Daily Preparedness

While living in Europe, we fell in love with the crusty, rustic breads available in French bakeries. Their rough textures, soft interiors and crusty exteriors are a delight that transforms any meal into a feast. Who cares what the main course is when there is a loaf of perfect bread on the table? And now, we can produce the same types of bread at home, utilizing the basics found in every provident pantry. Better still, the bread is SO simple to prepare that any six-year-old could make it. Okay, the child shouldn’t monkey with the oven, but every other step is truly easy and nearly mess free.

If the ease and final results weren’t enough, consider that the bread is fat-free, low sodium, super cheap and requires you to purchase only one item you may not own–a silicone baking sheet. (Check Wal-mart for a Wilton silicone sheet priced at about $5) You can also opt to use parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

How to begin? Find a food grade plastic container that holds about 5 quarts. It should have a lid, but the lid does NOT need to be air tight. You do NOT want to clamp the lid down, just cover the dough. A ‘cake saver’ type container will work as will an icing container from your local bakery. You will mix and store your dough in this container.

Basic Recipe: (Makes four 1-lb loaves)

3 cups lukewarm water (should just feel warm to you)

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (this is about 1.5 packets)

1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher or other coarse salt (if you use table salt, reduce to 1 tablespoon)

6 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

Cornmeal for baking surface

Pour water into your container. Add yeast and salt, stirring to at least partially dissolve the yeast. Don’t worry if the yeast isn’t perfectly dissolved.

Measure your flour by gently scooping the measuring cup into your flour and then scraping the top of the cup with a knife. Add flour to liquid mixture and stir with a heavy spoon. You can opt to use a mixer or large capacity food processor with a dough hook, but I have found that a sturdy spoon does just fine and you don’t have another thing to clean up.

As you mix in flour, scrape down the sides of the container frequently and work all of the flour mixture into the liquid. This will take only a few minutes. You may need to ‘poke’ the center of your dough blob as you mix in order to get the liquid completely distributed. You will not be kneading the dough!

You are finished mixing when everything is uniform and you can’t see any dry spots. The dough will be wet and sticky looking.

Cover the dough with the lid–remember it should not be air tight! Let the dough sit for at least 2 hours at room temperature. If you need to leave it longer, don’t worry. I’ve let it sit on the counter as long as 4 or 5 hours and the bread was just fine!

If you want to bake bread at this point, you can. Or, you can simply put the container in the refrigerator and store for up to two weeks. Refrigerated dough is easier to handle than room temperature dough, but either temperature works fine. If you want to add a sour dough flavor & texture, simply use the same container repeatedly without washing between bread batches. The dough does ‘age’ as stored, producing a better, stronger flavor and slightly different texture.

Dough can also be frozen in 1 loaf sizes. Place dough in a plastic bag and freeze. To thaw, leave in refrigerator overnight and then continue on with instructions.

When you are ready to bake, cover a cookie sheet with the parchment paper or the silicone baking mat. Liberally cover the baking surface needed for the loaf of bread with corn meal. Use a serrated knife and hack off a piece of dough about the size of a large grapefruit. Again, this is not a precise science.

Gently form your glob of dough into a round mound. This should take about 30 to 60 seconds. You are NOT kneading the bread, simply rounding it. The top side of the dough will look fairly smooth while the bottom is likely to look ‘ragged’. This is just fine!

Place the dough on the prepared baking surface and allow to rise about 40 minutes. The loaf will not completely rise in this time. The rising will continue while it is baking. Again, I’ve left it sitting on the counter for over 90 minutes and the bread was fine. A bit fluffier than the shorter rising time, but still great. You do not need to cover the bread while it is rising.

Begin preheating your oven to 450F about 20 minutes before you are ready to bake. Place a broiler pan, cake pan or several loaf pans filled with water on a lower shelf of the oven.

After the 20 minute preheat, liberally coat the top side of your loaf with flour. Using a serrated knife and quick slashing motions, cut a 1/4 inch deep gash across the top of your loaf. You can get creative here and create stars, tic-tac-toe, or cross designs.

Place the prepared dough in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until it is golden brown.

The hardest part? The bread really is best when allowed to cool completely on a wire rack.

I have purposefully messed up several steps of the recipe to see what would happen. For the most part, you really can’t mess this up! I’ve over-baked, under-baked (that is worse than over-baking), left lumps in the dough and badly shaped loaves. I’ve cut it hot–sometimes you just can’t resist it–and stored it in the open overnight. Overall, this is truly the simplest, best, cheapest bread you will ever produce.

The final product is better than any bread I have purchased in the U.S. and the price can’t be beat!

Once you master the basic recipe, you can start adding herbs, roasted garlic, cheese or a wide variety of other ingredients. You can experiment with shapes, double the recipe, reduce the recipe size and substitute part of the unbleached flour for wholewheat, oats, rye, etc.

Happy Baking!

P.S. One final note. Before beginning this bread experiment, I had never used a silicone baking mat. Now, I think every kitchen needs one. Your cookies will be perfect and the clean up is a breeze with these wonderful inventions. You really can’t burn anything on them that won’t come clean. Someone else cooked dinner at my house and literally caught the oven on fire with a volcanic strength over-run of marinade and sauce. There were flames in the oven and the smoke damage is still being cleaned up. The cookie sheet under the meat and the rack the meat was on went in the trash. The oven has been cleaned three or four times and yet ‘blobs’ still re-appear. The silicone baking mat? With a little bit of hot water and dish soap–good as new! Absolutely miraculous.

