The Fresno Bee from Fresno, California • 85

mmmmm The Fresno Bee E4A 2 Wednesday May 3 1995 FOOD Daytime-drama villainess is dead serious about food penos (approximately 2 peppers) or to taste 8 ears fresh corn 1 quart (4 cups) low-fat milk 2-3 potatoes peeled cut into V-inch dice In large nonstick stock pot sprayed with nonstick cooking spray combine chicken stock onions peppers and jala-penos Cook for 3 minutes until vegetables are softened Cut com from cobs and add to skillet (you might substitute 3 cups of frozen or canned corn kernels) saute an additional 10 minutes Stir constantly over medium-high heat Add milk and potatoes Bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender Season to taste with salt and a dash of hot pepper Makes 8 servings Robin Mattson serves these with Dijon mustard sauce but you may use tartar sauce CRAB CAKES 1 teaspoon butter Vs cup onions diced Vs cup celery diced Vb cup sweet red pepper finely chopped 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat picked over to remove any shells 10 saltines crushed 2 tablespoons chopped parsley Vi teaspoon ground pepper Vs teaspoon cayenne pepper Vi teaspoon seasoning salt Vi teaspoon Old Bay seasoning 1 egg beaten 1 tablespoon mayonnaise 1 tablespoon sour cream 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 20 saltines crushed for coating 011 for frying Dijon Mustard Sauce (recipe follows) Melt butter in sautepan over medium heat Saute onion celery and red pepper until soft but not brown about 5 minutes Remove from heat put in large bowl Add remaining ingredients (except saltines for coating oil and mustard sauce) to bowl and toss lightly just until combined Using a V3 cup measuring cup as your guide mold crab mixture into 10 cakes Place on cookie sheet Heat oil in large sautepan while you coat crab cakes with crushed saltines Saute as many as will fit into pan without crowding Cook until heated through and nicely browned turning once Repeat until all are cooked DIJON MUSTARD SAUCE Vi cup mayonnaise Vi cup sour cream 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1 tablespoon chopped onion 1 tablespoon pickle diced 1 teaspoon pickle juice from jar optional 1 teaspoon sweet pickle relish teaspoon dill teaspoon seasoning salt Fresh ground pepper to taste Blend all ingredients Makes enough sauce for 10 crab cakes Robin Mattson who plays Janet Green on My studied at a professional culinary school in California By Donna Lee Providence Journal-Bulletin Soap fans know Robin Mattson for her deliciously wicked roles the conniving Gina Timmons on the crowbar murderess Janet Green on My But when Mattson came to the Convention Center in Providence RI for the Southeastern New England Home Show she was wielding a skillet with non-threatening good humor cooking her favorite crab cakes Mattson whose father was a chef in California a celebrity who merely plays at cooking She studied at a pro fessional culinary school in California for a year after was canceled and hosts a cooking segment on on Lifetime cable Still to a fan of daytime drama crab cakes are small fry compared with the fun of insider scoops about My and the chance to tell friends that you saw From Anothei in the flesh you feeling betrayed by asked a woman in the audience said Mattson as she peered over granny glasses checking the heat on an induction unit she was demonstrating for Narragansett Electric offering me a quarter of a million to get out of town but going into hiding in a mine about you and Jack Walt Willey getting suggested another woman Mattson allowed that such a romance has possibilities What about Susan Lucci who plays Erica the star vixen? Susan Lucci really is that tiny and that said Mattson who is 5 foot IVi and impressively lean Mattson is witty and fun and that spills over into her characters even at their most vicious You just know somebody salvageable under all that bad love the sarcastic said audience member Karen Hemminger of Pawtucket Lighter side of murder a way to show the lighter side of quipped Mattson as she flipped a crab cake Robin Homonoff of Providence who was sitting nearby with her daughter Emily has been watching My for 20 years since she was 12 Mattson joined the cast about a year ago a great character a terrible mother and not to be trusted but I love watching said Homonoff Janet has murdered a rapist with a crowbar imprisoned her sister in a well had a baby with Trevor (the husband) gone to prison blackmailed the owner of the Cluck Cluck Chicken Shack after a dalliance cut the brake line on car (Laurel is new love) and recently lost a custody battle for her baby Amanda Got that? in at 7:30 am and worked to midnight last night But today I have eight scenes where I was on for eight years and you never get more than a week off at a said Mattson who has acted professionally since age 6 As a child she played in and She was Heather Webber on and her TV credits range from to Daytime performances have won her four Emmy nominations and six Soap Opera Digest Awards for best comedy and best villainess Her worst moment in acting was on when she had to slap a woman who was a good friend in real life called a cat fight an institution in daytime TV I think women really do that and I know why they show it so often opposed to violence When slap her every line would go out of my head I had to do the scene seven or eight Counting calories For someone who loves to cook calories are another challenge all worry pretty pathologically about our weight I want to eat myself out of a job Michael Knight Tad on My has a Stairmaster in his room If on and not I use his said Mattson who had walked 30 blocks to work that day (somebody stole her bike) She spoke wistfully of a decadent dish she enjoyed on a previous visit to Rhode Island fried lobster at the Lobster Pot in Bristol After appearing at the Home Show Mattson and friends went to on Federal Hill Mattson confined herself to a salad sneaked food off their plates those calories she joked in a later conversation For the Home Show crowd she gave her recipe for crab cakes with Dijon mayonnaise not low-calorie but full of flavor She also shares a favorite corn chowder a thin chowder not rich and thick like a typical chowder but particularly low in said Mattson But enough of calories What serious soap fans want to know is this: Do producers pay attention if viewers write in? they really said Mattson you write to an actor they just count the mail and send it on But if you write to the producer they read My is at 320 66th NY NY 10023) At last a sense of power How about: AMC Producers: you dare kill off Janet from Another Planet or be after you with a crowbar wicked humor is the red-hot pepper in the stew of daytime ROBIN LOW-FAT CORN CHOWDER 1 tablespoon chicken stock 1 onion peeled chopped 1 green pepper cut into V-inch dice I sweet red pepper cut into Vs-inch dice 1 tablespoon finely minced jala- Knight Bidder Tribune Guinea pigs Robin Mattson has the My Children" cast test out her new recipes moved to Manhattan when she joined My Do friends beg her to reveal going to happen? And bad I she replied with mischief in her voice Earlier that week Mattson missed our first call to her dressing room at the My studio in Manhattan When I finally reached her she explained that been visiting in room (Kelly Ripa who plays Hayley) Mattson brings food for the cast when trying recipes for her cooking spot says gained eight pounds since I came on the says Mattson She had invited Kelly and Eva LaRue (who plays Maria a neurosurgeon) to her apartment for gumbo Laurel her enemy on My is an off-set buddy a terrific says Mattson get together and cook I made ratatouille she brought wonderful fresh sturgeon and Soaps set a grueling pace been really heavy four shows this week four shows last said Mattson came Mattson predicts that Janet will try to get even with Laurel and Trevor the lovebirds who are raising her daughter asked a man in the audience hopefully a bomb I use a crowbar all the she said Susan Pierel of Pawtucket said glad Janet win custody of Amanda but added that her mother Beverly St Godard of Cumberland sorry for Henry Neuman who is manager and the special man in her life stood at the edge of the crowd ready to whisk her upstairs as soon as fans had snapped pictures Mattson sprinted up several flights of stairs without even breathing hard as security guards and this reporter panted along at her heels In the few minutes before her next demo she sat down to split a tuna sandwich with Neuman a great he said During the week meals are a rush so likely to be something fast and low-fat such as grilled fish or stir-fry Mattson grew up in California and they A plant with meaty petals that you can eat A 12-ounce portion of artichoke contains a good amount of potassium vitamin and magnesium LA JONS Beauty Body Studio 6650 North Blackstone Fresno CA 93710 447-9072 Knight-Ridder Tribune What to look for The best artichokes are clear green or green and violet with crisp-looking leaves Giving Away Smoother Skin Each skin is as uniquely different as their fingerprint But