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Cook of the Week: Diana-Marie Spillman

• NAME: Diana-Marie Spillman

• HOME: Oxford

• WORK: Dietitian and Ph.D. in nutrition area at Miami University, Oxford

• HOW LONG COOKING: Forever — she can't remember not cooking. Her dad told her that when she was 6 months old, she would watch the electric mixer go around while her mother used it in the kitchen.

• HOW OFTEN COOKS: Three times a week, usually making several dishes on weekends.

• COOKING MENTOR: Her mother and grandmothers were bad cooks, so they influenced her to overcome and become a very good cook.

• COOKING SPECIALTY: Breads, dog and cat specialty dishes

• FAVORITE COOKBOOKS OR CULINARY RESOURCES: "The Joy of Cooking" and Betty Crocker cookbooks, and friends' recipes, such as a Shawnee friend.

• FAVORITE RESTAURANTS: Joe Bologna's in Lexington, Ky., and La Petite Monette in Paris, France.

• SPECIAL INTERESTS: Teaching, cooking, traveling and collecting recipes on the trips; and taking care of her four oriental cats and cooking for her dog, Ajax Michael.

• TWO FAVORITE RECIPES: Almost-any-flavor bread and Lovely limas.

Almost-any-flavor bread

3 cups self-rising flour

2 tablespoons sugar

12-oz (1 can) beer

To make this basic bread: In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, and beer. (Notes: Do not use light beer. For those of you concerned about the alcohol content, the alcohol is cooked out of the bread. The beer acts as the leavening for the flour mixture.) Put dough in a greased bread loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes. Yield: 1 loaf bread.

VARIATIONS:

1. Carrot bread — To the basic dough mixture, add 1 (11-oz) can of drained, mashed carrots, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1?4 cup additional sugar. (NOTES: Instead of carrots, you can use canned sweet potatoes or canned zucchini.)

2. Applesauce bread — To the basic dough mixture, add 3?4 cup of applesauce and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.

Lovely limas

1 package frozen lima beans

1?4 cup Kraft Miracle Whip (She uses Lite.)

1 tablespoon mustard

Cook lima beans following the package directions. In a bowl, drain limas; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together Miracle Whip and mustard. When serving, top limas with the Miracle Whip / mustard mixture. (Notes: This may be served hot or cold. The Miracle Whip or mayonnaise can be lite or no-fat. There is something about the mayonnaise and mustard that changes the taste of the limas.)

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.