Today's Entertainment

Bobby Deen, son of famed Southern chef Paula Deen, has recently returned from a tour promoting his new book, "From Mama's Table to Mine: Everybody's Favorite Comfort Foods at 350 Calories or Less." In it, he takes some of the fat- and sugar-laden recipes his mother built her culinary career on and adapts them for the more health-conscious gourmet. It's similar to what he does on his Wednesday Cooking Channel show, "Not My Mama's Meals" (which also airs Sundays on Food Network). While on the tour, people have been concerned that the effort could cause a mother-son rift. "They want to know if my mom is mad at me," says Deen, "for what I'm doing to her recipes. I get that question a lot: 'Is your mom mad?' She's not. When I was a kid growing up, my mom was the one who taught me how to cook, obviously. "She told me that whatever you're cooking, go exactly by the recipe the first time you do it, so you know exactly what it's supposed to be; then, any time after, make it your own, do what you like." In the episode airing on April 3, called "Fresh Catch of the Day," Deen heads to Dorian's Seafood Market in New York to clean and cut up the freshest salmon and calamari while also picking up lump crabmeat. It's the sort of thing Deen is used to cooking, since he lives near the water in Georgia's Low Country. "I can walk out the end of my dock," he says, "and get blue crab. I can get shrimp. We eat lots and lots of seafood here." As to what recipe transformation worked best, Deen cites his "Unfried Chicken," saying, "If you've got a hankering for fried chicken, and it's Wednesday night, it's not Sunday after church – which is the appropriate time to eat all the fried chicken you can handle – it's a good alternative." "I can walk out the end of my dock," he says, "and get blue crab. I can get shrimp. We eat lots and lots of seafood here." BY KATE O'HARE To make it, you preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a large cast-iron skillet – a must, says Deen, for any Southern cook – with nonstick spray over medium heat. Sprinkle eight skinless, boneless, trimmed chicken thighs with Paula Deen house seasoning (a cup of salt, a quarter-cup garlic powder and a quarter-cup black pepper – there will be extra you can use later), then toss them in a coating mix made with a quarter-cup low-fat buttermilk, two egg whites, a half-teaspoon hot sauce, and the zest and juice of a lemon. Then, having bashed one-and-a-quarter cups of cornflakes into crumbs, dip the chicken into the crumbs, press so they stick, then put the thighs in the skillet and in the oven. Bake until golden brown or cooked through, as indicated by a meat thermometer that registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit, or for about 40-45 minutes. "It's very satisfying," Deen says. "I've got to go with the chicken." BY BEVERLY FOSTER SEINBERG 'GENERAL HOSPITAL' alums Ricky Martin Demi Moore John Stamos 8 Richard Dean Anderson (Dr. Jeff Webber, 1976-81) He might have been a heck of a doctor, but could Jeff Webber build a bomb with a rubber glove and a light bulb? It was all in a day's work for Anderson's later alter ego, secret agent MacGyver. Later, the actor found more steady work in the "Stargate" franchise. Ricky Martin (Miguel Morez, 1994-95) His tenure with the boy band Menudo and a later telenovela role might have propelled him to superstardom without "GH," but the exposure he got there almost certainly played a role in getting him noticed by English-speaking audiences. Demi Moore (Jackie Templeton, 1982-83) It didn't take long for the husky-voiced beauty to make the transition from soap to film, with iconic roles in "About Last Night," "Ghost," "G.I. Jane," "Disclosure" and more. Emma Samms (Holly Sutton Scorpio, 1982-85, 1992-93, 2006, '09 and '12) She didn't go far from the soap realm, trading the part of Holly on "GH" for the role of Fallon on "Dynasty" and its spinoff, "The Colbys," before returning to "GH" as back-fromthe-dead Holly and her half sister Paloma. A stint on another prime-time soap, "Models Inc.," followed. Rick Springfield (Dr. Noah Drake, 1981-83 and 2005-08) He was a singer with a hit, "Jessie's Girl," when he took the "GH" role, a move that boosted both the song's sales and the show's ratings and had lots of soap fans wishing they were Rick's girl. John Stamos (Blackie Parrish, 1982-84) His roguish good looks have served him well in "bad boy with a heart of gold" roles, from Blackie on "GH" to Uncle Jesse on the sitcom "Full House" and Dr. Tony Gates on "ER." He's also parlayed his musical talent into a lead role in a Broadway revival of "Bye Bye Birdie" and a stint on "Glee." Amber Tamblyn (Emily Quartermaine, 1995-2001) The title role in the quirky drama "Joan of Arcadia" gave this young actress a prime-time showcase for her talent shortly after she left "GH." Roles in the two "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" movies followed, along with roles on the series "The Unusuals" and "House. The Goshen News • Viewer's Choice • April 1-7, 2013

• Cover