The pork tenderloin sandwich is a Midwestern staple. Anyone who eats them has their favorite and the Iowa Pork Producers Association wants to know yours.

The association is accepting nominations for their 11^th annual Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin Contest. Read on for contest details, which I recently received in a press release:

• Nominations are limited to one per household. Forms are available at iowapork.org and in the May issue of Iowa Pork Producer magazine. The deadline for nominations is June 11, 2013.
• Any café, restaurant or tavern that serves breaded pork tenderloins is eligible to be nominated. Restaurants must receive three nominations to enter the first round of judging. Restaurant owners and operators are prohibited from nominating their own establishment.
• One person who nominates the winning restaurant will be entered in a drawing to win $100. The winning restaurant will receive $500, a plaque to display in the establishment and statewide publicity.
• Representatives of the Iowa pork industry will judge the tenderloins on taste, appearance and physical characteristics.

Last year’s competition had 65 sandwiches competing for the title. The 2012 contest winner was Breitbach’s Country Dining in Balltown.

The Iowa Pork Producers Association will announce the winner during October Pork Month.

Here’s a list of past winners:

2003   

• 1^st – Darrell’s Place, Hamlin
• 2^{nd –} Rookie’s Bar & Grill, North Liberty

Honorable Mention:

• Elm’s Club, Creston
• Perry Bowl, Perry
• Viking Lake, Stanton

2004 (Best GRILLED Tenderloin Contest)

• 1^{st –} Suburban Restaurant, Ames
• 2^{nd –} Stinky’s Bar & Grill, Aplington
• 3^{rd –} Slaby’s Restaurant, Walcott 

2005   

• 1^st – Dairy Sweet, Dunlap (under new management)
• 2^nd - Lou’s Diner, Woodward

Honorable Mention:

• Mrs. Bibbs Tenderloins, Des Moines
• Big John’s, Bode
• The Farmer’s Kitchen, Atlantic

2006   

• 1^{st –} The Town House Supper Club, Wellsburg (now located in Cedar Falls)
• 2^{nd –} The Links Restaurant & Lounge, Panora

Honorable Mention:

• Jo’s Bar & Grill, Searsboro
• TC’s Point After, DeWitt
• St. Olaf Tavern, St. Olaf

2007   

• 1^{st –} Larsen’s Pub, Elk Horn
• 2^{nd –} Rustix Restaurant, Humboldt

Honorable Mention:

• Fat Randi’s Bar & Grill, Van Meter
• Junction Bar & Grill, Delta
• BK’s Sports Bar & Grill, Ogden

2008   

• 1^{st –} Augusta Restaurant, Oxford
• 2^{nd –} Michael’s Restaurant, Des Moines

Honorable Mention:

• The Palmer House, Palmer
• Flatheads Bar & Grill, St. Anthony
• Hillcrest Golf & Supper Club, Graettinger

2009

• 1^{st –} Goldie’s Ice Cream Shoppe, Prairie City
• 2^{nd –} TC’s Point After, DeWitt

Honorable Mention:

• Corner Station, Templeton
• Tojo’s Bar & Grill, Jamaica
• Angle Inn, Walford

2010

• 1^{st –} Buck’s Bar & Grill, Mitchellville (now out of business)
• 2nd – Happy’s Place, Dubuque

Honorable Mention:

• CJ’s, Aspinwall
• Boonie’s, Earlville
• The Gasthaus, Cherokee

2011

• 1^st – Gramma’s Kitchen, Walcott
• 2^nd – Country House, Colo

Honorable Mention:

• Legal Limit Pub & Grill, Boone
• The Rusty Duck, Dexter
• Newton’s Paradise Café, Waterloo

2012

• 1^st – Breitbach’s Country Dining, Balltown
• 2^nd – Vinny’s BBQ, Dakota City

Honorable Mention:

• The Dog House, Pella
• Kelly’s Country Oven, Monticello
• Antler’s Pub & Grill, Clare

Source: The Iowa Pork Producers Association

Craig Hazelbaker was shocked when his name was announced as the winner of Chef Luke Peters’ Seafood Recipe Contest.

