Newspaper Page Text
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Peggy's Pointers
Peggy
Bledsoe
Houston
County
Extension
Coordinator
Mailing Food
Remembering relatives
and friends with food gifts
during the holiday season is
an ideal way to send holiday
greetings.
It is time to decide what
items you will prepare and
how you will ship them.
Here are some ideas to
insure your gifts arrive in
perfect condition.
Food is a great holiday gift
and can be sent safely in the
mail if it is chosen carefully,
well packaged and sent in a
timely manner.
There are many types of
food that are ideal for mail
ing.
Pound cakes, cookies high
in sugar and shortening,
brownies shortbread and
nut bars are a few exam
ples of foods that ship well.
Coffees, teas, cereals and
nuts are great choices to
ship, also.
Avoid shipping foods with
perishable fillings or foods
that are moist, as these will
spoil quickly. Delicate cakes
and cookies will crumble
easily in the mail.
Mailing highly perishable
foods is not recommended
unless special precautions
are taken to ensure that
the food stays out of the
temperature danger zone
(40 9 F - 140 9 F) during the
entire shipping process.
This means keeping the food
below 40 9 F during shipping
and letting the recipient
know when to expect the
package and what to do with
it upon arrival.
Follow these guidelines
for packaging the food stuffs
you ship. For packaging a
cake, select a box that is
slightly larger than the cake
itself.
Flat cookies can be
wrapped in pairs back to
back with a layer of waxed
paper between them and
then wrapped in foil or plas
tic wrap.
Other types of cookies
should be wrapped individu
ally with plastic wrap or foil.
Pad the bottom of the con
tainer with crumpled wax
paper and place the heavier
cookies on the bottom.
Make sure the lid on
the container fits tightly.
Brownies and bar cookies
should be left uncut and in
the baking pan or a box that
is the same size as the bak
ing pan. Wrap tightly in foil
or plastic wrap.
Choose a mailing box that
allows plenty of space for
placing packing material on
all sides of the food contain
er. Begin by filling the box
with a layer of packaging
material. Use material such
as newspaper, bubble wrap,
or foam pieces.
Place the gift in the cen
ter of the box. Fill around
the gift with more packag
ing material until the box
is full and there is no air
space left. Do not use pack
ing material that will attract
pests such as popped corn or
puffed cereal.
It is acceptable to mail
jars and bottles within the
United States if they have
screw tops or locking -lid
devices. Absorbent packag
ing materials such as news
papers, packing paper or
paper towels should be used
around the jars in case of
leaks or breakage.
When determining what
type of food to send someone
in the military, it is impor
tant to choose foods that are
not perishable, can handle
extreme temperatures and
won’t break easily.
This includes foods such
See BLEDSOE, Page 6B
FOOD&HOME
Cool weather - Hot Soup
Potato soup - easy to make and easy on the budget
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Idaho Potato Commission
Potato Broccoli and Murshroom Soup is a great main
dish soup - fancy but inexpensive.
ii.' ’A jffWy l * . -
Idaho Potato Commission
Potato Tortilla Soup is a festive approach to some favor
ite family flavors.
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Idaho Potato Commission
Trying to stay on a hearth-healthy diet? Here’s a recipe
that’s good for you and good-tasting, too.
Recipe of the Week: Brown Sugar Pound Cake
Special to the Journal
This caramel and
pecan variation on the
classic pound cake comes
from the cooks at Martha
White. You’ll need a 10-
inch tube pan. It makes
18 servings.
No-Stick Cooking Spray
2 1/4 cups firmly packed
light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup Vegetable
Shortening
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 large eggs
3 cups Martha White All-
Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon baking pow
der
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 cup chopped toasted
pecans
Glaze:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup firmly packed light
brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1. Heat oven to 350° F.
Spray a 10-inch tube pan
with no-stick cooking spray.
Combine 2 1/4 cups brown
sugar, sugar, 1 cup butter,
shortening and 2 teaspoons
vanilla in large bowl; beat
until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time,
beating well after each addi
tion.
From staff reports
The days are shorter now, and the weather a little
colder, ft’s soup time.
Even better, it’s time for main-dish soups, and
potato soup is one of the best options. Once you
master the basic cream of potato soup, you can
dress it up with everything from clams to ham,
and if broccoli soup is a family favorite, keep in
mind that broccoli goes perfectly with potato soup.
Potatoes are also a good main ingredient for vcassic
egetable soups.
Here are some recipes from the Idaho Potato
Commission that will warm your family up on a
cold evening and are also easy on your food bud
get.
