While searching for recipes the other day, I came across a Holiday Helpers Hotline list (say that 3 times fast) from the fine folks at Saveur Magazine. So if you find yourself in a pickle while making the holiday meal, don’t panic…just call one of the hotlines or visit one of the websites. Also, for those of you still making a Thanksgiving meal game plan, the Butterball website has a handy portion calculator to help you figure out how big of a turkey to buy (and many other great turkey tips). Good luck!

Butterball Turkey Talk-Line
(800/BUTTERBALL; butterball.com)
For 30 years, turkey savants have been fielding more than 100,000 questions annually in the weeks before Thanksgiving. Most frequently asked: “How do I thaw this thing?”

Crisco Pie Hotline
(877/FOR-PIE-TIPS; crisco.com)
Let the pie pros coach you past soggy crusts and failed fillings, aided by online instructions at Crisco Pie Central.

Kentucky Legend Ham Hotline
(866/343-5058)
These folks give advice on buying, cooking, and carving ham. They also advise home cooks on what to do with all that’s left over. One suggested solution entails using mushrooms and whipping cream to make a version of ham à la king.

Ocean Spray Helpline
(800/662-3263)
The experts here can help alleviate cranberry fatigue with fresh recipes for cocktails, salads, and desserts like cranberry—ginger upside-down cake. If you opt against serving canned cranberry sauce, Ocean Spray operators will tell you how to make your own at home.

Tags: Butterball hotline, Crisco hotline, helpline, Holiday meal help, hotline, Kentucky Legend Ham hotline, Ocean Spray hotline, Saveur Magazine, Thanksgiving meal, Thanksgiving meal crisis, Thanksgiving meal help

It’s the middle of July and we’re full-swing into summer…and, yes, it’s still raining here in Portland. Regardless of the weird weather, our local farmers’ markets are brimming with great produce, artisan foods and handmade products. These people work hard, rain or shine, so let’s get out there and support them!

Check out one of these links to find a farmers’ market near you:
Oregon Farmers’ Markets
Local Harvest 

Do you have a favorite farmers’ market?

Tags: farm fresh, farmers market, fresh produce, local harvest, vegetables, veggies

Have you ever wondered what the difference between a Prime, Choice or Select steak was? Here’s an explanation of this USDA grading system and what you should look for when buying steaks.

How to Select the Best Steak
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/tip/how-to-select-the-best-steak.html
 
No matter what the cooking method, the same criteria apply to choosing steaks. Look for meat that is bright red with streaks of fat, or marbling, running through it. The red indicates that the meat is freshly cut, while the fat in the interior, most of which drains away during cooking, provides juiciness and flavor. Exterior fat should be white to ivory and firm to the touch.

In the United States, all beef is inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but grading is voluntary. Marbling is the main way beef is graded and priced in U.S. markets. The more marbling, the more tender, flavorful and expensive the beef will be.

- Prime meat, the highest-quality meat with the most marbling, is found mainly in luxury restaurants but has been making its way into more retail markets in the last few years.

- Choice meat, well marbled and tender, is available at many quality markets and butcher shops.

- Select meat, with little to no marbling, is the grade most commonly stocked in supermarkets.

Many supermarkets have their own grading system, which can sound similar to USDA grades; ask the butcher or read the label carefully. Officially graded meat will carry the USDA designation.

Tags: Beef, how to select the best steak, steaks, USDA

Because trivial facts and information can be a great addition to any conversation, here’s some frivolous knowledge that will certainly impress your friends:

• The ancient Romans often paid their taxes in honey.
• Pound cake received its name from the one-pound quantities of the main ingredients — sugar, butter, eggs, and flour — used in the original recipe.
• Almonds are members of the peach family.
• The largest fruit crop on earth is grapes — followed by bananas.
• Pepper is the top-selling spice in the world. The second is mustard.
• In 1867, Napoleon III commanded chemists to produce a special kind of food for the army and navy. It was margarine.
• A can of Spam is opened every four seconds.
• It takes seventy-five thousand crocus flowers to produce one pound of saffron — which is why it is the most expensive spice in the world.
• Wild rice is not rice but a coarse annual grass that grows in shallow water or marshland.