“I can’t believe it,” he said. “I’m so surprised.”

Not too shabby for a man who almost didn’t enter the competition.

Craig learned about Chef Luke’s contest after a 20-minute conversation over the meat counter at the Edgewood Road Hy-Vee.

“I thought it sounded like a fun idea and asked him to send me the rules,” Craig said.

Once he received the e-mail, Craig reconsidered his interest.

“I decided I was too busy to do it, but the day before the entry deadline, Luke e-mails me to say he doesn’t have my recipe yet,” Craig said with a laugh.

So peer pressure played a role in Craig’s entry, as did a love of cooking.

Luke chose to highlight seafood for his first-ever store recipe contest because seafood is an ingredient many Hy-Vee customers are leery to try.

“It isn’t something they’re likely to buy and take home,” he said. “I wanted to find a way to promote simple, healthy recipes.”

He received about 20 recipes, choosing three for the competition.

“I wanted recipes customers would feel comfortable preparing at home,” Luke said.

Each cook had 30 minutes to prepare their dish. Each one was judged on taste, creativity and appearance.

Craig’s Scallops with Garlic Shrimp was served on a bed of linguine with a light brandy sauce and pesto drizzled on the plate. I had several bites before I realized I forgot to take a photo of Craig with his dish. Luckily, he agreed to pose with my partially-eaten plate – after we tried to make it pretty again.

Craig’s recipe was my first time eating scallops, as I’m one of those people who was afraid of seafood.

Yes, I said was. Luke’s contest showed me how great seafood can be when it is cooked well.

“I enjoy the process, the learning that comes from cooking,” Craig said. “The way I see it, the day you stop learning, you’re dead.”

For those who are worried about cooking with seafood – or any ingredient – Craig has this piece of advice: Have fun.

“Use your imagination,” he said. “It’s like painting. You just add the flavors.”

PAN SEARED SCALLOPS with GARLIC SHRIMP over LINGUINI with BRANDIED CREAM SAUCE

Makes 4 servings

Meats:

• 12 Fresh, white Sea Scallops (3 per person)
• 8 fresh, raw Gulf Shrimp (16-20 count) (2 per person)
• 2 tablespoons Hy-Vee Sweet Cream Butter

Sauce:

• 1 medium shallot, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons Hy-Vee Sweet Cream Butter
• 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons VSOP Brandy
• Approximately ½ cup fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano 

Garnish and Miscellaneous:

• ¾ pound Barilla Linguini
• Hy-Vee Grand Selection Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• “Classico” brand Traditional Basil Pesto
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• ¾ to 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
• Approximately ¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley
• 8 small, fresh basil leaves

Note: The linguini will cook to al dente in 9 minutes, the scallops in 6 minutes, and the shrimp in 3 minutes, so have all ingredients prepped and ready when you begin.

Start the linguini in boiling, salted water. Optionally, throw in a dash of olive oil to the boiling water. Stir occasionally. Just before done, reserve approximately 1 cup of the pasta water.

Sauce:

Over medium-high heat, in a small sauce pan or non-stick skillet, add 2 tablespoons butter and shallots. When shallots are translucent, add the brandy. Be careful, it may flare. Allow alcohol to burn off and reduce to an essence. Add the heavy cream, heating and reduce slightly. Reduce the heat, and slowly whisk in ½ to ¾ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, and season with salt and pepper (cheese and seasoning to taste).

Scallops: Season with the salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil on top of the scallops and let them rest as you prep. Add the scallops, seasoned side down, to a hot (approximately 400 degrees) heavy skillet, such as cast iron. Season the uncooked side, adding a small amount of olive oil on top. Turn after 3 minutes, as you start the shrimp. Each side should have a nice sear to it. Lightly re-season the top of each when done.

