A Life, Lived

Gore Calls Canada's Climate Plan a Fraud

This week Toronto held a huge consumer environment show. The focus was on products and services that assist one in being a better citizen of the planet. Sadly Paul and I did not go. It featured all sorts of 'celebrities', many of whom were commenting on the 'big' announcement made by Canada's environment Minister the week before.

For those of you who do not follow the minutiae of Canada's politics (how could you NOT?) . . . the current government is to the right of the spectrum and not know for  being friendly or even concerned about environmental issues. Then the start of the some problems for them: the opposition elected a leader with strong environmental credentials, Canadians seemed to be more concerned about the environment than they had been in the past,  and then the Green Party started to gain prominence and suddenly the government cares. Unfortunately their huge base of support is in Western Canada -= home to Canada's greatest producers of carbon dioxide gases in the oil and gas industry.

Anyway - enough of the lesson. This is a report of what Gore said:

Gore Calls Canada Climate Plan a 'Fraud'

Sunday, April 29, 2007

(04-29) 20:31 PDT TORONTO, Canada (AP) --

Al Gore condemned Canada's new plan to reduce greenhouse gases, saying it was "a complete and total fraud" because it lacks specifics and gives industry a way to actually increase emissions.

Under the initiative announced Thursday, Canada aims to reduce the current level of greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by 2020. But the government acknowledged it would not meet its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol, which requires 35 industrialized countries to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.

The country's emissions are now 30 percent above 1990 levels.

The conservative government's strategy focuses both on reducing emissions of gases blamed for global warming and improving air quality. But the plan failed to spell out what many of its regulations will look like.

Gore said the plan did not make clear how Canada would reach its 2020 emissions goal. He also criticized the plan for allowing industries to pollute more if they use emissions-cutting technologies while increasing production.

"In my opinion, it is a complete and total fraud," Gore said Saturday. "It is designed to mislead the Canadian people."

He said "intensity reduction" — which allow industries to increase their greenhouse gas outputs as they raise production — was a poll-tested phrase developed by think tanks financed by Exxon Mobil and other large polluters.

Canadian Environment Minister John Baird rejected Gore's criticisms.

"The fact is our plan is vastly tougher than any measures introduced by the administration of which the former vice president was a member," Baird said in a statement.

Baird also invited Gore to discuss climate change and the government's environmental policies with him.

Gore was in Toronto to present his documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," at a consumer environmental show. He acknowledged that as an American, he had "no right to interfere" in Canadian decision.

However, he said, the rest of the world looks to Canada for moral leadership, and that was why Thursday's announcement was so "shocking."

Canadian opposition Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said Sunday that Gore was right.

"Mr. Baird is embarrassing Canada around the world," Dion said. "The world expects Canada will do its share — more than that, that Canada will be a leader and we are failing the world. We are failing Canadians."

The truth is we all knew it was fraud - as is the government!

We Will Rock You

Last night we went to see a much anticipated musical - We Will Rock You. Three of our friends had seen it in London and raved about it. When it was announced for Toronto (with an all-Canadian cast no less) we jumped at the opportunity to grab 11 tickets and go with a group.

The show opened here April 10, but premiered in England in May 2002 and is still running there despite what its British director and book writer Ben Elton laughingly says "were possibly the worst reviews in the history of London theatre."

Some Toronto critics sniffed, too, but the notices were not as scathing as those in England and a few were practically favorable. The Globe and Mail, a national daily, gave the musical three stars out of four. And most of the reviewers cheered the show's music -- the work of all four of the band's members: singer Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1991; guitarist Brian May; drummer Roger Taylor and bass player John Deacon.

Set 300 years in the future, in a time when live music is banned on earth, We Will Rock You is about the kids who are in rebellion, fighting against the all-powerful Globalsoft Corporation that controls their lives and feeds them a diet of synthesised pop. Could the young Galileo and Scaramouche be the heroes needed who will help them “break free” of their chains to rediscover themselves and live music?

We Will Rock You" may be a British musical, but the Toronto production has a unique Canadian flavor, an attempt to localize the show, something which was done for all the other productions including Germany, Switzerland, Japan and an American version in Las Vegas in 2004.

