Tuesday, Sep. 15, 2009

Don't forget tickets to the Taste of Home Cooking School

Tickets are still available for the Taste of Home Cooking School to be held Sept. 22 (that's just a week from today). The autumn show is always appealing to me because the recipes make me think of comfort food. Tickets are $15 ($5 less than last year). The Fall Comfort Classics show runs from 7-9 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Belleville West High School. Doors open at 6.

If you want tickets, you have three options:

Buy them at the News-Democrat office in downtown Belleville.

Buy them at Maytag Direct in Fairview Heights.

Send a check for up to six tickets to the address at the bottom of this column. Make sure to write "Cooking show tickets" on the outside of the envelope.

No phone sales are available. Give me a call if you have any questions, though, but remember that I can't reserve seats for you!

This recipe from Marge Perry of Newsday satisfies my craving for grilled onions, with a little added flavor from balsamic vinegar. Try the onions on burgers, steak, in omelets, or as a side dish.

BALSAMIC-CARAMELIZED ONION

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups thinly sliced onion

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Heat oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes, until very soft and deeply golden. Stir in balsamic vinegar and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer, until vinegar no longer has a sharp flavor. Set aside.

While this recipe comes from a vegan cookbook, its ingredients are what most of us have on our shelves and in the refrigerator. These citrusy, sweet, fragrant and fluffy muffins are adapted from "Vegan Brunch" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (Da Capo, $19.95).

CRANBERRY-ORANGE NUT MUFFINS

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup canola oil

2 tablespoons orange zest

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, roughly chopped

1 cup pecans, roughly chopped (walnuts would be good, too)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a muffin tin (or use paper liners).

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt with a fork until well-blended.

Make a deep indentation in the center and pour in the orange juice, oil, zest and extracts. Mix just until all wet ingredients are moistened, adding cranberries and nuts about halfway through.

Fill the muffin tin three-quarters full. Bake 23 to 27 minutes, until muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted through the center comes out clean. When cool enough to handle, transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

Makes 1 dozen muffins, each with 280 calories, 16 grams fat, 0 cholesterol, 3 grams protein, 32 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 232 mg sodium.

Here's how to reach me: Phone, 239-2664; e-mail, sboyle@bnd.com; or write, Suzanne Boyle, Belleville News-Democrat, P.O. Box 427, 120 S. Illinois St., Belleville, IL 62222-0427.