-from The Ultimate Book of Useless Information by Noel Botham & The Useless Information Society

Tags: Fun Food Facts, The Ultimate Book of Useless Information

I found a list of get-happy foods in Woman’s Day Magazine recently. Unfortunately, chocolate didn’t make the list. WHATEVER! All I know is Husband will be in BIG trouble if he ever offers me a can of sardines when I’m PMSing! Anyway, here it is…snacks to boost your mood:

The Best Get-Happy Foods
-from Woman’s Day Magazine, by Abigail L. Cuffey

Fight stress and depression with five nutrient-buffed snacks. Sorry, ice cream isn’t on the list! But the following foods do have nutrients that can help fight stress and depression, says Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of Eat Your Way to Happiness.

Oranges, lemons and other citrus fruits:
Mood-Boosting Ingredient: Vitamin C
This vitamin helps you cope better in stressful times by lowering your levels of stress hormones. If you get a lot regularly, you’ll feel calmer during tough situations.

Nuts:
Mood-Boosting Ingredients: Vitamin E, arginine (an amino acid) and magnesium
A handful of nuts will keep you full and satisfied because they have a low glycemic index-which means they don’t jack up your blood sugar levels and cause mood swings. It also makes you feel good to eat something that seems decadent (they’re considered a little bit naughty because they’re high in fat) but actually has health benefits.

Leafy greens:
Mood-Boosting Ingredient: Folic Acid
Research has shown that the folic acid in leafy greens such as kale and spinach can reduce depression and even improve blood flow to the brain. If you’re not eating at least one serving per day you’re more than likely low in folic acid, so try getting more or consider taking a multivitamin that contains it.

Salmon:
Mood-Boosting Ingredient: DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid)
The omega-3s in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines have been found to improve your mood while lowering the risk of depression and age-related memory loss. The depression link is so strong that American Psychiatric Association suggests that anyone taking antidepressants and/or going through therapy also boost her intake of omega 3s.

Dried cherries:
Mood-Boosting Ingredients: Potassium, magnesium and vitamin C
These nutrients all work to curb your body’s stress response. Dried cherries also keep your brain healthy because they’re packed with antioxidants (including vitamin C), which prevent damage to your brain cells that can lead to memory problems.

Tags: citrus, dried cherries, foods to boost your mood, get happy foods, leafy greens, mood lifters, nuts, salmon

If you’ve got lots of candy canes and you’re wondering what to do with them, here’s a few ideas I found at MarthaStewart.com. 

The Candy Cane Can
-tips from Martha Stewart Everyday Food and MarthaStewart.com 

More than 1.8 billion of these holiday hooks are made each year. Luckily, candy canes are tasty additions to lots of seasonal treats.

Hot-Cocoa Stirrer: Mix things up in a classic winter drink: Add a candy-cane “spoon.” It melts in the liquid for extra flavor.

Fudge Topper: Make Homemade Holiday Fudge an even sweeter gift with crushed peppermint. This is a great way to use leftover candy canes — simply put them in a zip-top plastic bag and then pound with a kitchen mallet.

Minty Bark: A holiday favorite, Minty Bark gets a cool crunch with peppermints. Blend crushed candy canes into melted white chocolate. Little elves can help break the bark into pieces and pack it in tins for gifts.

Candy-Cane-Chip Ice Cream: Kids love ice cream any time of the year. For a December-style treat, stir crushed peppermints into softened vanilla ice cream and freeze until firm. Serve with more candy on top.

Peppermint Sauce: Stir together equal parts cream and crushed candy canes over medium heat until smooth, then immediately whisk in some white chocolate until melted. Drizzle on brownies for a festive dessert.

