arbara McCreadie BUDGET BEATERS. I ON'T's seem ‘to be much closer to solving my raccoon : problem than was before, - except one reader suggested installing. a strobe iight. ’m going to check that one out. © -But, ‘Vhave heard several stoties, , about ’coons ia the attic, ” ‘coons on ‘the roof (wicked repair bilis), *coons tearing up big dogs and small cats .- a plus_an estimate of the cost of trap- ping and relocaiing our own paiticu- _lar visitors. Ginger’ S getling down- right nervous." ~ . We're home again ‘and, yes, the.- slugs destroyed my basil plants. I’m | getting quite sick of various pests. . We've even managed to get. spiders. a more menacing " Iwas bitten by. one last year and ; it’s no } joke — I’ve got a scar on my forehead that will last me the rest of ‘my life... noe - Enough gtiping!. . oon _ Oit's the time of year when every- ne is anxious to eat out. Charred © . Steak is the order-of the day. _ How is it that some people bar-., ‘ becuie to perfection while others just’ “never seem to get itright? Iswear ~ it’s'a skill some are born with. - There’s a lot to be said for having plenty of. appetizers on hand when many outdoor chefs pick up the tongs. _.. 1: Even when the most skilled Le cooks get busy, appetites grow, The *, smells are so enticing from the _ minute the marinade hits the grill it’s really unfair to make diners waits So, offer up the finger food! Unlike eating inside, appetizers ata * barbecue don’t spoil anyone’s appetite. Since one of the goals of ‘cooking outdoors is to save heating up the kitchen, chilled tidbits are . welcome. It’s so handy to have them made up ahead of time, saving many trips © back and forth to check on stuff in » the oven. “Here are a few popuiar cold ° “crowd pleasers. TEXAS CAVIAR 3 10-0z. tins black beans, drained and rinsed 4c. clive ail 2 Tbsp. lemon juice - 1 Tbsp. minced jalapeno pepper 4 ce. sliced green onion (chop the “rest of the bunch for garnish) 1-2 cloves garlic, minced 4 tsp. ground cumin Sait and pepper to taste 1 large beefsteak tomato, chopped Put two of the three tins of beans into the blender along with the off and lemon juice. Buzz until smooth, Stir: in. the. remaining beans, jalapeno, green onion, garlic and seasonings. Chill several hours or overnight, “well covered with plastic wrap. To serve, lop with remaining green onions and chopped tomato, SESAME CHEESE LOG Serve this with firm crackers — ones that won't crumble when you spread them with the cheese. 1 8-0z. package cream cheese 1 4-0z. package blue cheese Ke. butter 4% c. chopped black olives (drain well) 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 Tbsp. or more finely chopped green onion ”'1Tbsp. chopped parsley 4c. toasted sesame seeds Soften the cheeses and butter at room temperature for about an hour. - Whip together with electric beater. Fold in olives, Worcestershire, onions and parsicy. Form into a log and roll in sesame seeds. Wrap in - plastic wrap and chill until firm. Garnish with lots of parsley. CURRIED CHICKEN BALLS 23-02. packages cream clieese :- 2 Tbsp. fine-shred orange mar- — malade. 2 tsp. curry powder o 2:¢. finely diced cooked chicken ‘:.(don’é use tinned) * 3 green onions, very finely minced © “Ke, celery, very finely minced 1. c. toasted almonds, finely chopped Beat the cheese with the mar- malade and curry powder. Fold in the chicken, onions and celery Chill several hours. Quickly form into.1” balls and roll in almonds. Chill until firm. hae NOVA SCOTIA HERRING : AND APPLE DIP — 2. sour cream 1 A2-vz:-jar pickied herrings, well ; “drained and diced 1 firm red apple, diced (don’t peel) © i a walnuts, chopped’. saiall onion (4 ¢.) diced: ‘Stir together and chill. Serve with firm crackers. mo - SMOKED OYST ER PATE 1ec.snurcream 8 oz. package cream cheese - 2 small tin reroked oysters includ- ing oil 1 tsp. lemon juice “Dash Worcestershire sauce 4 ¢. Picante sauce — mild Place sour cream, cul up cream cheese and oysters in blender or processor and buzz until smooth. . Add lemon juice and Woycester- shire sauce and blend until mixed. Taste and add a bit more of either if you like. Chill. To serve, top with Picante. We'll pay you There's MARINATED SHRIMP AND MUSHROOMS Choose big shrimp and small mushrooms! 3 Ibs. cooked shrimp 2 Ibs. button mushrooms 2 sweet onions, sliced To choose sweet onions, look for either purple ones or while skinned ones. When choosing white skinned onions, the ones with flattish ends are the sweetest. Marinade: 1c. vegetable oil Ic. vinegar 10 bay leaves, whole 2 Thsp. sugar 4 Tbsp. whole allspice 2 cloves garlic, crushed % tsp. each: savery, basil, thyme, tarragon Salt and pepper to taste Combine the shrimp, mushrooms and onions in a glass or steel bowl. Mix the marinade ingredients in And quite a few people have already taken delivery of their new ~ Maytags from Combined Appliance Centre . With only one week left in May, the folks at Combined thought “you might appreciate a friendiy reminder about the significant savings Boy, these guys at Combined sure know their Maytags. Seaton eas an aging second fridge chomping up energy in the basement. Or perhaps you'se thinking of buying a new fridge but you're not sure what to do with the old one. fn either case, B.C-Hydro will pay you $30 and haul it away. Free pick-up of your old energy-guczzler. We'll pick up any fridge as fong as on dependable - Maytags. Ranges, fridges, famous laundry products and dishwashers are _ all sale priced. a saucepan and heat just until it steams — don’t boil. Cool to room temperature and pour over the first mixture. Refrigerate overnight. To serve, drain and heap on a bed of Icttuce. Provide picks. You can save the marinade for other pur-. poses if you return it to the stove and boil it for a couple of minutes. Bottle and refrigerate. Use with- in a few days. It’s great to brush on fish for the grill. a Put a Maytag stacker - wherever your laundry piles ., up instead of carrying it up and down stairs! So drop by soon and discover why the North Shore has purchased Maytag at Combined for two generations. At-your authorized’ Maytag Sales, Parts & Service store:” $30_and haul it away. You could save a cool sum of money. Old fridges use up to twice as much electricity as today’s energy-efficient models. By tuming in your old fridge, you can reduce’ # your Hydro bill by as much as $100 v7 per year. And the energy you save also takes a load off the environment. To arrange for free pick-up. it's in working condition and between 10-24 cubic feet.* And using environ- mentally sound methods, we'll safely recycle the. ozone depleting Cr Cc refrigerant and all the metal. BChydre 1-800-663-2274 throwgh- j out B.C. or 683-2274 in Even the Lower Maioland, : Saves More Than Money. © Manian mio pers itomers BC Hutee reserves th 7 change or cancel the offer at any tone without price antive.