Newspaper Page Text
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Peggy's Pointers
Peggy
Bledsoe
Houston
County
Extension
Coordinator
Resolve to be
clutter-free
Today is the last day of
2008! It’s time to stop and
reflect on the happenings of
the past year and make plans
for the upcoming one.
What New Year’s resolu
tions have you made? Maybe
you have decided to get
active and begin a walking
program, or eat healthier, or
remove the clutter from you
home, or do more for oth
ers, or spend more time with
your family, or nurture some
friendships. Whatever is on
your list of items to accom
plish in 2009 ... good luck!
The time between
Christmas and New Year’s
is an ideal time to conduct
an inventory of the clutter at
your house. This may reveal
to you that you are a pack
rat that does not want to
let go of anything. The top
10 excuses for holding on to
items are:
1. It is too good to thlrow
away.
2. It will be worth some
thing one day.
3. I’m sure it will come
back in style.
4. It was a gift from ...
5. I paid good money for
it.
6. As soon as I lose weight,
I’ll wear it.
7. It just needs fixing.
8. They don’t make these
anymore.
9. I’m saving it for ...
Incoming mail, newspa
pers, toys, and magazines
can create clutter. Holding
on to empty boxes and bro
ken things can fill up a closet
quickly. Piles of clothes can
quickly clutter up a house.
Take time to do a clutter
inventory. Answer these
questions: What needs orga
nizing? What needs discard
ing? Check every room of
your house as well as the
attic, garage, basement and
outside storage buildings.
Once you have completed
your inventory, it’s time to
create a schedule to handle
your clutter.
Clutter control contributes
to the smooth running of
your home. Organize your
clutter by giving items away,
selling items or recycling.
Cut down on the amount
of ornaments on display
in your home. Having too
many ornaments scattered
around the house can give
the illusion of your home
looking too busy.
Make it a habit to store
items where they are used.
After use always, put items
back in their place.
Create a system for the
mail. Determine the system
that works best for you.
Get in the habit of handling
things once. Discard the junk
mail and identify a special
location for the bills to be
paid. Sort the mail daily and
cut down on mail clutter.
Do you have some closets
that look like they are about
to burst? Furthermore, you
can’t find what you need
when you need it. Clear the
closet completely. Identify
the items to keep, give away
or recycle. Then organize
the closet by putting pants
together, shirts together and
fold all sweaters and store in
containers. A shoe rack may
be helpful, too.
The best way to control
clutter is to deal with it regu
larly. Quit making excuses
and just do it!
Peggy Bledsoe is the
Houston County Extension
Coordinator working in
the area of Family and
Consumer Sciences with
the University of Georgia
Cooperative Extension. She
can be reached at 478-987-
2028 or pbledsoe@uga.edu.
FOOD&HOME
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National Porkßoard
Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Sweet Potatoes celebrates the New Year with a southern accent.
Try this budget-wise Irish Stew
From staff reports
Now’s the time to bring
out the dutch oven, the
slow-cooker and the cas
serole dish and save a little
money while eating well.
Start with this Irish Stew
from the Idaho Potato
Commisson
2 pounds Idaho Potatoes
(4 medium potatoes)
peeled and sliced 1/4-inch
thick
3 cups onions, peeied, cut
in half and thinly sliced
2 cups carrots, peeled and
cut into 1-inch lengths
12 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1
1/2 teaspoons dry thyme
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper
to taste
2 pounds boneless blade
steaks (6 lamb shoulder
chops can be substituted)
12 ounces prepared beef
broth
3 tablespoons flour
fresh chopped parsley
Preheat the oven to 350°
F. «
On the bottom of a 3-quart
casserole dish or heavy pot
with a lid, spread half the
potatoes, onions and car
rots. Season heavily with
salt and pepper. Top with 6
sprigs of fresh thyme or 3/4
teaspoon of dry thyme. Place
the blade steaks or chops on
top of the vegetables. Top
the meat with the remain
ing potatoes, onions and car
rots. Season well with more
‘salt and pepper. Top with
remaining dry thyme.
Cover the stew with the
beef broth and enough cold
water to barely cover the
top layer of vegetables in
the pot. Place the lid on the
pot and cook for 2 1/2 hours
until the meat and potatoes
are fork tender.
