Come Into My Kitchen
by

Everyone should plan a long trip every year. I don't mean actually take it, mind you, just plan it.

Have you ever surveyed a cluttered room, or a collection of bureau drawers, or (I'm chagrined to mention it) the top of your dresser - and the morbid thought hits you full force: "If I should take a trip and not return and others would have to come in and dispose of my effects, what would they think?"

You meditate gloomily on a little collection of bobbie pins, a bunch of keys to you don't know what, a few odd gloves, a ball-point pen that must have dried up months ago, an assortment of notes on books to get at the library. It's then that the catharsis of the-trip-from-which-you-never- return starts working!

Suddenly you see your cluttered room with a new eye - not with your usual tired-mamma vision, but with the fresh, clear eyes of "the survivors." Heaven forbid that the purity of their grief be marred by shock at the state of your bureau drawers! What would those survivors do about the cryptic note on the kitchen bulletin board which reads "'Tuesday - pants", or "Cornelia - ice cream", or horror of horrors, a terse inscription ominously reading "Monday - bank!"

Pride takes over. You swing into action. Odd gloves find their mates; bobbie pins find a home with their own kind; you spend a whole, wonderful, self-righteous day going about the house trying to fit odd keys into odder keyholes.

Since you've spend the whole day getting organized, here are several easy recipes that look like you've cooked all day.
 

LOW-FAT CRUSTY CHICKEN (Baked)

Skinned chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 lb.)
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1-1/2 cup herb-seasoned stuffing mix, crushed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced parsley (or more)
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 to 2 tsp. grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine (optional)

Pour buttermilk into large shallow dish. Add chicken and allow to stand for 30 minutes. In plastic bag, combine stuffing mix, cheese, parsley, pepper and lemon rind. Add chicken pieces, one at a time, and shake until completely coated. Place in lightly greased large shallow baking dish. (If you are using butter, now is the time to drizzle over chicken.)

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown.
 

OVEN-ROASTED VEGETABLES

6 parsnips or young turnips, peeled, halved crosswise
6 carrots, halved crosswise, then lengthwise
2 medium red onions, peeled, each cut into 8 wedges
3 or 4 gloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 tsp. dried
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix first 6 ingredients in large roasting pan. Drizzle with oil and butter and toss to coat. Roast vegetables until golden and tender, stirring now and then, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to warm platter. Serves six.
 
 

FRANCES BRADLEY'S BISCUITS PARMESAN

1 can your favorite refrigerator biscuits
1/2 stick butter or margarine
1 clove garlic, impaled on a tooth pick
Parmesan cheese

Place biscuits, touching, in a pie tin. Melt butter with garlic (then discard garlic) and pour over biscuits. Shake as much Parmesan cheese over biscuits as the top will
hold.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden.
 

DOTTY'S BANANA TRIFLE
(Easy and very good)

2 to 3 bananas (depends on size)
3/4 cup sugar
2 rounded tablespoons flour
Dash salt
1 cup whole milk
2 eggs, separated
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla flavoring
Slices of pound cake or any plain cake. (I use about 2/3 of a store bought rectangular pound cake)

Butter a deep round Pyrex casserole role or soufflé dish. Set aside. Into a medium saucepan put sugar, flour and salt. Mix well, add milk, then beaten egg yolks. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat, stir vanilla. Cool to room temperature then fold in stiffly-beaten egg whites to which you have gradually added 2 tablespoons sugar while beating.

Line bottom and sides of casserole with 1/4-inch slices of cake. Spoon a tablespoon or two of custard, more cake slices, a little custard, then bananas again and continue layering, making sure to spread a little custard over bananas and cake each time, ending with custard.

Reserve a slice or two of cake crumble over the top. Cover a chill thoroughly. Serves 5 or 6.

(This is even better if made the day before serving.)