Shrimp: Over medium heat, add the butter and garlic. Cook the shrimp until done but not over cooked. Remove from the garlic butter and toss with the finely chopped parsley to coat.

Assembly:

Drain the pasta, and immediately return to the cooking pot.

Add the sauce to the pasta. If it seems a bit tight (overly thick) add scant amounts of the reserved pasta water to make a creamy, coating sauce.

Arrange the pasta on the plate in the center. On each plate, place 3 scallops in the center of the nest of pasta. Arrange 2 shrimp with the scallops. Garnish one side of the pasta with a heavy streak of Pesto. Add 2 small Basil leaves on the top. Optional: Lightly sprinkle lightly with leftover parsley leaves. Garnish with more freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Source: Craig Hazelbaker of Cedar Rapids

I couldn’t wait to visit Bruce Johnson’s cooking station Wednesday. The smells coming from the pot on the stove were heavenly.

“I enjoy a lot of the flavors of Cajun cooking,” Johnson said.

An avid bike rider, Johnson has spent time bicycling in the south – home of jambalaya, and red beans and rice. When he learned about the Seafood Recipe Contest at the Edgewood Road Hy-Vee, he knew what recipe to enter: Crawfish Etoufee.

A popular dish in Cajun cuisine, etoufee is usually made with one type of shellfish (crawfish or shrimp, for example) that’s been smothered in a thick sauce.

Etoufee is usually served over rice. Johnson prefers white rice over dirty rice, mainly because dirty rice has a somewhat required taste. (He also has an amazing microwave rice recipe. It’s amazingly good!)

“It’s a really good recipe,” Johnson said while plating his recipe. “It’s healthy; it has a lot of vegetables in it.”

Brown flour – white flour that has been roasted in the oven for an hour – gives the dish its rich flavor and adds a nice nutty flavor.

“That’s a unique part of the recipe,” Johnson said.

Johnson estimates he does 95 percent of the cooking at his house, mostly because he enjoys it. He entered Chef Luke Peters’ recipe contest for the same reason.

“It’s so nice to share recipes and meet other people who enjoy cooking,” he said.

CRAWFISH ETOUFEE

• 1 pound crawfish tails fresh or frozen, peeled, cooked
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup butter or margarine (I use butter)
• 2 onions, medium finely chopped (1½ cups)
• 1 cup celery finely chopped
• ½ cup green sweet pepper finely chopped
• ½ cup red pepper finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¾ cups of beer
• ½ cup green onions sliced
• 3 tablespoon tomato paste
• ¼ cup of parsley snipped fresh
• ½ to 3/4 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon red cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Rice – hot cooked (recipe for microwaved rice below)

Thaw crawfish tails, if frozen.

Place flour in a glass jellyroll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until very brown. Stir every 15 minutes so as to avoid burning. Set aside.

In a 3 quart sauce pan, melt ¼ cup butter. Then on low add 1/3 cup of flour whisking/stirring constantly over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Cook and stir for 5 to 8 additional minutes till a reddish brown roux is formed. Add onion, celery, sweet green pepper, red pepper, and garlic to roux mixture. Cook/stir for 5 to 8 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon butter; stir until melted.

Stir in beer, green onion, parsley, salt, ground red pepper, tomato paste, and black pepper. Bring to a boil.

Add crawfish. Return to boiling; reduce to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or till heated through.

Prepare rice.

Serve with hot cooked rice. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Makes 4 servings

Cooking Long Grain White Rice in a Microwave

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup of long grain white rice
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Stir oil and salt into hot water. Heat, covered 3 quart casserole at full power in microwave for 4 to 5 minutes or until water boils.

Stir in rice. Cook in covered casserole at full power for 1 1/2 to 2 ½ minutes or until water returns to a boil.

Cook covered for 12 to 14 minutes at cook level 3. Simmer until rice is tender. Check to ensure rice is done.

