Saving Money at the Store

Reporter Matt Sanders needs your help for a story he will write for Thursday's Marketplace edition. With gas now over $3.50 a gallon and food costs rising, many grocery shoppers feel the pinch. How do you save money at the grocery store? Do you use coupons? Or read the store circulars and buy only what's on sale? Or do you have a discount card (Kroger, etc.) that you use along with coupons and a close eye on the sale?

If you want to offer your 2 cents worth, e-mail Matt at msanders@paducahsun.com with your comments, name and phone number in case he wants to talk more to you.

New Second Helping column runs in Sun

Kentuckians have their attention turned toward all things Derby this weekend for entertaining.
Come Monday, think Cinco de Mayo or the Mexican holiday, literally meaning the fifth of May. Although many people think the Mexican holiday celebrates independence, it actually commemorates the victory at the Battle of Puebla in 1861.
According to the Culinary Institute of America, Cinco de Mayo, celebrated across the United States, actually carries more of a regional flavor in Mexico, according to Iliana de la Vega, a Latin cuisines specialist at The Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio.
To celebrate, try her recipe for Rajas Poblanos con Creme that she shared with the CIA (no, not the government), the Culinary Institute of America.

Rajas Poblanos con Crema
(Poblano Slices in Creamy Sauce)
Serves 6
6 poblano chiles
1 cup vegetable oil
2 medium white onions, finely sliced
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Queso Fresco (Mexican cheese), cubed (or a mild feta)
Make a 1-inch slit on each chile. Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Fry the chiles in the oil, turning them until completely blistered. Set aside to cool.
Peel the cooled chiles. Discard the seeds and stems. Slice the chiles.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large sauté pan. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the chiles and sauté for another 3–5 min, until cooked. Add the cream, salt to taste, and bring the mixture to a boil. Just before serving, add the cheese. As soon as the cheese is warm, serve immediately.
Variation: You can add cooked corn kernels.
Chef's notes: Serve with hot tortillas, over white rice, or with grilled meat, chicken, or fish.
Nutrition information, per 9-ounce serving: 220 calories, 5 grams protein, 16 grams fat, 14 grams carbohydrates, 45 milligrams sodium, 60 milligrams cholesterol, 3 grams fiber.

Think you can’t cook? Or that anything you create in the kitchen turns into a pile of disgusting mush?
The American Egg Board might have just the cure. The group seeks “America’s Worst Cook” in an online contest. To enter, tell your story of culinary failure and why you need help in 200 words or less and send along a photo or video at www.Americasworstcook.com.
The winner will be featured in promotional materials for the egg organization and will receive a trip for two to New York City for cooking classes and tourist activities. The contest is open through June 30.
Those who can cook also might visit the Web site for recipes, tips and how-to videos.

Rib lovers, mark your calendars for May 23-26 in St. Louis for the 9th annual Rib America Festival at Soldier’s Memorial Plaza.
Barbecue teams from Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas and Kentucky battle for bragging rights. In case you’re wondering, the Kentucky team, the Texas Outlaws, hail from Elizabethtown and have a restaurant of the same name.
Besides barbecue and festival-fare food, the weekend also features concerts from the Georgia Satellites, KC and the Sunshine Band, Blind Melon, Night Ranger and .38 Special.
More info: www.ribamerica.com/stlouis.html

For more food-related tidbits, check out our Second Helping blog on www.paducahsun.com.

Leigh Landini Wright, The Paducah Sun’s features editor, can be contacted at 575-8658 or llandini@paducahsun.com

Living on the Lite Side

When most of us in the region think about places to eat in Grand Rivers, we immediately think of Patti's 1880s Settlement with its thick-cut pork chops and mile-high meringue pies. With a parking lot already full of cars (and at least one tour bus) last Friday during Quilt Week, I decided that ordering a carryout at Patti's wasn't feasible after completing interviews at the Grand Rivers Quilt Festival. Co-worker Angie Kinsey suggested her favorite, Craig's Dairy Barn, for a quick lunch when she found out where I was going. Unfortunately, Craig's was closed.

However, I found the Lite Side Bakery and Garden Cafe on Ky. 453, about three-tenths of a mile from the Light House Landing Marina. As the name implies, the menu features lighter fare, which at that point of Quilt Week was a welcome break from higher-calorie fare found at vendors outside the Executive Inn. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich served on homemade sourdough bread. It probably wasn't the lightest item on the menu, but it offered a healthier alternative than a funnel cake and corn dog. 