"You go and see most musicals in one city, you're basically -- with the proviso of how talented the cast is -- going to see exactly the same thing in another city," Elton says. "That is not the case with `We Will Rock You.' It's 10 percent different, and that 10 percent is really quite considerable."

In Canada, the difference means a production peppered with references Canadians will recognize -- such as Maple Leaf Gardens, Loblaws (a Canadian supermarket chain) and that national superstar Celine Dion, among others. Paul loved the references to Zellers (the retail store where he works). The musical is filled with Canadian performers as well -- not to mention Canadian musicians, all of whom were auditioned by May and Taylor.

"We cast it right across the country ... (finding) people from Vancouver Island all the way to Newfoundland," Mirvish says.

The all-Canadian cast features Yvan Pedneault as Galileo, Erica Peck as Scaramouche, Alana Bridgewater (Menopause Outloud) as the Killer Queen, Evan Buliung (The Lord Of The Rings) as Khashoggi, Jack Langedijk (Kiss of The Spider Woman, A Streetcar Named Desire), Sterling Jarvis (Disney’s The Lion King) is Badass Britney and Suzie McNeil (who was the last woman standing on Rockstar: INXS) is Oz.

With Brian May and Roger Taylor as music supervisors, the show is written and directed by Ben Elton (The Young Ones, Blackadder, The Beautiful Game and Popcorn) and features 32 of Queen’s greatest hits. Mark Fisher, Production Designer, and Willie Williams, Lighting Designer, have created set designs for Pink Floyd, Janet Jackson, The Rolling Stones and U2. Tim Goodchild is Costume Designer and Arlene Phillips (Starlight Express, Grease and Saturday Night Fever) is Choreographer. Bobby Aitken (The Boyfriend, The Fix, Return to the Forbidden Planet, Grease and Mamma Mia!) is Sound Designer.

"A new block of tickets has just gone on sale (running to July 8. 2007) and can be purchased by phone through TicketKing at 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333, online through www.mirvish.com and in-person at the Canon Theatre Box Office at 244 Victoria Street.

Picadillo

This recipe is in the new cookbook I've just received ("the Complete Cooking Light") in the mail from amazon.ca. We've tried a number of the recipes already and they are good.

This is a classic Cuban dish that is popular because it is easy to make and has an appealing mixture of sweet and savoury flavours. We had never tried Cuban food before so thought that this would be good.

It is suggested that you serve it over white rice but some couscous with raisins and nuts would be great.

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 pound ground turkey
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup low-salt beef broth
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup coarsely chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
3 tablespoons capers
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups hot cooked rice
Parsley sprigs (optional)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add turkey and garlic; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add broth and next 5 ingredients (broth through pepper); stir well. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes. Serve with rice. Garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup picadillo and 3/4 cup rice)

CALORIES 423 (29% from fat); FAT 13.5g (sat 3.2g,mono 6.2g,poly 2.8g); PROTEIN 26.1g; CHOLESTEROL 90mg; CALCIUM 62mg; SODIUM 782mg; FIBER 2.7g; IRON 3.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.9g

Overheard on the Train

I am amazed at the conversations I overhear on the train.

These are not private offices or homes. Voices carry. Passengers are packed in like sardines. I assume that every word I say is being overheard by someone else so I select my words carefully.

Other's aren't so careful.

Here is a smattering of what I overheard this week:

Loud (obnoxious) women to her friends: 'I know why I didn't get the job. It is because I didn't sleep with him. I know X X did sleep with him so she got the job over me!'

Only when she bellowed it out she didn't X out the name, she said it, first and last name. Hmmm I think I know another reason why she didn't get the job.

Mother to child over the phone:

'If you don't have supper cooked when I get home I will smack you so hard. . . . I don't care if you do have homework it can wait. . .'

Ah, there is nothing like the sounds of positive parenting.

Two businessmen to one another:

I don't care what anyone says, Bush has been a brilliant President. (suit A)

I agree. I just wish Cheney would run for President next (suit B)

I am frightened. At least everyone else in the car looked frightened as well.