Thanksgiving is nearly here–time to review safe turkey handling procedures. Serve up a feast, not a germ-fest by following these simple guidelines:

• Turkey is nutritious, low in fat and freezes well. Purchase an extra one at the season’s rock bottom prices and store in the deep freeze for nine months to one year. After that time, quality will begin to go downhill.
• Safe food handling is CRITICAL! Don’t fall into the ‘but my mother did it this way’ trap.
• If purchasing a fresh, never frozen turkey, purchase it only a day or two before Thanksgiving. Most stores allow you to reserve a fresh turkey. Purchase it last at the store and get it into the refrigerator at home quickly. Keep a tray under it to catch any drippings.
• Never purchase a pre-stuffed fresh (as in not frozen at the store) turkey.
• There are safe, FDA-approved frozen pre-stuffed turkeys. Follow instructions for these birds religiously.
• Allow plenty of time to defrost your turkey in THE REFRIGERATOR. Place turkey at bottom of frig with a drip tray under it.
• ALWAYS WASH HANDS BEFORE AND AFTER HANDLING THE TURKEY, EVEN IN THE PACKAGING.
• Never thaw a turkey on the counter. If you must rush the thawing process, keep the bird in water that is less than 70F. Change water every 30 minutes.
• Keep raw turkey away from other foods.
• Clean all surfaces that will come in contact with the raw bird–before and after contact!
• Remove packages of turkey ‘extras’ from both cavities of the bird.
• Consuming stuffing baked in the bird is a great way to contract a multitude of food-borne illnesses. Instead, stuff the turkey with ‘throw away’ items to keep the meat moist and bake your stuffing separately. The tops of celery, wilted lettuce, even apples are great things to stuff the turkey cavity with.
• If you absolutely insist on eating the stuffing from inside the bird, use a reliable meat thermometer to make certain that all inner parts of the stuffing have reached at least 165F. As an added precaution (but still NOT recommended) you can remove the stuffing, place in a baking dish and return to the oven until it reaches 180F.
• DO NOT cook your turkey in an oven below 325F. Some of the slow cook methods allow parts of the turkey to remain at too low a temperature to kill off harmful bacteria.
• Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the turkey in multiple deep locations, such as the thigh joint. Even if the bird has a pop-up indicator, double check for yourself. Reliable digital meat thermometers that can sit outside your oven and alarm when a desired temperature is reached can be purchased for well under $20.
• You can safely let the turkey sit after roasting for 20 minutes. The maximum amount of time, in a cool room, that the food should be left out is two hours. Timing begins as soon as foods are removed from the oven or stovetop.
• Keep foods warm during dinner utilizing hot plates, warming trays, etc.
• Quickly refrigerate leftovers in small packages, spread out within the refrigerator. If your refrigerator is fool or leftovers are extremely warm, pre-cool them by immersing the sealed container of leftovers in a large container of ice.
• If you want to get a head start, prepare turkey stock this week. Freeze after cooled and you have the beginnings of gravy. You can also thicken the stock before freezing. Add this to the ‘brown bits’ in the bottom of your turkey roaster on Thanksgiving Day.
• Eat up leftovers quickly. Stuffing, pies, meats and gravies should be eaten with three to four days. Reheat only the amount you will eat at that meal. Freeze what you will not eat within the prescribed amount of time.
• THIS WEEK, check the temperature of your refrigerator to be certain that it is within the safe range–lower than 40F. Your home freezer should be 0F or lower.

Have a safe, happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

——-This week’s 10×100 Challenge Goals ———

The world is busy with its own cares, sorrows and joys, and pays little heed to you. There is but one great pass-word to success,—self-reliance.” William George Jordan

You need not scale the mountain in one day, merely take a little step forward.

57. Add some cash and quarters to your glove compartment. An empty prescription bottle or tube from mini-M&M’s work well.

58. Check outdoor walkways. Are they clear? Free from tripping hazards? Cracks?

59. Mail holiday gifts early to avoid paying express shipping charges.

60. Gather up your candles and see if you have enough to provide some light for 7-days. Store some matches (more than you think you need) with the candles.

61. Refill BBQ propane tanks if you have them.

62. Clean one pantry shelf. Move older food to the front.

63. Clean out your refrigerator. Discard old food and mark food that needs to be eaten up.

So, you have your shopping list carefully coordinated with your menu plans and activities, you’ve taken an inventory of what you have on hand, have your menus planned, your coupons organized, you know your budget and you are ready to go to the store.

Hold the presses! Not so fast there, X-Treme Shoppers. Sit down for a moment and look at that list. How serious are you about trimming the X-cess from that X-treme list? Want to save 10%, 20%, 30% or even 50%? Do you NEED to save 50% or more? Let’s look at that list and find the hidden money-wasting time bombs that will blow your budget sky high. The top budget busters to be avoided by X-treme Savers are:

1. Prepared foods. That box of Hamburger Helper is an over-priced, well preserved & nutritional questionable box load of budget waster. Read a recipe and cook it from scratch–you’ll save 50% or more. Chicken fingers, frozen entrees, store-prepared entrees, etc, etc, etc are almost all low in nutritional value and high on cost per serving. Also avoid recipes that require you to purchase expensive premade items. For instance, while searching for a lemon chicken recipe, one ‘celebrity chef’ included a jar of lemon curd. Lemon curd is usually $4 to $5 a jar–a lemon is 50 cents! BUST them all off the list!

2. Single Serving Packaged Foods. Yep, anything that comes in a single serving size is probably over-priced and wiping your savings off the plate. Instead, buy the big size and portion it out yourself. You not only save money, but excess packaging to boot. It takes mere minutes to package up lunchbox goodies in mass.

