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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL Wash those veggies From staff reports Last week, warnings went out across the coun try about contamination of bagged fresh spinach, a problem that has led to one death and to serious illnesses in over 20 states. Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin advised Georgians to check their refrigerators for bagged fresh spinach following noti fication from the Food and Drug Administration that the spinach may be con taminated with E. coli, a potentially deadly intestinal virus. “Consumers should not eat bagged fresh spinach at this time until the source of the outbreak and affected lot numbers can be deter mined,” Irvin said. Fresh spinach is being pulled off grocery store shelves across the country, but the scare leads many cooks to the question of the best way to wash fresh pro duce. Washing is wise, not just because of the E. coli scare, but also because of the pos sibility of other bacteria poi soning or pesticide residues, and the simple fact that many hands have handled your fresh produce before it arrives in your kitchen. What can you do to protect your family? According to Ann Zander, a food expert from Colorado State University, “The answer is simple: Give pro duce a thorough washing in cold, drinkable water.” Zander recommends buy ing fresh vegetables and fruits in season, noting that when long storage and long distance shipping are not required, fewer pesticides are used. She suggest cut ting off the tops and outer portions celery, lettuce, cab bages and other leafy veg etables that may contain the bulk of pesticide residues. Wait until just before prep aration to wash or immerse your produce in clean drink ing water. When appropri ate, scrub with a brush. Experts at the University of California-Berkeley report that this removes nearly all insects and dirt, as well as bacteria and some pesti cide residues. Special soaps or washes are not needed and could be harmful to you dependihg on their ingredi ents. Read the label! Consumers be aware: Fruit and vegetable washes are appearing in supermarket shelves. While these prod ucts are safe to use, nothing indicates that they are any more effective than using cold water and a vegetable brush - when a brush is appropriate. (You wouldn’t, for example, use a brush on tomatoes and strawberries.) See WASH, page 4C Jadg's Saßdwicfe Sfeoppe 1201 Sunset Ave. • Perry Plaza Hours: Mon, Tue, Thurs, Fri. 11am-7pm »Wed 11am-2:3opm v? 7 ’ O^ 9 ' 9 ' J Grilled Ham & Cheese w/ pickles & chips -$4.75 # Hot Soups (Made Fresh Daily) sV Cup-$2.50 • w/meal-$1.50 v Ayj-w iaß *Kids Menu Available j plus Salads • Desserts • Drinks' Sweet potatoes four different ways This time of the year I think about the farm where I grew up and learned so much. We worked very hard, so there was no need to “jog” or exercise. There was no energy left for such. After the cotton was all picked by hand we dug the sweet potatoes and baked them so they would not freeze and would last all year. Sweet potatoes are a wonderful source of nutri tion and can be turned into so many great dishes, or just aw * Jean Rea Cooking with Jean or melt some butter and brown sugar andpour over them while hot. Sweet potatoes are anoth er great blessing from our fall harvest. Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples 3 large sweet potatoes 3 Granny Smith apples SEA From page 1C 1 teaspoon dry mus tard 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Wisconsin Cheddar cheese 1 package (3 ounces) dried beef, chopped Cook macaroni in salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse well. In a saucepan, melt butter and blend in flour and salt. Gradually add milk; cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add mustard, cheese and dried beef to white sauce. Stir until blended. Toss maca roni with cheese sauce mix ture. Pour into buttered two 1/2 quart casserole and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until brown. Traditional Wisconsin Swiss Fondue 2 cups dry white wine 1 tablespoon lemon juice 4 cups (1 pound) Wisconsin Gruyere cheese, shredded 4 cups (1 pound) Wisconsin Fontina cheese, shredded 1 tablespoon arrow root 2 ounces kirsch Pinch of nutmeg French bread crumbs Pears, cut in wedges Apples, cut in wedges Warm wine and lemon 478-987-2428 Remember For Your Convenience WE’RE OPEN EVENINGS! 1 Hot & Cold Sandwiches! (Many to Choose) Judy’s Choice This Week: .> sWksiL V y Ibk ‘u’ * 'wW/Bs , Jp . ;,.T ... -HM i ■ :-iaaoiaMk.%^ Ipm 'Mi *mw ’wsm . 7 mMk. .fflKT,, I hi I—f baked, sliced open, covered with but ter and sprinkled with a little sugar. I like to fry them and sprinkle on sugar Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission Sweet potatoes are ranked as one of the most nutritious of all vegtables. 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon grated orange rind 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 cup butter or mar garine, cut up Cook sweet potatoes in boiling water to cover 45 minutes. Drain and cool slightly. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices. Peel, core and thin ly slice apples into rings. Combine brown sugar and next three ingredients. Arrange half of potato slices and half of apple slices in juice to boiling in fondue pot. Reduce heat to low. Toss cheese with arrow root and gradually add cheese to wine, stirring constantly. When cheese is melted, stir in kirsch. Sprinkle with nutmeg to serve. Serve with French bread, apples and pears. America’s Favorite Wisconsin Cheddar Beef Burger 1 pound ground beef 1/3 cup steak sauce, divided 1 medium onion, cut into strips 1 medium green or red pepper, cut into strips 1 tablespoon butter 4 slices (1 ounce each) Wisconsin Cheddar cheese 4 hamburger buns 4 slices tomato Combine ground beef and 3 tablespoons steak sauce; shape into four patties. Set aside. In skillet, over medium heat, cook onion and pepper in butter until tender, stirring occasional ly. Stir in remaining steak sauce; keep