B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
HOME & LIVING
Don’t mess with
candy perfection
By DANIEL NEMAN
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
When Skittles
announced it was going
back to making one of its
candies lime fl avored, Col-
leen Schrappen was happy.
She was ridiculously happy.
Schrappen is a colleague
and a friend who, as far as I
can tell, spends very nearly
half of her waking life
thinking about candy. She
is also a runner and is trim
and fi t. I hate her.
Apparently, in 2013,
Skittles replaced its lime
fl avor (an original, along
with lemon, strawberry,
grape and orange) with
green apple. I’m not even
sure I knew this had hap-
pened. I love Skittles, by
which I mean I used to eat
them all the time when I
was younger, especially on
late-night drives to help
keep me awake, but it is
entirely possible I have not
had them in 10 years or
more.
I’m not even sure I
could tell the diff erence
between lime and green
apple fl avors. To me, and I
suspect to a lot of you, the
fl avors were never lemon,
lime, strawberry, grape
and orange. The fl avors
were always yellow, green,
red, purple and orange. My
favorite fl avor was red.
Not so to Schrappen.
She took the change to
green apple as a personal
aff ront. For eight years,
she has been going to the
trouble of buying Skit-
tles — one of her favorite
candies — emptying the
bag into a candy jar, and
throwing away the green
apple ones.
“Hallelujah,” she said
about the return to the lime
fl avor. And then she went
Mars Incorporated
Fudge Brownie M&Ms.
on to discourse about sev-
eral other candy trends.
I don’t disagree with her
about most of them, or I
wouldn’t if I had given
them the sort of thought
she gives them.
One major annoyance
is the habit of companies
taking perfectly good can-
dies and then trying to
change them.
There is a reason
Snickers are the best-
selling candy bars in the
world: The fl avors are
right, the proportions are
right. Everything is exactly
as it should be.
But in recent years,
the Snickers folks have
become bored with their
obviously successful for-
mula and have been tin-
kering with it. Some now
come with an exterior of
dark chocolate, which is
not the worst change they
could make.
But some also have
almonds or hazelnuts
instead of peanuts, and
they put peanut butter into
others, and Schrappen says
that’s just wrong.
M&Ms now come in
as many new fl avors —
Schrappen would call them
unsanctioned fl avors — as
Oreos, and she isn’t happy
about the weird Oreo fl a-
vors, either.
To her, M&Ms, and
especially peanut M&Ms,
are the embodiment of per-
fection (she is too young
to remember when peanut
M&Ms were themselves a
controversial addition to
the pantheon of candies).
Trying to improve on per-
fection is a doomed task,
which is why we now have
such aberrations as Fudge
Brownie M&Ms.
I actually like Fudge
Brownie M&Ms, but
Schrappen points out —
forcefully — that they
aren’t even candies at all.
They are tiny brownies in
a candy shell. Similarly,
Snickers now come in
brownies with peanuts and
brownies with almonds.
Schrappen has a rule
about candies that she
believes should become
a law: No more than one
alteration to the original
recipe should be allowed.
After that, it can no longer
be considered in the same
family as the original
candy.
Skittles can swap out
their lime fl avor for green
apple, no matter how
abhorrent she fi nds the
idea, and they can still be
Skittles. Reese’s Peanut
Butter Cups can add pret-
zels — an addition she
heartily supports, by the
way — and they are still
Reese’s.
But when you take a
Snickers bar and change
the chocolate exterior and
add brownies and add
almonds, it is no longer a
Snickers bar at all. Calling
it a Snickers is only an
attempt to fool people.
So says Schrappen.
And you know how Kit
Kat bars now come in
multiple fl avors, from
mocha-and-chocolate to
fruity cereal?
Don’t get her started on
Kit Kat bars.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021
Chicken Parmesan is reborn
as crunchy meatballs
By GRETCHEN McKAY
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Planning meals on vacation is always
a challenge. It’s a drag to schlep a week’s
worth of ingredients to your destination,
packed in the car along with your suit-
cases, and you never know how the vaca-
tion home’s kitchen will be outfi tted.
Besides, who wants to spend hours
in the kitchen when you’re on vacation?
The best getaway meals come together
quickly with just a few pots and pans and
feature everyday ingredients you can fi nd
at even the tiniest grocery store.
This easy meatball dish from Cook’s
Country that I made in a cabin in the
woods on a recent leaf-peeping trip is
great solution. It boasts all the fl avors
of classic chicken Parmesan but takes
about half the time to prepare. The red
sauce comes together in about 10 min-
utes on a stovetop, and the chicken is just
as easy. Instead of pounding boneless
breast meat into thin patties to be lay-
ered with sauce and cheese, you roll sea-
soned ground chicken into golf ball-sized
meatballs. A crunchy panko topping
made in the microwave is the crowning
touch, along with a generous sprinkling
of Parmesan cheese.
The results are hearty, easy to portion
and extremely versatile. The meatballs
can be served in a bowl alongside some
crusty bread and a tossed green salad,
or be spooned on top of your favorite
pasta. They also are great tucked into a
hoagie bun for a quick and easy lunch the
next day.
