Couples who cook

When it comes to sharing household chores, most often, cooking is delegated to the female contingent.

But in some Valley homes, cooking duties are shared eagerly by man and wife.

Indeed, in some cases, the guys can't wait to manhandle the pots and pans.

Married for 34 years, Bill Mentecky, 56, of Springdale got serious about cooking about 10 years ago, says his wife, Jo Ann, 55, who also enjoys kitchen duty.

BiIl demurs. "It goes back longer than 10 years. It goes back to the 'Frugal Gourmet' on PBS, but my favorite was Justin Wilson -- he was hilarious.

"I really like to cook. In 1999, I had surgery and I had to be off my feet. That's when I started watching the Food Network and printing recipes off the computer," Jo Ann says.. "My husband is a big Food Network fan, too."

The couple have four notebooks filled with recipes from cooking shows they enjoy. Jo Ann says their children love to tease them about their harmless addiction, especially when one of them is watching TV in the bedroom and one in the living room -- and it's the same Food Network show.

"He is wonderful with Chinese food. I pretend I can't use the wok -- I don't want to know anything about it," she says. "He makes excellent eggrolls and General Tso's Chicken. His beef and broccoli are out of this world, and his lo mein is delicious.

"He makes all the steaks on the grill. That's another thing. I pretend I don't know how to start the grill.

"We spent yesterday in the kitchen. He went out to the garden, then made two kinds of salsa, while I made stuffed cabbage," she says.

Jo Ann says she would rather bake than cook, but adds, "The one thing I can't make is pie, and it's my husband's favorite."

She never has mastered the art of pie-crust making, she says, noting she may give Pillsbury All-Ready Crust a try, especially after her pierogi experience.

"I used to make pierogi, but when I was sick, I used Mrs. T's, and nobody knew the difference. So now, I don't make them anymore," she says, laughing.

She loves to bake birthday cakes. "I took a cake-decorating course when my children were young, and I have all the special pans."

Her favorite meal to prepare is the traditional Thanksgiving feast. "I really don't know why. You cook for a week and have a house full of people -- family and friends. It's just so enjoyable. Then the day after Thanksgiving, they go deer hunting and take all the leftovers," she says.

It can be difficult to share a kitchen, but the Menteckys manage. "We kind of know when to duck and when to turn. Our kitchen is kind of small," Jo Ann says. "We try to work so we're not in the same place at the same time. We don't usually cook together for the same meal, although it's not unusual for him to help me. He cooks on weekends."

She appreciates his efforts. "There is always something new he's going to try. It is so nice to sit down and taste something somebody else made."

"In the kitchen, you get a chance to talk instead of just looking at each other," Bill says. "We have a lot of fun in the kitchen. We don't get in each other's way. We take turns being sous chef, and she always does the salt, because I always over-salt.

"None of my recipes are original, but I doctor them up to suit our family," he says.

Although Jo Ann offered kudos for Bill's Asian cookery skills, Bill says, "I'm known for my chili."

The recipe was the 1985 International Chili Cook-off winner, and Bill adopted it. "It's called Shotgun Willy's Chili. It's a pure-type chili. It has no beans."

He compliments his wife's cooking highly, although he finds it difficult to pick a favorite dish . "That's tough. I love my wife's cooking. If I had to pick one, I'd say her linguine with red clam sauce. It's delicious, really great."

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David and Renee Law of New Kensington met on a blind date on Aug. 24 two years ago and have been cooking together since.

David, 44, says: "I enjoy cooking. Renee will tell you she never had a man cook for her before me."

"I've never had anybody do that for me," Renee says. "When I found out he cooked, I was in my glory."

"I used to cook a lot of deep-fried stuff and my own wontons. Now, we do a lot of soup and salads. I used to think salad was iceberg lettuce, but she's got me eating a lot of broccoli," he says.

"I'm a vegetable fanatic," Renee says. "I take vegetables and do everything and anything with them. I try to eat as healthy as I can with chicken or tuna and not with a lot of beef."

The couple like to try new dishes, especially those from their collection of Time-Life cookbooks. David says their favorite dishes always consist of lots of vegetables and chicken. They especially are fond of stir-fries.

"It's fun to try Oriental recipes like Moo Goo Gai Pan," Renee says. "He takes one ingredient and I take another."

"We cook together," David says. "Cutting up vegetables or fish. I actually like doing that. Cooking is a time for us to communicate, a time for nice, intimate conversations, a time to make plans for the future. And Renee is a good cook. There is nothing she has cooked that I haven't liked.

