ER a crn a eg nr SN PAGE TWELVE 2 As every new bride quickly learns, it’s a real challenge to juggle a weekly food budget and provide exciting meals. Delicious dining is only minutes away with ‘‘Tuna Coquilles for Two, ’” an attrac- tive easy-to-prepare dinner . . even for novice cooks! Tuna and mushrooms com- wine and cheese sauce, per- fectly seasoned with instant mix. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake for a delight- ful experience in creative cooking. TUNA COQUILLES FOR TWO 2 tablespoons butter or margarine % pound mushrooms, thinly sliced : 1 envelope Lipton Cream of Chicken Flavor Cup-a-Soup % cup dry white wine Ya cup water % cup shredded Swiss cheese (about 3 0z.) 1 can (7 oz.) tuna, drained and flaked Buttered bread crumbs @ ‘Preheat oven to 350°. In medium skillet, melt but- ter and cook mushrooms until tender. Stir in instant cream of chicken flavor soup mix blended with wine and water. Add cheese and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted; add tuna. Spoon into two 1-cup bak- ing shells or casseroles; top with bread crumbs. Bake 15 minutes or until bread crumbs are golden brown. Makes 2 servings. For more quick ’n delicious recipe ideas, Lipton is offering * ‘Cooking for One, Two, or a Few . . . Meals in Minutes with Liptong Cup-a-Soup. >’ Simply send your name, address, zip code and 25¢ to cover postage and handling, to: CUP-A-SOUP COOK - BOOK, P.O. Box 8329MR, Clinton, IA 52736. For newlyweds, giving that first party can cause almost as many jitters as taking those first steps down the aisle. But elegant entertaining doesn’t have to be traumatic—or ex- pensive. Here are some point- ers from experts: Dina Merrill says, “In plan- ning a party, always invite some guests who haven’t met all the others. It helps assure an interesting conversation mix. ” Columnist Harriet Van Horne warns, ‘“No dinner served under the hot-white glare of a 1,000 watt chan- delier can possibly be elegant. Of all the purchases a soon- to-be-married person makes, that first cookbook may well be her—or his—best friend! For people starting out in their first home or apartment (and this applies to single people as well as newlyweds), there’s no better investment than a good basic cookbook. Such classics as The Joy of Cooking and The Settlement Cookbook have graced the kitchens of many people over _ stained pages attest to their in- estimable value to generations of cooks. ; How many inexperienced cooks have gotten over such giving dinner, or that momentous first meal for the in-laws, with the help of these books, or others like them. In recent years, with the awakening of the American . palate to international influ- -ences, the task of the novice cook has become increasingly complex. Despite the recent swing back to wholesome cookery which celebrates the natural from all parts of the globe con- Thus, the newly wedded pair may find themselves ex- pected to have mastered Veal Cordon Bleu and Beef Wel- lington before they’ve learned ~ how to roast a chicken. And, they may receive as perfectly well-intentioned presents cookbooks written for people with a tremendous interest in food and, all too of- ten, the time and pocketbook to match. : These books should not be they contain within them a tremendous knowledge of the art and craft of cookery that anyone who is interested in food would do well to probe. However, if you don’t feel you are ‘‘up to’’ mastering the they offer, don’t despair. There are many alternatives to be explored. Most bookstores carry a wide selection of cookbooks that range from the mundane to the exotic. Depending on your interests, you may want to take home one or several: a good, basic, all-around cook- book that will stand you in good stead for years to come is a ‘‘must,’’ but let your taste buds guide you in the choice of one or more others to add vari- ety to your diet. If your passion is Italian food; or if you received a wok as a shower present, and don’t know what to do with it; or if you're a vegetarian or must cook for someone on a low- salt, low-cholesterol or low- sugar diet, you will find an ample selection of volumes from which to choose. If you expect to be doing a great deal of entertaining, a wise investment for you might be a book that not only details recipes for a wide variety of occasions, but which devotes a chapter or two to planning the event—whether it’s a buf- fet for 50 or a cozy dinner for four. Such a book is the recently published Entertaining: Step-by-Step Menus for Every Occasion by Robert Carrier (A & W Publishers, Inc.). Lavishly illustrated with color photographs, Entertaining is a thorough guide which both the novice and the experienced chef/party-giver will appreci- ate. Carrier offers a wide variety of menu suggestions for a mul- titude of occasions— everything from a Sunday brunch to a Fondue Party to