HOT SUMMER days might please the rest of the world but I can do without them. Wasn't all that) July rain wonderful? This house turns into an oven, no matter what I do. We even installed a roof fan up in the attic to try and cool this place down, to no avail. Ginger hates the heat, too, and has taken to spending the night outside. We call him and he’ll come in for a few minutes and then he’s back outside, pussycat- _ting in the night. Thank God he doesn’t have the car keys. Last weekend, we took the van and. headed. into. Washington, spending the first night with our friends Rick and Helen Wait at their home in Birch Bay. As usual, Helen cooked up a storm and I stole recipes! Here’s one of the best chilled soups I’ve ever tasted. Helen got the recipe from our friend, Karen Franco: who . got: it from her mother, Betty Good. So: . ' Betty Good’s Cold Pepper Soup J tablespoon margarine 2 medium carrots, chopped 1 farge onion, chopped ‘1% cups chicken broth 2 sweet yellow pepper, chopped 3 .0z. cream cheese, cubed and softened _. Ya teaspoon salt Dash red pepper Dash nutmeg Ys cup milk Sour cream and mint leaves for garnish ‘Melt the’ margarine and cook the carrots and onions until tender. Stir in broth and boil. Add yellow pepper and cook gently until tender. Simmer. 15. minutes. Cool a bit and stir in cheese and seasonings. Blend in blender: until smooth. Stir in milk, Chill at least four hours. Serve with a spoonful of sour cream and a mint leaf. Serves four to six. I experimented with a new hot cheese dip — this is easy to make and’ very good with crackers — don’t try it with potato chips as they’re not strong enough to hold up. ; ; ; Pecan Cheese Dip /8 oz. package regular cream . cheese, softened VY; cup sour cream 2 tablespoons milk \% Ib. bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled 3 green onions, chopped Y cup finely chopped green (or BUDGET BEATERS red, yellow, orange) pepper ¥2 teaspoon granulated garlic Seasoned salt and seasoned pepper l cup grated medium or old ched- dar Pecan halyes — about a cupfui but they’re expensive so you could use less, chop them and sprinkle Beat the cheese, sour cream and milk. Stir in the bacon, onion and pepper, Season. Spread in a 9” pie plate and top with grated cheese and pecans. To serve, bake at 350°F, about 15 minutes or un- til the cheese is melted and the dip is hot and bubbly. Here’s a variation. on the now-familiar nibble (the Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing—oyster cracker one). This is crisp and will stay that way if you store it in a container with a tight lid. It’s great to have on hand for obvious reasons but ! can’t resist it. Is that enough warning? Texas Cranch 1 - 12 oz. package oyster crackers (note: These are hard to find —- 1 get them in Bellingham. In a pinch, substituie mini-Ritz) 4 cups small (1) pretzels or pretzel sticks 1 cup nuts — try almonds or hazelnuts but dry-roast peanuts will do 1 cup rice Chex 1 package Hidden Valley Ranch regular salad dressing mix 1 teaspoon chili powder %/; cup olive oil Combine the crackers, pretzels, nuts and cereal. Whisk the salad dressing mix. with the chili powder and oil. Toss everything together. Spread on a large cookie sheet and bake at 200°F, one hour. Store tightly covered. Once upon a time, | had a Research sheds new light on compulsive eating behavior A COMPULSIVE eating disorder is. chronic and progressive, severely affecting the self-esteem of the individual. ’ Until recently, health care pro- fessionals have researched and given attention and treatment to anorexics and bulimics, believing that people who. eat compulsively merely suffer. from a” lack of self-control and will power. Ignored and unrecognized is the fact that compulsive eating behavior subdues tension. It is not, until eating is returned to its natural place in one’s life, cne’s self-concept is improved, and one’s problems are dealt with directly, that weight can be main- -tained and eventually lost. Compulsive eating behavior checklist: 1. J think about food, much of the day. 2. I live to eat more than I eat to live. 3. I spend a fot of each day eating. 