"She does a lot of vegetables. She made a vegetable soup this winter that was ... oh man!"

"He likes to get creative," Renee adds.

David learned to cook of necessity. "I was single for a lot of years, and I like to eat. When I was growing up, I cooked dinner for my dad, because my mom worked. She'd have everything ready, and I'd do the cooking. I enjoy cooking. It's fun putting it all together, knowing I've accomplished something. And being together in the kitchen is a wonderful way of communicating."

Renee earned her kitchen credentials at a tender age. "I've been cooking forever -- since I was 9 or 10, taking care of my brothers. I started very young."

Although the couple enjoy dining out occasionally, David says they are happiest at home. "We like cooking here at home or on the grill when we're boating -- steaks marinated in honey teriyaki and corn-on-the-cob cooking on the Coleman stove.

"She and I work so well together in the kitchen," he says, with fondness.

What once was a chore for her has become "the joy of my life. I've never been able to share cooking before with anyone. The best thing about being in the kitchen together is the sharing and fun. This is a new experience for me.

"David took the mundane out of the task of cooking. It is now a pleasure. We put on music, get crazy and dance around the kitchen," she says.

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David and Judi Phillips of Vandergrift not only share the kitchen at home, but at work, as well.

The couple cater for New Kensington Eagles and also own a business, crEATive catering in Vandergrift.

David, 35, and Judi, 34, met when he moved to Jackson, Miss., to work in a restaurant. At that time, Judi was working with computers, a far cry from a steamy kitchen.

"I drafted her into cooking. I wanted to start a catering business. We married and moved back up here," says David, a West Leechburg native.

Fortunately, Judi likes to cook, as well.

"I cook for her, and she cooks for me," David says.

But often, the couple's meals are catch as catch can. "Most of the time at home, it's Pizza Hut or Pizza Outlet that does the cooking," David says, laughing. "We cook at work, and when you get home at 9:30 at night, you don't feel like cooking. So, whoever has energy left at the end of the day does the cooking.

"Sometimes, that means whatever is left over from cooking at work or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches," David says.

The couple prefer quick, easy meals featuring chicken, seafood and pasta. "Those are the big three at home," he says. "Last night, I made her Pecan Encrusted Salmon with green beans and baked red potatoes and garlic."

"Oh my gosh, it was so good. Something special he made just for me. It was beautifully prepared and tastes even better than it looks," Judi says.

"Yesterday we had a day off, so I had more time. Work-day meals have to be quick, something that can be made in 10 or 15 minutes," he says.

Judi is a vegetarian ("It's healthful and environmentally correct," she says.) who also eats fish and seafood. She bakes and cooks vegetable dishes, and David appreciates her cooking. "I like pretty much anything she makes."

Her Chess Squares are killers, he says. "It's a Southern thing, close to cheesecake, very rich. They are very good, probably the best thing she makes," he says.

Judi says, "I really don't cook with him in mind, but rather things I like that I know he will like."

"It is very enjoyable working together. People ask how we can do that. It just works for us. I don't get mad at her like I did other people I've worked with," David says.

That's probably because Judi enjoys what she does. "I like to do smaller things, chopping vegetables, making side orders and desserts. I get everything ready for him.

"It's not difficult working together. There have been only two or three incidents when we didn't want to be there together," she says, laughing.

She is a little territorial, however. "I consider it my kitchen at home -- his kitchen at work," she says.

"I like working with David. I really wouldn't want to do it any other way. We didn't meet until we were 32. It's hard to remember when he was not around," she adds.

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But Judie Passione of Springdale has a different take on togetherness. It goes something like: For better or worse, but not for lunch.

"Mike's cooked all our married life, but since he's retired, he's in the kitchen to kill," Judie, 59, says. "He owns the sink. When he dies, I'm going to have a statue made of him to put right in front of the kitchen window."

She's joking, of course.

"He is a good cook -- a very good cook. He likes to marinate. He thinks he's Emeril -- that whole pork thing. He likes to try new recipes with marinades. He's constantly buying things we don't need. We are stocked up with stuff for marinade for a couple of years. And the freezer is full of deer meat," she says.

Which brings us to why Mike, 62, spends so much time in the kitchen.

"My cooking goes back to high school. I come from a family of campers. We would go to hunting camp and fishing camp, and we got tired of eating hot dogs and potatoes and beans out of cans, so I asked my mother to teach me how to cook," Mike says.

"The first turkey I cooked, nobody told me about that bag of giblets in there. I just stuffed both ends and stuck it in the oven," he says.

