Tomato Hornworm Wipeouts^

1 Cucumber

1 Extra large ripe tomato

1 package (4oz) string cheese

8 ounces Container whipped cream

1 tablespoon To 2 salad dressing

-TOOLS
- Carrot peeler Paring knife Cutting board Bowl Spoon Butter knife Plate

With an adult's help, use a carrot peeler to remove the cucumber skin. Discard the skin and continue peeling long thin strips the entire length of the cucumber until you reach theseedy core. Set these strips aside. Dice the seedy core into tiny pieces abo You now need to remove the top of the tomato, much as you would the top of a pumpkin to make a jack-o-lantern. Ask an adult to do the following: Take a paring knife and carefully poke it into the tomato, about 1 inch from the stem, pointing the knife at a Using a spoon, scoop out the tomato's center, leaving a large, bowl shaped space inside the tomato. Chop these tomato insides into tiny pieces, drain off excess juice and add themto the cucumber.

Pull apart the pieces of string cheese into strips that are about the width of a pencil. Cut each strip into thirds and set aside.

To make hornworms, use a butter knife to spread thin layers of cream cheese onto each side of a cucumber strip. Then, using the cream cheese as a "glue", wrap the cucumber in a coiling fashion around a piece of string cheese, from one end of the cheese to Blend the remaining cream cheese with one or two tablespoons of your favorite salad dressing and stir into the cucumber and tomato. Spoon this into your hollowed out tomato and refrigerate any extra.

Place the tomato on the center of a plate. Ask an adult to use a paring knife to carve out three or four holes the same diameter as the worms in various places on the tomato. Carefully insert the worms into the holes and arrange others on the plate. Serve Sicko serving suggestion: Cover the plate with torn lettuce leaves and arrange worms crawling through gnawed out holes. Use cream cheese to seal one worm inside a folded leaf as if it had made a cocoon.

From the Book: Gross Grub by Cheryl Porter Random House ISBN 0-679-86693-0 Shared by Carolyn Shaw 10-95