Wednesday, April 30, 2008; Posted: 12:02 PM
I need your help. When money's tight, what kinds of dinners do you serve? Please send me your favorite budget recipe, along with any other strategies you have for keeping the family's food expenses in line. Send them via e-mail or snail mail, and we'll share them all in a future Food section.
As inspiration, please see the two easy egg recipes at the end of this column!
PLAN AHEAD
In case you'd like to plan ahead, I've got some events for your calendar.
First, there's the first-ever Bucks County Chocolate Show 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 1 at the New Hope Eagle Fire Company, 46 N. Sugan Road, New Hope, which promises chances to see and taste artisanal chocolates and baked goods from chocolatiers, pastry chefs, artists and chocolate vendors.
Organizer Gretchen Tartakoff notes there will be some samples available for tasting, particularly during demonstrations. In addition, all of the vendors will have an array of chocolates to sell.
And the good news is that while chocophiles are experiencing the show and its treats, a portion of the admission fee will be donated to the National Wildlife Federation.
In addition, a portion of the sales of T-shirts featuring the winning design from "The Journey of the Cacao Pod" poster contest will be donated to the Rainforest Alliance.
Among the chocolatiers will be John and Kira's, Prestige Chocolates, Financial Crunch, Nita-Baker, ChocoVision, Dove Chocolate at Home and Kallari.
Lectures and demonstrations during the event will feature Michael Recchiuti, a San-Francisco based chocolatier who'll talk about using origin chocolate (a fine-grade kind whose country of origin is disclosed); Chef Mauricio Marin from Bucks County's Los Sarapes restaurant, who will prepare Chicken Mole Poblano With Sesame Seeds; lecturer Clay Gordon, who is a chocolate critic and author of "Discover Chocolate"; and a representative of Rainforest Alliance talking about "Good Chocolate Comes from the Best Practices."
Admission at the door is $10 for adults, $7 for students and seniors with ID and free for children under 10.
For information about the show, e-mail grt@bucks
countychocolateshow.com
WINE TRAIL EVENTS
Hitting the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail for special events this summer and fall is a great way to celebrate the new designation of the trail as an American Viticultural Area.
Here's the schedule of events:
Anniversary Weekend: July 12 and 13. All nine wineries celebrate the Wine Trail's anniversary with special events that could include a complimentary food and wine pairing or sangria.
Wine on the Mountain: July 26 and 27; Held in conjunction with Penn's Peak in Jim Thorpe, this event includes wine samplings, local artisans displaying their arts and crafts, light fare available for purchase and live entertainment. Tickets are required for this event and can be purchased at each winery as well as at the door.
Harvest Weekend: The Butcher, The Baker and The Winemaker: Sept. 13 and 14. The wineries use the event to promote the state's Pennsylvania Preferred program by partnering with manufacturers of other Pennsylvania products. Wine pairings, vineyard tours, food, music and other special activities are featured.
Chambourcin Weekend: Oct. 18 and 19. Taking place after the harvest is over, this event celebrates the "official wine grape of the Lehigh Valley," the Chambourcin. It is the only wine made by all nine of the member wineries.
Nouveau Weekend: Nov. 15 and 16. This is the earliest chance to sample the first vintages of the new harvest. It's also a time to purchase wines for the holiday season for use as gifts or drinks with festive dinners.
All events are free except for Wine on the Mountain at Penn's Peak. Event hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and noon-5 p.m. Sundays.
Wineries on the trail are Amore Vineyards & Winery, Nazareth; Big Creek Vineyard and Winery, Kresgeville; Blue Mountain Vineyards & Cellars Ltd., New Tripoli; Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, Breinigsville; Franklin Hills Vineyards, Bangor; Galen Glen Vineyard & Winery, Andreas; Pinnacle Ridge, Kutztown; Sorrenti Cherry Valley Vineyards, Saylorsburg and Vynecrest Winery, Breinigsville.
For a copy of the Wine Trail's "A Journey in Wine" brochure, call Lehigh Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau at 800-747-0561 or log on to http://www.LehighValleyPA.org . The brochure can also be picked up at each of the member wineries. For information on the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail, see http://www.lehighvalleywinetrail.com or call 866-870-7800.
A note to Dads: If you and the children would like to prepare a special Mother's Day breakfast or meal, Entree Vous in Trexlertown can help you out.
It's sponsoring a special Bond & Bake Mother's Day cooking event, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 10 at its 1091 Millcreek Road location.
In addition to enabling children 5 and up to work with their dads at the meal prep stations, the kids also will be able to make their own chef's hats and create Mother's Day cards to go along with the entree they make with your help.
Best of all is that there will be no mess to clean up. You leave that behind because Entree Vous staff members will take care of it!
The Mother's Day Breakfast in Bed package ($48.95) includes a breakfast fritatta, a hash brown casserole and a choice of either a Mixed Berry Crumble or an Apple Cobbler. However, dads and kids also could prepare any other family-sized entree (priced from $20.99 to $28.99) instead of the breakfast package.
Because of limited space, make a reservation at 610-366-
1770. For information, see http://www.entreevous.com .
FOOL-PROOF FRITTATA
6 eggs
1 can (11 ozs.) Mexicali corn, or 11/3 cups kernel corn
1 can (15 ozs.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped sweet red and/or green pepper
1 to 2 tsps. garlic powder
1 to 2 tsps. hot pepper sauce
Cooking spray
Salsa or taco sauce, optional
Drain corn, reserving liquid. If necessary, add water to make 1/3 cup of liquid.
Evenly coat 10-inch omelet pan or skillet with ovenproof handle with cooking spray. Add drained corn, beans and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat until peppers are soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.
In medium bowl, beat together eggs, reserved corn liquid, garlic powder and hot pepper sauce until blended. Pour over vegetables. Cover and cook over medium heat until eggs are almost set, about 8 to 10 minutes. Broil about 6 inches from heat until eggs are completely set and lightly browned, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Cut frittata into wedges and serve from pan or either slide from pan or invert onto serving platter. Dollop with salsa, if desired.
Microwave directions: Drain corn, reserving liquid. If necessary, add water to make 1/3 cup of liquid. Evenly coat 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray. Add drained corn and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap.
Cook on full power until peppers are soft, about 5 minutes. Add beans.
In medium bowl, beat together eggs, reserved corn liquid, garlic powder and hot pepper sauce until blended. Pour over vegetables. Cover. Cook on full power, rotating dish once or twice, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking on 50 percent power until sides are puffy and center is set, about 2 to 3 minutes. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Cut and serve as above.
Note: Microwave cooking times are based on a full power output of 600 to 700 watts. For a lower-wattage oven, allow more time; for a higher wattage oven, allow less time.
SIMPLE STRATA
6 eggs
6 slices day-old bread
1 to 2 cups chopped cooked vegetables
1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 can (10.75 ozs.) reduced-sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 cup skim or low-fat milk
1 tsp. mustard
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. basil leaves, crushed
1/8 tsp. pepper
Cooking spray
Evenly coat an 8-by-8-by-2-inch (or 2-quart rectangular) baking dish with spray. Cut bread into 1/2-inch cubes. Evenly sprinkle half of the cubes into prepared dish. Sprinkle vegetables and cheese over cubes. Sprinkle remaining cubes over vegetables and cheese.
'In medium bowl, beat together eggs, soup, milk, mustard, basil and pepper. Pour over bread and vegetable mixture. Cover. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Bake in preheated 350-degree oven until knife inserted near center comes out clean and top is golden brown, about 50 to 60 minutes.
diane.stoneback@mcall.com
610-820-6526
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