Two people discussing American Idol:

'I didn't know that Celine Dion used to sing with Elvis.'

Apparently they are not aware of the fact that she was probably 3 when he died.

What looked to be a doctor:

'God what a day. In surgery this afternoon I nicked a patient's vein. I've never seen one spurt blood like that.'

ARGH

I may have to start driving again if this continues.

In the name of God

The rant of the day has been percolating for some time.

It started last week when I read this:

An anti-gay group from Topeka, Kan., announced plans to picket the funerals of victims of the Virginia Tech massacre.

The Westboro Baptist Church, which is not affiliated with any national Baptist organization, claims shooter Cho Seung-hui was carrying out God's wishes by punishing the victims who weren't Christian, CBS News reported.

"The evidence is they were not Christian. God does not do that to his servants," WBC member Shirley Phelps-Roper told CBS.

Phelps and his group are notorious for taking extreme positions in the name of God. They run a website (which I refuse to link to because it gets too damn much traffic anyway) in which they explain why Americans are generally all going to hell. While I'm not a religious person, I remember enough from my years of Sunday school as a child to know that the message of the bible is forgiveness.

Phelps protested the funerals of the Columbine victims - they got what they got because they were evil. They preached at the funeral of Matthew Sheppard because he was gay and as their literature states unequivocally: God Hates fags. Perhaps it should read: God doesn't appreciate those who use his name to promote their own narrow, bigoted, and evil message.

Later in the week it looked as if sanity would rule the day. I read that the group had cancelled their plans to protest (as they did earlier this year after they had announced plans to protest at the funeral;s for the 5 Amish girls who were slain in Pennsylvania). Why did they cancel the planned protests? Because a TV commentator agreed to give them air time and let them take their message to the airwaves! GRRR

I agree passionately about freedom of speech but this tripe is just too darn much!

The World's best Restaurants

Restaurant magazine has put out their annual list of the world’s 50 best restaurants. The list hasn’t changed too much in the last year, with only four new entries. The top 6 remaining the same, while numbers 7-10 only shifted around a little. Eight restaurants from the US made the list - French Laundry, Per Se, Jean Georges, Le Bernardin, Daniel, Charlie Trotter’s, Alinea and Chez Panisse - which is more than any other country except France. The UK had seven restaurants on the list, found below:

1 El Bulli, Spain
2 The Fat Duck, UK
3 Pierre Gagnaire, France
4 The French Laundry, USA
5 Tetsuya’s, Australia
6 Bras, France
7 Mugaritz, Spain
8 Le Louis XV, Monaco
9 Per Se, USA
10 Arzak, Spain
11 El Celler de Can Roca, Spain
12 Gambero Rosso, Italy
13 L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, France
14 Hof van Cleve, Belgium
15 Noma, Denmark
16 Le Calandre, Italy
17 Nobu London, UK
18 Jean Georges, USA
19 Hakkasan, UK
20 Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée, France
21 L’Astrance, France
22 Can Fabes ,Spain
23 L’Ambroisie, France
24 Restaurant Gordon Ramsay UK
25 Troisgros, France
26 Le Bernardin, USA
27 Martin Berasategui, Spain
28 Le Gavroche, UK
29 Le Cinq, France
30 Charlie Trotter’s, USA
31 Dal Pescatore, Italy
32 Daniel, USA
33 Rockpool, Australia
34 St John, UK
35 Chez Dominique, Finland
36 Alinea, USA
37 Bukhara, India
38 DOM, Brazil
39 Oaxen Skärgårdskrog, Sweden
40 Chez Panisse, USA
41 Enoteca Pinchiorri, Italy
42 Cracco Peck, Italy
43 L’Arpège, France
44 River Café, UK
45 Oud Sluis, Netherlands
46 Combal Zero, Italy
47 Le Quartier Français, South Africa
48 Taillevent, France
49 Bocuse, France
50 Les Ambassadeurs, France

I discovered two things of note to me - not one of the restaurants is from Canada. Likely more from a lack of the magazine writers ever coming here rather than quality. The second thing is that I have been to NONE of them!