3. Chips & Snack Foods. Nearly all are priced per pound higher than the best fresh fruit or meat. The average cost of potato chips is over $5lb. Apples average $1.79lb and are loaded with nutrition rather than empty calories. Substitute popcorn (yes, you can pop it one day and send it in lunch the next), fresh veggies or fruits for those snacks and chips. Your family will be healthier and your wallet fatter.

4. Baby juices, cereals & baby foods. Baby juices are merely ‘regular’ juice watered down. Water is cheap, so buy frozen juice and add extra water to it. Baby foods can be made in minutes at home with an inexpensive hand grinder, food processor or potato masher. Baby oatmeal can be made by whirring up some regular rolled oats in the blender before cooking. Add extra water to the oatmeal once it is cooked and you have baby oatmeal for pennies. Better yet, breast feed your baby and skip all of that baby food for a longer period of time!

5. Disposables. We throw away everything from diapers (one of the greatest health hazards in landfills) to wipes to plates, pans, cups, towels, toilet bowl cleaners, mops…on and on and on. Want to green up your wallet and the planet? Remember the three R’s–REDUCE, reuse, recycle. Substitute cloth diapers and save thousands of dollars between birth and potty training. (Some economists claim that getting rid of disposable diapers, wipes & ‘baby’ juices, etc is enough money to finance a child’s higher education–put that money in a tax-free account & Junior will go on to college). Make your own wipes if you must have disposable or use a washcloth at home! A dollar store toilet bowl brush and some bleach do a great job of cleaning the toilet. Paper towels? Use & wash cloth dish towels. Carefully scrutinize how many items (look at them as DOLLARS) you are hauling to the curb every week & think about what those dollars translate into. Google for ideas on making your own wipes, etc. for pennies on the dollar.

6. Cleaning Products. In addition to the disposable mops, dusting cloths, toilet bowl cleaners, most households spend ten times or more on cleaning products than they need to. Most household cleaning, including clearing clogged drains, can be accomplished with a short list of inexpensive products. Bleach, baking soda, vinegar and ammonia (DO NOT MIX THEM ALL TOGETHER) can take care of nearly any household mess you will ever need to clean up.

7. ‘Air fresheners’ and related ’smell good items’. Oh please, scratch these off your list. Home air fresheners either mask odors with chemicals OR coat the inside of your nasal passages with an oil that blocks smells. Both can be hazardous to pets and humans who suffer from respiratory ailments. Instead, open the windows, find the offensive smell or make your own boiling potpouri from citrus rinds, apple cores, some cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg. Boil it on the stove and then simmer for a few hours. Your home will smell apple pie welcoming and your neighbors will think you are baking.

8. Over-priced hair care. Compare prices occasionally between the grocery store, discounters and beauty suppliers. You can often buy the best products for much less if you purchase in bulk from a beauty supplier.

9. Name Brands. Always try a ‘generic’ version or store brand of your most commonly purchased items. Try them at least once and you may find that you like them! Start your children off with the generics and they’ll be happy. Many store brands are packaged in name brand factories and simply relabeled.

10. Impulse Items. Avoid anything near the registers. Smart shoppers often segregate impulse items from the rest of their groceries and harshly reconsider each item before checking out. If an item isn’t on your list, think not twice but three or four times about whether you need it and can afford it within your budget guidelines.

Again, review your list for budget busters and carefully weigh their value against fiscal restraint. Now, ask yourself these questions:

1. Do I have sufficient time to shop carefully?

2. Am I going to be hungry half way through the store? (if yes, have a snack now)

3. Am I too tired or stressed to shop carefully?

4. Are there other errands I can do on the way to the grocery store?

5. If the weather is warm, do I have a way to keep cold items cold on the way home?

6. Do I have my chosen method of payment with me?

If you passed this mini-quiz with flying colors, it is time to go to the grocery store! Join us next week as we battle the budget busting lay out of most grocery stores in order to claim victory. Cross the finish line with your budget intact, your pantry organized, your menus healthier and your time saved!

As I wrote previously, we have recently learned first hand the importance of storing and learning to use a variety of food in our storage plan. A loyal reader, Linda, has a wealth of experience on this topic as she has had to live wheat free for the past 25 years. In addition to her own wheat-related issues, her family members share a veritable smorgasbord of allergies and dietary needs! Linda generous knowledge-share opens the door to a variety of grains with differing properties and nutritional value. All of the grains listed can be ground in a wheat grinder (check with your manufacturer to be certain).

• Millet. Millet is usually a great grain for allergies and sick people because it is the only alkaline grain. Millet can be ground into flour or prepared as one would rice. It is also good in pilafs or for breakfast.
  