The restaurant also serves bison burgers (yes, made from buffalo), veggie burgers, black bean burgers, homemade soup and salads for lunch. Patrons may eat in or carryout for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Breakfast items such as Belgian waffles, breakfast casserole and oatmeal are served from 7 to 10:30 a.m. For dieters, the bakery lists the calories and fat grams for 36 varieties of low-fat muffins, including (believe this or not) chocolate muffins. 

Definitely worth the stop for a good lunch without too much guilt.

Have you found good off-the-beaten path restaurants in the region? Drop me a line and let me know.

Found!

Look what we found at the Quilt Show!

The Boy Scout booth selling Strawberry Shortcake is located in the parking lot outside the entrance of the Julian Carroll Convention Center. Other food vendors include Back Yard Burgers, Larry Darrell and Darrell Barbecue (former BBQ Fest champs), a stand with corn dogs, nachos and polish sausage and another stand with other festival-like fare.

On the Hunt for Strawberry Shortcake

It's Quilt Week in Paducah!

Although the restaurants are jammed, and the streets are impossible to maneuver because of all the tour buses, Quilt Week brings along its share of good tastes. Every year, the Boy Scouts offer homemade strawberry shortcakes at a booth downtown or near the Executive Inn. Just imagine the taste of hand-churned vanilla ice cream topped with fresh strawberries over a sweet shortcake and topped with layers of whipped cream.

Besides the deliciousness of it all, the shortcakes are a fundraiser for a worthwhile organization.

When Quilt Mania hits on Wednesday, I'll be on the hunt for my once a year treat. When I find it, I'll let you know so you can drop by and help the Boy Scouts.

Mother's Day Brunch

Becky Haus at West Kentucky Community & Technical College sent along an idea for pampering Mom on her special day. The college's "a la carte" series will sponsor a Mother's Day Lunch, catered by Laura Duff, beginning at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, May 11 in the courtyard at Max's. A gourmet cheese course will begin at 12:30 p.m., with the lunch following at 1 p.m. The cost is $30 for adults and $15 for children under age 10. Reservations are required. Phone 534-3086.

Duff will post the menu on her Web site, www.lauraduff.com, next Monday (April 28).

P.S. -- In case of inclement weather, lunch will move inside to Kirchhoff's Bakery.

A Taste of the Islands

After such a long and chilly winter, anything with a tropical feeling sounds wonderful.

Lawry's, the spice and marinade company, sent along a press release declaring that April is Caribbean-American Heritage Month. When we think of Caribbean food, we naturally think of jerk chicken. Caribbean cuisine is a melting pot of flavors ranging from fruits, vegetables, meats to grains and spices. European colonists introduced sugarcane, later fermented into rum. The Spanish introduced chick peas, eggplant, onions, garlic, cilantro and coconut. The West Africans brought along okra, plaintains, breadfruit and taro. The Mexicans introduced papaya, cocoa and avocado. Natives in the Caribbean combined those flavors with meat from wild pigs and cattle.

If you're feeling a need for a tropical taste, try this recipe:

Chile Lime Steak with Black Bean and Mango Salsa
Four servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes Marinate Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

3/4 cup Lawry's Mexican Chile & Lime Marinade With Lime Juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1- lb. boneless sirloin steak, about 1 inch thick
1 medium ripe mango, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 tsp. garlic salt

In small bowl, combine marinade with cilantro; set aside.
In large resealable plastic bag, pour 1/2 cup marinade mixture over steak; turn to
coat. Close bag and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes. Reserve remaining
marinade mixture.
Remove steak from marinade, discarding marinade. Grill or broil steak, turning once
and brushing with 2 tablespoons reserved marinade mixture, 10 minutes or until
desired doneness.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, toss remaining reserved marinade mixture with remaining
ingredients. Chill, if desired. To serve, top steak with salsa.

More recipes are available at www.lawrys.com throughout the month.

If you have other recipes, send them along for blog readers to enjoy.

Earthquake Cake

Just in case you happened to sleep through the entire episode and ensuing news coverage, we felt an earthquake rumble our part of the world early Friday morning. You can read all about it in news reports, but did you know that such a thing as Earthquake Cake exists?

