We've all watched enviously as talented television cooks prepare simply maaahvelous meals, then bombed in our own attempts to whip up something vaguely similar to what we saw on the TV screen.
Seems like many of the fancy foods prepared a la tube are not user-friendly. If we want chi chi cuisine, we can go to a restaurant or invest a day or two in the kitchen.Most of us are looking for easy-to-fix, tasty tidbits that will add a touch of magic to mealtime.
But where to turn for help if you're not a naturally gifted cook? (Julia was no child when she began cooking at the age of 34!)
The next time you're visiting the home of a good cook, check out the bookshelves. You're apt to discover a diverse collection of worldwide cuisine. And alongside the "Joy of Cooking" (the prime primer for ALL cooks), you're likely find several Junior League cookbooks.
So here's your answer to how you can jump-start your cooking abilities: For the wannabe cook who can't quite (or doesn't want to) catch the vision, and for all the Edies that AREN'T Gourmet, there's an easy way to become an impressive cook.
First you take "A Pinch of Salt Lake."
Junior Leagues throughout the country have been compiling regional cookbooks for years. And the books, highlighting each community's style of preparing, serving and eating food, have become hot stuff.
In fact, these community fund-raisers have such a strong following that bookstores have them grouped together as an unofficial category.
And by far, these collections of local cuisine are the best way to get into the groove of feeling secure and "at one with your kitchen."
Ten years ago, "A Pinch of Salt Lake" was published by The Junior League of Salt Lake City and is now in its fourth printing. More than 60,000 copies have been sold since 1986.
In "Pinch," there are 400 triple-tested, prized recipes that highlight foods designed for our contemporary lifestyle. The best part about the cookbook is that it was created to be simple to use for cooks new to the kitchen.
You know the type. Noshing neophytes that answer the following question in this manner:
Q. What did you make for dinner?
A. Reservations.
Robin Leach, the quasi-"Rich and Famous" spokesman for Better Homes and Gardens America's Best-Loved Community Recipes, showcased "Pinch's" Fruit Pizza (recipe follows) on the NBC "Today Show."
The recipe is an eye-popping presentation. The colorful dessert, a circular sugar cookie-crusted "pie" mounded with whipped cream cheese and festooned with fruit, has become a Utah favorite.
Perhaps the national exposure has added the "Pinch's" Fruit Pizza to recipe repertoires from Roanoke to Rawlins.
That's how it works in the underground railroad of recipes. The pattern of "handing down" special recipes begins in families blessed with a good cook; these treasured instructions move through neighborhoods and towns, eventually ending up in a makeshift collection put together by church groups or other organizations.
Ultimately, Junior Leagues around the country gather the creme de la creme in recipes, publishing cookbooks filled with their area's favorites, plus nibbles of local lore on the side.
That's what happened with the now-hot (no kidding!) Buffalo Chicken Wings. A bar and grill in Buffalo, N.Y., popularized the spicy appetizers (no doubt as a ploy to get customers to swill more), and Junior Leaguers along the East Coast started adding the appetizer to their cookbooks.
Over the past 25 years, my collection of League cookbooks has grown to more than 30 - beginning with the excellent "Colorado Cache," to Chicago's "Soupcon," to "Three Rivers Cookbook" from Pittsburgh and ending in Connecticut.
The cookbooks are a quick reference when your invitation to dinner requires an edible entry dish. (Not entree, entry.) The Junior League cookbooks supply numerous tried and true formulas for primo presentations.
In short, Junior League Cookbooks make you, the cook, look good. That alone is worth the price of the book!
Of note is the "Junior League Centennial Cookbook" a compilation of more than 750 of the "most treasured recipes from 200 Junior Leagues."
The recently released volume features some interesting history regarding the remarkable organization.
Their slogan, "The Junior League - Where a Woman Can Change the World," was a radical resolve in 1901 when a 19-year-old named Mary Harriman organized a committee of young New York women to "improve the conditions that surround us."
At the end of a century of continuous growth, the Junior Leagues today number approximately 200,000 volunteers in nearly 300 chapters in four countries: the United States, Canada, Mexico and Great Britain.
Holly Sloan, executive director of the Association of Junior Leagues International Inc., notes that "Junior League cookbooks preserve a community's culture and heritage and provide a source of deep pride for its inhabitants."
"A Pinch of Salt Lake," which retails for $19.95, is a fund-raising effort with proceeds helping Junior League projects including CARE Fair, Utah Youth Village, Salt Lake Art Center's Kidspace, Legal Aid's Domestic Violence Victim Assistance Program, Mini Projects and The Sharing Place.
The cookbook can be purchased at bookstores throughout Salt Lake City as well as the Junior League PINCH office by calling 328-4516.
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Recipes
GRETCHEN'S SUPER STUFFED SHELLS
1 pound jumbo shell pasta or any large shell-shaped pasta
1 pound extra lean ground beef
1 pound mild sweet Italian sausage
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 28-ounce cans Italian-style plum tomatoes, with juice
12 ounces tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons sugar
2 pounds fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 pounds grated whole milk mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Cook pasta shells in 8 quarts of water according to package directions. Drain and place in cold water. In a large saucepan combine the beef, sausage (remove and discard casings), onions, fennel and garlic. Brown meat over medium-high heat. Drain off excess grease. Add tomatoes, breaking them up slightly. Add tomato paste, basil, oregano, dried parsley and 2 tablespoons sugar. Let mixture simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, combine ricotta cheese, eggs, 1 tablespoon sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons parsley in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add 11/2 pounds mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and mix thoroughly. Set filling mixture aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread a small amount of sauce over bottom of an 11 X 14-inch shallow baking dish. Fill the pasta shells generously with the filling mixture, place in pan and layer sauce over, reserving approximately 11/2 cups of the sauce to add later. Bake shells for 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with reserved sauce and remaining cheeses. Return to the oven and continue baking approximately 5-10 minutes until cheese topping has melted. Serves 8-10.
