Hints 10 Toppins Worth Trying

Easy ideas to add to all your salads, vegetables, casseroles

For Zestier Salads

- To pick up fruit, tossed green and chicken salads, garnish with cheese curls made from pasteurized cheese spread cut into thin shavings with a vegetable parer.

- For fancier green, three-bean, mixed vegetable, ham and tuna salads, sprinkle with coarsley crumbled toaster corn cakes, sautéed in butter or margarine.

A Lift for Hot Vegetables

- Perk up asparagus, cauliflower or Italian green beans with cheese crumbs, toast fresh bread crumbs in skillet until golden; remove from heat and toss with grated Parmesan Cheese.

- Add zest to wax or green beans, carrots, Brussels sprouts, with a dollop of chive cream cheese or sour-cream-onion dip.

- Liven up zicchini, squash, spinach and whole-kernel corn with crisp rice cereal, skillet toasted in bacon drippings.

- Bring out the flavor of mashed butternut or baked acorn squash, peas and yams with a sprinkling of lemon, or orange peel that has been finely shredded with a grater.

Be Creative with Casseroles

- Lend color, crispness to chicken or tuna casserole with ring of shredded carrot around edge.

- For contrast in taste, texture, top baked, scalloped oysters, tuna or ham and potatoes with Chinese fried noodles.

- Enhance pork, ham, cheese and egg mixtures -after baking, just before serving-  with the zingy flavor of rye.  Toast buttered party rye slices on one side in broiler, then place them (toasted-side up) in a ring around casserole, slices overlapping.

- Make frankfurter casseroles more appealing by topping them before baking with pineapple slices brushed with marmalade.