Yay for Isabel! Ten-year-old Isabel Miller of St. Paul is featured in a kids' cookbook being sold nationwide to benefit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Her Spicy Thai Peanut Curry Burger was selected by Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. from more than 10,000 entries. It's made with a Thai peanut curry sauce, shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, finely chopped cilantro, small white crispy rice noodles, crushed red pepper flakes, finely shredded carrots, Thai spices and served on a sesame seed bun. The cookbook is $5 online at www.redrobin.com through Aug. 10, with profits benefiting NCMEC.
Cooks garage sale Cooks of Crocus Hill has its annual garage sale this weekend at its St. Paul and Edina locations. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Items include name-brand dishes, gadgets, tools, knives, cutting boards, silicone oven mitts, table and kitchen textiles, glassware and cookbooks. The store is partnering with Bridging, a local nonprofit organization, to collect gently used dishes, pots, pans and functioning kitchen electrics for families in need. Donors get a coupon for 20 percent off one regularly priced item (some exclusions apply; see stores for details), good through June 22.
Share the soy The Soyfoods Council wants your favorite soyfoods recipes in four categories: appetizers or snacks; salads or sides; main dishes or soups, and baked goods or desserts. The 16 best recipes will be posted on its website, www.thesoy foodscouncil.com. Winners receive the council's "Simply Soy" cookbook and the top four also win $100. Include the number of servings, ingredient measurements, pan sizes and cooking temperatures. Send as many as you like by Oct. 1 to recipecontest @thesoyfoodscouncil.com or to the Soyfoods Council, 4554 114th St., Urbandale, IA 50322. Include your name, address, phone and e-mail address.
Here are the answers Whether from rising food costs or horticultural therapy, more people may be planting vegetable gardens this year. If you're a first-timer, or even a veteran who still has questions, "The Veggie Gardener's Answer Book" (Storey, $14.95) may help. Gardener Barbara Ellis offers straightforward answers to seemingly every question you could pose, from trellises to sidedressing to watering to a crop-by-crop guide. Who knew that eggplants are "the drama queens" of the garden?
KIM ODE
