It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such compelling and convincing entries in the Cookbook Giveaway contest.

Apparently, “Eat, Shrink and be Merry” by Janet & Greta Podleski has struck a chord with everyone from nursing mothers wanting to lose weight and stay healthy to military wives who are trying to stay in shape and maybe slim down for when hubby returns.

I’m guessing the big attraction is probably that the Podleski sisters manage to pass along healthful cooking practices with a big sense of humor. Who needs another dry, discouraging diet book?

Let’s keep the entries coming until Wednesday. Since the book sounds so popular, I’m going to share another recipe, this time for a chicken salad with pecans and cranberries in a creamy orange dressing.

Keep those entries coming!!

Read more »

A little while back, I wrote about a weekend feast of pork ribs and red-skinned potato salad.

One blog reader requested the recipe for my family’s all-time favorite potato salad, and I am now prepared to offer exact measurements for all the ingredients.

My sister came through with the measurements this morning, which is appropriate because she’s the one who started this whole potato salad thing, in a roundabout way.

When she was in college, Sis dated a chef who ended up being a real jerk. But we did get this recipe out of him before they broke up, so you see something positive comes out of every relationship. Gee, I hope that guy isn’t reading my blog.

The secret to this potato salad, I believe, is the bacon. We all know that bacon makes just about everything taste better.

I’ll attach the recipe below. As with any potato salad, this one tastes a lot better after it has had a chance to sit for a few hours or overnight.

Read more »

Tomorrow’s Front Burner column pays tribute to a lady who had her fingers in a lot of different pies around Roanoke.

I would say “literally,” but Lib Wilhelm’s granddaughter, Kristin Breakell, said her grandma wasn’t much for baking. She sure did know a lot about other kinds of cooking, though.

Lib, who died earlier this month at age 86, started catering out of her Roanoke home more than 40 decades ago. She didn’t stop catering until she was in her early 80s.

And in those early years, when her business was still getting started, she also worked at St. John’s Episcopal Church, The Shenandoah Club and the Patrick Henry Hotel.

But it didn’t take long for Lib to gain a reputation for her professionalism and her food. Her most famous recipe, a spicy cheese slaw, has been shared around Roanoke for years and will run with tomorrow’s story.

She was also the first caterer to start serving made-to-order shrimp and grits at parties.

Read more »

As opposed to losing Skins….that being the Redskins….oh, okay, never mind.
My sincere apologies to all the Redskins fans out there. And my sincere apology to mice everywhere — although this picture doesn’t match the recipe below, it amused me so much that I just had to use it.
What better way to drown the sorrow of your team’s failure (as a Denver fan, you can trust that I am familiar with that feeling) than with a plate of cheesy, fattening potato skins?
Potato skins are one of those appetizers I could probably make up as I go along. But since I’ve had some problems in the past with that game plan, why not actually follow a recipe this time?
Look for it after the jump. And tell me this: Do you ever make homemade potato skins? If so, what is your favorite topping, besides the cheese?

Read more »

Debbie’s wish is my command. She says masa is available in the Mexican food section of your local grocery store. I’m going looking this weekend, but I might have to head for a different Kroger than the one I usually shop.
Here’s the McCormick recipe for Red Curry Chicken with Masa Dumplings:

Read more »

Check out this op-ed piece by Lan Samantha Chang that ran in The New York Times this week.
According to the piece, a little diner in Iowa City, Iowa called The Hamburg Inn No. 2 has served quite a few political hopefuls in the past.
Of course, what WE want to know is…what did they eat?
Well, Chang writes that Bill Clinton feasted on an omelet with Swiss cheese, tomatoes and green peppers with homefries and Barack Obama had the Iowa omelet (ham, hash browns and American cheese) with a side of sweet potato pancakes.
Mitt Romney, on the other hand, did not eat because the restaurant was too crowded.
Over at the Serious Eats blog, they’re wondering whether Obama’s healthy appetite had anything to do with his win.
All I can say is this: Momma said never to take a test without a full belly. And sweet potato pancakes are certainly quite filling, hmmmmm?
In other news, I have been salivating over a salmon recipe that appeared in my inbox this morning from Simply Recipes.
I’ll share it here. Have a spectacularly tasty weekend!

Read more »