Allow 5 minutes to set before serving.

Source: Bruce Johnson of Cedar Rapids

Paul Mann of Center Point splits the cooking duties with his wife, Mary.

“It’s half and half, and then we go out,” she said with a laugh. “He does the gourmet stuff. I’m more like hamburgers.”

It was Bonefish Grill’s Bang-Bang Shrimp that inspired Paul to develop a similar recipe at home: Paul’s Bang Up Shrimp.

“After working for 37 years for General Mills, I learned a lot about food science,” Paul said. “It’s fun to apply that.”

A cookbook fan, Paul doesn’t see them as a how-to, but inspiration. He often reads recipes, and then goes to the kitchen to create his own dish.

“Everybody’s got something that doesn’t turn out like you hope, so you end up having McDonald’s for dinner, but they’re few and far between,” he said.

Paul decided to enter Chef Luke Peters’ Seafood Recipe Contest at the Edgewood Road Hy-Vee because he loves seafood.

“I like to fish. If I catch it, I’ve got to cook it,” he said.

Paul also was excited to be around other home cooks who share his passion.

“It’s fun to do and it’s fun to see what the others come up with,” he said.

Paul’s Bang Up Shrimp is a great combination of breaded shrimp with a kicky sweet sauce.

“Does he make this often?” I asked Mary.

“Not enough,” she replied.

PAUL’S BANG UP SHRIMP

For the sauce

• ½ cups Hy-Vee Mayonnaise
• ¼ cup Iron Chef Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
• 4 drops Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (or to taste)
• ½ teaspoon paprika (preferably smoked)

For the shrimp

• 1 pound shelled and deveined Extra Large Hy-Vee Shrimp, tail on, thawed
• Hy-Vee Cornstarch, dry
• Hy-Vee Canola Oil or Peanut Oil for frying
• Dole Green Leaf Lettuce (for plating)
• Fresh chopped scallions (mostly green tops)

For the sauce, mix the mayonnaise with the Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. Add hot sauce to taste. Add smoked paprika to taste.

Dredge the shrimp in cornstarch. Deep fat fry the shrimp until lightly brown, just setting the breading. Drain on a paper towel, put in a bowl and coat with the sauce.

Serve in a lettuce-lined trifle, topped with chopped scallions.

Source: Paul Mann of Center Point

It’s been years since my kids were babies, but I still remember how much money a pack of diapers and a can of formula costs. One trip to the grocery store for a few baby necessities could wipe out our entire grocery budget for the week!

Diapers, baby wipes, baby food and formula are frequently requested items at The Crisis Center of Johnson County, but they are rarely available because the food bank doesn’t have the resources to buy these items in bulk at a reduced cost. The only way they can give them to families in need is if they are donated.

That’s where you can help.

The Crisis Center has kicked off its annual “Shower The Crisis Center” donation event, in which the community is asked to “shower” the food bank with baby products throughout the month. It’s a great opportunity to help new and expectant parents in Johnson County.

Read on for the details:

IOWA CITY — The Crisis Center is asking the community to “shower” new and expectant mothers by donating baby products to their Food Bank program during the month of April. “Shower The Crisis Center” is being held to help stock their shelves with necessities for babies – formula, diapers, food, and wipes – which are often not available when requested. These products are only available when they have been donated.

“Formula and diapers of all sizes are what moms and dads need most often,” said Sarah Benson Witry, Food Bank and Emergency Assistance Director.

Diapers are repackaged into a week’s supply, so even partial packages of diapers can be accepted. Unopened, unexpired formula of any kind gets distributed as soon as it is placed on the Food Bank’s shelves. Formula samples are also helpful.

In addition, unopened and unexpired jars and boxes of baby food, and baby wipes are all needed items. Unopened containers of baby shampoo, lotion, powder, and tubes of diaper rash cream are also welcomed. Donations of baby clothes, blankets and toys cannot be accepted. 