- Each serving contains 879 calories, 56g fat, 2,295mg sodium, 211mg cholesterol, 57% calories from fat.
- From "A Pinch of Salt Lake" by The Junior League of Salt Lake City
FRUIT PIZZA
For Sugar Cookie Crust:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
For Filling:
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh fruits of choice: peaches, strawberries, kiwi, bananas, grapes, apples, mandarin oranges or any berry
For Orange Sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
4 teaspoons cornstarch
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare crust by creaming butter and sugars until light and fluffy in a large bowl. Add egg, vanilla and almond extracts, beating well. Combine dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture, blending thoroughly. Divide dough in half. With lightly floured hands pat dough onto two lightly greased pizza-type pans. Bake for 12-15 minutes; cool.
To prepare filling, whip cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread mixture over cooled crust. Decorate with slices of fruit, completely covering the crust.
Combine orange sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is thick. Stir in the orange and lemon peel; cool. Glaze fruit pizzas with sauce. Makes 2 pizzas, 8 slices each.
- Each serving contains 438 calories, 22g fat, 656mg sodium, 62mg cholesterol, 44% calories from fat.
- From "A Pinch of Salt Lake" by The Junior League of Salt Lake City
BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS
2 1/2 pounds chicken wings with end-joint removed
1 egg, whipped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cider vinegar
2-3 tablespoons Tabasco (2 tablespoons give moderate heat)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
Pinch of ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon coriander
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Celery sticks
Blue Cheese Dip (recipe at left)
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Cut chicken wings in half at joint. Lay wings in a large shallow pan (9 X 13-inch or larger). Mix next 11 ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour mixture over chicken wings and bake for 35-40 minutes or until crispy. Remove wings and drain on paper towels. Serve wings hot with crisp celery sticks dunked in Blue Cheese Dip to help douse the fire! Serves 6.
- Each serving contains 635 calories, 47g fat, 268 mg sodium, 177mg cholesterol, 68% calories from fat.
- From "A Pinch of Salt Lake" by The Junior League of Salt Lake City
BLUE CHEESE DIP
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon (scant) salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 ounces imported Danish blue cheese
Place first 6 ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend 2 minutes at low speed with an electric mixer. Add mayonnaise and blend at low speed for 1 minute. Crumble blue cheese into small pieces and add to dip mixture. Blend at low speed for 4 minutes longer. Dip should be refrigerated 24 hours before serving. Also delicious over salad greens. Makes 11/2 cups.
- Each 1/4 cup serving contains 275 calories, 31g fat, 378 mg sodium, 25mg cholesterol, 94% calories from fat.
- From "A Pinch of Salt Lake" by The Junior League of Salt Lake City
TOMATO AND ZUCCHINI RATATOUILLE
3 medium zucchini, sliced
1 10-ounce package frozen corn, thawed, or equivalent freshly cut from cob
1 large onion, cut into rings
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 large fresh tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 medium green pepper, sliced into rings
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon oregano, crushed
1 teaspoon sweet basil, crushed
1/4 cup minced parsley
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, (1/4 cup reserved)
Layer zucchini, corn, mushrooms, onion, green pepper and tomatoes in a 9 X 13-inch oven-proof dish. Combine butter and the remaining ingredients together. Dot the top with the herbed butter. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes until most of the moisture has evaporated. Stir occasionally while baking. Before serving, sprinkle top with the remaining Parmesan cheese and serve. Serves 6-8.
- Each serving contains 222 calories, 14g fat, 249mg sodium, 36 mg cholesterol, 54% calories from fat.
- From "A Pinch of Salt Lake City" by The Junior League of Salt Lake City
ELEGANT LAYERED APPLE CAKE
For Cake:
3 cups sifted flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups finely grated, pared, tart apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 eggs
For Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
16 ounces powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
Grease well and flour three 9-inch round cake pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift flour with baking soda and salt; set aside. In a small bowl combine grated apple, nuts and lemon peel. In a large bowl combine sugar, oil and eggs; beat well with a wooden spoon. Add sifted dry ingredients mixing until smooth. Incorporate apple mixture; stir until well combined. Spread evenly into prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until surface springs back when pressed lightly. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool thoroughly on wire racks.
Prepare frosting by creaming together all ingredients except nuts. Frost between layers, on sides and top. Press nuts around sides of cake. One may reserve a bit of icing to pipe around the top edge of cake. Refrigerate until serving time. Serves 10-12.
- Each serving contains 828 calories, 47g fat, 392mg sodium, 42mg cholesterol, 50% calories from fat.
- From "A Pinch of Salt Lake" by The Junior League of Salt Lake City
ORIENTAL ASPARAGUS
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon butter
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons butter
Oriental garnishes: enoki mushrooms, red pepper strips, lemon zest
Steam or stir-fry asparagus until crisp-tender (2 minutes). Drain and set aside. Place sesame seeds and 1 teaspoon butter in a large skillet and toast over medium heat until golden. Combine remaining ingredients in skillet, add asparagus. Stir-fry to coat. Garnish with enoki mushrooms, red pepper strips and lemon zest. Serves 4.
- Each serving contains 85 calories, 7g fat, 148 mg sodium, 15 mg cholesterol, 71% calories from fat.
- From "A Pinch of Salt Lake" by The Junior League of Salt Lake City