warm. Broil or grill burgers as desired. Top with cheese; cook until cheese melts. Spoon two tablespoons onion mixture onto bottom half of each bun. Top with burgers, tomatoes, remaining onion mixture and tops of buns. Serve immediately. FOOD P/CKUP dinner on «iir • HOM e ■ 00038049 a lightly greased 13” x 9” baking dish. Sprinkle with half of brown sugar mixture and dot evenly with half of but ter. Repeat procedure with remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Serve warm. Praline Sweet Potatoes 3 eggs 1/4 cup butter, soft ened 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar 1 large can sweet World record wine price What’s the most you’ve ever paid for a bottle of wine? How about a case? How does 6 magnums of 1985 Romanee Conti for $170,375 grab you? That was the new world record price for a case of wine, selling at a recent Christie’s Auction. I did the math and it works out to just over $14,000 per traditional 750 ml bottle. Assuming you would then drink it, you’re looking at approximately $2500.00 per glass depending on the pours. Christie’s VP Richard Brierley, who presided over the auction that night is well aware that his part in the wine industry is set apart from the masses. “It’s theater, really,” he told me. “These auctions are social events where people want to see who shows up and how much they bid. Champagne is served and it really is great fun.” Although Brierley gets to tread where few wine lov ers go, he is very much in tune with the masses when it comes to the cur rent upsurge in American wine consumption. In fact, he left his native England and came to the United States in part because he perceived that change was on the way. He describes it as, “sort of a ground swell of change coming to American homes, where people are beginning bnasa I I I 1406 Sam Nunn Blvd. • Perry, GA 478-988-8838 Lunch Birttet Mon.-Sat. 11-4p.m. Adults $5.95 Featuring At All Buffets Kids Oysters, Crab Legs, Shrimp, 3-5 yrs. $1.99 Steak and much much more! 6-11 yrs. $3.99 Dinner Buffet Mon.-Thurs. 4-10p.ni. Adults $9.49 w/this ad receive FREE drinks for your table! 6-11 yrs. $4.99 Kmß a Dai ilinhf DuffAt A m rfL ft vBL niPiii Kilnßl *l* 1 ip.lli. Adults $10.49 Sunday All day buffet 11a.m.-10p.m. $9.49 Sat. & Sun. All day buffet 5 yrs. old & under eat FREE! WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2006 potatoes, drained and mashed 2/3 cup pecans 1 can coconut Topping: 1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar 1/2 cup butter, melted 1/2 cup pecans Cream together eggs and butter. Stir in vanilla, sugar, potatoes, pecans and coco nut. Spoon into butter cas serole dish. Combine top ping ingredients and sprin kle over potato mixture. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly. Sweet Potato Pie to embrace quality wine as part of their lifestyles.” The very change that some experts predict will push wine consumption in the US above France and Italy within the next ten years. One of the strongest and most impor tant indi cators to Brierley, is that the cur rent wine boom does not owe it’s growth to the wine industry, but to H, limy Brian Goodall The Wine Guy Moms News Service “wine writers at local levels keeping wine on the front page, so to speak,” and “lit tle pockets of wine aficio nados,” who start as small, weekly tasting groups, meet ing in someone’s home, and then growing as more and more friends are invited. “One can perhaps look at a piece of artwork and appreciate it, but wine is best shared,” says Brierley. “There is nothing better than being able to bring a bottle with you to share. You bring yours and I’ll bring mine.” As head of North American wine sales at Christie’s, Brierley keeps his eye on the trends with in the retail industry as well and gives kudos to the growth and positive chang- 3 medium sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed 2 sticks butter or mar garine 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon nutmeg 2 tablespoons flour 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 deep dish pie shells Mix well and pour into pie shells. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Delicious. Best I ever ate. Ambrosia Sweet Potato Bake 6 medium sized sweet potatoes 1 lemon peeled 1 orange, peeled 1 cup crushed pineap ple 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/4 cup butter or mar garine, melted 1/4 cup flaked coconut Lemon twist Cook sweet potatoes in boiling water 30 to 24 min utes, or until tender. Let cool to touch. Peel and slice. Cut lemon and orange into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange sweet potato, lemon and orange slices in a lightly greased shallow two quart casserole Combine pineapple, brown sugar and butter. Mix well and pour over sweet pota toes. Sprinkle with coco nut. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Garnish with lemon twist. es he sees. “A few years ago you couldn’t say this, but now there quality retailers with knowledgeable sales people in every state and every large city.” Going hand in hand is the growing availability of international wine selec tions nearly anywhere in the country. “At a particu lar price point on a par ticular day,” says Brierley, “one can choose from a vast amount of wines, and with that comes a steady growth in quality.” Brierley recommends wines from South American locales, such as Chile and Argentina as some of the top values. “They will sur prise consumers. They are exceptionally well priced and very well made.” I tasted the 2002 Calina Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile’s Colchagua Valley and couldn’t believe I was drink ing such a wine for the sale price of $6.59. It was full bodied and chewy, with layers of dark fruit, chocolate, licorice, and spice. It was exceptional with grilled pepper steak and would pair nicely with stews, any red meat, or pas tas with meat sauce. I high ly recommend this excellent bargain. To share your wine expe riences, ask a question, or just to talk wine, write me at goodellwineguy@sbcglobal. net 3C nSy