Tags: candy cane hot cocoa, candy cane ice cream, candy canes, Christmas, holidays, minty bark, peppermint sauce

I read an article in The Oregonian last week on how to safely pack school lunches. Our kiddos have enough hurdles to face these days at school without the added bonus of their lunch making them sick. The article includes a few simple rules to ensure that a packed lunch stays safe to eat.

And while we’re on the subject of brown bagging it, I recently bought these nifty Ziplock Divided Containers. They are reusable, dishwasher safe, and come in a 2-pack. They are similar to the hip bento box containers that are popular right now but less expensive. Plus, I won’t need to freak out if one gets lost or accidentally thrown away.

Follow the ABC’s of food safety when packing a school lunch
By DANIELLE CENTONI
Special to The Oregonian

Back to school means back to the daily grind of packing lunches — an activity that’s definitely low on parents’ lists of favorite things to do.

It’s hard enough to come up with nutritious choices that your kids will actually eat, and even harder to predict which of their favorite foods they won’t be “tired of” that day.

But no matter what meal you send your child off with each day, make sure you follow basic food safety rules to keep the food from spoiling.

Rule No. 1: Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. While a peanut butter and jelly sandwich can linger at room temperature, anything made with meat or dairy products needs to be kept out of the danger zone (40 to 140 degrees).

Insulated lunchboxes/bags (rather than paper bags or metal lunchboxes) go a long way toward keeping things at the right temperature, but you still need to tuck an ice pack in there to keep things cool. A frozen water bottle or juice box can double as an ice pack and be ready to drink by lunchtime. Or buy several lunchbox-size ice packs so you always have one ready. These days, ice packs come in fun, kid-friendly shapes; thin, flexible “mats” ; or styles that have colorful cloth covers to soak up condensation.

When the weather cools, hot lunches are especially welcome and a good way to change things up. Invest in a couple of insulated containers for sending hot items like soup or warmed-up leftovers. Be sure to preheat them first by filling them with piping hot water and letting them sit for a few minutes while you get things ready. Then pour out, dry and fill.

Rule No. 2: Keep things clean. Once that lunchbox returns home, throw away anything partially eaten or perishable and wash out the box with hot soapy water. Leaving food in there only invites mold and mildew to grow. So wash it out as soon as you can and let it air dry until completely dry before storing. Once a week, it’s a good idea to sanitize the lunchbox with a mild bleach solution (1 teaspoon bleach per 4 cups of water).

Many schools ask parents to send children off with a water bottle each day. This a great way for kids to sta hydrated without having constant stream of children running off to the water fountain during class. But don’t think you can just leave that water bottle there all week without washing it. It’s easy for germs and bacteria to get into the bottles with every swig, and as the bottles sit at room temperature, those nasties multiply like crazy.

So wash the water bottle every day with hot, soapy water and let it dry completely before putting it away (again, mold is a risk if you don’t). And sanitize the water bottle when you sanitize the lunchbox.

Rule No. 3: These rules aren’t just for kids’ lunches. When you’re brown-bagging it, follow these food safety tips to keep yourself from getting sick, too. Protect your youngsters from food-borne illness with these guidelines on keeping packed lunches at safe temperatures, and containers and bottles clean.

Tags: brown bag, cold lunch, food-borne illness, kids' lunch, lunch, safety

• You can make a glass of apple cider with only three apples.
• The pineapple originated in South America and did not reach Hawaii until the early nineteenth century.
• The largest fruit crop on earth is grapes–followed by bananas.

- from The Ultimate Book of Useless Information by Noel Botham & The Useless Information Society

Tags: food facts, fruit

Pecans are the only food that astronauts do not have to treat and dehydrate when flying in space.

Almonds are members of the peach family.

The peanut is a vegetable and a member of the pea family.

- from The Ultimate Book of Useless Information by Noel Botham & The Useless Information Society

Tags: nuts, pecans