Folate: Can You Relate?
In case you hadn’t heard, folate is the latest nutritional darling. The experts say adults need 400 micrograms of the B vitamin each day to reduce the risk of heart disease (and birth defects, for women) — although most people get less.
Tropicana has set up a toll-free hotline with tips for taking in adequate folate from not only orange juice — the leading source in American diets — but such other foods as leafy greens, green vegetables (including asparagus) and beans. Call 1-800-962-2241.
Value judgment
Looking for a bargain? “Favorite Recipes From Our Best Cooks,” from the St. John Vianney Altar Society in the Spokane Valley, features some 550 recipes — from All-in-One Supper Casserole to Zucchini-Nut Cookies — for a mere $10. (And since church organizations are nonprofit, there’s no tax.)
Society members will be selling copies of the book Friday through Sunday at the Spokane Valley Mall (look for them near The Bon). Or you can order by calling 926-0487 or 926-6415.
Say ‘fromage’
True connoisseurs consider fine cheese to be a work of art. Now the American Dairy Association is looking for works of art made from cheese.
The winner of the “Say Cheese … as Edible Art!” Photo Contest gets $2,000 plus a week-long trip for two to Hawaii, with the runner-up receiving $1,000 and a weekend in Washington, D.C. (Sorry, connoisseurs; only domestic cheese is allowed.)
To enter, send your name, address, phone number, age (adults only), up to four color photos of your entry (no larger than 4 inches by 6 inches, with negatives), a 25-word (or less) explanation of the artwork and a 50-word (or less) description of your most memorable cheese-eating experience, to P.O. Box 81830, Chicago, IL 60681.
Entries must be received by May 15. For more details, visit www.ilovecheese.com.
Cheese wits
If you’d rather just eat your cheese than immortalize it, The 1998 Old Farmer’s Almanac Good Cook’s Companion offers the following advice:
Seal soft cheeses in tight plastic wrap so their flavor isn’t contaminated by other foods in the refrigerator. Hard cheeses keep best when wrapped first in waxed paper, then loosely covered in aluminum foil.
If you find mold on soft cheese, throw it out. But it’s OK to trim the spoiled section off hard cheese and use the rest.
To make new brine for storing leftover feta cheese, use 1 tablespoon salt per cup of cool water.