LIVERMORE – Laura Howell is a busy freshman at Livermore Falls High School. She is on the basketball team, participates in drama, is the class president and takes dance lessons. When she is not studying or participating in her many extracurricular activities, Howell enjoys cooking. According to her aunt, she’s an “amazing cook.”
“My mom got me cooking when I was really young,” said Howell, who is 15. “When I was 10 or 12, I started cooking dinner.”
The first time she ever cooked supper completely on her own, she cooked a chicken and pasta dish with garlic and herb sauce. “It turned out great,” said Howell. She likes healthy cooking like chicken and vegetable dishes.
She plans to enter the National Chicken Cooking Contest sponsored by the Food Network. The contest takes place every two years. The next one is scheduled for 2007.
Howell enjoys making up recipes and seeing people enjoy what she cooks. She gets most of her recipe ideas from television. “I usually watch Food Network if I ever watch TV,” said Howell. One of her favorite shows is “30 Minute Meals” with Rachael Ray.
Howell enjoys cooking with her mother and her sister. She likes to use lots of different gadgets in the kitchen and notes she received some new ones from her aunt for Christmas.
She cooks for her family and friends who are eager to taste test. Her cousin enjoys one of Laura’s special cakes so much that the family calls it “Laura’s cake.”
A word of advice that she offers for people who are new to cooking: “Start simple and work your way up to more difficult things. That’s what I did.”
Howell hopes to make cooking a career and is currently looking into schools in New England that have culinary management programs. “I want to own an Italian restaurant when I get older,” Howell said.
Laura’s chocolate cake
Ingredients:
1 box dark chocolate or devil’s food cake mix
1 box chocolate instant-pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
½ cup vegetable or canola oil
½ cup water
1 12-ounce bag dark or semisweet chocolate chips
powdered sugar
Method:
Grease and flour a Bundt or tube pan. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, water and oil in a large mixing bowl, blend well. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour mixture evenly into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in pan and invert onto serving plate. When cooled, slice cake and sprinkle powdered sugar over individual servings.
Italian sub stew
Ingredients:
1 pound hot sausage links, split removed from casings
1 pound stick pepperoni, diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
fresh ground pepper
6 cup chicken stock
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
½ pound Gemelli pasta or small pasta
2 bunches of arugula, trimmed and coarsely chopped
Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
parsley, to garnish
Method:
In a deep skillet, brown the sausage over medium high heat. When almost done, add the pepperoni and sauté for two more minutes. Then add the onion, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté for two to three more minutes. In large soup pan, add the sausage, pepperoni, peppers, onions and garlic, and cover with chicken stock. Add can of diced tomatoes and bring up to a boil. Add fresh ground pepper. When it comes to a boil, add pasta and cook as directed on the box. When pasta is done, fold in arugula and serve with Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, homemade garlic croutons and parsley.
Homemade garlic croutons
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 French baguette
3 teaspoons garlic powder
fresh ground black pepper
Method:
In a deep, large skillet, add olive oil and bring the heat to medium high. Cut the baguette lengthwise and then into 1-inch cubes. Add the cubes to the pan and season with garlic powder and pepper. Stir the croutons constantly for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Store leftover croutons in an airtight container.
Chicken salad supreme
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken tenders
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon oregano
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 whole pickle, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1½ cups light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
Method:
In a large skillet, add the olive oil over medium high meat. Add the package of chicken tenders and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano. Cook, turning frequently, until chicken is browned and the middle is no longer pink – about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Combine the celery, pickle, onion and parsley in a large bowl. Mix together and stir in the mayonnaise and mustard. When the chicken has cooled, dice it into medium-sized pieces. Add the diced chicken to the bowl and mix together. Add a pinch of salt, pepper and oregano. Mix together and enjoy as a sandwich on your favorite bread or rolls or as a salad on a bed of romaine lettuce.
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