• Sorghum Flour. Linda orders her online, but you might want to try a grocery store that specializes in Indian foods, where it may be called Jowar or Juwar. Sorghum is bland in taste which can make it easier to use than other alternative flours. It is gluten free!
• Montina flour (Indian Rice Grass). Indian Rice Grass is a grass long used by Native Americans, especially when the corn crops failed. It is the ’state grass’ of Nevada & Utah. Ground into flour, it is reported to resemble wheat flour. Linda gets her’s from Amazing Grains in Montana.
• Teff. Teff is a staple grain for Ethiopia and is a source of dietary fiber, iron, protein, minerals, nutrients and calcium. The iron in Teff is easily absorbed by the body. It is small, similar to millet, but slightly sour tasting. Teff can be found in some health food stores or ordered online.
• Quinoa. Originally grown in South America Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) is unique in the grain world as it is a nearly complete protein. You can find Quinoa that is white or red. It can be boiled like rice or ground into flour as a substitute for wheat flour in baking. Linda uses it in salads and says it is delicious. Quinoa can also be sprouted quickly. 2 to 4 hours in a shallow dish will sprout Quinoa as opposed to at least 12 hours for wheat.
• Rice. Brown, white or wild, rices can all be cooked as one would expect or ground into flour! Rice flour is a very fine flour that can work in conjunction with others for baked goods or used as a coating for meat or vegetables.
• Corn. Cornmeal is simply dry kernel corn (referred to as field corn) that has been ground. You can also grind popcorn if necessary to produce corn. Corn is naturally high in sugar and is coarse when ground. There are multitudes of corn varieties, which together are referred to as maize. Corn contains a lipid transfer protein that cannot be digested by humans and has been found to cause severe allergies in some individuals. The allergy may manifest itself as a skin rash, asthma, neurological impairment (sometimes mimicing autism), arthritis, mucous membrane irritation, diarrhea, vomiting and a host of other health issues. Corn today is processed into a wide variety of products include corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, paper products, cleaning supplies–nearly everything we use in our daily lives.
• Oats. Oats when carefully stored have an extended shelf life. We commonly see oats as either rolled, steal cut or ‘quick’ oats. Oats can be cooked as a cereal or ground into a flour. Most household blenders will grind oats into a fine flour.
• Rye. Rye is a ‘cousin’ to wheat and usually ground into a flour. The wholegrain can also be rolled and prepared as you would oats. Rye does contain gluten, though less than wheat. Rye is also susceptible to a fungal infection (ergot) that causes ergotism in humans. Ergotism causes, among other things, hallucinations and is believed to have played a role in the Salem Witch Trials.
  
• Triticale. Triticale is a hybrid of rye and wheat. It utilizes the best of the two grains, but should not be eaten by anyone who cannot eat wheat or rye.
• Barley. Barley is grown primarily as an animal crop, but is used for humans as a health food, to create barley malt flavoring and in the making of alcoholic drinks. Boiled, it is added to soups and stews, especially in Eastern Europe. Barley is considered a frequent cousin to wheat-intolerances. Barley can be used as flour, as grits, processed for use in stews & soups, or rolled as a cereal.
• Amaranth. Amarinth is another grain that has nearly a complete protein, usable to humans. It is high in dietary fiber, provides a variety of healthful minerals, including iron and magnesium. Amaranth can also be popped, similar to popped corn. It can also be made into a confection.
  
• Spelt. Spelt is another variety or subspecies of wheat. Some people with wheat allergies can tolerate spelt, but it is NOT suitable for those with celiac disease. Like wheat, spelt is relatively high in protein and rich in dietary fiber.
  
• Buckwheat. Though it sounds like it should be, buckwheat is NOT a variety of wheat. Buckwheat can be rolled into groats and cooked like porridge, ground into flour or boiled like rice. Buckwheat pancakes are a hearty dish that utilizes yeast. Nutritionally, buckwheat is high in fiber and a good source of protein. Buckwheat noodles are common in Japan, Korea and northern Italy. Buckwheat does not contain gluten. It does contain rutin, a medicinal chemical that has been found to help those with high blood pressure and venous insufficiency.
  
• Kamut. Kamut is a variety of wheat! Recent food recalls included products containing kamut that were not labeled as containing wheat.

Tapioca, corn starch, dry beans and potato starch are also used as alternatives to wheat flour. For families with allergies, it might be wise to add at least a small amount to your food storage plan. The greatest baking success usually comes from mixing a variety of the ‘alternative flours’, adding xanthum gum to help them form a cohesive dough.

Linda suggests mixing all of the grains you have on hand to produce a delicious, slow cooked cereal. She prepares her’s overnight in the oven. She also utilizes the grains in a vegetable soup, with or without beef. Additionally, she cooks a single or mixed grains in her rice cooker.

Explore the great wide world of grains available us today as you enrich your family’s diet, broaden your culinary horizons and provide great variety to your food storage!

Many thanks, Linda!

Does your body need a break from the calorie and fat-laden goodies that prevail this time of year? Want to re-acquiant yourself with your food storage? Want to lower your cholesterol? If you answered yes to any of these questions, follow along boys and girls as we travel the road laden with all sorts of goodness thanks to the wonders of legumes!

Yes, the lowly bean and/or pea is a great source of cholesterol-busting goodness that will provide not only a healthy break from the cookies, candies and calorie loaded buffets of the Holiday Season (or that time of year when the average person gains 5 pounds), but a low-cost, easy to prepare and quick to reheat meal for hurried evenings. And you can pretty much ignore the little beauties as they cook! What could be better?

Beans are an integral part of any food storage plan. They are inexpensive (though rapidly rising in cost so get them now) and if stored carefully, can last nearly forever. As they age, they will require a longer soaking or cooking time, but retain much of their nutritional value. Though many people avoid these lowly members of the food pyramid due to ignorance or intestinal issues, your body will quickly adapt to these high fiber honeys and thank you later with better health.

What sorts of beans should you store? Any and all that you like! If you say you don’t like beans, you probably haven’t eaten many varieties or eaten them when carefully and creatively prepared. Some of the least expensive and easiest to work with include pintos, black beans, red kidney beans, navy beans, great northern beans, split peas, and small red beans. Canned beans are good additions to salads while dry beans are a ’staple’ of any healthy food storage program. Remember, too, that you can ‘hide’ beans in many other foods. A cooked, mashed bean can be added to breads, cakes, cookies or used as a thickening for other soups or stews. Dry beans can be ground into a flour and added to all of the items listed above.There are even recipes for pinto bean fudge.

