Betty Is Back With A Sassy New Look
Once again, the face of cooking has changed.
In honor of her 75th anniversary, General Mills has unveiled a new Betty Crocker, based on a composite image of 75 women from across the nation (including one from Seattle) who were selected through an essay contest. It’s the eighth incarnation of Crocker to date.
Anyone who was expecting General Mills to whip up a brown Betty will be disappointed, although the new visage does have a vaguely ethnic look.
Says artist John Stuart Ingle, who painted the final portrait: “I’ve portrayed a woman who is exceptionally knowledgeable, yet imminently approachable and genuinely caring.”
Stare at it long enough, and it’s bound to remind you of someone you know. (According to several of my co-workers, if you added a few ridges to her nose, she’d be a dead ringer for the alien Maj. Kira Nerys on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”)
They also preserve
Maybe you’re among the hundreds of area residents who have called the Washington State University Cooperative Extension office in Spokane with questions about canning and other food preservation techniques. Now it’s your turn to be on the other end of the line.
The extension service is seeking volunteers to act as food safety advisers. Volunteers will receive 24 hours of training in three-hour sessions on Tuesdays from April 9 through May 28. They’ll then be asked to contribute 50 hours answering phones, working in booths at fairs and giving food safety demonstrations.
To sign up, call Elaine Mir at 533-2048, extension 115, or write to her at WSU Cooperative Extension, 222 North Havana, Spokane, WA 99202-4799.
Caramel chameleons?
Think you can fake out a judge by taking the fat out of your favorite dessert? Sunsweet, maker of Lighter Bake fruit-based butter and oil replacement, is looking for original, low-fat “Great Imposter” desserts in its new recipe contest (using Lighter Bake, of course). Entries will be judged on taste, ease of preparation, visual appeal, originality and nutritional value.
Five grand-prize winners will receive a $500 retreat at a health spa, a case of Lighter Bake and a T-shirt. Another 50 finalists get two jars of Lighter Bake and a shirt.
Send entries, on regular-sized paper, to: Sunsweet Lighter Bake “Great Imposters” Recipe Contest, P.O. Box 1547, Stockton, CA 95201 (one entry per envelope). Postmark deadline is April 19. For a complete set of contest rules and a free recipe brochure, call (800) 417-2253.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MEMO: We’re always looking for fresh food news. Write to: The Fresh Sheet, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call 459-5446; fax 459-5098.