Wednesday, January 16, 2002

Score two touchdown dishes with one oven

While the Super Bowl team captains are gathering at the 50-yard line for the start-of-the-game coin toss, you're stuck in the kitchen debating which appetizer to place in the oven first.

If it's heads, it's the pizza. If it's tails, it's the artichoke dip. If you don't deliver some snacks quickly, the next defensive tackle may be in your kitchen.

A Super Bowl party can be a celebratory feast regardless of which team wins the game. It's all about the atmosphere, the company and, most importantly, the food.

"Popular Super Bowl party foods like chili, dips and pizzas are easy to prepare, but the challenge is heating several recipes at the same time," says Jill Means, senior consumer scientist with Maytag's Center for Home Solutions. "When you have a room full of hungry guests, you need to have a game plan in the kitchen to ensure a successful party."

One way to tackle your party menu is to include innovative appliances in your game-winning strategy. With a double-oven range, you'll have a table full of warm food ready before the half-time show.

An appliance such as Maytag's Gemini, a free-standing range with two ovens in the space of one, allows you to cook two different dishes at two different temperatures at the same time. With the lower oven the same size as a traditional oven, and the upper oven large enough to hold a cookie sheet or a 9 x 13 casserole dish, the Gemini makes it possible for you to serve up all your Super Bowl favorites piping hot at once.

Here are some delicious recipes that can be made simultaneously in the Gemini's twin ovens:

Upper oven

Hot Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

1 7-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup roasted red bell peppers, chopped

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

Stir artichoke hearts, yogurt, mayonnaise, roasted red peppers, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning together in a medium bowl. Turn into a greased 8-9-inch pie plate.

Bake in preheated 350-degree upper oven for about 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve immediately with pita crisps or crackers for dipping. Makes approximately 2 1/2 cups.

Lower oven

Chicken Pizza Florentine

1 16-ounce Italian bread shell (Boboli) or one 12-inch pre-baked pizza crust

1 cup prepared Alfredo or Four Cheese pasta sauce

11/2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1/3 cup oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

6 ounces fresh spinach leaves, stems removed

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup shredded smoked provolone cheese

Place bread shell on a large baking sheet. Spread pasta sauce over bread shell to within 1/2 inch of edge. Top evenly with chopped chicken, dried tomatoes and spinach leaves.

Sprinkle with cheeses.

Bake in preheated 450-degree lower oven for 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Cut into wedges to serve. Serves 6.

For more recipes from Maytag's Center for Home Solutions, log on to www.maytag.com, under Ideas & Advice.

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