AUBURN – Ann Nadeau enjoys creating art when she cooks. A former floral designer, she arranges food into beautiful centerpieces. In her current job as marketing coordinator for Oxford Networks, she plans events and meetings. “Although we have the functions catered, I enjoy creating the centerpieces,” she said.

For example, for a Mexican-themed event, she created a topiary tree out of fresh green peppers. Additional red and yellow peppers became leaves for the tree. “It’s nice to have that kind of job where I can use the craftiness that I have,” she said.

Nadeau’s companion of 17 years, Robert Jalbert, is her taster. “I’m always cooking different things.” she said. “Bob will say, ‘I really like that recipe.’ But I will say, ‘Chances are you won’t see it again.'” Even when she does repeat a recipe, she varies it.

Nadeau’s co-workers are also her tasters. “Because we’re only two at home, most of what I cook ends up going into work with me,” she explained.

“Whenever people invite me somewhere, they can be assured that I’ll bring something,” said Nadeau, who pays special attention to presentation. “It’s fun to hear people look at something that I made and say, ‘Ann must have made that.'”

Nadeau didn’t inherit her culinary talents from her family. “I was raised in a family of 12 children. My mom was a horrible cook. She didn’t have time to cook with that many children,” Nadeau said.

She learned to cook by experimenting with recipes in her many cookbooks. “I had a big cookbook collection, over 300 books. I recently eliminated many so now I have about 30-50 books. I saved the ones I use. I like that better,” she said.

Nadeau described some of her first learning experiences in the kitchen as trial and error. “We had to eat my first meatloaf with a spoon because it fell apart,” she recalled.

Some of Nadeau’s other pastimes include sewing, shopping and gardening. She enjoys planting vegetables and herbs, like rhubarb and mint, which she can use in the kitchen, She also likes to visit her daughters and granddaughter in Florida. “I always travel with my cookbooks and recipes,” she said, noting she enjoys cooking with her 5-year-old granddaughter who tells her, “Meme, you’re the best cooker.'”

Strawberry heart pillows

Ingredients:

1 frozen puff pastry sheet (half of 17.3-oz package), thawed

1/3 cup of strawberry jam or preserves

1 cup thawed Cool Whip, whipped topping or real whipped cream

4 large strawberries, each cut into 4 pieces

1 square Baker’s semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unfold pastry. Cut into 16 hearts using 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place on ungreased baking sheet. (Nadeau lines the sheet with parchment paper.) Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Cool completely. Cut each heart horizontally in half. Spread 1 teaspoon of jam onto bottom half of each heart. Top with 1 tablespoon of whipped topping and a strawberry slice. Cover with tops of hearts. Drizzle with chocolate. Serve immediately. Or, cover and refrigerate up to 1 hour.

Hot honeyed spare ribs

Ingredients:

4 pounds baby back ribs, cut in half

1 tablespoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

½ cup honey

¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce

¼ cup chili garlic sauce

1 cup Catalina dressing

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Method:

Preheat broiler. Line bottom portion of broiler pan with foil for easy cleanup. Spray top rack with cooking spray. Season ribs with garlic salt and pepper. Broil for 5 to 6 minutes, turn and broil for an additional 5 to 6 minutes. Place browned ribs in slow cooker. In a mixing bowl, stir together remaining ingredients. Pour sauce over ribs. Move ribs around to make sure they are all coated. Cover and cook on high setting for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 8 hours. With tongs, remove ribs from slow cooker and let cool slightly before cutting into individual rib pieces. Skim grease from sauce. Serve ribs with sauce on side.

Mexican-style stuffed peppers

Ingredients:

6 medium green or sweet red peppers

1 pound lean ground beef

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup chopped celery

3 cups rice, cooked

1¼ cups salsa, divided

1 tablespoon green chilies

2 teaspoons chili powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded, reduced fat, Mexican-blend cheese

Method:

Cut tops off peppers and discard; remove seeds. In a Dutch oven or large kettle, cook peppers in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; Set aside. In a nonstick skillet, cook beef, onion and celery over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in cooked rice, 1 cup salsa, chilies, chili powder and salt. Spoon into peppers. Place into a 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Add ¼ cup water to dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until heated through. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese and top with remaining salsa. Bake 2 to 3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.