University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
The Messenger
Vol. 5, No. 3/1996
'Honey, what's for dinner?'

     When The Ladies Home Journal went looking for men who cook,
the criteria was that the candidates had to do so for the family
at least once a week. Of the five men selected after the
nationwide search, two are UD graduates.
     Gary Simpson, Delaware '69, '72M, of Milford, Del., and Tom
Parvis, Delaware '69, of Plano, Texas, shared their favorite
recipes with the magazine, which also published photographs and 
brief stories on them, in its November 1995 issue.
     For Simpson, it was Just Plain Meatloaf and Dirty Mashed
Potatoes. The assistant director of University relations at
Delaware says he considers himself an old-fashioned,"country boy"
with a taste for meat and potatoes.
     "When I cook meatloaf and potatoes, they remind me of what I
ate when I was growing up," he says. "There were always fresh
vegetables out of the garden. My mom did a lot of freezing and
canning, and we always had fresh baked rolls on Sunday. Childhood
was a warm and comforting time for me, and the meatloaf and
potatoes bring me back to that feeling."
     Simpson says he has been asked to autograph the article (not
seriously, he insists) and his wife, Debbie, Delaware '71, has
been kidded about what he's cooking for her and their three
daughters.
     "Actually, I don't cook every day," Simpson says. "Just once
during the week and on weekends. Mostly, Debbie and I share the
cooking."
     It's the same situation for Parvis, his wife, Elizabeth,
Delaware '72,
and their daughter.
     Tom, a chemical engineer, is a business manager for
Occidental Chemical Corp. Elizabeth operates her own business out
of their home. He says he cooks only when his wife is busy, about
once a week, and that he learned everything he knows from
Elizabeth, who was once a home economics teacher.
     This isn't the first time Parvis has achieved notoriety for
his culinary skills. In 1976, he won $10,000 in the National
Chicken Cooking Contest for his Sunshine Chicken recipe. That's
the recipe The Ladies Home Journal published. But, he says, the
magazine ran the 1976 version. The 1996 version is low-cal, low-
fat and low-salt, and Parvis says it tastes just as good.
                                        -Barbara Garrison



Just Plain Meatloaf
Prep time: 10 minutes plus standing
Baking time: 60 to 63 minutes

     1. Heat oven to 350 F. Lightly spray an 11x7-inch baking
dish with vegetable cooking spray.
     2. Combine 1 lb. lean ground beef, 1 large egg, 1 cup fresh
bread cubes, 1 medium onion (chopped), 1/2 cup ketchup, 1
tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon
sugar, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground
pepper.
     3. Transfer mixture to prepared dish; shape into loaf. Bake
55 minutes. Spread 1/4 cup ketchup on top of meatloaf and bake 5
to 8 minutes more.

Let stand for 5 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.


Simpson's Dirty Mashed Potatoes
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes

     1. Boil 6 medium all-purpose potatoes with skins, scrubbed,
in 3 quarts of water with 1 teaspoon of salt, until tender.
Drain.
     
     
     
Sunshine Chicken (1996 version)
Prep time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour

     1. Heat oven to 350 F. Combine 1/4 cup low-sodium soy
sauce, 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons
vegetable oil and 1 clove garlic, minced, in a small bowl. Cut
one chicken (3-1/2 lbs.) into 8 pieces. (For fewer calories and
less fat, remove the skin of the chicken.) Sprinkle evenly with
1/4 teaspoon salt (use less salt or none for low-sodium diets),
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper and 1/4 teaspoon basil; place
in shallow roasting pan skin side up. Pour half the sauce over
the chicken and set aside half. Bake chicken, basting frequently
with remaining sauce, 1 hour or until cooked through.
     2. Meanwhile, combine 1/3 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar and 1-1/2
tablespoons of slivered orange peel in medium saucepan over
medium heat. Bring to a boil; simmer 8 minutes or until reduced
to 1/4 cup. Place 3 navel oranges, peeled and sectioned, in
syrup. Reduce heat to low; simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat;
stir in 1 tablespoon orange-flavored liqueur and set aside.
     3. Combine reserved sauce with the poached orange sections.
Remove chicken from roasting pan to platter. Pour orange sauce
over chicken. Arrange orange sections on top. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
     2. Mash potatoes with 3/4 cup half-and-half, 2 tablespoons
butter or margarine, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly
ground pepper, using potato masher or hand-held electric mixer,
until fluffy.

Makes 4 servings.