Potato Broccoli and Mushroom Soup
This easy-to-prepare, healthy soup is sure to become a
family favorite. A blend of broccoli, onions, mushrooms and
a dash of garlic makes Idaho Potato Broccoli and Mushroom
Soup a light, but filling addition to lunch or dinner. In addi
tion, the high starch content of Idaho Potatoes gives the soup
its wonderful texture and body
Potato Soup Base
1 small Idaho Potato, peeled, diced small
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. Butterbud Sprinkles (no fat butter powder, butter
sprinkles)
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1/2 cup low-fat evaporated milk
1/8 tsp. white pepper
Potato Broccoli and Mushroom Soup
1 pint Idaho Potato Soup base
8 oz. frozen cut broccoli, thawed
1 small yellow onion, diced
8 medium mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup low-fat evaporated milk
1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground fennel
1/4 tsp. thyme
Me In a saucepan, bring Idaho potatoes
and water to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer until potatoes are
tender about 10-15 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients. Stir to blend. Reduce heat to
low.
Using an electric hand mixer on medium speed, blend until
smooth.
In a non-stick skillet saute diced onion over medium heat
until tender.
Add broccoli and mushrooms. Saute until mushroom slices
are tender.
Add mixture and remaining ingredients to soup base. Stir
and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes.
Idaho Potato Broccoli Soup
In a hurry? Here’s a simpler version of potato-broccoli
soup. You could add a can of mushrooms !
4 14-ounce cans broth (chicken, vegetable, beef or a com
bination)
3 cups Idaho Potato flakes or buds
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup powdered milk (optional)
20-ounce package frozen, chopped broccoli
2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional)
Chopped paisley, chopped scallion or chives, broccoli flo
rettes (optional garnishes)
In a large stockpot, over medium-high heat, bring broth to
boiling. Remove from heat and stir in the potato flakes, garlic
powder and dried milk, if desired. Allow mixture to sit while
preparing broccoli.
Prepare frozen broccoli according to package directions.
Stir the broccoli into the potato mixture. Heat soup over
medium heat until hot. If desired, just before serving, stir in
lemon juice. Garnish each bowl of soup, if desired.
See POTATO SOUP, Page 6B
2. Combine flour, baking
powder and salt in medium
bowl; mix well. Add flour
mixture to butter mixture
alternately with milk, beat
ing well after each addition.
Stir in pecans. Spread
batter in prepared pan.
3 .Bake 1 1/4 hour or until
toothpick inserted in center
comes out clean. Cool 10
minutes. Remove from pan.
Cool 1 hour or until com
pletely cooled.
4. Melt 1/4 cup butter in
small saucepan over medi
um-low heat.
Add 1/2 cup brown sugar;
cook on medium-low 2 min
utes, stirring constantly.
Add 1/4 cup milk; bring to a
boil, stirring constantly.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER S, 2008 ♦
n
Martha White’s Brown Sugar Pound Cake
5. Remove saucepan
from heat. Stir in vanilla.
Gradually stir in powdered
Notes from AFarr
ySP
Agnes
Farr
Columnist
Solo Cooking
Just because you live
alone is no reason not to eat
a well balanced diet.
While out on a just look
ing for Christmas shop
ping trip, I stumbled across
something that I had not
seen before.
There are a lot of small
appliances to be used for
cooking for one or two. There
is a 2 quart slow-cooker...
runs from $13.00 to $25.00;
a small electric fry pan, for
SIO.OO (You could also use
it to grill sandwiches); the
small Fry Daddy—for those
of you that love to fry; the
little casseroles that are just
the right size for one or
two servings of potatoes or
pot pie; a neat little dish
that looks like a miniature
cake pan, core your fruit
and put over the center, do
your thing and bake; 6 muf
fin size pans... you get the
picture.
Look around and tell your
children and grandchildren
to get you some for or these
things for Christmas.
The following are some
recipes for just one or two to
help you plan to eat right.
Pork Chop and
Apple's
Rub thick lean chop with
1 tablespoon olive oil and
salt it.
Heat a small skillet and
sear chop on one side. Turn
and add the following:
1 large apple, peeled and
sliced
1 thin slice of onion
2 tablespoon brown sugar
Water to cover the bottom
of pan
Cover and cook until chop
is done. Remove cover and
broil until apples are light
tan.
Orange Beet Salad
1 cup diced or sliced,
canned beets
1 green onion, sliced
One half tsp sugar
Sprinkle of salt
Mix all together and toss
in 1 small orange that has
been sectioned and diced
and any juice that drained
from the orange. Serve.
Orange Carrots
Three fourths cup sliced
carrots, cooked in a small
amount of boiling salt water
until tender.
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
Dash of salt
See FARR, Page 6B
sugar; blend until smooth.
Drizzle over cooled cake.
5B