He's a collector of recipes. "If you're in a doctor's or a dentist's office, and you're looking through a magazine and a page is torn, that was me. I like collecting recipes. First I make it their way, then I change it to suit," he says.

An avid sportsman, he is adamant that camp cooking be quick and easy. "We want something short and sweet and tasty. If a recipe is a 3,000-word essay, I don't bother," Mike says.

Two of his favorites are a simple Hunter's Stew and Barbecued Ribs. For stew: Brown any stew meat. Add vegetables of your choice such as onions, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower or peppers. Add an 8-ounce bottle of sweet and spicy French dressing, and simmer until tender. "I like to chop a tomato and add it," Mike says. "Serve it alone or over rice."

His Barbecue Ribs are equally easy. Marinate beef or pork ribs in dill-pickle juice. Cover ribs with aluminum foil, and put them on a grill to brown. Slather with barbecue sauce. "It's wonderful. The only problem is you wind you with pickles and no juice in the refrigerator. Dill pickle juice is a meat tenderizer. I specialize in cheaper cuts of meat -- they have more flavor.

"These quick meals all started from camp. I'm not going to cook for four hours to eat in four minutes. I want clean-up to be quick, too," he says.

Judie cares for children in her home, an exhausting job. "I like to cook, but I'm tired at the end of the day, and I couldn't care less about cooking. He cooks most of the time anymore. He has to have a big meal every night. In winter, I start early in the morning. I use the Crock Pot a lot, but he has to brown the meat first."

Her list of grievances continues: "When he cooks, he cooks for eight people. He even moans that I peel a potato wrong. I have a tendency to use too much salt, but he uses too much pepper," Judie says.

Mike and Judie do not share kitchen space kindly.

"When I cook, she's not allowed in the kitchen. I have a certain way of doing things, a routine that I follow. A long time ago, when I decided to get married and find someone to share my sleeping bag and fried squirrel, I had five criteria for a wife. She had to be Italian, brunet, have nice hips, a big bust and know how to cook. And I got four out of five.

"When we got married, she needed a recipe to boil water," Mike says. "But she's become a good cook -- fabulous. When I want the best spaghetti money can buy, I get her to make it. It is wonderful. She is a tremendous cook."

Still, he insists: "I can't share the kitchen. My sleeping bag, yes, but the kitchen, no. Sometimes she'll come in and just have a bite -- I can tolerate that," he says.

"I don't think this is a fun situation," Judie says. "I think he has too much time on his hands. I'll be glad when hunting season starts. He'll be out of the house, and I'll have my kitchen back. Being in the kitchen together is not a good thing."

But she still shares his sleeping bag.

Additional Information:

Recipes

'It's a pure-type chili with no beans,' he says.

Shotgun Willy's Chili

3 pounds round steak, cut in small cubes

2 medium onions, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 cup Gephardt chili powder

2 tablespoons of another type of chili powder

2 tablespoons of a third type of chili powder

Scant tablespoon cumin

15- to 20-ounce canned beef broth

Brown beef in three batches in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Drain off liquid. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to boil; reduce heat to simmer and cook two hours.

Jo Ann Mentecky offers this easy recipe:

Busy Day Steak

2 pounds round steak cut into serving pieces

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 soup can water

1 package of dried onion soup mix.

Combine soup, water and onion coup mix and pour over round steak in covered casserole. Bake three hours at 300 degrees. Don't open oven, and don't peek. Serve over noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.

Note: Sometimes if I want more gravy, I use a 'family' size of mushroom soup, and also add a can of mushrooms. This makes steak that will melt in your mouth with delicious gravy. It really is a great meal to make on a busy day.

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David Law likes chili, as well. He makes his chili with carrots, an unusual addition, but he has a valid reason. 'Carrots get rid of gas!' he says.

David's Chili

2 16-ounce cans chilli beans, drained

2 pounds extra-lean ground beef, browned

1 whole large onion, chopped

4 large ribs celery, chopped

2 to 3 large carrots, sliced

2 packages hot or medium chili powder

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped

Dash garlic powder

1 15-ounce can stewed tomatoes

Put everything into a slow cooker. Cook on low four hours, stirring occasionally. Cook one hour longer on high.

Serves 12.

