DECATUR - When instructors were changing in the cooking school at the Gathering Place at Haines & Essick, Donna Dunnuck took up the reins.

Though at first she protested when Kaye Moran suggested she could run a cooking school, "I said I'd give it a whirl," Dunnuck said. She emphasizes that her role is that of culinary instructor.

She had talked so much about food and cooking and ideas, said Moran, manager of the Gathering Place, that she seemed a natural choice.

"I absolutely love to cook. I've tried incredibly difficult things (to cook) in my life," Dunnuck said, "but now I try gourmet easy.

"Our classes are filled, and we're starting to duplicate classes."

Dunnuck believes part of the school's success is following people's wishes, "People want to do easy," she said.

And the school's classes offer recipes easily re-created at home.

"We have a lot of fun and, hopefully, people learn something along the way," the instructor said.

Dunnuck has lots of great little ideas she passes along to participants, said Moran.

That statement was mirrored recently when Dunnuck presented her tailgate cooking school, passing along hints and suggestions with most of the recipes. One of those tips she shared is the way she has discovered to chop onions and not shed tears.

"I used to sob," she confessed. "I'm about saving you time and trouble and tears."

Her tip: Leave the root of the onion intact. That's what will save you from crying.

Leaving the root end, peel the onion. Cut it in half, then lay it cut (flat) side down. Cut the onion accordion style through all of the half bulb. Then cut the opposite direction, cutting off the root when finished.

Others tips with individual recipes are noted below.

Classes

WHAT: Cooking classes at The Gathering Place at Haines & Essick

SCHEDULE: 6 p.m. Thursdays, Oct. 16, "You asked for it! Soups and Salads"; and Nov. 6, "Appetizers"; and 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, "Brunch."

COST: $36 for each session

RESERVATIONS: 429-4374. Class size is limited.

Illinois Brownies

Use (melting) chocolate that is at least 60 percent cocoa; that's the best.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler, but do not let it touch the water. "I don't like to microwave because chocolate burns so easily."

Here's another lecture: No imitation vanilla, ever. Artificial flavors, never.

"I love these brownies in particular. I've made them for years. They are chewy, not cake-y, and they will be thin."

Though for the cooking class Dunnuck did not use nuts, "I would put nuts in at home."

Gopher Chicken

Remove stems and rough-chop the cilantro before processing.

"I grow all my other herbs, but I just have a terrible time with cilantro," though she added, "I really like it a lot."

Michigan State Beef

"This one would be just as good for dinner.

"The key to flank steak is, honestly, how to cut."

It must be cut on the diagonal, and the meat should be a bit on the rare side.

"In fact, any time you grill, (beef) should be on the rare side."

If you do not have a zester, you need one, Dunnuck said. A zester shreds the skin of citrus fruits but, as Dunnuck does, it can be used to grate cheese as well.

Northwestern Club Sandwich

"This is like having a Caesar salad on a sandwich with chicken!"

This is the one the store employees loved, which Dunnuck discovered during a cooking school practice run.

Pancetta, by the way, is salt-cured with spices opposed to bacon which is smoke-cured.

As for Ciabatta bread, Dunnuck said she doesn't find it difficult to eat but does think it is difficult to slice without crushing the loaf in the process.

Dunnuck suggested buying Parmesan cheese by the chunk. While it might be more expensive, it lasts a long time refrigerated and the flavor is more intense. She uses a vegetable peeler to shave pieces of Parmesan.

Potato Salad

"I like onion in my potato salad. Some people don't. I think they're nuts."

Dunnuck recommends cooking potatoes with the skin on, then cubing or slicing; peels can be left on as well. But the secret to good potato salad is to add spices while the potatoes are hot to absorb the flavors.

Purdue Seven Layer Dip with Indiana Chips

Here's how to slice olives: smash an olive with the flat blade of a large knife. The skin - "that rubbery stuff" - pops right off.

In this recipe, peeling the tomatoes isn't critical, but if you want to easily peel tomatoes, dip into boiling water and remove immediately. Skin comes off easily.

Eat Michigan Salad

"Whenever you use nuts, you should also toast them first," said Dunnuck.

That should definitely be the case when they are used in a salad, even if they are just toasted in a pan on the stove.

amannlein@herald-review.com|421-6976

Recipes

These tailgating recipes are from The Gathering Place at Haines & Essick instructor Donna Dunnuck.

Illinois Brownies

4 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup pecans or walnuts, optional

Combine chocolate and butter in top of double boiler. Cook until chocolate and butter melt. Remove from heat. Add sugars and stir well. Add eggs and vanilla and stir well. Add flour and salt and stir until blended. Stir in nuts, if desired. Spread batter in a greased 13-by-9-by-2-inch pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Cut into bars.