I knew about it and rifled through my recipe collection handed down from my mother-in-law trying to find it Friday night. My husband, John, remembers his grandmother making it when he was younger. His grandparents lived in Ridgely, Tenn., just down the road from Reelfoot Lake, which was formed by the giant quake of 1812. He described it as a cake that looked like it had fault lines running through it. I've always thought it was because the cake top cracks, just as a strong earthquake could do to the ground.

I finally discovered the recipe in the Lakeview Dining Room (Tiptonville, Tenn.) menu that we heisted after a family reunion last year. OK, so the menu is really a small tabloid-sized newspaper that they encourage you to take home. The back of the menu lists so-called famous Reelfoot Lake recipes such as macaroni with tomato sauce, baked bass and snowball peaches. Down in the left-hand corner is a recipe for Earthquake Cake.

Enjoy the recipe.

1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
Mix together and press into a 9-by-13 pan.
Then mix one box of chocolate cake mix as directed (varieties include Swiss, German Chocolate or Double Dutch)
Then, mix 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, one box of powdered sugar and 1 stick melted margarine together and then drop on top of the cake mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.
P.S. - I saw a version of Earthquake Cake online that called for sprinkling of chocolate chips on top. That would make this a very rich cake, but surely one that would please chocolate lovers.

SunChips Go Green

One of the perks of the news business often arrives in the mail -- free food.

On Wednesday, co-worker Angie Kinsey received a package of French Onion SunChips. In case you haven't yet discovered SunChips in the snack food aisle, the chips are multigrain snacks. The flavored ones generally taste better than the plain. We taste-tested them (hey, it was time for a morning snack), and they're pretty good. The company, Frito-Lay, didn't send us the free chips in hopes of a story on chips. Frito-Lay touts the environmental friendliness of the chips, saying that the manufacturing facility in Modesto, Calif., will use solar energy to make the chips.

As for the flavors, the chips also come in Harvest Cheddar, Original and Garden Salsa. The company's Web site says the chips have 30 percent less fat than regular potato chips and no trans fat or cholesterol. We decided the chips were pretty tasty. And if they're healthier than regular chips and reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing, great.

Grilled Cheese Month (and a Special Day Today)

Did you know April is National Grilled Cheese Month?

I didn't either.

If you hurry, you can navigate over to www.iheartgrilledcheese.com to share your grilled cheese memories with Kraft, the company that makes those pre-packaged cheese singles. The first 1,000 to share their memories will receive a coupon for a free pack of Kraft Singles, which means you can indulge in all the gooey goodness of one of America's favorite comfort foods.

Grilled cheese is one of those sandwiches that can't fail, so it's not surprising that the good folks at Kraft say 74 percent of people who buy sliced cheese make a grilled cheese sandwich at least once a month. Grilled cheese sandwiches are one of those foods that remind grown-ups of the joys of childhood, of being able to dip the sandwich in soup. In my house, grilled cheese sandwiches were served anytime anyone was sick, so that's probably why I associate it with comfort.

Kraft also sent along grilled cheese trivia, so I'll share it with you:

1. The tomato is the most frequently added ingredient to the grilled cheese.

2. The "modern" grilled cheese (just cheese and white bread) gained popularity in the 1920s. In the 1940s and 50s, they were served "open-faced" in school cafeterias. The top piece was added to the grilled cheese in the 1960s.

3. Joey Chestnut won the World Green Chile Grilled Cheese Championship in 2006 by eating 34.5 sandwiches.

4. Want to order a grilled cheese in France? Order a Croque Monsieur, but be aware that the sandwich also has ham.

Most restaurants either have the grilled cheese on the menu or can whip one up in an instant for the pickiest of eaters (aka children). Drop me a line and tell blog readers about your favorites. Or send along your recipe for grilled cheese variations.

It's almost lunchtime. Guess what's on the menu today?

Cookbooks of note

Three cookbooks have come across my desk in recent weeks. Before the blog, some of these cookbooks would sit on my desk as references materials, and I wouldn't have had the opportunity to share them with the readers.

"660 Curries" by Raghavan Iyer (Workman Publishing, $22.95) fits that bill. Iyer, a Bombay native and certified culinary professional, compiled the book, which contains more curries than anyone might ever possibly imagine. Many of us in this region are not familiar with Indian cuisine and think that curry is a seasoning or is a generic term for an Indian dish. Curry refers to any dish that contains meat, fish, poultry, beans, vegetables or fruit, covered with a sauce or other liquid made with fragrant spices and herbs.

