Cost Important To Fireman/Cook Mike Rose Sniffs Good Grocery Deals To Feed Hungry Fellow Firefighters

Mike Rose knows what he’s looking for when he goes grocery shopping. His first requirement relates to cost.

“Firemen are notoriously thrifty,” says Rose, a Spokane Fire Department lieutenant with 20 years’ experience. He’s also chief cook at Station 8 on North Rebecca during his 24-hour shifts.

If there’s a good deal on pork chops at the Safeway on Mission, you can bet Rose will find it. He regularly clips coupons and spends an average of about $3 per person per meal at the station.

Rose also considers whether a dish can be left to simmer on the stove for a while. You get the picture: A group of firemen sits down to eat, off goes the alarm and away they go to answer it. Dinner must wait.

Variety and nutrition are also important to Rose, who likes to cook at home for his wife Sheryl and their son and daughter, Kelly and Michelle.

“He’s the best cook on the job,” says Brett Hatcher, who works with Rose and is the happy recipient of many kitchen creations.

Rose doesn’t limit his cooking skills to work and home. He recently taught his third cooking class through the Institute for Extended Learning, featuring Italian- and Mexican-themed menus.

When it comes to kitchen safety, Rose recommends using the back burners on the stove and turning pot handles in toward the center. Keep a fire extinguisher close to the stove, he says, since kitchen fires are a common cause of home fires. People will start cooking food and then forget about it; they may even leave home. That’s when he is called in.

“Burnt food has a distinct smell,” says Rose.

In the past few years, fire departments have encouraged people to check another lifesaving piece of equipment - their smoke detector - when they change clocks at the end of daylight-saving time (which comes up this weekend).

Change the batteries and check the detector; if you need one, they’re available for free by calling your nearest fire station.

Here’s a recipe from Rose that meets all of his requirements, including the final one: good taste.

Mike’s Mostaccioli Meal

1 (12-ounce) box mostaccioli pasta

1/2 to 1 pound low-fat Italian sausage

1 small onion

1 bell pepper

1/2 pound mushrooms

1 (14-ounce) can Italian stewed tomatoes

1 pint low-fat or fat-free ricotta cheese

Start water boiling for pasta. Brown sausage in nonstick skillet. Chop vegetables and add to cooked, drained sausage. Cook until the vegetables are tender.

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and combine with sausage mixture and ricotta cheese. Heat for a few minutes and serve.

Yield: 4-6 servings.

Nutrition information per each of 6 servings (using fat-free ricotta cheese and low-fat turkey sausage): 341 calories, 13 grams fat (34 percent fat calories), 28 grams carbohydrate, 26 grams protein, 75 milligrams cholesterol, 2 grams dietary fiber, 813 milligrams sodium.