Newspaper Page Text
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Peggy's Pointers
Peggy
Bledsoe
Houston
County
Extension
Coordinator
Holiday Shopping
Are you a serious shopper?
Do the after Thanksgiving
sales get your adrenaline
pumping? Do you spend
time sorting through the
advertisements planning
for your big day of shop
ping? Now more than ever
it is important to shop smart
and that means developing a
sound spending plan. With
the economic conditions
we are experiencing, it is
not wise to build up a huge
holiday debt. Know how
much money you can spend.
To avoid problems in 2009,
limit yourself to the cash
you have set aside for the
season.
Think creatively.
Everyone is tightening their
belts this year. Remember
it is the thought that
counts. Homemade gifts
may be appreciated more
than a mass produced item
purchased locally. Gifts of
time for things like babysit
ting, car washing or house
cleaning may also be well
received.
Your holiday spending plan
is not just about the gifts
you plan to buy. Remember
to allow for parties, greet
ing cards, charitable giving,
clothing to wear for holiday
functions and other things
that make your holiday sea
son joyful.
When you get to the store,
keep your list and spending
plan in hand. Think care
fully about each and every
purchase. Avoid deciding on
an item in the spur of the
moment. Take your time.
Think about your needs and
the amount of money you
have.
Use the ads that appear in
the newspapers around the
holiday season to plan your
purchases. Compare offer
ings to find the best values.
Once you decide on a partic
ular item, compare features,
quality, prices, and charges
for installation, delivery
and service. Sometimes the
cost to use and maintain the
item makes selecting a more
expensive model the cheaper
option. Rather than driving
from store to store, you may
prefer to use the phone or
internet for shopping. When
shopping online, be careful.
Use a secure browser, shop
with companies you know
and keep your passwords
creative and private. Pay
particular attention to ship
ping charges and be sure to
print out and keep records
of your purchases.
With a possible recession
looming, retailers started
sales earlier than in years
past. That means plenty of
bargains, but you will still
need to shop carefully to
find them. As the holidays
approach, many will slash
prices so the best deals may
be still to come. Waiting for
the last minute price cuts
makes sense for items that
are not in short supply.
See BLEDSOE, Page jB
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• Pork Checkoff
Impress your family or guests with this rice-stuffed crown pork roast, flavored wit cinnamon and apricots.
You might even want to save the recipe for the holidays.
Pork Perfection
% np
JE HBL
Pork Checkoff
Make the oven work for you to create this satisfying meal.
Simple seasonings enchance the roasted peppered pork loin
without overpowering it. Serve with roasted potato wedges,
scalloped tomatoes, green salad with blue cheese vinaigrette,
and a loaf of crusty French bread. See Page 38.
Getting creative with pressed burgers
fi
yvonnes@windstream.net
Last week my husband
was out of town. I went to
the grocery store for some
thing quick to cook just for
myself and decided on a
hamburger. I found a large
package of grounjd chuck on
sale. Since I wanted just
one patty for myself, I made
and froze patties from the
extra. When I make pat
ties by hand, I tend to make
them too large. That means
more calories per burger,
and it is wasteful. I found
an old hamburger press in
a kitchen drawer. This
particular press has a circle
toward the back near the
hinge which guided me on
the size of the ball of meat I
should use and in position
ing the meat.
The burgers made with the
press were uniform, flat and
round. (You may not want
to use one if like 1/2 pound
burgers.) Mine cooked
Yvonne
Sutherland
Food
Columnist
Special to the Journal
Want to try something new for Sunday
dinner or come up with a great company
dish? A pork roast can be truly memorable
with the right recipe and flavor contrast.
Here are some good ones from the folks
at the National Pork Board.
Rice-Stuffed Pork Crown Roast
1 16-rib pork rib crown roast (about 8
pounds)
2 cups uncooked rice . ...
1 cup uncooked wild and long grain rice
1 4-ounce package dried apricots
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 of a 6-ounce can frozen orange juice
concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
Orange slices (optional)
Fresh cranberries (optional)
Cooking Directions
Place roast, bone tips up, on rack in a shal
low roasting pan. Cover ends of bones with a
strip of foil. Bake in a 350 degree F. oven for
1 1/2-2
hours.
While roast is baking, cook rice according to
package directions, adding apricots the last
10 minutes and cinnamon during the last 5
minutes of cooking time. Combine rice mix
ture and chopped pecans; mix well. Combine
See PORK, Page iB
quickly and thoroughly. The
rest were placed between
waxed paper squares and
frozen in a freezer bag. The
press I used was a simple
one, two pieces of cast alumi
num joined with a hinge. If
you are interested in buying
a press, you will find them
made of plastic, aluminum
or stainless steel. Presses
range in price from $5.00 for
a basic press to $350.00 for
deluxe models that you load
with precut divider papers.
The deluxe models are not
only costly but too big to
toss in a drawer. I think
you would have to make a
LOT of hamburgers to jus
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2008
tify such a purchase.
Now I have a large pack
age of frozen burgers which
can easily be separated to
thaw. I am trying my hand
at dressing them up and
serving them creatively.
Swigs and
Mushroom Burger
1 tablespoon olive oil
Onions (allow 1/2 per burg
er), sliced
1 tablespoon butter
Fresh button mushrooms
(about 3 per burger), sliced
Salt and pepper
FIoonngAMERICA
1812 Hwy 41 North • Perry
987-1112
SECTION: B
Notes from AFarr
farra@alltel.net
Soup’s On!
With the zing of fall in the
air means that ‘soup’ time is
upon us. I use to think that
a pot of soup was something
that no one could mess up...
wrong. Believe me I have
tasted some soup that left
a lot to be desired. When
judging a “Pot of Soup”
contest, I found that some
cooks can mess up potato
soup. Remember: Never put
your cheese in the pot when
you put your potatoes on to
cook. You add the cheese
once the soup is complete.
If added in the beginning,
the cheese will become like
rubber. The following is a
new recipe that I have just
started making. It is quick,
easy and delicious. Also
freezes well.
Mexican Soup
1 pound roll Jimmy Dean
Hot sausage meat
1 T olive oil
1 med size onion chopped
1 quart tomatoes, crushed
(I use the potato masher)
1 quart water
1 package taco seasonings
(Use the ‘heat’ strength
that you like)
2 T tomato bouillon or 2
squares of tomato bouil
lon
Pepper to taste
1 large can black beans,
drained and washed
2 regular size cans whole
kernel corn, un-drained
Put oil in pot, heat and
cook sausage until almost
done. Add onion
and cook until onion is
done. Drain off the fat. I put
several layers of paper tow
els in a colander and pour
sausage and onions on it.
Practically all of the fat will
be absorbed by the paper
towels and in the trash they
go. Add tomatoes, water,
taco seasonings, tomato
bouillon, pepper to the sau
sage and onions and bring to
a boil. Reduce heat and cook
for about 5 minutes to blend
the flavors. Add the beans
and corn and bring back to
a boil. Reduce to simmer,
cover and cook for about
See FARR, Pagesß
Hamburger patties
Swiss cheese
Toasted wheat buns
Heat the olive oil in a
small skillet and add the
onions. Saute over medi
um heat, using a wooden
spoon to separate the rings.
Continue cooking until they
are golden. Remove from
heat and keep warm. Add
the tablespoon of butter to
the same skillet and saute
the mushrooms giving them
a sprinkle of salt. Cook until
soft and done. Keep warm.
See BURGERS, Page3B
Agnes
Farr
Columnist
71047