The only restaurant in the region where I've sampled a curry is Gloria's World Foods in Murray, where a group of friends from my graduate school program gathered for lunch after an intensive writing workshop session. Since it was 99-degrees plus and like 200 percent humidity outside, I ordered the fruit curry. An array of tropical fruit covered in a sweet sauce and served over rice arrived at the table. The dish delivered a light, but satisfying, taste.

Besides posting a recipe, Iyer describes the origin of the dish, which makes for delightful reading, an appetizer if you must before moving on to the main course.

I couldn't find a fruit curry recipe, but his book covers everything from appetizers to vegetable curries to those with beef, chicken or seafood.

The second book of note comes from McClahanan Publishing House in Kuttawa. "Another Serving: The Kentucky Monthly 10th Anniversary Cookbook" contains the recipes from Paula Cunningham's cooking columns in Kentucky Monthly. Just from flipping through the book, the recipes contain simple down-home ingredients. I'd love to tell you more and share a recipe, but you'll just have to wait until Wednesday for the Taste page.

Finally, if I don't mention this one I might find myself without a babysitter. Mom gave me a copy for Christmas of "Cooking with the Quilt Lovers of Murray," of which she's a member. Until last weekend, the book was buried underneath other books in a box after the move. This cookbook features recipes from quilt guild members and their friends, and all recipes are the ones most of us have had at a potluck or family dinner.

Although I've said a few unkind things (in jest, of course) about Mom's cooking, she did put in one of my favorite recipes.

Crispy Cheese Balls.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick sharp cheddar cheese
2 sticks margarine
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
2 cups Rice Krispies
1/2 teaspoon salt

Soften cheese and margarine. Mix flour, softened cheese, margarine, red pepper and salt. Mix in cereal. Roll into small balls. Mash slightly with a fork. Bake a 350 degrees until golden brown or 20 minutes.

The book can be ordered for $10 plus $3.50 for postage and handling by sending a check to Quilt Lovers of Murray, P.O. Box 265, Murray, KY 42071.

I love receiving cookbooks, so please send them along. I'll find a way to use them, either in the blog or in the newspaper.

Meringue Mystery Solved?

My mother-in-law (Barbara Wright), a wonderful cook, didn't post on my blog, but she sent along her suggestion for mile-high meringue. She told me this once right before I tried the now-infamous Grandmother's Chocolate Pie Christmas Dessert Disaster, but of course, in the haste of the holiday, I didn't listen as well as I should have.

Her secret?

A cook at the restaurant where she worked while she was in college told her to always use a little cream of tartar and three tablespoons of ice water. "That's what makes the mile-high meringue. That's what she called it anyway, and it really was a mile high. It's even higher, of course, if you use more than three eggs."

Next time I get brave enough to make Grandmother's Chocolate Pie, I'll try it and let you know if it works. It probably does. My mother-in-law's pies are always superb.

Does anyone else have other secrets to a great meringue?

Meringue meltdown

Fellow officemate Adam Shull brought me a nice surprise today for lunch, a piece of homemade coconut pie from d. Starnes in downtown Paducah. Until today, I had never sampled a piece of pie from d. Starnes, which also happens to be one of Adam's lunchtime hangouts. Although not normally a fan of coconut pie, this was amazing. Not only was the crust buttery, flaky and delicious, the meringue was divine. Meringue makes the pie. Just think of the mile-high meringues on the chocolate pies at Patti's. How in the world do those cooks get the meringue to stand up that tall? Do they use a secret meringue powder or something? Special beaters? Magic?

What is the secret to a good meringue? Please tell me so that the next time I try to duplicate my grandmother's chocolate pie I won't have a pile of white oozy stuff sliding off the plate and away from the chocolate.

P.S. -- For more on d. Starnes, check out Adam's Foodspot in Current next week.

Attention Chocoholics!

Laura Dziekonski with the Murray Woman's Club noticed the entry about chocolate milk below and sent along a note about the Kappa Department's upcoming "An Evening of Chocolate Delight." Now that's the way to start an otherwise uneventful, cool and cloudy morning.

