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Women.com presents

Country Living's food editor, Cynthia Nicholson LaGrone
Tips and ideas on cooking

August 10, 1999

Country Living's food editor, Cynthia Nicholson LaGrone, is here to share recipes, tips and ideas on cooking.

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DawnCCC: Welcome to our chat with Country Living's food editor, Cynthia Nicholson LaGrone. This will be an opportunity for you to get acquainted with Cynthia, to exchange ideas on cooking, to share some recipes, and perhaps pick up a tip or two to help you in the kitchen. Welcome, Cynthia!

CynthiaNLaGrone: It's great to be here. I'm having a wonderful summer as I hope you are too. I can't believe we're in the middle of August already. But this time of year is especially nice since there is so much wonderful fresh produce to choose from for impromptu summer meals. Let's take some questions!

NebraskaNanny: Corn is so plentiful in the summer. Besides corn on the cob, are there any other fun ways to add corn to my summer menu?

CynthiaNLaGrone: Yes, there's lots of ways to use this wonderful, plentiful vegetable. One of my favorite ways to use fresh corn is to simply cut it off the cob and sprinkle it over slice tomatoes with a little bit of vinaigrette sprinkled over the salad. Another way that you might add fresh corn to your recipes, is to again, simply cut it off the cob and add to your favorite corn muffin or corn bread batter.

Viva: I'm tired of the tried and true tomato/onion salsas. How can I spice my salsa up a little?

CynthiaNLaGrone: Instead of using tomatoes as a base for your salsa, why not try a fresh fruit salsa? One of my favorites is chopped, fresh pineapple, red onion, jalapeno pepper, and fresh cilantro. It's a nice change from your basic tomato-onion mixture. Fresh mango also works well with this same basic recipe. It's an interesting flavor combination using the hot and sweet flavor profiles together.

SFCarl: I'm going to a party. Any interesting ideas for dips?

CynthiaNLaGrone: Why not try making a white bean hummus? Fresh pita triangles and fresh vegetable sticks make an interesting dip combination. Simply substitute canned white beans for garbanzo beans in your favorite hummus recipe. Another idea for a dip or maybe closer to a spread, would be to use a can of artichoke hearts, or frozen artichoke hearts, parmesan cheese, a bit of aioli or mayonnaise, some fresh garlic, all blended together in your food processor. This is great on flat bread or as a dip with bread sticks.

Rockjoc: My sister says you should not put tomatoes in the refrigerator before you use them. Is this true?

CynthiaNLaGrone: Yes, your sister is right. Tomatoes don't like refrigeration. It tends to make them mushy and to lose some of their wonderful flavor. If you have an abundance of tomatoes from your garden, leave them at room temperature until ready for use. A good way to use up fresh tomatoes this time of year, is to make a basic tomato sauce and freeze it. Salsa is also a good way to use fresh tomatoes. It makes a nice gift for your neighbors.

Carrie: The spearmint in my garden is growing like a weed. What can I do with it, other than throwing a few leaves in lemonade?

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