Adult Snow Cones

Note to self - when completing a blog posting be sure to save it! Grrrr Oh well, everything is better the second time through right?

Last week the cookbook I had ordered from amazon.ca arrived - the perfect scoop by David Lebovitz. If you do not know David you should visit his blog - he is an American chef living in Paris. His specialty is chocolate and all thing dessert. I have been following his blog every since the amazing Judy AKA Diva told me about it. I've tried a number of his recipes and they have all been amazing. When I heard about this book containing 246 pages of ice cream, sorbet, granita, and all of the necessary accompaniment recipes I ordered it immediately!

Tearing the box open, I knew right away that this cookbook would not disappoint. The ice cream recipes run the gamut from vanilla to pear and pecorino. The sorbet recipes have interesting flavour combinations such as strawberry rhubarb (one of my all-time favourite taste combinations) and the granita recipes cover everything from espresso to Mojito. The sauces and topping recipes are equally as decadent and if that wasn't enough he has chapters devoted to tasty treats to mix into the ice cream you make (i.e. marshmallows) and edible vessels in which to serve your home-made treats (i.e. ice cream cones). David - with this book you have shot my diet all to hell!!

Yesterday I decided to try one of the granita recipes. If you're not familiar with granita this is what Wikipedia says about it. We were sad to realize we had been in Italy for three weeks last fall without having tried it once. We shall do better next time!

The choice for yesterday's dinner: Champagne-Cassis Granita

The recipe was simple:

1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups champagne
1/3 cup creme de cassis

The technique was equally simple.

In a medium, non-reactive saucepan, heat the sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the Champagne. Stir in the creme de cassis.

Pour it into a freezable container that is 8 x 12 inches and has sides at least 2 inches high. I used a glass Pyrex dish and it worked fine.

I did learn that it is easier to pour the mixture into the dish CLOSE to the freezer as there was some sloppage while I was carrying the liquid container downstairs to the freezer.

Put the dish in the freezer (ensure it is flat!) and freeze until it is beginning to freeze around the edges. Generally this takes about an hour but this granita is lower to freeze because of the high alcohol content. It took about an hour and a half before it was freezing around the edges.

Using a fork stir the mixture breaking up the frozen parts near the edge and 'raking' them into the centre.

This is our granita at the 1 1/2 hour mark:

Every 30 minutes you need to stir it up with a fork, each time breaking any large crystals into smaller crystals.

This is the granita after 2 hours:

2 1/2 hours:

3 hours:

3 1/2 hours:

4 hours:

Finally it was ready. Lebovitz suggests freezing your serving dishes so that this particular granita doesn't melt too quickly. I scooped it into the frozen dishes and drizzled some additional cassis over top. The finished product was amazing - just like a Kir Royale. Now I wouldn't serve this dish to children (unless you wish to be arrested) but as a icy treat for adults - it can not be beat. Someone last night loved it so much that they even licked the dish (and then contemplated a second helping but I promised not to tell who - MOM!) Nonetheless, it was a HUGE success.

Celebrate the Nice Weather

Yesterday was by far the nicest day we've had here this year. I have been aching for the weather to turn warm (especially when I pay the gas bill each month) so I could feel the sun on my face again. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and Canadians with glaring white legs were out in full force.

We had to stay around the house in the afternoon waiting for a service appointment so I raced out of the house early in the morning to do all of my errands. Waiting for the appointment wasn't bad at all. We raked the lawn, cleaned debris from the gardens, and just loved being outside. 

Unfortunately it was one of those appointments where they say 'we'll be there between 12 and 6' so we were tied up. By 3:30 we were sick of gardening (read sore) and wondering if they would ever show up! The answer of course is  . . . NO! Just after 3:45 we had a call - there were too many 'emergency visits' that day so one one could come and do the inspection (this form the people who pestered us for 5 months via mail and phone to have it done). We rescheduled for one night this week and headed out for a walk.

This was the first time we've been on a walk since last fall, other than when we are on vacation. Sigh. There is no excuse for that lazy behaviour other than we really do cocoon in the winter months.