"An Evening of Chocolate Delight" will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on April 24 (a Thursday night) at the Murray Woman's Clubhouse, 704 Vine St., in Murray. Tickets are $8 and proceeds benefit the Court Appointed Special Advocates in Calloway County.

Just think, all the chocolate you can eat or carry out in one place, delicious! Participants can visit booths set up by local vendors and graze on cookies, brownies, cakes, chocolate-covered strawberries and even chocolate custard. This is definitely not a night to worry about calories or a diet. Just eat sensibly before the event and don't splurge the next day.

I'll have more information about the evening on next week's Taste page. Can't wait to get your tickets? Call Dziekonski at 809-4816.

Recession food

36 cents.

I knew the economy was faltering (and some people believe it's a full-blown recession), but my uneducated economic opinion was confirmed with a recent trip to the grocery store. Never before have I found the boxed corn muffin aisle so vacant as the other evening. Only a handful of boxes of corn muffins remained. Either someone was really hungry for corn muffins  or fellow grocery shoppers and cooks have discovered the inexpensive versatility of the food. Take a box of corn muffins, add the more expensive ingredients 1/3 cup of  milk and  one egg, and you can have a base for a Mexican pizza. Top with cooked and crumbled ground turkey (about a dollar less a pound than ground beef and much healthier for you) combined with taco mix, add some salsa, cheese and sour cream. It's so easy to make, and best of all, I keep most of those ingredients on hand. 

Do you have any recipes for inexpensive meals? Share them in the blog for an upcoming feature on the Taste page. 

Chocolate Milk Does a Body Good, Too

Good news, moms! You no longer have to feel guilt over giving your child chocolate milk rather than white milk, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. The study reports that children who drink flavored or plain milk gain more nutrients — vitamin A, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium — than non-milk drinkers. They also have a lower body mass index than children who don't drink milk.

The study compared the diet and BMI of 7.500 American children and teens drinking flavored milk, plain milk or no milk. The most surprising finding, I think, is that added sugar consumption from flavored milk wasn't any different from the non-milk drinking group. So you can't blame that chocolate syrup solely for extra calories. 

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend children consume three servings of low-fat dairy products a day. Considering that my 7-year-old son gulps down a glass of chocolate milk in the morning and another at night, I no longer have a reason to feel guilty about those extra calories or sugar. And perhaps even Mom might sneak a glass every so often. Drink up!

The Barbecue Belt

Western Kentuckians love their barbecue, and everyone has an opinion on the best cooking methods and sauces. But how many of us have made the cross-country barbecue circuit to decide which restaurants are the best?

David Howard Gelin, a self-described barbecue aficionado, toured the Barbecue Belt — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas — to write a book about the best barbecue joints. The book, "BBQ Joints: Stories and Secret Recipes from the Barbecue Belt" (Gibbs Smith Publishing), landed on my desk Tuesday morning. Instantly, I thought Starnes in Paducah and Moonlite's in Owensboro were shoe-ins for the best barbecue, but I was surprised.

His Kentucky entries were Marion Bar-B-Q, 728 Main St., Marion; George's Bar-B-Q, 1362 E. 4th St., Owensboro, and Ole Hickory Pit, 6106 Shepherdsville Road, Louisville. 

Gelin profiled Jack Easley, owner of Marion Bar-B-Q, and learned about the former Crittenden County High School football coach and how he runs his small business. Easley even included a recipe for his tomato-based barbecue sauce.

The Ole Hickory Pit in Louisville has a tie to Paducah. Owner Ken Ramage grew up in Paducah and watched his father, Murvin, run Plantation Barbecue, which burned in 1953. After the barbecue  business burned, Murvin became a bricklayer and built pits across western Kentucky.

Gelin wrote in the introduction that the barbecue joints had to pass his test for tasty barbecue and a great atmosphere. Does anyone else think he may have missed some of the best places in our back yard? Perhaps the Barbecue on the River organizers should invite him to the festival this fall if he wants a flavor of barbecue atmosphere and down-home folks. 

Welcome to Second Helping

Welcome to the Paducah Sun's new blog all about food and dining in the region. Check out this blog for your "second helping" of the weekly dish on the Taste page. This can be a forum to discuss recipes, techniques, tips, cookbooks and anything else related to food. Feel free to comment, ask questions or make suggestions for the Taste page.