Web site serves up ideas for dinner

He went to culinary school. She's a Web site designer. That's a recipe for a Web site that helps more than 3,000 subscribers figure out what's for dinner.

By TIM GRANT

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 30, 2000

CITRUS PARK -- Bored with greasy burgers? Tired of the same old tuna?

Then why not try grilled salmon with tarragon butter? Or glazed chicken and peaches? You can make either one faster than the average meatloaf, according to a new Web site created by a Cumberland Manors couple.

Every day for almost a year, B.J. Small and her husband, Richard Ulmer, have posted a new recipe on their Web site for meals that take less than an hour to prepare. Many are dishes they've either created or tried. Some are submitted by friends. Others come from people who are fans of their Web site.

For many of their loyal subscribers, this culinary couple has provided an answer to the most popular question in most households every day: What's for dinner tonight?

"What we've tried to do is target this for families and busy people who want to put a good meal on the table," Small said. "Like most of us, you get stuck in a rut and cook the same dishes over and over."

With more than 300 recipes in the Web site's archives, there are meals to please every palate. It has staple menu items like parmesan chicken and Salisbury steak for heartier appetites. More daring taste buds might appreciate a dish like banana split salad.

A new recipe is sent daily to more than 3,000 subscribers. The Web site at www.wfdtonight.com has been visited by more than 22,000 people, Small said.

"One day my system was down and I got an e-mail from one of my subscribers saying "I didn't get my daily e-mail so I don't know what I'm having for dinner tonight,"' Small said.

The Web site is provided as a free service from which Small and Ulmer hope to reap future profits.

They got the idea about a year ago while looking for a way to make money on the Internet. Ulmer has a culinary degree from Lewis Hotel and Restaurant Culinary School in Washington, D.C. and Small is a Web site designer.

Since they had no product to sell, they wanted to build a Web site that could attract a large number of subscribers by giving people something they wanted at no charge. The money would come from advertisers who would want to reach their subscribers.

So far, they have only one advertiser, a Virginia company that sells barbecue sauce. But other advertisers have shown interest, they said.

"We started in August with 43 subscribers who were friends of ours," Small said. "I remember how excited we were when we got the first subscriber and we didn't recognize their e-mail address. We knew that meant someone went to our site, liked it and subscribed.

"We knew it would be a lot of hard work with no income, but it's a labor of love. It's a lot of fun. We both enjoy it."

To reach Tim Grant call 226-3471, or e-mail him at grant@sptimes.com.

One-Pan Pork Chops

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 pounds of boneless pork chops.

• 2 cups of stove-top stuffing

• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Brown the pork chops on both sides in the broiler until they are a very light brown. Make the stuffing mix following the package directions, except leave out the butter. Mix the cream of mushroom soup with the stuffing.

Place the porkchops in a glass casserole dish and pour the stuffing mixture over the pork chops. Cover and bake for half an hour.

Serves 5

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