Christmas Gifts To Make and Share

Visit our November/December issue of www.cookingbright.com to read our article about creative, budget savvy ways to make and give holiday gifts this year.  When thinking of Christmas gift ideas consider simple options like homemade marshmallows- like the recipe below.  Add a mug and jar of hot cocoa mix and you have a gift that is sure to keep almost anyone warm on a cool winter's night.


Marshmallows
2 envelopes powdered unflavored gelatin
¾ cup water
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup water
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Pour gelatin into the bowl of your mixer and add ¾ cup of water, allow to soften. In a small sauce pan stir together 2 cup sugar and ½ cup water, bring to boil and cook until registers 240º with a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir into gelatin mixture. Stir in the salt and mix on high with the whisk attachment for 5 minutes. The mixture should then be cool and look like marshmallow fluff. Add the extract and mix and additional 5 minutes on high. Line a 9x13 baking dish with plastic wrap, oil the plastic, then pour marshmallow into pan and smooth. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours. Cut into desired shapes using scissors, a knife, or a cookie cutter. Dust with powdered sugar and store in an airtight container.
** For best results do not attempt to make marshmallows on a humid day.

Hot Cocoa Mix
5 cups dry milk powder or non-dairy creamer
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
2 TBSP instant coffee powder
2 TBSP ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Combine and mix all ingredients.  Store in an airtight container.  To make add 1/4 cup of mix (or more if preferred) to 1 cup boiling water.  Stir to dissolve and serve with marshmallows.

Alternate recipe: Omit powdered milk/creamer and use hot milk instead of water when making.

Turkey, TURKEY, tukey, Turkey, TURKEY, turkey...

Very soon most of our homes will be filled with the fragrance of giant birds cooking for our favorite national feast.  Though budgets are lean and most Americans are cutting back where they can... the turkey is one dish that we seem to always prepare in excess.  The lingering leftovers seem at first wonderful, then redundant, then are often tossed as they wait for their less than enthusiastic reception by diners who have been eating turkey for what seems at the time like eternity.  What can we do to avoid this waste and keep our family more delighted with our dishes?

Before you even consider what to do with the leftovers make certain they are safe to eat.  Any perishable food should be consumed or refrigerated within two hours of removal from the oven*.  This includes turkey and all of the dishes that go with it (ANY food that can grow bacteria falls into this catergory, even fruits and vegetables).  All meat should be cut off the bone and stored in the refrigerator as soon as possible after preparing it AND it should be consumed within 3-4 days.  If you end up with tons of turkey after your feast, consider freezing it so you have more than 4 days to enjoy it.

To freeze your turkey remove it from the bones and store in freezer safe, airtight containers.  Consider slicing and dicing it before storing so it is ready for your favorite recipes when you need to thaw some.  Be sure to label it clearly with the date and contents.  These can be exceptionally useful to add to soups, salads, casseroles, or anything else when you want to add a little more flavor.

20 ideas for your leftover turkey:

1. Turkey Sandwich (you just can't beat it- I always add cranberry sauce and mayonaise)

2. Turkey and Cheese Quesadilla

3. BBQ Turkey Pizza

4. Vegetable Turkey Soup
5. Pasta Alfredo- with Turkey
6. Cobb Salad- with Turkey
7. Chick-un salad (many restaurants use turkey breast in their chicken salad :).)
8. Turkey Enchiladas
9. Turkey Pot Pie

10. Turkey wraps

11. Turkey Fried Rice

12. Turkey Stir Fry

13. Turkey and Cheese Omelet
14. Turkey Tetrazini
15. Turkey Caesar Salad
16. Mac-n-cheese-n-turkey
17. Minestrone with Turkey
18. Turkey Hash
19. Brunswick Stew, with turkey
20. Black beans and rice and turkey

*40-140ºF is considered the "danger zone".  At this temperature bacteria multiplies rapidly and if two hours or more pass in this temperature range you should not consume the food.  This applies to almost all meat, seafood, dairy, vegetable, and fruit dishes.