For a fast holiday season dinner and/or lunch, try your hand at making a hearty bean soup. You can find thousands of recipes online, including some which are pureed. Pureed soups are a good introduction for a bean-phobic family; they needn’t know what the soup is made of!!!

As I am a bit of an ‘improvisational’ cook, this recipe is open to a great deal of interpretation by you. The important steps are outlined carefully and you can take it from there!

Basic Bean Soup–or Get Creative Bean Bonanza

Ingredients:

1 lb dry beans (try any variety or for best results, mix your beans up!)

about 5 to 8 cups of stock (chicken, beef or veggie depending on your preference and end product desire. The higher your proportion of stock to water as the beans cook, the richer your soup will taste. Use low-fat or fat-free stock for healthiest results)

about 10 cups of water

1 onion chopped

1 can chopped tomato (or chop up one in your frig..substitute a can of tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, salsa, V-8 juice–anything you have that you want the soup to taste like)

Seasonings: (here is where the fun comes in) I like to utilize some or all of the following:

salt, pepper, ground red chili powder, dark chili powder, curry powder, garlic powder, onion powder, bay  leaves, Italian seasonings, chopped celery, chopped carrots and cumin

Chopped meat such as browned hamburger, sausage, ham, chicken, pork, etc. This is a great way to use up leftovers or meat that was a bit tougher than you had hoped for.

1. For dry beans, soak overnight in a large pan completely. Water should be 3 times as high as the beans in the pan.

2. Drain water in which beans soaked. Add water to twice the height of the now swollen beans and bring to a boil.

3. Add 1 tablspn of baking soda when the water boils. This will FROTH up so be prepared!

4. Add stock, chopped onion, spices and tomato products. If you wish, add any meat that you are using. Some ‘tender’ meats should be reserved until an hour or two before serving or they will completely fall apart. Falling apart is okay, too.

5. If you need to go away for the day, put everything into a crockpot at this point and leave on high. If you don’t want your house to smell like beans, put the crockpot in the garage and let the neighbors enjoy the aroma!

6. An hour or two before you want to serve your soup, taste it. Add any vegetables you desire. Adjust seasonings, add meat, more stock or anything else you think it needs. For a heartier flavor to a ‘tomato-y’ soup, blend one can of whole tomato and one large onion until pureed in the blender. Add to the soup and continue to simmer for one hour.

7. 30 minutes before serving, taste again. Adjust seasoning as needed.

8. Serve with a big salad and your choice of wholewheat bread, cornbread or rice.

Note: Remember that this is YOUR soup! Add whatever flavorings and meats you enjoy. If you want an Italian Wedding Soup, simply use white beans, chicken stock, more Italian seasoning and cooked Italian sausage. For chili, use kidney beans, hamburger, more tomato and lots of chili powder. If you start cooking the beans and can’t finish the soup that day, simply turn to low on the crockpot. Add water as needed and continue to cook.

You can also begin by adding beans to your own vegetable or chicken soup. If your family is bean novices, add beans slowly to the diet and allow their systems to acclimate.

Store leftovers and reheat one serving at a time!

Since Sarah Polk, wife of President James K. Polk, hosted the first traditional White House Thanksgiving dinner featuring a turkey, the turkey has remained as the symbol of our Thanksgiving celebration. Once put forward as our national bird (somehow just wouldn’t be quite the same as an eagle), the humble turkey began in this country as a wild bird is now the main star of holiday dinners. The average American consumes 14.7 pounds of turkey per day, with some attempting to eat their quota on Thanksgiving Day.

The turkey is an affordable, nutritious and delicious addition to our dinner table.  It can be used for meals well beyond Thanksgiving Day, substituting for chicken in nearly any dish. Watch for sales on this well loved bird and put an extra one in the freezer for later on! Turkeys store well in the freezer for at least a year without loss of quality. After that time, if remaining solidly frozen, they can safely be consumed but will lose some quality.

As much as we love turkey, those big old birds do come with a few caveats. Safe food handling is critical to enjoying the holiday season without being forced to extend your holiday gathering to include medical personnel. Before our mandatory annual review of safe turkey handling, let us just quickly move past the old, “My mother did it this way for years as did her mother..blah, blah, blah.” Okay, so you all survived Mom’s questionable kitchen habits-good for you! But, why play Russian roulette when we now know better? Set the rationalizing aside and let’s discuss how to keep your holiday dinner something to be thankful for!

If you wish to purchase a fresh turkey–that is one that isn’t frozen at the store and should have never been frozen–purchase it only a day or two before the ‘Big Day’.  Add it to your shopping cart LAST, keep it on the bottom rack of the cart and make certain the bagger places Mr. Tom in his own bag. If it is a large bird, have them double bag it so that Tom doesn’t leak on his way home.

Once home, keep the original wrapper on the bird and place in a pan such as a large cake pan. Store Tom Turkey, with his tray, on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator. Keep it there until you are ready to pop it in the oven. Wash your hands thoroughly after you have the turkey safely stowed in the refrigerator.

NEVER buy a fresh, not frozen stuffed turkey. Bad idea! Harmful bacteria can multiple rapidly in the stuffing and transfer to the meat. There are safely prepared frozen, pre-stuffed turkeys but be certain that they are stamped with a USDA stamp of approval.