4, leat when lam not hungry. 5. 1 never say No to an offer of food. 6. I feel controlled by food. 7. I get strong cravings for specific foods. 8. I eat when | am upset. 9, Eating makes me feel better. 10. I can only diet for short periods of time. 1. I feel guilty and anxious when I’ve eaten. If you have checked off five or more of the above, you are eating compulsively. For more information, contact the National Institute for Compulsive Eaters at #1103 — 750 W. Broad- way, Vancouver, V5Z iJ! or call 873-NICE. vegetable garden. The peas never reached the kitchen — the kids were encouraged to pick and eat as many as they liked. The carrots weni the same way — to this day, two of my daughters will not eat a cooked carrot. The slugs got the lettuce. My greatest triumph was beets. Beautiful baby beets with silky green tops — I'd pick a bundle of them and toss them through the window into the laundry tub to rinse, Later, we'd have the most beautiful bowl of beets and greens — hot, buttery little beets on a bed of shredded steamed greens. One of my daughters called me the other day, ‘‘Mom, this may sound stupid but how did you make it?”’ Believe me, it’s a lot easier when you grow your own beets! If you are buying the beets, they usually come in’ bunches with about 5 to 6 beets of various sizes in a bunch. The trick is to find a bunch with the same size beets and one bunch (probably 98¢) is really just enough for two people. To start, twist the beets from the greens — if you cut them, they “*bleed’’ the color will leach out when they cook, Separate the greens, wash them. well and discard any big, tough-looking leaves. 7 The beets are boiled until tender, in their skins. This will take about half an hour or more, depending on the size. The greens are steamed separately, just in the water that clings to them when they’re washed. The steaming takes enly about five minutes — do it while you skin the cooked beets. Cooked beets are easy to skin — cut off the stalks and then rub “the beet between. your fingers — the skin slips off. Toss with butter and keep hot. Shred. the cooked greens coarsely, toss with butter, salt and pepper and make a bed of them in a flattish serving dish. Arrange the beets on top. Make lots! i: Efficient Diesel pw. Stylish bus look iv Full 102” wide body “The Diesel Experts” 1-800-567-0085 ALBERTA GRAIN-FED BEEF ORGANIC BEEF ¥ FREE-RANGE EGGS MEDICATION-FREE CHICKEN MARYSVILLE PIES ¢ GOURME” PT PASTA NLA. WINES ¥ AVALON MILK # HONILEMA OE ADDITIVE-FREE SAUSAGE Come & Enyoy Personal Village Attention . IN EDGEMONT VILLAGE 3109 Edgemont Boulevard N, Vi ancOUVEr, +B. C. C Pu uc- Sat) | Vek: I: 988- -6328 | FRUIT & VEG HAS NE VER BEEN THIS FRESH! Wednesday, August 6th marked the exciting arrival of Columbus Farm Market, a supplier of the freshest pro- duce ai the very best prices. Their presence is sure to arouse a lot of interest. , At Columbus Farm Market, the emphasis is very much on quality and value for moncy with fresh produce being shipped in daily from around the globe. “Not only that, but we also bring in a great deal of locally grown B.C. produce, which is also at the peak of perfection,” says Marketing Manager Ken Crawford. The store is conveniently lacated at Queens Road and Edgemont CLOVERDALE 1735 - 556 Avenue (corner of Hwy. 10 & 176th St.) . CALL MARTIN 574-4901 13 FULL SERVICE R.V. BAYS AVAILABLE Boulevard and boasts loads of free parking spaces. “As well, we have free customer service, so there's no more heavy bags er Loxes to carry.” Ken adds. Columbus Farm markets has two- other locations in the Lower Mainland ~— Langley and Vancouver. We aaked’ Ken for the reasons behind the com- pany’s success. He replied,” It's sim- . ple ~ we offer everything a client expects nowadays — quality, value and excellent service!” Ken and his friendly ‘staff invite you to visit them soon at the corner of Edgemont Blvd. & Queens Rd. ovtortand J liveability. RICHMOND : 10780 Cambie Rd., Richmond | (corner of Cambie & Shell). - CALL NEIL 270-4117