add a dose of everyday exposure to sun cold smog and stress and suddenly in the same boat Even the healthiest skin can appear dull and lackluster in just a short time Our philosophy is to treat the problem not just the symptom why we use an Alpha Hydroxy Acid system from fruit acids created by Dermalogica the professional skin care experts This simple microexfoliation process renews and revitalizes stressed-out skin We stop life from affecting your skin but we can help make it soft clear and smooth again To prove it we'd like to offer you a free sample and complimentary skin evaluation by one of our qualified ffein care therapists 2 teaspoons dried thyme Salt and freshly ground black pepper Vi cup extra-virgin olive oil cup dry white wine 2 cups water Vi cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley Place lemon juice in a large bowl and fill full with cold water Cut the stems off the artichokes and remove the tough bottom leaves Cut about 1 Vi inches off the tops With scissors trim the tops of the remaining leaves Place the artichokes in the water to prevent discoloration When ready to cook drain artichokes and place with all the remaining ingredients except the parsley in a large pot Partially cover the pot and cook over medium-low heat until artichokes are tender about 1 hour shaking the pot occasionally If necessary add a bit more water When artichokes are tender (a leaf will detach easily) remove from liquid with tongs and place upside down on paper towels to drain To serve place artichokes in a large shallow bowl or on a deep platter Spoon the vegetables and some cooking liquid over the artichokes Sprinkle with parsley and serve at room temperature Makes 6 servings Nutritional information per serving: 204 calories 558 grams protein 245 carbohydrates 944 total fat 0 milligrams cholesterol 131 saturated fat 883 dietary fiber 313 mg sodium 856 sugar 1386 retinol equivalents vitamin A 271 mg vitamin ST1 mg calcium 28 mg iron By Karla Cook Knight-Ridder Newspapers Thank Southern Italy for the artichoke but thank Catherine Medici the Florentine who married into French royalty in the 1500s for setting a good example Legend has it that she stuffed herself on them and brought what once was seen as a medicinal food onto the French table French settlers in Louisiana planted artichokes and Spanish settlers did the same in California Though the time is ripe for new tender spring rain and floods cut the California harvest by 30-40 percent says Mary Comfort genera manager of the California Artichoke Advisory Board This caused the price of artichokes to rise but in recent weeks the price has stabilized somewhat Most artichokes consumed in the United States are grown in California on plants that produce for five to 10 years though Italy and Spain lead production worldwide and Chile and Argentina do their part in the Southern Hemisphere Artichokes are tasty little nutritious treats: A 12-ounce portion contains a healthy amount of potassium vitamin and magnesium And not too late to plant your own in cooler summer areas Shepherd's Garden Seeds oKfers Imperial Star seeds that produce 3-foot-tall annual plants with tender sweet and meaty artichokes A packet of about 20 seeds costs $3 call (203) 482-3638 But if instant gratification is your way take yourself to a produce stand There Richard Olney author of Provencal (Harper Collins $30) recommends choosing clear green or green and violet artichokes with crisp-looking leaves Choose artichokes that are firm and heavy with tightly packed leaves remember that flower buds and an opened bud means the artichoke is overripe according to (Crown $50) If the artichokes are so small that their chokes become well choking trim the sharp tips slice them thinly and saute in olive oil as suggested in Provencal At home sprinkle artichoke's with water wrap in an airtight plastic bag and refrigerate for up to a week When ready to prepare trim stem so that artichoke stands upright Snip about a quarter to a third off the top of the vegetable with a stainless-steel knife or scissors (Carbon-steel blades will turn the artichoke black) Rub cut edges with lemon or with olive oil then place on rack above boiling water Steam for 25-40 minutes or until a petal near the center pulls out easily BRAISED ARTICHOKES From Around The World by Sheila Lukins (Workman $19) Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons) 6 medium artichokes 2 large onions finely chopped 4 carrots peeled and finely diced 4 cloves garlic finely chopped dermalogica It Simply Works i.