June 2002 “Cooking Tips” Winner —
Stacy Gibbs

To have fresh herbs always on hand in the kitchen I grind the soft leaved ones (rosemary, thyme, etc.--in a coffee grinder) and put them in a jar--covering them with olive oil and place in the fridge. The upshot of this is that you will also have infused herbal olive oils to use whenever you wish. They last indefinitely and are the perfect consistency for marinades, dressings, rubs and so on!

Stacy Gibbs

Prize:

• Cooking tips: Purely American - Canyon de Chelly Black Bean Chili Mix

June 2002 “Cooking Disasters” Winner —
F. Joseph Leonard

My first college apartment was small with the kitchen being empty for I ate my meals out. I decided to start my 'Gourmet Magic' by purchasing a toaster. It would make a quick and easy breakfast...butter on toast. Being economically minded, I found a nice used toaster at a garage sale. Proudly, I put my purchase on my kitchen table covering the wall outlet it was plugged into.

The next morning I buttered my bread and put it in the toaster. (Yes, you read that correctly!) The butter was cold and hard and putting it in the toaster , of course, would melt the butter easily, as well as toast the bread at the same time...right?????

Well, the toaster would have no part of this...it sputtered and then suddenly my toast was being toasted a tad too much, for the toaster was now on fire with flames shooting out and up the wall!

In a panic, I reach for the toaster to pull the plug out, only to be shocked by the electrical current and go flying across the kitchen onto the refrigerator door...THUD!

Dazed, I pick up the phone to dial 911, which immediately responds with two extremely HUGE fire trucks and 8 HUGE firemen in full gear who rushed into my apartment and kitchen. Yes, we are talking full gear; picks, axes, and hoses. Eight firemen...one, two, three, four, five, six, seven....eight ...firemen. Eight firemen in a very, tiny apartment with a very, very, tiny kitchen.

Needless to say, when the eight firemen (did I mention that there were EIGHT firemen) saw this kitchen disaster, which was then completely out ...they left in a huff, rolling their eyes and muttering under their breath words to colorfully describe this toasted-toast and toaster kitchen disaster...

The lieutenant kindly took me aside and nicely gave me instructions on how to handle such another kitchen disaster if another one should ever occur. Needless to say, there will never, ever be a next time, for I still, after 22 years, I do NOT have a toaster, nor do I have the slightest desire to even eat toast, or even see toast near me during breakfast!

And, every year since my toasted-toast and toaster kitchen disaster, I contribute generously to the Fireman's TOY'S FOR TOTS Christmas toy donation program for needy children!

F. Joseph Leonard

Prize:

• Cooking Disasters: The El Paso Chile Company - Chili Spices & Fixin's

Previous Winners

Click here to see our previous "Cooking Tips" and "Cooking Disasters" contest winners!