To serve, remove the meat,
potatoes, and vegetables
from the pot. Discard the
thyme stalks if using fresh
thyme. In a small bowl,
blend 3 tablespoons of flour
with enough water to make
a smooth paste. With a wire
whisk, blend the flour mix
ture into the hot broth. Stir
well to dissolve the mixture.
Place the pot on the stove
and bring to a boil. Cook
the sauce for 3 to 4 minutes
until thickened. Season with
salt and pepper.
To serve, place the pota
toes, vegetables and a piece
of meat on plates or in large
See BUDGET, Page iB
Here’s to a
Happy & Healthy
2009
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Yvonne's Corner
Yvonne
Sutherland
Columnist
yvonnes@windstream.net
If one of your New Year’s
resolutions is to eat a health
ier diet, now is the time to
think about exactly what you
are putting in your body. The
festive menu below is healthy
and delicious beginning with
a light Sangria instead of a
cocktail. The first course is
a black-eyed pea soup made
with turkey sausage. After
all, we must have black-eyed
peas for luck! And remember
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2008
black-eyed peas are low
in fat and sodium and
they contain no choles
terol.
In the South pork is
traditional for New Year’s
dinner. Fortunately,
today’s pork is leaner and
contains less saturated
fat than the pork of yore.
It also requires careful
cooking if it is not to dry
out. The recipe below is
from the National Pork
Board and is coated with
a seasoning mix to hold
in the moisture.
If we are to be rich
in the coming year, we
have to eat our greens.
Georgians are particu
larly fond of greens.
According to the USD A,
Georgia grows more than
25% of all leafy greens.
Greens are full of anti-
See loop, Pagezß
Idaho Potato Commission
SECTION: B
Notes from AFarr
Agnes
Farr
Columnist
farra@alltel.net
Time to cut
the calories
Well it has been a busy
Christmas season, I have
enjoyed it. I have had a lot of
correspondence from people
wanting some low-fat, low
calorie recipes. I haven’t had
time the thoroughly think
through a plan for this but I
am working on it. However, I
did come across this little clip
that I had saved. Thought I
would share with you. After
you read it, you will prob
ably want to hide the remote,
shred all the fast food cou
pons, put on some sweats and
start walking. See you around
town, aaf
God’s Diet Plan
And God populated the
earth with broccoli and cau
liflower and spinach and
green and yellow vegetables
of all kinds, so man and
woman could live long and
healthy lives.
And Satan created
McDonalds and McDonalds
brought forth the 99cent dou
ble-cheese burger and man
gained pounds.
And God created the
healthful yogurt, that woman
might keep her figure that
man found so fair.
And Satan froze yogurt and
brought forth chocolate, nuts,
and brightly colored sprinkle
candy to put on the yogurt.
And woman gained pounds.
And God said, “Try my
crispy fresh salad. ” And Satan
brought forth creamy dress
ings, bacon bits, and shred
ded cheese. And there was ice
cream for dessert. And the
woman gained pounds.
And God said, “I have sent
you heart healthy vegetables
and olive oil with which to
cook them.” And God brought
forth running shoes, and man
resolved to lose those extra
pounds.
And Satan brought forth
cable TV with remote control
so that man would not have
to toil to change channels
between ESPN and ESPN2.
And man gained pounds.
And God said, “You’re run
ning up the score, Devil.” And
God brought forth the potato, a
vegetable naturally low in fat
and brimming with nutri
tion. And Satan peeled off
the beautiful skin and sliced
the starchy center into chips
and deep-fat fried them. And
he created sour cream dip
also. And man clutched his
remote control and ate the
potato chips swaddled in
cholesterol. And Satan saw
and said, “It is good.”
And man went into cardi
ac arrest and God sighed and
created quadruple by-pass
surgery...and Satan created
HMOs...
Just a few things to think
about when planning your
grocery shopping:
•Add more fruits and veg
etables to your diet.
• Buy the cheaper, leaner
cuts of beef
•Whenever possible, sub
stitute Olive oil.
• Do not buy pastries or
candy. If it is there, chances
are you will eat it.
• Skin chicken and add
more fish to your diet.
• Park as far from the
store as possible. The walk
is good for you.
• Never go shopping when
you are hungry.
• Plan your menus, make
your list and stick to it,
unless there is a good sale
that you can substitute.
•Substitute the non-fat
dry milk in your cooking.