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Renee Law's Zucchini Parmesan

2 whole medium zucchini

8 ounces sliced mozzarella

Grated Parmesan to taste

6- to 8-ounces sliced mushrooms

1 large whole onion, chopped

Garlic, chopped, to taste

Fresh or dry chopped parsley to taste

Davide original spicy all-natural marinara sauce

Boil whole zucchini 10 to 15 minutes, then slice. Saute mushrooms, onion, garlic and parsley. In 9- by 9-inch pan, layer marinara sauce, zucchini slices, mozzarella, Parmesan and mushroom mixture. Repeat layers, ending with mushroom mixture. Bake at 350 degrees 20 to 30 minutes, covered with aluminum foil.

Serves six.

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Mike Passione says all his cooking expertise derives from his experience as a campfire cook. He loves this dish, he says, 'Because I'm not fond of doing dishes.'

Grilled Pork Steak

Large square heavy-duty aluminum foil for each serving

Pork steak

Sliced potatoes

Sliced onion

Lemon juice

Butter

Paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Place piece of pork steak on sheet of foil. Add sliced potatoes and onions, lemon juice, pat of butter, paprika, salt and pepper. Close using drugstore wrap to seal tightly. Place on heated grill. Cook about 20 minutes. Flip. Flip again after 20 minutes.

Place foil wrapped meal on individual plates and let everyone unwrap their one-dish meal.

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Judie Passione 'couldn't boil water when we got married,' Mike Passione says. But she's come a long way. 'Her crooking is wonderful. She's a tremendous cook,' he says.

Here are two of her favorite recipes. Judie runs a day-care in her home and cooks for the children in her care. 'My kids love my soup,' she says.

Judie's Chicken Noodle Soup

Cover 1 large roasting chicken and 1 large onion with water and boil for one hour until it falls apart. Take it out of the pot.

To broth, add:

1 entire stalk (not a rib, an entire stalk) of chopped celery

4 pounds chopped carrots

Miller's Chicken Soup Base to taste

Remove meat from chicken carcass; add to pot. Cook one hour.

Add uncooked noodles to soup pot and cook as package directs.

Judie's Panzanella Salad

1 medium cucumber, cubed

3 medium tomatoes, cut up

1/2 cup pimiento-stuffed olives

1/2 loaf Italian bread, cubed

1/3 cup Genoa salami, cut into bite-size chunks

1 medium red onion, sliced

1/4 cup fresh basil

3 cloves fresh garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Parmesan cheese

Combine first eight ingredients in bowl.

Whisk together salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil. Add to bowl and toss. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to serve.

Note: Salad gets better as it sets, if you can stay away from it.

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David and Judi Phillips take turns cooking for each other. David recently made this dish for her.

Pecan Encrusted Salmon

4 skinless salmon fillets

2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh thyme

Salt and pepper

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 sticks butter (this is correct), melted

1 cup chopped pecans

Bit of fresh thyme, chopped (2 to 3 tablespoons)

1/4 cup lemon juice

Chopped parsley for garnish

6 tablespoons capers

Mix potatoes with garlic, olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper in bowl, making sure to cover well with oil and seasonings. Place on baking sheet with sides and bake at 350 degrees 30 minutes until crisp.

While potatoes are cooking, heat a pot of boiling water for beans. When water boils, toss in beans and blanch. Pull out beans and set aside in bowl the potatoes were mixed in.

Salt and pepper salmon fillets mon both sides. Put peanut oil in pan and heat. Add salmon; cook about one minute on one side. turn heat off. Flip fillet and set pan aside to continue cooking off heat.

Take about 1 cup melted butter and pour over fillets. then cover fillets with chopped pecans and chopped thyme. Put fillets in oven. remove potatoes. turn oven up to 450 degrees; cook fish five to six minutes. Put potatoes in bowl with beans, mixing together. Let stand.

When fish is done, remove from pan and allow to stand a few minutes.

Put remaining butter and lemon juice in pan. Brown butter slightly. Add capers.

To plate: Mound beans and potatoes on dish. Place salmon fillet on top. Sprinkle with parsley. Pour butter-caper sauce over everything.

Serves four.

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Judi Phillips is a vegetarian, but she does eat fish. Here is her recipe for egg rolls. Quantity of ingredients is determined by how many eggrolls you wish to make; adjust accordingly.

Judi's Vegetable Eggrolls

Shredded broccoli

Shredded carrots

Chopped water chestnuts

Chopped fresh chives

Sesame oil

Soy sauce

Salt and pepper

Five-spice seasoning

Crumbled tofu

Eggroll wrappers

Combine all ingredients except eggroll wrappers. Fill wrappers and roll. Bake in 450 degree oven on bottom rack for about 15 minutes until crisp and golden .