Column from September 24, 2009

Making up for all that fair food

I hope everyone got the chance to visit the Adams County Fair last week.

I was out there quite a bit covering some of the activities for the newspaper. Plus, I walked through the exhibits and saw all the wonderful items folks here entered and won ribbons for, played a game at the carnival and ate some great fair food prepared by local groups.

My favorite part of the fair, though, is running into all the people I know. What a great way to catch up on what everybody has been up to lately!

I love watching the children, too. They have such a great time and there is so much activity going on to keep them enthralled.

Their little eyes light up when they see the animals and carnival rides.

And, they get to eat fair food, too. Most parents don’t typically feed their children “unbalanced” meals, so fair time makes for a great opportunity to take a break from the rules.

A 4-H burger, Lions pizza or Rotary chicken are just some of the pleasures that await fairgoers. Add to that elephant ears, ice cream cones, popcorn, cotton candy, etc., and the results are a true step away from that food pyramid for a day.

If you look, you can always find something to round out a meal. The 4-H booth also has great baked potatoes and a slice of fruit pie can kind of substitute for that portion of vegetables.

I’m not saying kids – or adults, for that matter – should make it a regular habit to eat this way, but a day once a year won’t cause too much damage.

You can always make up for it and here’s a great recipe to add some vegetables back into your menu. It makes its own cheese sauce, which most kids enjoy, so they should gobbled this up.

Tomato, corn and broccoli

1 bunch (about 1-1/2 pounds) fresh broccoli, cut up (about 5 cups), OR 1 package (20 ounces) frozen broccoli cuts

1 cup water

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed Golden Corn Soup

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 ounces)

1/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil OR 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crushed

Generous dash pepper

1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

In 3-quart saucepan, combine broccoli and water. Over high heat, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook 8 minutes or until broccoli is tender-crisp, stirring often. Drain in colander.

In same saucepan, combine soup, cheese, milk, basil and pepper. Return broccoli to saucepan. Over medium heat, heat through, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes.

Makes about 5 cups or 8 servings.