Entry bubble Safe Cooking for Your Holiday Recipes

By: Sommer | December 21, 2007 | Category: Health

Millions of Americans will travel to someone else’s home to celebrate Christmas or New Years this year. Good luck if you’re the one expecting all those visitors, they’re probably going to be very hungry when they arrive! Here are some tips on cooking for large groups of people, food safety, and great recipes to help you out.

The most important thing when cooking for large groups is to make sure you’re aware of 4 basic food safety principles:

  1. Clean hands, cutting boards and other kitchen surfaces regularly.cooking
  2. Separate raw meat, seafood and poultry (and their juices) from ready-to-eat foods and produce.
  3. Cook foods to their recommended temperatures – use a food thermometer to verify the temperature.
  4. Chill refrigerated foods properly to below 40 degrees fahrenheit and put leftovers away within 2 hours. Always thaw foods in the refrigerator, not on the counter.

You’d hate to have a houseful of sick guests because you forgot to use your meat thermometer on the turkey, turducken, rib roast or ham, right?

Also, be sure to take extra care preparing holiday goodies that call for eggs by ensuring they’re fully cooked before you partake. No licking the spoon for the cookie dough, folks! And be careful with the egg nog – alcohol doesn’t kill the bacteria in the eggs!

Remember that foods might require a little extra prep if any of your guests are members of at risk groups including expectant moms (like me!), children and seniors.  It will make your guests feel good to know you’ve taken the time to prepare food that they can enjoy safely.

I’d love to hear about any of your favorite holiday traditions or recipes – you can leave them in the comments.

Happy Holidays!!!

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Entry bubble Cooking with Locally Grown Foods

By: Sommer | November 02, 2007 | Category: Home and Family

Last week, Sam and I went to a cooking class put on by our local Extension office and a community group in our area. In 3 hours on a Monday night we learned to cook 5 seasonal dishes using organic, locally grown produce. 

First, one of the instructors gave us the general food safety guidelines (so we didn't make each other sick, of course), then we started into the cooking. In a group with 3 others, we set off to make our first dish, apple crisp. The locally grown, organic apples were delicious!  Our second adventure involved chopping veggies for a winter ratatouille with lots of leafy greens, and root vegetables.  Other groups worked to prepare a comforting squash soup, sweet potato biscuits, and a mixed green salad with feta, apples and toasted walnuts.  Luckily for us, we topped off the evening by sampling what we’d spent the last couple hours preparing.  Although I was unsure about a couple of the dishes, they all turned out to be delicious!  I’ve shared the recipe for the squash soup we prepared below. 

Local classes through your county Extension office are fun and rewarding and you’ll get to meet lots of like-minded folks who live in your community.  You’ll be surprised at the breadth and depth of things you can learn about through Extension – from becoming a Master Gardener to planning your retirement and learning how to keep your home environment healthy for your family.  Extension even has special programs just for kids through 4-H (and, no, it’s not just for farm kids!).
squash
Now, here’s the recipe I promised:

Autumn Squash Soup (serves 8 – 10)
4 tbsp. butter
2 c. yellow onions (finely chopped)
1 tbsp. curry powder
5 – 6 c. chicken or vegetable stock
3 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into large cubes
2 tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
2/3 c. apple cider or apple juice
Salt and pepper
Parsley or cilantro for garnish

Method:  Melt butter in large pot.  Add chopped onions and curry powder and cook over low heat until onions are tender (about 15 min.).  When the onions are tender, pour in 4 c. of stock, add squash and apples and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until squash and apples are tender, about 25 min.  “Puree” soup with a potato masher.  If you want a smoother texture use a food processor, food mill, or blender.  Add apple cider or juice and additional stock, 1 – 2 c., until soup reaches desired consistency.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Simmer briefly to heat through and serve, garnished with parsley or cilantro.  This soup will keep in the refrigerator for several days.

I'd love to hear about any of your favorite fall recipes so feel free to share!!

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Entry bubble Fightin' Phils...and FOOD!

By: Colleen | October 02, 2007 | Category: Health

Greetings! My name is Colleen, and I am the sixth (wo)man of the Gov Gab blog team. When any of the daily bloggers is out of town or otherwise unable to blog, I sub-in and pick up the slack.

This past weekend was a big one. How about those Phillies?! National League East Champs! The final three games of the regular season meant I spent an obscene amount of time in front of a television, and in turn, spent the weekend consuming nothing but baseball food. Hot dogs, chips and dips, Tastycakes (we're a true Philly crowd)—not exactly what the doctor ordered.

Entering a new week (and the playoffs!) changes needed to be made to my all junk-food roster. Adjusting my dietary habits required a little back up. Luckily, USA.gov has a full section devoted to health and nutrition. Here you can find information on everything from health insurance to tests on your knowledge of food nutrition labels.

I followed the links to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services site where I was able to make my own personal profile to see how far off track my Phillies loyalty had led me. I was able to calculate my body mass index (BMI) and find out if I risk health problems such as: high blood pressure, heart disease, or high blood glucose.

Turns out my big weekend probably won't kill me. Everything in moderation! But I was able to get some great, healthy, easy recipes. This activity log helps me keep track of my daily exercise and set goals—maybe running a half-marathon...but hopefully I'll be watching the World Series!

By the way—any Mets fans might want to check out "Being Healthy"—it has some good tips to use in the off-season!

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