In the October issue of Bon Appetit, Williston resident, cooking teacher and award-winning cookbook author Molly Stevens was named cooking teacher of the year as part of the magazine's 10th Annual Awards. The magazine praised, "Molly Stevens has a knack for simplicity ... her simple, flavorful recipes guarantee success."

Although Stevens doesn't teach much in her home state, having one of her cookbooks, such as "All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking," will deliver her clear approach right into your home kitchen.

The October issue of Gourmet featured two Vermont venues among its 100 best farm-to-table restaurants in America: Waterbury's Hen of the Wood -- where "Chefs Eric Warnstedt and Craig Tresser seek out premium ingredients, both foraged and farmed, then prepare them in ways that coax out maximum flavor," and the seasonal Inn at Shelburne Farms restaurant -- where chef Rick Gencarelli "professes a fondness for buying whole animal carcasses, breaking them down himself, and using every part, saying it makes him a better cook."

Hen of the Wood received another highlight in the December issue of Food & Wine, earning a coveted spot in the magazine's feature on the 10 best restaurant dishes of 2007 for its duck with mustard spaetzle.

Scandinavian cooking to warm a winter home

Ask the average American about Scandinavian cuisine and they may mention lutefisk—if they mention anything at all. Luckily, a beautiful new reprint of "Kitchen of Light: New Scandinavian Cooking" (Artisan, $24.95) is on bookstore shelves now, painting a delicious picture of food from the north.

How To Lighten Chicken Scaloppine

I love ordering chicken scaloppine at a restaurant near my house. They fry the chicken thighs, and I think they have skin on them. It comes with a nice lemon caper sauce. I really want to make this at home but as light as possible as two of my family members need to cut back on fat and calories.

Making a light version is possible if we start with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Although I used some olive oil to brown them in the skillet, I can keep the amount of oil to about a teaspoon per serving by using a nonstick pan and some olive oil cooking spray.

After the chicken is cooked and removed from the pan, many recipes call for adding more oil or butter to the pan to bring up the brown bits and create a sauce with some chicken broth and lemon juice. We can deglaze the pan easily with just the chicken broth.

Fire risk shuts skate park

Manager Shane Lamb was busy at the weekend cleaning out the front entrance area, loading old couches onto a trailer destined for the rubbish dump. He was being assisted by keen skaters Marshall Scrivenor, 16, and Joe Dole, 15, who were working hard to ensure the park re-opened as soon as possible.
In the winter we are sort of ski bums, we have something to do in the winter, but not in the summer, so we always kind of relied on this, Marshall said.
Mr Lamb said the skate park had historically opened in the winter months only, but a growing number of young skaters in the town meant it was now being used year round. He had previously highlighted the problem with the leak above the sub main to the landlord, but nothing had been done.
We just want to meet the regulations that the fire department requires and try and get it open as soon as possible, Mr Lamb said.

Spaghetti Sauce, Navarro, and Nyquil

I am lucky that I come from such hearty stock. My mother's father's parents lived to 97 and 98 years old (I didn't grow up with a dad, so I don't know the longevity I may be inheriting from that side of my genes). Sadly, I lost my remaining great grandparent, Teresa Siliano, this week. And I am gonna miss her.

Grandma Siliano left Italy for the United States at the age of 17. Growing up in the small Pennsylvania town of Warren, I was never far from her or any of my family, so I spent plenty of time with her and around her. She was a short woman--maybe 5 feet tall--and a loving one. She was the prototypical Italian grandmother, surrounding herself with family and cooking up a storm. Whenever you entered her small house, you could always smell something delicious coming from the stovetop, and chances are, whatever it was would be served on top of pasta.

Cooking calendar: Food events

TUSCAN FARMHOUSE COOKING: Prepare and cook a menu reminiscent of an Italian country dinner. 6:30-9 p.m. next Thu. $39. Registration required. Black Hawk Middle School, 1540 Deerwood Dr., Eagan. 651-423-7920. www.district196.org/ce. BAKING YEASTED BREADS: A hands-on class led by Jeff Sherman includes recipes for hot cross buns, poppyseed and jam hamentashen, Italian Easter cheese bread and more. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. March 1. $55. Registration required. Let's Cook, 330 E. Hennepin Av., Mpls. 612-623-9700. www.letscook.cc. EASY ENTERTAINING - SPRING CELEBRATION BRUNCH: Learn how to make food ahead of time for your brunch, including blueberry muffins, Mediterranean strata, ham and leek quiche, asparagus with orange vinaigrette and more. 1-4 p.m. March 1. $65. Cooks of Crocus Hill, W. 50th St., Edina.

The Dawn of Green Mobile Networks

Mobile phones long ago began conquering parts of the world that are far away from the nearest electrical substation. But the rising price of oil is exposing a problem with these networks.

In the far reaches of places like India or Africa, where companies such as Ericsson (ERIC) or Nokia Siemens Networks, a joint venture of Nokia (NOK) and Siemens (SI), are installing new cellular base stations at a furious pace, the facilities almost always get their power from diesel-powered generators. But fuel can account for as much as two-thirds of base-station operating costs. Add to that the expense of trucking diesel over poor roads to far-flung locations and protecting the valuable fuel against theft. "Getting oil or diesel to these stations is tremendously difficult," says Mats Granryd, president of Ericsson India.

Island favorites in heart-healthy new ways

This recipe substitutes tofu for chicken and cuts back on the oil but retains the characteristic flavor. Note the tofu simmering technique in the first step; tofu prepared this way can be used in place of meats in many recipes, including stir-fries.

Cut tofu in half horizontally, then cut each half into four equal pieces.