It's soup season again for the Rotary Club of Hamilton Township, which will hold its fifth annual Soup 4 You Cook-Off on Feb. 27.
The popular competition by local chefs will take place from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Steinert High School in Hamilton. Ticketholders will cast the deciding votes on who makes the best soup.
Participating Hamilton restaurants will include Killarney's Public House, which will defend its 2016 first-place title; Maninno's 33, which won in 2014 and 2015; Mamma Rosa's, which won in 2013; Jersey Girl Cafe; and newcomer Bill's Olde Time Tavern. Also new to the competition will be Coltello's in Yardville. La Piazza in Allentown will make a return appearance.
Original soups crafted by the chefs in past years included cream roasted red pepper with chicken, drunken bacon and bean, beef with cabbage, pasta e fa*gioli, chicken pot pie and seafood bisque.
In addition to sampling the soups, ticketholders will be served bread and cookies baked by culinary arts students at Sypek Vocational Center. Coffee is provided by Starbucks in Hamilton.
Proceeds from the Rotary Soup 4 You Cook-Offgo to a good cause; they will provide scholarships for Hamilton's graduating high school seniors entering college or local vocational/trade schools, a dictionary project for third-graders in Hamilton, and other education programs.
Tickets are $10; children younger than 8 are admitted free. Tickets can be purchased from Rotary Club members or at the door. For information call 609-586-2693.
Gingerbread for Washington
George Washington's 285th birthday will be celebrated with gingerbread, one of his favorite treats, punch and harp music Sunday, Feb. 19 at the Johnson Ferry House in Washington Crossing State Park, Titusville.
The family-friendly event on Sunday will be from 1 to 4 p.m. and include a presentation on the history of gingerbread and demonstrations of wool spinning and woodworking.
Parking and admission are free, but a $5 donation is suggested. For information call 609-737-2515.
Maple sugaring at Howell
Two weeks ago the taps were placed on the sugar maples at Howell Living History Farm in Hopewell Township. For the next two Saturdays the staff will be boiling the sap down to make maple syrup, and the public is welcome to join in.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each Saturday, Feb. 18 and 25, the kettles will be cooking merrily to create fresh syrup to be used on pancakes that will be available for sampling. There also will be flour milling and butter churning as part of the days' events. For more information call the farm at 609-737-3299 or visit the website howellfarm.org.
A cherry pie time of year
Cherry pie is considered a time-honored tradition in February in celebration of Washington's birthday, even though the tale of his having cut down a cherry tree was debunked long ago as a myth.
Maybe it's just a fun reason to indulge in cherry pie, which is a colorful respite from the many gray days of February.
You could bake a cherry pie, or a less labor-intensive crisp or cobbler, in honor of our first president, or pick one up at the supermarket or your local farm store. Terhune Orchards in Lawrence has a sale on cherry pies every year at this time, and likely the supermarkets will too. Or you can make your own cherry dessert from scratch or using canned pie filling. (See recipe on this page.)
Washington Crossing Brewfest
Speaking of General Washington, tickets are on sale for the local brewfest that bears his name.
Tickets are $45 for the 7th annual Washington Crossing Brewfest on May 6. It is held in a wooded riverside section of Washington Crossing Historic Park in Washington Crossing, Pa. The event features samplings of at least 130 beers from more than 60 regional and national breweries, live music and multiple food vendors.
Tickets can be found at WashingtonCrossingBrewfest.com and the park Visitor Center near the intersection of River Road and Rt. 532 in Washington Crossing. Designated driver tickets are available online for $10.
Too-Easy Cherry Cobbler
This fruit-filled recipe from myrecipes.com calls for both canned cherries and cherry pie filling and calls for bread as the crust. It should do nicely until local cherries are in season this spring.
2 (20-ounce) cans cherry pie filling
1 (15-ounce) can pitted dark sweet cherries in heavy syrup, drained
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
5 white bread slices
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
Stir together pie filling, cherries, and 2 tablespoons flour. Stir in almond extract. Place in a lightly greased 8-inch-square baking dish.
Trim crusts from bread slices; cut each slice into 5 strips. Arrange bread strips over fruit mixture.
Stir together remaining 2 tablespoons flour, sugar, and next 3 ingredients; drizzle over bread strips.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
Too-Easy Peach Cobbler: Substitute 2 (16-ounce) packages frozen peaches, thawed and drained, for cherry pie filling and canned cherries. Omit almond extract and grated lemon rind. Proceed as directed.
Too-Easy Berry Cobbler: Substitute 1 (21-ounce) can blueberry pie filling and 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen whole strawberries, unthawed, for cherry pie filling and canned cherries. Omit almond extract; add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Proceed as directed.
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