If you wish to begin with a frozen turkey, plan well how to defrost that bird. The safest method for defrosting is to leave the frozen bird in the refrigerator to thaw slowly. Times for defrosting vary from 1 or 2 days for a 4 to 6 pound turkey all the way up to 6 days for a BIG bird of 20lb or more. A thawed turkey may remain safely in your refrigerator for up to 2 days. SO, if you are planning on serving a big turkey this year, purchase it late this week and settle it into the refrigerator.

NEVER ever leave the turkey sitting out on the counter, on the garage floor or in a bucket to thaw. You can thaw a bird by placing it in water less than 70F, but the water has to be changed every 30 minutes. With a big bird, this can still take more than a day.

Keep your turkey isolated. Think of them as germ-laden shy birds that need to be kept away from all other food products. Clean all surfaces with a disinfectant that the bird is going to touch or does touch. Wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling that raw bird. Do not re-use a cutting board or knife that has been using on a raw turkey.

Don’t cook a half-thawed bird. Remember to check both turkey cavities for packages of ‘extras’ and giblets. These need to be removed before roasting.

Next, we’ll tackle that sensitive subject of stuffing. The cavity of a turkey calls to cooks everywhere to stuff something in it. For generations, Americans suffered post-Thanksgiving stomach ‘bugs’ due to insisting on sticking old bread and assorted stuff inside their turkeys bodies and then eating that innard stuffing. If that doesn’t gross you out, understand that the blood and other fluids of the turkey seep into that conglomeration of old bread, veggies and what-not. Once there, the bacteria rapidly multiple as the rest of the bird cooks. Being buried in the deepest cavities of the turkey, the internal temperature of that stuffing is difficult to raise to much less maintain a temperature of more than 165F which is the point at which most food borne yuckies are killed off. It is much, much safer to just stuff that big old cavity with some cut up vegetables & fruits (try celery, onions, carrots, apples, oranges and some spices) plus some butter and let the turkey cook safely. The flavor will be great and you can even use slightly limp vegetables, the leafy bits off the celery that no one will eat, mushy apples-anything that isn’t rotten. If you want the white meat really moist and don’t care to present your turkey at the table ala Ozzie & Harriet, cook it with the breast down in the pan.

For you hard-headed types who are going to insist on stuffing something you will later eat into every orifice of your turkey, at least use a reliable meat thermometer to be certain that the most interior part of your stuffing is above 165F. Making certain that you are in the middle of the stuffing is slightly problematic, but go ahead if you insist. Any meat or vegetable product used in the making of your innards stuffing must be cooked prior to being included in the stuffing.

You smart folks who would rather sit around your living room than the emergency room, cook your stuffing separately and be thankful that you won’t be utilizing your medical insurance on Thanksgiving.

Do NOT cook your turkey below 325F. Below that temperature, parts of Tom Turkey are going to cook too slowly to thoroughly eradicate the Bad Guys before they have a chance to multiple.

When you think the bird is ready to eat, double check with a meat thermometer at a deep part of the turkey such as in the thigh joint (where the thigh meets the body). Even if the bird has a pop-up “I’m Ready!” button, double check for yourself.

You can safely let the turkey sit for 20 minutes before carving. Depending on the temperature of your home, don’t let the leftovers sit at room temperature more than two hours before refrigerating them. Timing begins the moment you take it out of the oven!

Package leftovers in small packages so that they chill quickly. Too much to be eaten within a few days? Slap some turkey and gravy in ziploc bags to store in the freezer for later meals. Yum!

If you are terribly clever and want to get a head start on a safe and delicious Thanksgiving meal, try this approach to making copious amounts of gravy:

This week purchase a package or two of turkey legs or wings. In a roasting pan, add cut up veggies (such as carrots, onions, celery, etc) to the turkey parts. Sprinkle everything with some salt and pepper, and/or poultry seasoning. Roast until well browned and very nearly cooked, uncovered, at 350F. Remove the turkey parts and veggies temporarily. Add several cups of water and scrape off all of the ‘brown bits’ on the side of the pan into the water. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE WATER! You are attempting to get all of that brown goodness into your stock!

Now, return the meat and veggies to the pan. Add enough water to cover all of the meat and veggies, plus several inches. Return to oven and roast for several more hours. Don’t let the water evaporate, add more if necessary. When everything smells super yummy and the meat is falling off the bones, strain it all through a colander into another container.

Now, cool this liquid and place into a freezer container or freezer bag. Label and stick in the freezer. On Thanksgiving, retrieve this bag and allow to thaw in the refrigerator (this might take over night if you have a big bag).

When it is time to make gravy, add a couple of tablespoons of flour and some cornstarch to your stock. Pour this concoction into the pan in which you roasted your turkey, scraping off the brown bits from the side. Add water and spices to taste. Enjoy really good gravy!

Have a healthy, happy, food poisoning-free Thanksgiving!

P.S. Don’t forget to check the sales flyers from your local grocery stores! Most of the ingredients for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner are on sale and often have coupons. Stock up on staples that you will use throughout the year.

