What’s Cooking in the Kitchen of Melissa Evans?


1 – 8.5 oz jar artichoke hearts, quartered and drained


Melissa Evans of Weaverville


finds cooking to be a fun and cre- ative outlet. “I absolutely love to cook. Now that my kids are older and my home is less stressful, it is one of my favorite things to do,” she said. Evans has been cooking since


she was 8 years old. “I am of the thought that if you can read, you can cook. My mother worked a lot when I was young so I slowly taught myself. I started out bak- ing and making biscuits and then went on from there.” Today, Ev- ans is a collector of recipes and has considered writing her own cookbook in the future. “I love to mingle lots of flavors and am always looking for new dishes to try.” Mexican and other ‘spicy’ foods are her favorites to make. “I am definitely a seasonal cook. I love to make salads and pasta dishes when it’s warm and lots of soups and crock-pot meals during the winter months.” Evans grew up near San Fran-


cisco and graduated from MacA- teer High School. Following her graduation, she briefly attended college. She worked as a teacher’s assistant for six years and also enjoyed several jobs in the cater- ing and food services industry before coming home to be with her children. Her husband Scott has worked in the construction industry for the past 20 years and is currently employed with Direct TV. Tey are the proud parents of three children:


Jared, Elana and


Sara. Evans is an active volun- teer within our North Buncombe school district and also our local Girl Scouts program.


In her free


time, she loves reading, walking and yoga. Cooking is definitely her favorite hobby! We hope you enjoy several of Evans’ favorite recipes below:


Mediterranean Pasta


3 T olive oil 1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced


1 – 8 oz jar sun-dried tomatoes, sliced (optional)


3 cloves garlic, minced 1 lb angel hair pasta ¼ c fresh basil


½ c chopped halanata olives 6 oz Feta cheese, crumbled ½ c cream 2 t dried oregano salt and pepper to taste


Boil water for pasta. Heat oil in


skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until no longer pink. Add sun-dried tomatoes and garlic to skillet. Sauté for two minutes. Cook pasta in boiling water until done; drain. Transfer pasta to large bowl. Add basil, artichoke hearts, olives and Feta cheese to skillet. Sauté one minute, then stir in cream. Add chicken mixture to pasta and toss. Season with oregano, salt and pep- per. Serves four.


Banana-Blueberry Bread


¾ c sugar 1 ½ c mashed bananas (@3 large) ¾ c canola oil 2 eggs 2 t vanilla 2 c all-purpose flour 1 t baking soda ½ t baking powder ½ t salt ½ - ¾ c fresh or frozen blueberries 1 T wheat germ (optional) 1 T ground flax seed (optional)


Heat oven to 325º. Grease 9x5x3


loaf pan. Combine sugar, bananas, oil, eggs and vanilla in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pan. Bake for 70 minutes, then check if baked through. Cook an- other 5-10 minutes until knife comes clean. For extra nutrition, add wheat germ and flax seed.


Pesto and Asiago Sandwiches


1 French bread loaf 1 jar basil pesto 1-2 thin sliced tomatoes 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, chopped


1 large portion Asiago cheese, thinly sliced


Slice loaf bread lengthwise. Spread


pesto onto inside top and bottom of bread. Spread layer of artichoke hearts on bottom bread slice, fol- lowed by tomato slices. Place Asiago cheese atop tomatoes. Put top bread slice on cheese and allow sandwich to marinate flavors at least 10 minutes. Slice into small appetizer portions


12 THE TRIBUNE - August 12 - August 18, 2010


or larger for main dish servings. Serves four.


Cilantro and Lime Shrimp


1 lb shrimp 2 T olive oil ½ c cilantro, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 lime, juiced salt and pepper to taste


Cook shrimp in oil until pink


(4-5 minutes). Set aside. Com- bine your chopped cilantro, gar- lic, lime juice, salt and pepper to large bowl. Add cooked shrimp into mixture and serve. Delicious with fettuccine!


Potato Gratin


1 clove garlic 2 lbs. Russets potatoes, pealed and thinly sliced


1 ½ c grated Swiss cheese 1 c cream salt and pepper


Preheat oven to 350º. Tor-


oughly rub 11x7 baking dish with garlic. Layer half of potatoes in dish. Sprinkle with half of cheese, then half of cream, salt and pep- per. Add another later of potatoes and use remaining ingredients in a second layer. Bake uncovered until top is golden brown (50-60 minutes).


Mint Brownies


1 box Betty Crocker fudge brownies mix


3 c confectioner’s sugar 3 T milk 6 T softened butter ½ t peppermint extract 6 drops green food coloring 3 squares unsweetened choco- late


4 T butter Bake brownies according


to package directions. While brownies cool, combine next four ingredients together for frosting. Spread over cooled brownies, then refrigerate. Melt unsweet- ened chocolate with four table- spoons butter. Drizzle over top, spread gently and refrigerate to set before serving.


Tis report filed by Loren Metts for the Tribune.


www.weavervilletribune.com


Weaverville


Tarrants Agency receives top award


Allstate exclusive agency owner


Brian Davis of Te Tarrants Agency of Weaverville has been designated a Premier Service Agency for 2010. Bestowed upon less than 30


percent of Allstate’s nearly 12,000 agency owners across the country, this designation is being presented to Davis for his commitment to ex- ceeding customer expectations in their agency. Te Premier Service Agency designation is awarded to


Allstate agency owners who have consistently met designated levels in customer service and business performance. Te Allstate Corporation is the


nation’s largest publicly held per- sonal lines insurer. Te Tarrants Agency is located


on South Main Street in Weaver- ville.


Tis special to the Tribune.


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