Amateur chili cooks can win at E. G. Simmons Chili Cook-off

It's time for chili enthusiasts across the county to gather their spiciest ingredients, get into the kitchen and perfect their best recipe for this year's ultimate test: the annual no-holds-barred E. G. Simmons Park Chili Cook-off on Feb. 19.

You'll find a recipe for cornbread wafers in my Table Scraps column in the SouthShore News & Tribune. The column also includes more details about the cook-off.

Also, there was no winner in last week's guess-where-I-ate lunch contest. The restaurant was Chef Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill inside Caesar's Palace in the city of sin, Las Vegas.

The dish, by the way, was a crispy preserved duck salad with spicy pecans and a Concord grape dressing.

Thanks, everyone, for playing. Better luck next time.

Name that lunch: And win bragging rights

Let's play a game. Take a look at the picture above and tell me where I had lunch last week.

Hint: It's in Las Vegas at a celeb-chef-helmed restaurant.

The first correct answer wins absolutely nothing, except bragging rights.

Oh, and one more hint: It was delicious.

What I didn't eat in Vegas...

Oh, the magic of vacation. I have to admit that getting back to my normal routine was kind of anti-climatic, after four days of fun in Vegas.

I left Tampa 20 pounds lighter than I was two months prior. But my Lord, the restaurants in Las Vegas were unbelievable. So much so that my thoughts were of practically nothing else but food... really good food.

But, I'm happy to report I actually came back a 1/2-pound lighter. Believe me, it was tough, because here are some of the things I had to pass on:

And that's just desserts. More to come later on what I didn't pass.

Ringing in the New Year with antipasto

If you want something fun for a New Year's Eve buffet, look no further than this simple recipe for marinated antipasto platter. It's in my column today in the SouthShore News & Tribune. If you need too, make it ahead of time and then refrigerate it. That way you'll have plenty of time to get dressed for the party.

I am so grateful for family, friends, good times, traditions, and all the things that can't be measured in tangibles.

Happy New Year to all!

Stockings hung? Cookies baked? Jelly rolled?

I've been baking my way through my annual got-to-have Christmas goodies - thumbprints, bite-size brownie cupcakes and cranberry crunch cookies. In the middle of this baking frenzy, I made a new recipe for a chamber breakfast meeting.

Surfing the Internet, I found this really great cranberry and pecan jelly roll recipe at gourmetsleuth.com. The "healthy favorite" looked impressive, and was much easier to make than it appeared.

It turned out to be a joyous combination of cake and fat-free cream cheese frosting all rolled into one dessert or, in this case, breakfast.

If you have a houseful of hungry guests this week, this jelly roll might be the ticket!

Here's hoping you have a Lake Wobegone Christmas: All the cookies are outstanding; all the presents are satisfying; and all the stocking stuffers are above average.

CRANBERRY-NUT JELLY ROLL

4 eggs, separated

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

FILLING:

1 package (8 ounces) fat-free cream cheese

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup confectioners' sugar

Let eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Line a 15-in. x 10-in. baking pan with waxed paper; coat with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat egg yolks on high speed for 3 minutes or until thickened. In a small mixing bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high until soft peaks form. Fold into yolks. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gently fold into the egg mixture until combined. Fold in cranberries and pecans.

Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 - 10 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 5 minutes. Invert cake onto a kitchen towel dusted with confectioners' sugar. Gently peel off waxed paper. Roll up cake in towel jelly-roll style, starting with a short side. Cool on a wire rack.

For filling, in a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, butter and extract. Set aside 1 1/2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar. Gradually beat remaining sugar into cream cheese mixture. Unroll cake; spread filling to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up again. Sprinkle with reserved confectioners' sugar. Store in refrigerator. Serves 12