Provident Living Pointer—Compassionate Cuisine

By Anne Lawver

The warm casserole, a colorful salad and a loaf of homemade bread all delivered by loving hands—do you see it in your mind’s eye? The preparation of meals for others seems to be interwoven with our role as women and as compassionate human beings. All of us have most likely either prepared or received a meal in a time of crisis, after a new baby or during a move. To do so expresses our concern for others and often fulfills an immediate need. With food and fuel prices rapidly rising, it is wise to think about how we can fulfill these warm-hearted desires in a more economical manner. To that end, I present to you “Top Ten Ways To Serve And Stay Sane”:

1. Be certain that a meal is what the family really needs. If you are asked to provide a meal by the person organizing assistance, it is safe to assume that the need has already been established. If you are the  caring friend or loving neighbor, do not hesitate to ask the family exactly what they do need. Maybe they need childcare, lawn work, someone to run an errand or a bit of laundry done instead of a meal. A new Mom might prefer someone to rock a baby or play with a toddler for a few hours so she can shower and take a nap. A family that has suffered a death might need disposable plates, cups, flatware or sodas more than a meal.

2. Ask the family if they have food allergies, intolerances or strong dislikes. Honor the answers you receive as serious health consequences often go along with ignoring such warnings. You also do not want your valuable time and resources tossed out because the family cannot eat them.

3. Be considerate of meal times. Ask the family when they would like to eat. If you can’t deliver the meal ready to eat at that time, drop off the food early with re-heating instructions. Be certain someone will be home at your delivery time.

4. Package as much of the meal as possible in disposable containers. Many caring folks keep plastic dishes, paper plates, disposable pans, plastic bags and clean containers from other foods for just this purpose. If you absolutely must use a ‘real’ dish, be certain to mark it with your name and offer to pick it up in a day or two.

5. Think it through!! Think through the family’s situation and let it guide you. A family with an intestinal illness does not need a plate of bean burritos nor does a family under stress need highly spicy foods or a ‘grease bomb’ of fried delight.

6. Keep it simple! Simple, nutritious meals are the best. This isn’t the time to surprise the unknowing with your “Eggplant Surprise” or “Secret Sauce Tuna Noodle Stuff.” Some good choices might include rice with chicken, vegetable soup, stew, sloppy joes, lasagna, pasta with red sauce, tacos, pita sandwiches, scalloped potatoes and ham, quiche, or turkey and dressing. One-dish dinners are good so long as the ingredients are recognizable and generally liked.

7. Know your limits! If you are asked to provide a meal and your budget, time or personal situation won’t allow it, gracefully decline. You might be able to offer to do just part of a meal–a plate of cookies, a salad or a dozen rolls. Do not be shy, be your own advocate and don’t let compassion (or embarrassment) keep you from maintaining your budgetary health and sanity. As demands on our budgets continue to escalate, we may be forced to continue ‘down-sizing’ and streamlining how we do things.

8. Be Super Safe! Be certain that you prepare the meal extremely carefully with the highest standards of cleanliness. Follow safe food handling rules more strictly than you would for your own family. We tend to be ‘used to’ our own germs, but those same germs can easily infect others. Those who are already ill or stressed may have weakened immune systems that will be more susceptible to food-borne illness.

9. Consider asking the family if they have a favorite recipe or a piece of meat they would like you to prepare. This is particularly helpful for long-term illnesses and ongoing needs. One summer, a neighbor was bedridden with pregnancy complications. For several months, I prepared the family dinner using the meats from their well-stocked freezer and their recipes. If I were going out for the day, I would stop by and put dinner in their crock-pot. They enjoyed eating familiar things and felt that they were not imposing as much as if I were providing all of the ingredients. If I had proposed providing all of the ingredients, this self-reliant family would never have agreed.

10. Finally, prepare yourself so that you can not only serve others, but also be self-reliant. Always have several meals in your freezer that can be easily warmed up. Think through simple menus that anyone in your family can prepare. One wise woman keeps several grocery bags in her pantry filled with the ingredients and the recipe for a ‘quick to do’ dinner. If you know you are having surgery or a new baby—PLAN AHEAD!!! Freeze, can, purchase, label and organize so that your family is as self-reliant as possible! And, be certain that all family members old enough to safely cook know how to prepare at least a simple meal.

In today’s culinary world of fast-food, prepared foods, ‘take it and make it’ nearly prepared foods and the explosion in frozen dinners, it is easy to become totally reliant on food that is prepared by others. Not only are prepared and restaurant meals higher in sodium, fat, sugar and calories, they are a steady drain on your budget. In an age when we are seeing grocery bills climb daily, it is not only frugal but nearly mandatory to re-examine the cost vs. benefit of the way many of us prepare our meals. And as our economy declines, we may all be faced to return to the ways of our mothers and learn to cook!

Researchers at Arizona State University compared the hourly rate we as consumers are affectively paying for many ‘convenience’ food. They purchased food in the non-shredded, cubed, etc. form and then calculated how long it took to prepare the food into its ‘convenient’ state. This calculation was then translated into an hourly wage that you, the consumer, are paying someone else to perform a simple task. For instance, shredded cheese costs you over $49 an hour as vs. buying a block of cheese and shredding it yourself. Cheese sticks? More than $43 an hour! In addition to paying someone else an exorbitant rate for a simplistic task, these ‘conveniences’ usually utilize the lowest possible grade of the product, then add coatings, inhibitors and other ingredients to extend their life and usability. The researchers also found that many ‘convenience’ foods such as pre-chopped, frozen, throw in the pan entrees save very little time (as little as 10 minute), while adding tremendously to the over-abundance of sodium, fat and sugars.

Even if you are willing to trade dollars and health concerns for the ‘value’ of convenience, you should still acquire the ability to easily prepare a wide variety of foods that result in a nutritious, wholesome and affordable meal for yourself and your family. Many adults today are lacking in these basic skills and that lack of education hampers one’s ability to not only live providently but to survive a wide variety of emergencies.

