Cover 10 recipes in two hours during cooking school and expo

The flour will be flying and the whisk whirring, but Michelle “Red” Roberts said she’ll prepare 10 recipes in a little more than two hours Saturday at the Taste of Home Cooking School & Expo at Northwest Georgia Trade & Convention Center.

Among the mouthwatering dishes are Berry Puff Pancakes, Hot Cheesy Mushroom Dip, Chocolate Eclairs and Shrimp Cakes With Wasabi Tarter Sauce.

“We do have an array of recipes for everybody’s comfort level,” said Roberts of Calera, Ala., who has been doing cooking shows across the Southeast for Taste of Home for nearly nine years. “They’re really, really simple — not just the basic things, though, but ones with a little more technique.”

She said she’ll also talk to the audience throughout to provide hints and tips, and even introduce attendees to ingredients they might have been afraid to try before.

“I want to encourage them that they can go home and make these recipes,” she said.

The cooking school also features an expo of local restaurants and other businesses offering a range of goods and services.

Door prizes will be plentiful, according to Todd Buccelli, director of marketing and promotions at WDEF-TV, which is presenting the school.

They include recipes for each of the 10 dishes prepared onstage, cookbooks, a picnic wine tote, a tote filled with Classico products, serving dishes, a portable mini-cooler filled with kitchen gadgets and utensils, a 10-inch gourmet skillet and coupons.

Roberts, a native of Mississippi, grew up helping her grandmother in the kitchen and knew at an early age that she wanted a career in food, according to a news release. She went on to earn an Associate of Applied Science degree from Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Miss., and a Bachelor of Science degree in culinary arts from Mississippi University for Women in Columbus.

Buccelli said he recommends purchasing tickets before the day of the event. All tickets not already picked up by Saturday may be retrieved at the will-call window.

Although VIP tickets are sold out, general-admission tickets include entry to the expo, entry to the cooking show and a gift bag of products, coupons and magazines.

THE LINEUP

Taste of Home cooking expert Michelle Roberts will prepare the following dishes at the Taste of Home Cooking School & Expo on Saturday.

• Berry Puff Pancakes

• Reuben Casserole

• Hot Cheesy Mushroom Dip

• Potato Leek Soup

• Mango-Basil Chicken & Rice Salad

• Lemon Angel Cake Roll

• Easy Chicken Enchiladas

• Parmesan, Walnut & Arugula Baskets

• Shrimp Cakes With Wasabi Tarter Sauce

• Chocolate Eclairs