This is a rare case in which The Crisis Center is not requesting financial donations, since the agency does not currently have purchasing resources to buy baby items at reduced costs. For more information about “shower” The Crisis Center and dropping off donations at the Food Bank, please visit The Crisis Center’s website at www.jccrisiscenter.org.

The Crisis Center has been serving residents of Johnson County since 1970. In addition to supplemental food assistance, the organization offers the 24-Hour Crisis Line, online crisis counseling via Crisis Chat, suicide prevention and intervention, emergency financial assistance, disaster recovery and other community programs.  The Crisis Center wants to be your first call in Johnson County. More information is available at www.jccrisiscenter.org.

"Birds of a Feather Fight Hunger Together," by Neumann Monson Architects, was one of the structures on display at 2012 Corridor Canstruction. This year’s event will be held on April 13 at Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids. (Gazette file photo)

One of my favorite community service projects is coming up soon: The Corridor Canstruction Competition.

The competition that combines creativity, building and a lot of non-perishable food will take place at Lindale Mall on April 13. Read below for the news release about the event, then check out last year’s coverage — and be sure to visit this year’s designs in person. If you can’t make it the day of the build, the finished sculptures will be on display at the mall until April 21.

What a great way to showcase the talent we have in Eastern Iowa while also supporting HACAP.

CEDAR RAPIDS – People have an uncanny ability to make a difference when they put their minds to it. Ever wondered if you can help fight hunger? You CAN, and it’s easy.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, it’s all about the cans. This year’s Corridor Canstruction will take place at Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, April 13. Come down and watch five architecture/engineering firms and ten groups of local youth go head-to-head to build the best super-sized structure from canned foods in just four hours.                                                                   

The best part: all the cans go straight to the hungry right here in our backyard. It’s a real win/win (or can/can?). HACAP Food Reservoir distributes the food to shelters, pantries, and crisis centers around east central Iowa.

But it’s not just about the cans. It’s what incredibly talented people can do with the cans. Here’s how it works: Canstruction kicks off at 7 a.m., and teams build until 11 a.m. A jury of local artists, chefs, architects, and engineers judge the structures from 11am to noon while the public enjoys live music and helps to pick a People’s Choice Award winner. The public is welcome to watch from start to finish (mall officially opens at 10am), and the structures will be on display at Lindale until April 21.

The structures are judged and awards are given to the top builds in each category – one for design firms and a second category for student/community teams. Professional division awards include Best Meal, Best Use of Labels, Structural Ingenuity, and the top prize, Juror’s Favorite. 

Competitors in the professional category include OPN Architects, Neumann-Monson Architects, Shive-Hattery Architecture-Engineering, Rohrbach Associates, and Heery International/Tallgrass Business Resources.

In the student/community division, teams are from Taylor Elementary (Cedar Rapids), Christ Episcopal Church Youth, North Central Junior High (Iowa City), College Community Prairie Creek Intermediate, College Community Elementary Talented and Gifted, First Congregational United Church of Christ Youth, West Branch Middle School Talented and Gifted, Francis Marion Intermediate (Marion), Garfield Elementary Student Ambassadors (Cedar Rapids), and North Linn High School National Honor Society.

Even in Iowa, more than 1 in 10 families aren’t sure where they’ll get the food they need to feed their family. In eastern Iowa alone, 1 in 5 adults and 1 in 4 children goes hungry at least once a week. In Linn and Johnson counties, 14,000 individuals a month seek emergency food assistance at pantries and soup kitchens. To serve this need, HACAP distributes over 2 million pounds of food annually to thousands of hungry families in seven eastern Iowa counties, including Linn, Johnson, Benton, and Washington.

The corridor is joined by more than 100 cities across North America and Europe sponsoring Canstruction competitions this spring. Together they will donate over 4 million pounds of food to local food banks, and create more than 1,000 sculptures. For more information about Corridor Canstruction, visit www.corridorcanstruction.org.