CHICKEN PARMESAN
MEATBALLS
For sauce
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thin
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
2 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon red pepper fl akes
For meatballs
22 Ritz crackers
5 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
(2 1/2 cups), divided
1 large egg, beaten
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-TNS
Chicken parmesan is reimagined as a saucy, one-
pan meatball dish with a crunchy panko topping.
1 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds ground chicken
8 ounces shredded mozzarella (2 cups)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup torn fresh basil
Make sauce: Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large
saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add
sliced garlic and cook until lightly browned, about
1 minute.
Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1/4
teaspoon oregano, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper
fl akes.
Bring to simmer, reduce heat to medium-low
and cook until slightly thickened, 10-15 minutes.
Remove from heat and keep warm.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat
oven to 350 degrees.
Make meatballs: Place crackers in a large ziplock
bag, seal and crush with a rolling pin. (You should
get about 1 cup.)
Combine crumbs, 2 cups Parmesan, egg, garlic
powder, pepper, remaining 2 teaspoons oregano
and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.
Add chicken and mix with your hands until
thoroughly combined. Divide mixture into 20
portions about 1/4 cup each. Using your hands,
roll into meatballs and transfer to a 13-by-9-inch
baking dish.
Pour sauce over meatballs, then sprinkle with
mozzarella. Bake until meatballs are at least 160
degrees and mozzarella is melted and beginning to
brown, 40-45 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine panko, remaining 2 table-
spoons oil and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in bowl.
Microwave until panko is light golden brown, 1-3
minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.
Sprinkle meatballs with panko mixture, remain-
ing 1/2 cup Parmesan and basil.
Serve in a bowl, stuff ed into hoagie buns as a
sandwich or on top of pasta.
Serves 4-6.
— Cook’s Country
Storing vegetables takes att ention to detail
By LIZ DOUVILLE
For EO Media Group
Questions are being
asked on how to store veg-
etables. Not all vegeta-
bles store well; knowing
canning procedures and
freezing methods are worth
investigating.
• Beets taste best when
plants have been exposed
to several weeks of cool
frosty weather.
Wash beets, trim tops
to a half inch, place in
perforated plastic bag
and store in a refriger-
ator or unheated basement.
Storage life is two to four
months.
• Cabbage is harvested
when heads are fi rm.
Remove loose outer leaves.
Store in a refrigerator or
unheated basement in
plastic bags for up to two
months.
• Carrot storage requires
a moist environment. Dig
and trim green tops to 1
inch. Brush off the soil
but do not wash. Place in
covered boxes or covered
containers surrounded by
straw, leaves, sawdust or
moist sand and place where
temperatures are just above
freezing. We always used
moist sand for storage and
were able to enjoy them for
6 months. They can also
be left in the ground with
a heavy mulch and can be
dug as needed throughout
the winter.
• Caulifl ower may be
stored in perforated plastic
123rf.com photo
Fresh organic vegetables and fruits take some know-how when storing for winter.
bags in the refrigerator for
up to 2 weeks. Freeze any
surplus.
• Corn can be held in
the refrigerator for approx-
imately two weeks. The
only way to continue to
enjoy farm fresh corn is to
freeze or can.
• Melons. Watermelons
do not continue to ripen
after harvest and do not
store well. Cantaloupes
will ripen, (soften and
become more juicy) after
harvest, but the sugar con-
tent or sweetness will not
increase. If the melon is
not ripe, store in a paper
bag at room temperature
for a few days then give it
the sniff test. The blossom
end should have a sweet
melon smell. Peaches,
pears and plums continue
to ripen after they are
picked. Place in a paper
bag at room temperature.
Plastic bags won’t work for
ripening.
• Onions are the ulti-
mate grow-to-store food.
When they have achieved
a mature size, push over
the tops to help the stalks
dry and prevent neck rot
When your computer is in despair
(a disease that shortens
storage life). After a few
weeks, pull the onions and
cure by laying on an old
screen or rack in an airy
spot until the necks are
dry and the skins crackly.
Once they have dried,
break off tops, leaving
half to 1 inch of stem to
act as a seal against rot.
Or you can twist the neck
before curing, letting it
dry that way and then cut
it off . Good storage condi-
tions range from 32 to 40
degrees. The closer to just
above freezing, the better.
Hang in a mesh bag or
braid and hang.
• Peppers. I grow sweet
banana peppers and bell
peppers and freeze both.
Wash, dry and add to the
plastic bag in the freezer.
Normally the bell pep-
pers are still green at har-
vest. I am going to try a
hint I read to place green
bell peppers in a paper
bag with an apple to ripen.
Allowing jalapenos to turn
red increases both heat
and sweetness. Green jala-
penos are more crisp and
crunchy.
• Potatoes. Plants are
mature when they die back.
Leave the tubers in the
ground for 10 to 14 days
after the vines are dead
before digging to give the
skin time to set. Carefully
dig to avoid slicing into
the potatoes. Lightly brush
off excess dirt. Do not
wash. Before placing into
storage, the tubers should
be cured at a temperature
of 45 to 60 degrees for two
weeks. Thickening of the
skin occurs during this
time. Potatoes should be
stored in a dark place; tem-
perature should be between
40 to 45 degrees. A cool
garage or basement may be
the best site. Another pos-
sibility would be a second
refrigerator.
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