Lindsey here. I’m into my second week of helping to fill in for my boss, who just had a little bundle of joy. In fact, three Roanoke Times co-workers became parents within about 3 days last week!! There was an entire Roanoke Times wing at RMH!

In addition to helping with editing duties, I’ve been cooking up a storm — chili and chicken pie for new parents; Swiss steak for us, which we cooked in the pressure cooker.

Anyway, I plan to pick the blog back up full-time next week. I will post later this week with the Swiss steak recipe and a few observations from judging the rib cookoff at the Big Lick Blues Festival this past weekend.

Meanwhile, I had to chip in my 2 cents’ worth on Nona’s wonderful blog postings. Thanks a bunch, Nona!

I’m excited about the un-perforated dough because I make little pigs in a blanket several times a year. I love them with Lil’ Smokies and dipped in both ketchup and mustard. Mmmmmm!! I’ve never had a party when they didn’t disappear in a flash.

I’d like to try the new dough in some kind of foldover with a mixture of browned ground beef with onions and other seasonings. Like an English pasty.

As for chiffon cake, I’ll bet it’s delicious and not too fattening. Maybe you could make it and frost it with light whipped cream and strawberries or mandarin oranges. It’s beating the egg whites that’s a pain, but I’ve done it for angel food cake and if you have a cold metal bowl, it’s actually a cool cooking experience.

It’s Nona again, folks. Hope you all had a great, last-of-summer weekend. The blog software we use here is running very slowly, so thanks for your patience waiting for today’s Fridge Magnet entry.

Here’s some sweet news. Three bakers from Southwestern Virginia have been invited to compete for cash, eggs and bragging rights in the Virginia Egg Council’s Search for the Best Chiffon Cake Contest.

According to a press release from Mary Rapoport of the VEC, first-, second- and thir-place winners from 28 county fairs held accross the commonwealth are eligible to go to Richmond on Saturday to whip up their vintage cake recipes for a shot at one of three cash prizes and a hefty supply of Eggland’s Best eggs.

Denise Murphy of Vinton, Joni Underwood of Pilot and Vicky Thompson of Salem were the winners from the Salem Fair. Denise won first place for her orange chiffon cake; Joni claimed second prize for her chocolate brownie version of chiffon, and Vicky took third place for a recipe titled “Nanny’s Chocolate Chiffon Cake.”

Which brings me to the question of the day: Do we have any chiffon cake fans out there? Even the egg council admits it’s a recipe you don’t see often these days. “Folks born after the 1950s don’t seem to know of this delicate cake at all and have never even tasted one,” the release said.

I have tasted a lot of cakes in my life, and this is one I can’t recall.

The Food Network encyclopedia said the cake was believed to be created in the late 1940s by a professional baker. “Chiffon cake is distinguished from others of its genre by the fact that oil, rather than solid shortening, is used. It contains leavening, such as baking powder, and stiffly beaten egg whites, which contribute to its rather sponge-cake-like texture.”

So it sounds like this cake is a cross between tyipcal batter cakes that are made with butter and angel food cake, which is made only with egg whites and no oil or other fat.

It also sounds delicious. I e-mailed the egg council to ask for the winning local recipes, and will post them as soon as I get them.

How about it, readers? Have you ever sampled, or made, a chiffon cake? If you have made one, what do you think and how hard is it to make?

It’s Nona again. Lindsey will be back tomorrow.

Some of my favorite dishes are the simplest to make. And as much as I like to cook and bake, I also take a little store-bought help wherever I can find it.

I made one of my favorite desserts Sunday night. I started with a chocolate angel food cake from the Kroger bakery. I put the cake on a plate, poked holes in it with a fork and drizzled a big shot of Kahlua over it. I let the cake sit for an hour so it can soak up all the liquid. After about a half hour, I set two 8-ounce containers of mascarpone cheese out on the counter to get to room temperature.

To the softened cheese, I added another shot of Kahula, a quarter cup of powdered sugar and a couple of tablespoons of Hershey’s syrup. I whipped that all together into a smooth frosting and covered the cake with it. Then I put the cake in the fridge to chill until after dinner.

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