Newspaper Page Text
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Cleaning
out the
pantry
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By Peggy Bledsoe
Houston County
Extension Coordinator
Do the dreary winter days
we are having inspire you to
clean the kitchen pantry? If
so, you may find items that
have been pushed back for
quite some time and others
that you have just forgotten.
As you empty the shelves
and do a thorough cleaning,
take time to notice the con
dition of cans and packaging
materials. Use these guide
lines to help you make wise
decisions about the safety
of the foods stored in your
pantry.
Shelf stable foods such as
canned goods, cereal, bak
ing mixes, pasta, dry beans,
mustard, ketchup and pea
nut butter can be kept safely
at room temperature. To
keep these foods at their
best quality, store them in a
clean, dry cool (below 85 e F)
pantry or cabinet away from
the range or the refrigera
tor exhaust. Extremely hot
(over 100 Q F) and freezing
temperatures are harmful to
canned goods.
Never use foods from cans
that are leaking, rusting,
bulging, dented or with a
foul odor; cracked jars or
jars with loose or bulging
lids; or any container that
spurts liquid when you
open it. Never taste such
food. Throw out any food
you suspect is spoiled. Most
canned foods have a long
shelf life and when properly
stored can be eaten for sev
eral years. Low-acid canned
goods have a shelf life of two
to five years. Foods included
in this category are canned
meats and poultry, stews,
soups except tomato, pasta
products, potatoes, corn, car
rots, spinach, beans, beets,
peas and pumpkin. High
acid foods can be stored
safely for 12 to 18 months.
Items such as tomato prod
ucts, fruits, sauerkraut and
foods in vinegar-based sauc
es or dressings are in this
category. Some canned hams
are shelf-stable. Never store
ham or any foods labeled
“keep refrigerated” in the
pantry. These foods must be
stored in the refrigerator to
insure their safety,
Dates are printed on many
food items, but product dat
ing is not required by federal
regulations except on infant
formula and baby foods. Do
not buy or use infant for
mula and baby food past its
“use-by” date. An expired
date doesn’t necessarily
mean that the food needs to
be discarded. Still, it’s help
ful to understand the differ
ences among package dates.
Coded dates (packing num
bers) may appear on shelf
stable products such as can
and boxes of food. This helps
the manufacturer to rotate
their stock as well as locate
their products should there
be a recall.
Calendar dates help stores
determine how long to dis
play the products for sale
and relate to the peak quality
of food, not safety. Calendar
dates are found primarily
on perishable foods, such as
dairy products, eggs, meat
and poultry.
These three ways are used
to date products: “Sell-by”
date-tells the store how
long to display the product
for sale. You should buy
the product before the date
expires.
FOOD&HOME
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FROM
CTRATTU
V«>l I
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Journal Lifestyle Editor
I’ll make a confession about bananas. If I’m going to peel
and eat one, or slice it on my cereal, I don’t want one if it’s
got a spot of black on it. I like my bananas yellow on the
outside and unblemished on the inside.
When it comes to cooking , though, I know that the flavor
of bananas intensifies with heat.
Bananas are wonderful grilled with a little brown sugar
and baking a banana pudding really brings out the banana
BANANA BREAD NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE
Bringing home the
BACON
From staff reports
Bacon isn’t just for break
fast anymore. Here are some
recipes from the lowa Pork
Board that make the most of
crunchy bacon, combining it
with a variety of flavors and
textures.
BLT Soup
Serves 4
8 slices crispy-cooked bacon
1 28-oz can crushed toma
toes
1 14-1 /2-oz can chicken broth
1 15-oz can white beans,
cooked
1-1/2 teaspoon Italian season
ing
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup shredded leaf lettuce
flavor.
Also those overripe blackened bananas that are nearly
always on sale down below the sunny yellow ones are the
best for making banana bread.
If you can’t find ripe ones, hide some away in a paperbag
until the skins start turning speckled or downright black.
Bananas tend to ripen faster when clustered together.
This recipe takes about four medium sized bananas or
three large ones, which should come out - mashed - to a
little over 2 cups.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
Coarsely crumble bacon
and set aside. In 2-quart
saucepan, stir together
tomatoes, broth, beans and
seasoning. Bring to a sim
mer; stir in vinegar. In small
bowl, toss together lettuce
and basil. Ladle soup into
large soup plates or bowl;
garnish each serving with
crumbled bacon and lettuce
and basil.
Rigatoni with Olives and
Bacon
Serves 4
6 slices bacon
1/2 large onion, thinly
sliced
See BACON, Page iC
Journal/Charlotte Perkins
See BANANA, Page iC ,
SECTION: C
Elegant, excellent
edible egg dishs
I almost always have eggs
in the fridge. When my kids
were small and I forgot to
plan sup
per, I made
omelets
and a
salad. The
children
always
said we
were hav
ing “break
fast” for
dinner. I
love eggs.
I like
poached
eggs,
Yvonne
Sutherland
yvonnes@windstream.
stuffed eggs, egg sauces, you
name it.
Eggs have taken a bad rap
for their cholesterol content,
but on the other hand, they
are low in fat and calories.
They are also protein rich
and contain loads of vita
mins and iron. They have
been called the “perfect
food.” When I was in col
lege, my biology professor
told us that, if we had to
pick one food to live on, it
would have to be an egg. He
added that, to get the cal
cium we needed, we have to
eat the shell, too!
Considering their nutri
tional value, eggs are real
bargains. If you eat choles
terol-lowering whole grains
such as oatmeal for break
fast, I see no reason why you
cannot use your egg allow
ance for supper once in a
while. That is my theory,
anyway.
Eggs Benedict
6 slices cooked ham or
Canadian bacon
3 split English muffins
2 teaspoons white vinegar
6 eggs
Hollandaise Sauce (see my
column of February 13) or
Mock Hollandaise Sauce
(below)
Heat the ham or Canadian
bacon in a heavy skillet over
low and set aside. Meanwhile
toast the English muffins.
Top each half of the muffins
with the ham or Canadian
Bacon. Arrange on a heat
proof platter and set in a
warm oven.
Add the vinegar to a deep
skillet or omelet pan filled
with water. Bring to a sim
mer. Poach the eggs by slip
ping them one at a time
into the simmering (not
boiling) water. Simmer 5
minutes or until the whites
are set and the yolks are
thickened. Remove with a
slotted spoon.
Add a poached egg to
each muffin and top with
Hollandaise sauce or mock
Hollandaise.
Mock Hollandaise
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Dash hot pepper sauce
In a heavy sauce pan, whisk
all the ingredients together.
Heat over low heat, stirring
constantly until just heated
through.
Spaghetti Carbonara
4 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 pound bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt
3/4 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup butter
Parmesan cheese, to taste
Black pepper
Set out cream and eggs
and let come to room tem
perature.
In a heavy skillet fry the
bacon and drain on paper
towels. Pour most of the
bacon fat from skillet, retain
ing about 2 tablespoons.
Preheat the oven to 250
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