If you fall into the ‘heat and toss’ category, consider beginning now to learn the fine art of food preparation. You need not achieve the status of gourmet cook, but simply learn how to easily and economically prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner from fresh ingredients. At least once a week, prepare each of these meals using no pre-packaged/half-prepared foods, raw ingredients including a variety of meats and vegetables, a carbohydrate such as rice, potatoes or pasta, and fruit. In a huge hurry? Scrambled eggs, toast and fresh fruit should take no more than 10 minutes to prepare and serve. No time to clean up? Use a nonstick pan that is dishwasher safe and paper plates. You will be eating a meal that is nutritious (more so if you omit some of the yolks), cheap, fast and much healthier for you than a trip through the drive thru! If you are running out the door, slap the eggs on the bread (or a tortilla), wrap it in foil and eat as you walk to the car.

Don’t have a clue what to cook or how to cook it? Check out your local library for standard cookbooks such as The Joy of Cooking, which teaches everything from how to boil an egg to making creme brulee. The editions published during WWII include dealing with limited quantities of common items such as meat, flour and sugar. Some of their recipes, tips, techniques are available online at www.thejoykitchen.com.

Your first attempts at true ‘from scratch’ cooking may seem cumbersome and frustrating. Cooking, like any skill, requires practice and repetition to achieve ease and consistency. Keep trying, keep experimenting and don’t hesitate to ask for advice!

For experienced cooks, refresh your skills in a new area. Try cooking with food storage items, making your own yogurt or cooking meatless for a week.

Any skill you develop that provides your family with more economical, health-conscious food is one to treasure!

Our most common and effective source of complete protein necessary for human health is meat–beef, chicken, pork, lamb and fish. Market analysts are predicting that today’s lowered meat prices are a temporary stop on the Inflation Train. Most analysts suggest that this ’stop’ is due to meat producers increasing their sales of meat to market to avoid paying record prices for grain and other associated costs of raising and bringing meat to market. We, the consumers, can benefit from this temporary pricing downturn and stock up before prices (again according to industry analysts) rise sharply.

No matter what the cost, meat must be handled and stored properly if it is to provide safe nutrition for our families. This safety begins in the grocery store. Purchase your meat at the end of your shopping trip, thus keeping it cold longer. Consider investing in a washable insulated bag or two that can hold your meat purchases from the meat counter all the way home. This is particularly valuable in the hottest summer months.

Most grocery stores offer plastic bags in which to place your meat selections. Utilize these as well as paper towels and hand sanitizer. Place your meat in your grocery cart away from other grocery items. The bottom rung of the grocery cart is a good place, which prevents meat drippings from contaminating other items.

When choosing meats, make sure the meat feels cold in the case. Some consumers carry meat selections around the store; leave them in aisles or at the check out counter. These items have been exposed to warmer temperatures and bacteria may have begun to grow. When choosing fish, remember that if it smells too ‘fishy’, it isn’t fresh!

Look for meat items marked down. These can be a great buy! Some grocery stores mark down their meats on a specific schedule, such as 4pm every day. Ask the butcher at your favorite store if there is a mark down time and shop accordingly!

Some grocery stores will also grind meat for you. This is great for sales on roasts or whole chunks of meat that you would prefer to use as ground meat.

Watch the cashier as she packages your groceries. Do not allow them to place raw meat in bags with other food items. All store employees should be trained to follow this common protocol, but some forget or fail to follow the rules. If raw meat is placed in a bag with fresh produce, insist on replacement produce.

After getting your meat choices home, unpack the meat and frozen items first from your car and refrigerate immediately. Again, keep the meat segregated from other foods. Plastic shoeboxes, trays, dishes, etc are all good options for segregating raw meats in the refrigerator.

If you are going to freeze your meat purchases, spread them around in the freezer. Most home freezers cannot freeze ’stacked up’ packages, especially densely packed ones, quickly. If you have saved money by purchasing a ‘club’ or ‘family’ package that is too big for a single meal, it is simple to reduce the meat to meal-sized portions. First, follow safe meat handling procedures by beginning with clean hands and work surface. It is preferable to cover your work surface with a clean, washable cutting board or mat. Cut or portion the meat into your preferred size and wrap each portion in plastic wrap. Try to avoid getting the plastic wrap folded into the meat. Place multiple plastic wrapped portions into a heavy-duty storage bag and label; include the cut of meat and date purchased on your label. A permanent marker will write on most plastic bags. Work as quickly as possible, removing only the portion you can process quickly from the refrigerator. Once wrapped and bagged, place the meats in the freezer. You now have perfect meal sized portions of meat! Complete your work session by sanitizing your hands, cutting board, knife and counter top.

You can also pre-cook meat before freezing it. This works particularly well for marked down meats and ground meats. Simply cook as you normally would, stopping the cooking process just sort of ‘well done’. Cool the meat slightly, package into meal sized portions and freeze as you would the raw meat. This is a great time saver!

When defrosting meats, the preferred method is either to place the meat in the refrigerator or utilize the microwave to defrost quickly. Many types of meat can also begin cooking from their frozen state. You simply start off cooking at a slightly lower than normal temperature and increase the cooking time. Covering the pan also encourages quicker defrosting.

Canning is another option for preserving meat and extending its shelf life. If you wish to utilize this method, you MUST have a pressure canner (different from a pressure cooker) and follow guidelines carefully.

Pre-canned meats such as tuna fish have long shelf lives. They are great sources of quick meals, emergency food and good sources of protein. Store your canned meats in a cool place and periodically check their expiration dates.

Whichever cuts you prefer, shop, store and prepare smartly to ensure good quality and food safety!