It was nice to walk though the neighbourhood and look at the changes since we were last there. The city and the developer are putting the finishing touches to the trail and park system which is wonderful. One of the reasons why we bought a house here was because of the planned network of trails and bike paths which connected parks, forests, and ravines. It has been a long 4 years waiting for them.

I decided to celebrate the return to nice weather with a nice dinner. We started off with leftover cheese from Easter. This was served with some of the remaining fig jelly which we bought when we toured the market in Florence with the amazing Judy. 

I whipped up a shaker of french martinis which we enjoyed outside on the patio while I prepared the rest of the meal. One of the reasons I enjoy grilling so much is that the prep work is often minimal and the cooking is short; tonight's dinner was true to this.

We had grilled ham steak with pineapple salsa, grilled potatoes, grilled asparagus, and salad. Earlier in the day Paul whipped together a wonderful green salad with lots of fresh and crunchy veggies in it. while I made the salsa for the ham.

Grilled Ham with Pineapple Salsa

Make this simple and spicy pineapple salsa ahead of time, then when you want to eat, just grill the ham and serve.

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained, reserving juice
• 2 Tbsp. orange marmalade
• 1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. chopped jalapeno peppers
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1-1/2 lb. slice fully cooked center cut ham

PREPARATION:

Prepare and heat grill. Combine pineapple, marmalade, cilantro, peppers, lime juice and salt in small bowl and refrigerate until serving time.

Grill ham 4-6" from medium coals for 12-20 minutes, turning two or three times and brushing with reserved pineapple juice, until thoroughly heated.

The potatoes were equally as easy. I just sliced baking potatoes into 1 cm thick slabs. These were generously drizzled with olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and whatever herbs I could find (I think I used chives and basil). I did these first because they take about 20 minutes. The slabs are laid directly on the grill, the BBQ lid is shut, and when they are nicely charred turn them over (time will very with grill and temperature).

The grilled asparagus is equally simple. I chopped the ends off of the stalk and drizzled them with olive oil.; sprinkled with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and they were ready to go on the grill. I generally grill them for about 2 minutes and then roll them over so they cook evenly. When tender they come off the grill. I arranged them on a tray and sprinkled them with freshly grated Parmesan.

The entire meal took less than 30 minutes to put together - my kind of meal! We LOVED the pineapple salsa and will try it out with other grilled meats. I think it must be the combination of sweet and spicy that is so nice.

Dinner was finished off with the last of the Hagen Daz low-fat Mango Sorbet that I had found in the back of the freezer last week. I really enjoy finding treats like that hidden away.

Hello spring - we missed you! 

Pres a Vi

Wine plays a major role at Pres a Vi, a hot new restaurant that draws a hip after-work crowd during the week. It is in George Lucas' brand-new Letterman Digital Arts Center in the Presidio, a decommissioned U.S. Army base. The parklike setting offers a stunning view of the Palace of Fine Arts and the Golden Gate Bridge. Apparently Pres a Vi is the first of a cluster of new restaurants to open in the Presidio, just across Lombard Street from the Marina District.

We visited it on a Sunday afternoon for a late brunch after enjoying some time in Central Park and visiting The deYoung. Our friend Judy (AKA Diva) suggested it to us. Judy knows her food so we were ready to go . . . then the clincher, she had 'insider information': her nephew works in their sister restaurant  in Walnut Creek and had good things to say about it. For outsiders like us, this new small-plates restaurant was also an excuse to roam the 23-acre Presidio campus.

The big, airy space has a broad, barrel-shaped ceiling and a strategically placed walk-in show cellar displaying some of the offerings from the 500-selection book. The wine menu is a large card detailing 16 different three-wine flights, which can be ordered as 3- or 6-ounce pours, lists three dozen small-plate options. We were seated by the wine cellar and I'll admit to drooling over it; talk about a playground for adults.

Chef Kelly Degala -- who grew up in Hawaii and trained in Italian and French cooking -- brings an international flair to the small-plates menu. Because the restaurant is twice as big as his suburban property in Walnut Creek, he's transferred his base of operations here, and orchestrates the chaos behind an arched opening framing the kitchen.

