June 2006 “Cooking Tips” Winner —
Shannon Abdollmohammadi

When I am entertaining guests in the summertime, I usually prepare a salad, and sometimes it just sits there, wilting. I now make "hand-held" salad.

I simply take whole romaine lettuce leaves and place my salad ingredients like shrimp, blue cheese, fruit, whatever, on the lettuce leaf. I then drizzle them with the dressing and arrange on a platter. You can easily lift and eat.

My guests love them, they are a great appetizer, and can be eaten with one hand.

Shannon Abdollmohammadi

Prize:

• Cooking tips:
  English Afternoon Tea – 2 boxes
  Ahmad Tea of London

June 2006 “Cooking Disasters” Winner —
Ginger Carter Miller

I had invited two friends who had just started dating for dinner to celebrate the woman's birthday. I decided to try a fairly complicated -- and very expensive -- grilled boneless leg of lamb dish. She loved lamb, and I was trying to impress her with my friendly love. My (now ex) husband didn't really like the people who were invited, he didn't like lamb, and he just wasn't being cooperative that night. When he found out I'd spent $30 on the lamb...he was just unfriendly.

But he prepped the grill for our guests, and I brought out the lovely, garlic-flecked leg of lamb to the glowing grill, lit by our measly patio light. I plopped down the lamb and covered the grill to let it smoke a few minutes, and my guests went inside to fetch other drinks.

I had just grabbed the masterpiece with my tongs when I noticed clumps of grease and ...something horrible, on the grill AND the lamb. It was pretty dark outside so I grabbed a flashlight to better illuminate the chunks. I saw large clumps of DOG HAIR on the grill, now melting into the fire in the clumps of grease remaining from the last cookout. Seems my ex had barely cleaned the grill with the wire dog brush (instead of the wire GRILL brush) minutes after brushing our Cocker Spaniel, who had just started his Spring shed...

I managed to move the lamb indoors and literally scrubbed the roast in the sink and then tossed it under the broiler. No one was much wiser, but I've never made lamb on the grill again, and I can barely stand to eat it.

Ginger Carter Miller

Prize:

• Cooking Disasters:
  Herbs de Provence
  Life in Provence

Previous Winners

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