rack; bake at 400 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes, until tender.)
6. While chicken and potatoes bake, make the salad and dressing and set the table.
7. If something burns or drops or tilts, don't worry about it. Mom will love it anyway.
8. She'll love the meal even more if she doesn't have to wash the dishes. by CNB