What's cooking

Last update: July 9, 2003 - 11:00 PM

FEEL LIKE CHICKEN TONIGHT? Thanks to the National Chicken Cooking Contest, you'll have plenty of recipes to choose from. The new "Chicken Cookbook" is out, with recipes from the 51 finalists in the 45th annual contest.

In the book, you'll find a recipe for Moroccan Chicken and Squash Tagine created by Jamie Miller of Maple Grove. The recipe must be tasty -- it was the second-place winner in this year's contest, held at the end of May. Miller, a wine consultant, won $5,000 and a GE oven for her efforts. The winning recipe was Pacific Rim Chicken Burgers With Ginger Mayonnaise.

To get these recipes (and more), send a check or money order for $2.95 to Chicken Cookbook, Department NCC, Box 307, Coventry, CT 06238. The book is a paperback with color photos sprinkled throughout -- not bad for under three bucks.

NOT SO McFAST . . .

If you think you're doing your kids a nutritional favor by ordering chicken nuggets at a fast-food restaurant, you couldn't be more wrong. According to the Wall Street Journal, nuggets are among the foods most rapidly munching a growing niche in American's diets, especially among kids. Nuggets are made from finely ground dark and light meat, as well as skin, and contain lots of breading, fillers and added fats. A 10-nugget serving from McDonald's, for example, has a whopping 510 calories and 33 grams of fat -- not much different from a Big Mac. Other fast-food fried chicken products aren't much better; it's the same with many nuggets sold in supermarkets. (From the University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter, June 2003.)

CALLING FOR COMMUNITY COOKBOOKS McIlhenny Co., the maker of Tabasco sauce, is holding its 14th annual Tabasco Community Cookbook Awards, which honors outstanding books and the volunteers who compile them. Eligible cookbooks should be published for fundraising purposes by nonprofit organizations in 2002 or 2003. The top three winners will receive a monetary contribution to their charities, as will six regional winners.

To enter, submit five copies of the cookbook along with a completed entry form and documentation of use of the proceeds for community projects. For more information or an entry form, visit http://www.tabasco.com or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Tabasco Community Cookbook Awards, care of Hunter Public Relations, 41 Madison Av., New York, NY 10010. Deadline is Sept. 30.

LONESOME FOR NEW YORK?

Even people in Minnesota can eat like New Yorkers now. The New York First Co. has partnered with many of the city's restaurants, cafes, delis and markets to provide overnight delivery on everything from pizza to cheesecake. The Web site, http://www.newyorkfirst.com,is set up like an old department store (Gotham Grocery is on the ninth floor). While you're shopping you can browse everything from "Sex in the City" merchandise to toys and games. Is it the same as being there? Of course not. But at $39, three classic pizzas from Ray's Pizza is a whole lot cheaper than a plane ticket -- even after you add shipping (in this case another $35.25).

GIVE YOURSELF THE RASPBERRY Just as much as December means Christmas, for some folks July means Bissinger's chocolate-covered raspberries. They're sold only in July, when the berries are at their best, and they're all hand-dipped (milk chocolate or dark) at Bissinger's in St. Louis. Then they're zipped to Bissinger stores in St. Louis and Edina (in the Galleria, 3225 W. 69th St., 952-922-6762), and to individuals around the country who order from the catalog by phone (1-800-325-8881) or on the Web at http://www.bissingers.com. They're $34 a pound, plus shipping.

Nicole Hvidsten