Professor David Freidenreich will discuss “Food and Identity in Judaism, Christianity and Islam” at Coe College on Sunday, March 17, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in Kesler Lecture Hall of Hickok Hall.  It is free and open to the public. 

During his presentation, Freidenreich will discuss the evolving role of food practices in shaping identity and interfaith relations based on his book “Foreigners and their Food: Constructing Otherness in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Law.”  In the book, Freidenreich explores how Jews, Christians and Muslims conceptualize “us” and “them” through rules about the preparation of food by adherents of other religions and the act of eating with such outsiders.  The author analyzes the significance of food to religious formation, elucidating the ways ancient and medieval scholars use food restrictions to think about the “other.”

Freidenreich illuminates the subtly different ways Jews, Christians and Muslims perceive themselves, and he demonstrates how these distinctive self-conceptions shape ideas about religious foreigners and communal boundaries. His work, the first to analyze change over time across the legal literatures of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, makes path-breaking contributions to the history of interreligious intolerance and to the comparative study of religion.

“Foreigners and their Food” was the winner of the 2012 Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion (in the Textual Studies category) from the American Academy of Religion.

Freidenreich serves as the Pulver Family Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, where he teaches a wide range of courses on Judaism, Jewish history and comparative religion.  After receiving a bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University, he earned his Ph.D. in religion at Columbia University and rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary.  His research and writings explore attitudes toward adherents of foreign religions, primarily as these attitudes are expressed in ancient and medieval religious law and secondarily as manifest in the history of Maine’s Jewish communities.

For more information, call 399-8581 or visit coe.edu.

Winter blues got you down? Desperate to get out of the house? Here’s something that sounds interesting — if you are 21 or over.

The Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation Department’s Ushers Ferry Historic Village, 5925 Seminole Valley Tr. NE, is offering a class on “South of the Border” wines on Saturday, March 16 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Adults, ages 21 and up, are invited to spend an evening in the Ushers Ferry Hotel learning about wines from South America and South Africa from Lauren Chalupsky-Cannon of the Secret Cellar. Each wine will be paired with a delicious taste treat by The WrightTouch Catering.

The fee is $21 for residents and $25 for non-residents.  Pre-registration is required for program #314505-01.

Call the Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation Department, (319) 286-5731, or go to www.crrec.org for more information or to register for this program.

The average child will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before he/she graduates high school.

That figure comes from the National Peanut Board, but I’m willing to bet my kids will eat more than that. Both take their lunches to school every day, and the peaut butter and jelly sandwich is key. (I’m not a lazy parent. They actually prepfer over other items I’ve put in their lunches.)

We always have peanut butter in the cupboard and jelly in the refrigerator at my house. It’s great for toast in the morning, a quick snack or dinner on those nights you just don’t feel like cooking.

Some families, though, don’t have these staples in their house, which is why the The Crisis Center of Johnson County is asking the public to help “Spread the Love” this month by donating peanut butter and jelly to the Food Bank.

Why peanut butter? According to the Crisis Center, protein products are some of the hardest for the Food Bank to stock. Fresh and frozen meat are expensive to purchase and rarely donated.

Canned meat products are great, but they provide only one meal. A single jar of peanut butter, on the other hand, provides multiple meals and can really help a family get through the week.

Jelly is another item only available when it’s donated.

Want to help? It’s easy.

Simply drop off a jar or two or plan a peanut butter and jelly during the month of February. US Bank locations in Iowa City will serve as an alternative drop-off site. Individuals, schools, organizations and businesses are also encouraged to host a food collection. You can also visit the center’s Website to make a cash donation, which will be used to purchase peanut butter slightly cheaper than retail prices.

Please note that items must be store-bought and unopened; home-made jellies and jams cannot be accepted. Donors are asked to avoid glass containers and to provide a jar count with their donation.