June 2007 “Cooking Tips” Winner —
Angela Buchanan

During the summer we always have a half-gallon of vanilla ice cream on hand for fast desserts. After the ice cream has been in and out of the freezer a few times it begins to crystallize and lose its creamy texture. Instead of throwing away the ice cream when it gets to this stage, I put it in a saucepan and warm it with some extra vanilla extract, lemon, zest, or even fresh herbs like lemon thyme. The warmed ice cream makes a fantastic creamy sauce for fresh berries, pound cake, or fruit cobbler. It tastes great, and we waste a lot less ice cream.

Angela Buchanan

Prize:

• Cooking tips:
  Chip ‘n Dip Gift Set
  El Paso Chile Company

June 2007 “Cooking Disasters” Winner —
Rebecca Anderson

Bang! Bang! Two loud noises that sounded like gun shots interrupted our chatter. Startled, my husband and I jumped up out of our chairs, and looked around the living room. Then the smoke alarms started sounding, and our surprised guests stood up too. My husband asked me, "what do think is going on?" he sounded panicked. Then and I saw his nose wrinkle. Just then I got a whiff of a horrible sulfur-like smell. Suddenly I remembered the eggs. The eggs!

Earlier (much, earlier) I had put a couple eggs on to boil for the spinach salad I was planning to serve that night. My husband and I were hosting a dinner party for his boss and his wife that evening. I had prepared all of the dishes in advance that afternoon. The last thing I did was put the eggs on to boil, and in the meantime, I went upstairs to change clothes.

When I realized I had forgotten about the eggs, I ran into the kitchen and looked at the pan. It had boiled dry, and the bottom was scorched black, but the eggs were gone. GONE? I thought, how could they be gone? I looked around the kitchen in disbelief. That's when I started noticing small pieces of egg and egg shell stuck to the cupboards, the appliances, the windows, and the walls. Apparently the eggs had boiled dry and gotten so hot inside that pressure caused them to explode into a million pieces. Red-faced, I hurried back to the living room to reassure everyone and explain what had caused all the commotion.

The smoke alarm noise subsided as the smoke cleared, but the awful smell lingered, even after I opened the windows. Anxious to salvage the evening, I suggested to our guests that we go to a restaurant. However, they claimed to hardly notice the odor, and told me not to worry about it. Needless to say, I was horrified, because I really wanted to make a good first impression with these people, and I knew the putrid smell was very unappetizing.

Thankfully the rest of the meal I had prepared turned out well. And, my husband wasn't upset by another one of my cooking disasters. In fact, he was amused. After the guests left, he chuckled and teased me that I need to quit using the smoke alarm as an egg timer!

Rebecca Anderson

Prize:

• Cooking Disasters:
  Coffee Basket Set
  Shonfeld’s

Previous Winners

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