Yield: 3 dozen.

Hawkeye Turkey Pockets

2 pounds turkey, precooked from delicatessen

1/2 cup butter, divided

1 large onion, chopped

2 green peppers, chopped

6 stalks celery, chopped

1 (15.5-ounce) can pitted black olives, sliced

16 ounces sour cream

Pita bread

Cut turkey into bite-size pieces. Saute onion, peppers and celery in 1/4 cup butter. Remove from pan. Add 1/4 cup butter and turkey. Saute. Add vegetables and black olives. Spoon into pita pockets and top with sour cream.

Michigan State Beef

Marinade:

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Grated zest of 1 lime

1/2 teaspoon hot chili oil

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 pounds flank steak

Combine marinade ingredients and marinate the meat for at least 4 hours.

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon paprika

3 cups onion

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 /4 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

6 sourdough rolls

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

Sliced onion

Melt butter with paprika, add onions and cook until tender.

Cream butter, parsley, tarragon and oregano together and spread on split sourdough rolls. Wrap rolls in aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Grill meat 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Combine sour cream and horseradish. Slice meat thinly on the diagonal. Do not cut along the grain. Place meat on the roll, top with onions and sour cream mixture.

Northwestern Club Sandwich

2 split chicken breasts, bone in with skin

Good olive oil

Sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

Thinly sliced pancetta or bacon

1 large garlic clove, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Ciabatta bread

Baby arugula

12 sun-dried tomatoes in oil

Shaved Parmesan cheese

Place pancetta or bacon on a cookie sheet and roast until crispy. Drain on paper towels.

Place chicken breast skin side up on a cookie sheet. Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Slice chicken.

Mince garlic and parsley in a food processor. Add anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice and mayonnaise and process until you have a smooth dressing. Spread each side of bread with dressing. Place arugula on one side, then layer tomatoes, Parmesan, pancetta or bacon and sliced chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add more arugula. Top with bread.

Penn State Roast Beef

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, minced

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

1 teaspoon ketchup

Pinch of cayenne

1/3 red onion, slivered

Red pepper flakes

1/3 cup Rothschild sweet pepper relish

Sourdough bread

White cheddar cheese, sliced

Deli roast beef

Combine mayonnaise, tomatoes, garlic, horseradish, ketchup and cayenne in a small bowl.

Toss onion and pepper flakes together in another bowl with the sweet pepper relish.

Butter one side of the bread. Spread mayonnaise mixture on the other. Layer cheese and deli roast beef and top with relish and onion.

Purdue Seven Layer Dip with Indiana Chips

1 cup sour cream

8 ounces cream cheese

1 package taco seasoning

1 cup shredded lettuce

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 jar salsa

1 package shredded taco cheese

1/4 cup sliced black olives

Chopped fresh cilantro

Chips

Blend sour cream, cream cheese and taco seasoning. Spread out in a festive dish. Add remainder of ingredients in layers. Serve with chips.

Eat Michigan Salad

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1 /4 cup white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1 /2 cup vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste

3 heads butter lettuce

1 /2 cup dried cherries

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into matchsticks

4 ounces goat cheese crumbles

3 ounces chopped, candied pecans

Blend mayonnaise, maple syrup, vinegar and sugar. Gradually blend in the vegetable oil until fully incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle dressing on salad. Serve remainder on the side.

To candy nuts, mix 1 teaspoon water and 1 egg white. Cover pecans with this mixture. Sprinkle covered pecans with 1 cup sugar mixed with 1 /2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix well. Place on a cookie sheet for 45 minutes at 225 degrees. Stir. Raise the temperature to 275 degrees and bake pecans for another 15 minutes. Cool.

Potato Salad

2 1/2 cups cooked potatoes, cubed or sliced

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon vinegar

1/2 cup onion

1/2 cup celery

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon celery salt

3/4 cup mayonnaise

Cook potatoes, then cube or slice. Add all the spices while potatoes are hot. Chill.

Gopher Chicken

2 cups cilantro leaves

4 cloves garlic

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

Juice of 1/2 lime

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce, minced

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Pinch of salt

Rotisserie chicken torn into large pieces

Bread of choice

Pepper jack cheese

Pulse cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice and salt in a food processor. With machine running, add the oil until a thin paste forms. Combine mayonnaise, chipotle and sugar in a small bowl. Spread butter on one side of the bread and mayonnaise on the other side. Add 1 tablespoon of pesto to one side, add cheese, then chicken.