a Barbecue. There are menus designed with economy in mind and easy-to-prepare one-dish menus, Game Dinners to warm an autumn evening and Summer Meals, European style. All inall, atreat. . . not only for the newlyweds but for their guests as well! Entertaining in a thoroughly elegant fashion is the theme of Sara Stamm'’s The Park Av- enue Cookbook (Doubleday & Co., Inc.). Elegant, however, is not always difficult—which point the author proves with eclat time and again. Stamm, too, provides sug- gested menus—hers run the gamut from ‘‘The Great American Cocktail Party’’ to thoroughly intime, thoroughly enjoyable ‘‘Romantic Din- ners’’ to dinners for ‘‘Holi- days Great and Small’’— everything from St. Patrick’s Day to Derby Day to an un- forgettable menu for a once- in-a-lifetime occasion. Stamm ’s recipes are as var- ied as Bell Peppers Stuffed with Corn and Roast Pheasant, Tournedos Dauphinois and Chicken Curry. Delicious! An increasingly popular phenomenon is smaller- format paperback cookbooks, which are inexpensive enough to buy in multiples. Dell has recently released half a dozen such books, all written with an eye to flavorful dishes which are both economical and easy-to-prepare—in other words, the ideal guides for people who have little time to invest in cooking. Sure to be of particular interest to a newly-married couple is Dell’s Cookery for 1 or 2 by Barbara Swain, which, its author proclaims in her in- troduction, ‘‘considers the fact that most of us are busy people with limited time, lim- ited storage and somewhat un- predictable schedules. “In brief, the theory is sim- ply to buy the foods that make the most sense for small- quantity cooking, store them so they stay in top condition, and combine them creatively in an infinite number of ways.’ Enough said! Ceil Dyer’s Wok Cookery, popular approach to food preparation, which has the in- estimable virtue of being de- lightfully versatile, makes the most of food (in terms of both flavor and nutrition) and uses relatively small quantities. of high-calorie oils. And, Dyer offers a wide selection of recipes that dis- pels the notion that cooking with a wok means an Oriental menu. Chicken Breasts Mary- land, a savory dish with as- paragus and mushrooms; Scrambled Eggs, Italian- Style; and Salmon Cocktail Croquettes are just a few of the non-Oriental recipes to be found in Wok Cookery, in ad- dition to a tasty selection of recipes from the Far East. A third book from Dell which is sure to make a hit, as more and more people dis- cover the pleasures of brunch- ing, is Pat Jester’s Brunch Cookery. The recipes range from Ap- ricot Citrus Cooler and San- gria, to Buttery Croissants and Herbal Popovers, to Eggs Benedict and Champagne- Glazed Chicken. . There are seven recipes for quiche, and eight omelet vari- ations, not to mention waffles six different ways, and 17 salads. ; What a wonderful way to start the day! And, it’s not a bad way to start the entertain- ing portion of your married life, either! Get out those candles!” Her favorite dinner is a serve-yourself Beef Stroga- noff, into which she stirs an elegant finishing touch, three tablespoons of cultured sour cream and a splash of vodka. Celeste Holm recommends, “Create an elegarit luncheon party around a dish that’s unpredictable—like an Indian egg curry.” House Beautiful decorating editor Mary Emmerling ad- vises, ‘“‘Placecards are ele- gant. Think of new and fun ways to let your guests know where you want them to sit, like a tagged gift or flower at each place setting.” And for elegance in table settings she uses one big wine glass no matter what she’s serving. } These are just a few of the lively entertaining ideas in a new 16-page booklet called “Bringing New Elegance to the ’80s.” It’s a free publica- tion, published as a consumer service by the U.S. offices of Finlandia Vodka, and it’s a perfect hostess-helper for new- lyweds. For instance, Chip Tolbert, fashion director of the Men’s Fashion Association, warns, ‘‘Never serve drippy hors d’oeuvres. They're disastrous to both clothes and carpets. And have enough hangers— guests don’t appreciate having their coats heaped on a bed.” An eye-catching idea for an elegant occasion is serving drinks from a block of ice. Make an ice mold by putting a bottle of the imported Fin- landia Vodka in a half-gallon milk carton. Fill with water and freeze until solid—the deluxe vodka won't freeze. Remove the car- ton by running lukewarm water around the outside. Then, line a tray with nap- kins, place the vodka ice block on top and serve—as they do in reindeer country! Other elegant party ideas and recipes by modern experts are in the pointer-packed booklet. _ For a complimentary copy, Just send a stamped, self- dia Elegance, P.O. Box 1058, FDR Station, New York, NY 10150-1058.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers