4&2 — Wednesday, April 1, 1992 — North Shore News FOOD Producing the unexpected on the barbecue WE’RE IN the midst of one of the earliest springs cord and everyone is talking picnics and barbecues. March? Outrageous. Doesa’t it make you feel guilty when you hear about snow plows working overtime in Moose Jaw? Me neither. Last year we bought our firsz gas barbecue. Brian eyes it with hostility — he prefers coals, especially if 1 clean the agriil, set the coals, light them and have the whole thing ready when he struts outside with the meat. I love our gas barbecue! But it’s not propane. We had the unit converted to natural gas — expen- sive but so reliable. The expense comes in the in- stallation. It cost nearly $400 to have the gas line extended about eight feet from our pool shed to the deck and $35 to have it in- spected. We got a sweetheart deal on a top-line barbecue. If you're going to purchase one this year, I recommend the model with the adjacent stove-top burner. With that, | can cook whole conventional meals outside. A barbecued roast pork with grilled new potatoes and gravy knocked everyone cold last August. Like anything else, the unex- pected is fun. ‘The. burner makes it easy for - me to do buttery mushrooms to go along with steaks or burgers. We can cook breakfast outside if we. like. Sausages and tomatoes can go on the grill but I can do the eggs on the burner. Here are a couple of other barbecue picnic ideas . that I’ve found invaluable: Freezer . “Seal-A-Meal”’ units: mine is an old Daisy model. Simply speaking, these are hot bar units that seal heavy-duty plastic pouches so that you can boil them if you wish. If we are acing elsewhere for a br- ing-your-own-meat affair, I mix the meat with our favorite marinade, seal it and carry it safe- ly. Even. at home, it’ makes arbara NicCreadie TRAVELWISE marinating so simple — just play catch with the bag! These sealed pouches are great for marinating vegetables, even ones you’ve already skewered. Just be sure to break the sharp points off the wooden skewers. Wooden skewers: [’ve got dezens of heavy-duty 18°’ metal skewers, but they’re not nearly as useful as inexpensive bamboo. But: before using the disposable wood skewers, soak them for an hour in cold water. They won’t catch fire. For those of us on tight budgets or with a number of children to bring along to a barbecue, it gets expensive to provide steak or : burgers. Kids, too, may not like that fare. With your sealed bags and wooden skewers you can make up portable packages of chicken cubes, cherry tomatoes or whatever your kids like. In fact, let them skewer their own and choose the marinade they like. Adults can have fun with this, too. Now, a request from a reader who would like some new ap- Junk food can play role in young person’s growth NUTRITIONISTS MUST break down the barriers between “healthy food’? and ‘‘junk food’? if adolescent girls are to thrive emotionally and physically, says Gwen Chapman, an assistant pro- fessor in UBC’s School of Family and Nutritional Sciences. Chapman has completed a study of the eating habits of young women and found that some of them go through an emotional and physical tug of war during their: adolescent years over their food habits. ‘Meany nutritionists, parents and teachers try to discourage young women from eating so- called junk foods in favor of a more traditional diet,’’ said Chapman. ‘‘My study suggests that young women are eating the proper foods on their own and that junk food can play an impor- tant role in their development.” Chapman says junk food isn’t junk food, if it's eaten in modera- tion. *‘In some ways, it can play an important role in the develop- ment of a young person’s in- dependence,” she said. From 1988 to 1990, Chapman interviewed 93 girls between the ages of 11 and 16. She asked them what they eat, where they eat, why they eat, what food means to them, and their dietary concerns. She also ran a computer analysis of their food intake. “I found that, overall, . these girls are getting most of the nutrients they need. They could satisfy the rest of their dietary re- quirements by simply eating more of the foods they currently eat,” said Chapman. After talking to the girls, Chapman found that junk food played an important role in devel- oping a sense of independence. Chocolate bars and potato chips ranked high on their lists. To them, healthy foods repre- sent a family setting and what their parents want them to eat. Junk food, on the other hand, is eaten with friends, between meals, and away from the home, and is part of the peer bonding process that is crucial tohealthy adolescent development, said Chapman. “The tug-of-war develops for those who see themselves gaining unwanted weight — weight gain which they have been told is caus- ed by eating too much junk food. The simultaneous wish to both eat and avoid junk food can be part of a situation that may lead to bulimia or anorexia.’ Chapman said society must find ways to sever the links between body weight and self-esteem. Simply finding new ways to tell youngsters not to eat junk food is not the answer. on re- In proaches to breakfast or brunch. | like these: Savory Mushroom Toast Squares § use Roma tomutoes as they're small, and cut into neat, dry slices. If you must, use regular tomates but cut to fit and knock out as much of the seedy pulp as you can, 8 slices bacon, cut into '2"' pieces ¥% ib. button mushrooms, sliced I tablespoon flour 4 cup dry white wine 4 Roma tomatoes, sjiced Va Ib. Gruyere cheese, grated Cook the bacon gently until crisp. Drain most of the fat and discard. Add the mushrooms and cook until limp. Stir in the flour and (hen the wine. You may wish to salt and pepper, but taste first. Everything may be prepared to this point and refrigerated. To serve: 8 slices sandwich bread, toasted Cuz each slice in quarters. Top with a spoonful of the bacon- mushroom mixture, then one or two slices of tomato. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake at 350°F about 10 minutes or until heated through and the cheese melts. These are great little bites to serve with eggs — scrambied, om- elettes or even souffies. These turnovers are a relative of pyrogies but they don’t need fry- ing or boiling. They’re inexpensive to make and are better made ahead and refrigerated hefcre baking. Sausages and scalloped tomatoes are easy accompani- ments. Potato Turnovers 4 medium baking potatoes, peel- ed, cot up and boiled 2 tablespoons butter ¥ cup self-rising flour (availubie here} 2 eggs . 1 cup very finely diced ham 1 tablespoon grated onion grated cheese (optional) 1 egg, tightly beaten, divided Y% cup fine dry breadcrumbs dots of butter Mash the potatoes with the but- Expressions Collection Mode! C2208* shawn with opcional radiant cartridge (Model AR140B} Intreducing the cooktop you design First, choose your controls — electronic. hacktir, : slimline or remote. Then select optional cartridges tor the cooking style you prefer — halogen, radiance, solid element or x conventional coil. Now consider Sir le ma to express. surself perieccly. a 1A] COLONY i HOME FURNISHINGS 1075 Roosevelt Crescent North Vancouver (2 blocks behind the Avaton Hotel) OPEN DAILY; Fri. 9-9; Sun. 12-4 985-8738 ter. Stir in the flour and then the eggs. Let sit until cool and then roll out about 4"" thick or slight- ly more. Cut into 5°’ rounds —~ use a tea saucer for a guide. Mix the ham, grated onion and optional cheese with about half of the beaten egg. Season to tasie. Put a heaping tablespoon of ham on the side of each potato round and fold over. Seal the edges by pressing firmly. Poke a small hole to vent. Dust with breadcrumbs and dot with a bit of butter. Bake at 350°F until golden — about 25 minutes. f§ get five or six from this — the extra comes from using th: scraps. When I've got as many rounds as I can, | distribute any leftover fill- ing. Scalloped ‘Tomatoes 3 iarge beefsteak tomatoes 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed und squeezed 1 cup seasoned bread stuffing mix 3 green onions, chopped 3 eggs, lightly beaten 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese ar: Va cup grated Swiss cheese dash Worcestershire sauce Ya teaspoon granulated gartic salt and ground pepper Richly butter a 9° square glass cake pan. Slice the tomatoes in %"" slices and then in quarters. Sprinkle in an even layer on bdot- tom of dish. Mix the remaining ingredients together and spread on top. Bake at 350°, 25 minutes or until the top is puffed and firm in * the middle. DOITALLATTHE B.C. 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