Also because of its size -- there is a 40-seat lounge with a 38-seat bar area, three dining areas, private dining rooms, an open kitchen, a glass-enclosed wine room and an outdoor patio that seats 40 -- the restaurant is like no other in San Francisco. The host station looks more like a hotel concierge desk, with its red-shaded lamps, curved facade and conservatively dressed greeters.

We knew as soon as the bread basket arrived that we would adore this place. It was full of a variety of breads, flat breads, oat cakes, and other delicacies. It was accompanied by a bowl of chilled sweet butter topped with smoked sea salt and a bowl of basil infused olive oil. Each of the different breads was perfectly made and served to whet our appetites for more without quenching them (as if that would EVER happen!)

There was a lot to choose from on the lunch menu, which offers more than 30 savory items, plus daily specials. Because the restaurant is a 'small plates' menu we ordered a number of things and shared. We tried a green papaya salad with grilled chicken, the famous duck buns, wild mushroom ravioli, and an ahi tuna melt. The food was all incredible! 

"Small plates" is something of a misnomer. Degala's eclectic menu takes the concept up a few notches as it touches on many of the ethnic cuisines that we love. Actually, Degala puts normal amounts of food on really big plates, which gives him the scope to make them look enticing.

The "duck buns" packed shredded Peking duck, predressed with hoisin sauce, watercress and cilantro, into four of the traditional chewy white buns and lined them up on a long rectangular plate.

None of these dishes we tried topped $11, and most others cost less than $15.

Desserts, all priced at $8, were big enough for two or three normal appetites.  You would expect to pay much more for such generous servings in a restaurant that looks this good and achieves this kind of quality in taste and presentation.

The big wine list cuts as wide a swath through the wine world as the menu does through the culinary arena. Markups are less than double retail in most cases, and there are plenty of choices for less than $50, such as Casa Lapostolle Merlot Rapel Valley 2005 from Chile ($25) or Viña Cobos Malbec Mendoza El Felino 2004 ($36) from Argentina.

The restaurants' names reflect a worldly wine sensibility. Perbacco, literally "for Bacchus," is an Italian exclamation for something that's unexpectedly good. Pres a Vi plays on the Presidio location, and, according to the restaurant, the phrase loosely translates in the Catalan dialect to "swept away by wine." The two sentiments easily applies.

When we return to San Francisco, we will look frward to being swept away once again.

Chiles Rellenos Casserole

Chiles rellenos are cheese stuffed peppers covered in a batter and fried. In other words, a coronary in a serving! This is a low-fat version that I found in a new cookbook I ordered: the All-new Cooking Light Cookbook I heartedly recommend this cookbook. You can order it from amazon.ca here). This version is a casserole in which the chiles are topped with cheese and a ground chicken mixture (I used turkey) instead of being stuffed. A batter is poured over the chiles and stuffing and the entire things is baked, not fried.

As you can see from the pic we served it with some mexican rice and low-fat nacho chips. A bit of our home-made salsa and we had a nice, light, Mexican feast. YUM

1/2 pound ground chicken
1 cup chopped onion
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free refried beans
2 (4-ounce) cans whole green chiles, drained and cut lengthwise into quarters (I used extra chiles)
1 cup (4 ounces) pre-shredded colby-Jack cheese (I used reduced fat)
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed and drained
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups skim milk
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 egg whites

Cook chicken and onion in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Combine chicken mixture, cumin, and next 5 ingredients in a bowl. Stir well, and set aside.

Arrange half of green chile strips in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish; top with half of cheese. Spoon mounds of bean mixture onto cheese, and spread gently, leaving a 1/4-inch border around edge of dish; top with corn. Arrange remaining chile strips over corn; top with remaining cheese. Set aside.

Combine flour and salt in a bowl; gradually add milk and hot sauce, stirring with a wire whisk until blended. Stir in eggs and egg whites; pour over casserole. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until set; let stand 5 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 (3 1/2-inch) square)