Florida Baptist Children's Home Christmas Open House

Open House at the Florida Baptist Children’s Homes

Where: 2300 Bartram Road; Jacksonville, Florida
When: Sunday, 12/06/09, from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.
Activities: Tours of cottages, Live nativity scene, Choirs, Hay rides, Cup cake decorating, Crafts, & Snacks
For More Information Call: (904) 721-2711

Florida Baptist Children's Home Provides: Residential Group Care, Foster Care, Adoption Services, & Maternity Services for more information visit their website: http://www.fbchomes.org/

Riverside Relay for Life

If you would like to help make a difference with the American Cancer Society's Riverside Relay for Life please consider joining me for this fun event, scheduled for April 23-24th, 2010 at the Yates Family YMCA in Downtown Jacksonville.  Visit the website at www.RelayForLife.org/RiversideFL  where you can set-up your own team to participate in this wonderful cause.  If you have any questions or would like to consider supporting the event in any other way email riversiderelay4life@gmail.com.

Pumpkin Pomegranate Parfaits

Holidays can be challenging when it comes to eating healthy, especially when you consider dessert. Pumpkin pie for example seems healthy- it's made from a vegetable, right? However with that flaky crust and rich pumpkin filling even this "healthy" choice has 260 calories and 11 grams of fat (for a small 1/6 of a frozen pie, 4.4oz). Add to that a little whipped topping (25 calories and 1.5g of fat- if you only use 2 TBSP) and you realize that it might put you over your calorie budget (if you have one)… especially if you have to try “just a bite” of all of the other dessert options.

When you are trying to be good and watch what you eat but still want to enjoy something sweet and festive try this simple recipe that can be made ahead. If you compare the basic ingredients of this recipe to the fine print on the labels of that frozen pie and “whipped topping”- you’ll see that we’ve avoided high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils… it is surprising where they manage to hide that stuff!  This only takes a few minutes to make and if you want you can also make only the "pumpkin layer" and use it at a dip for fresh apple slices.

In addition to nutrition the pomegranate arils add a gratifying "crunch" to this dish... without adding as much fat as nuts or other options.

Pumpkin Pomegranate Parfaits

Pumpkin layer:

8oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup packed brown sugar plus 2 TBSP packed brown sugar

1 29oz can 100%pure pumpkin

Cream layer:

2 cups plain fat free Greek style yogurt

4 TBSP brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Pomegranate layer:

2 large pomegranates, “cleaned”

For pumpkin layer: Beat cream cheese until smooth, add salt, spices, and sugar. Mix thoroughly and blend in pumpkin.

For cream layer: In a separate bowl whisk together yogurt, sugar, and extract.

Open pomegranate and remove “arils” (they look like ruby red corn kernels). It is easiest to clean them in a bowl of water so the arils can sink and the pith will float. In a pretty clear glass bowl or cup place about ¼ cup of the pumpkin, then 2 TBSP of the yogurt, then a layer of pomegranate arils. Repeat the layers one more time and chill covered until ready to serve. If you prefer you can also layer everything in one large clear glass bowl. Serves 8.

Empty Bowls

25th Annual Empty Bowls Luncheon

Date: November 17, 2009 - 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Location: Prime Osborn Convention Center (Downtown Jacksonville)
Ticket Information:
Individual tickets: $25 - Nonprofit tables: $300 - Corporate tables: $500 (See below for other sponsorship opportunities)


FEATURING:

♦ Handcrafted bowls
♦ Silent auction
♦ Celebrity autographed bowls
♦ Live pottery demonstrations
♦ Entertainment by area musicians and school groups
♦ A simple meal served by local celebrities
*Please arrive early in order to choose your perfect bowl. Doors open at 11 a.m.

Bowls, Bread & Soup


The Empty Bowls Luncheon demonstrates community support for those who are coping with hunger in North Florida. Local celebrities (including media personalities) act as servers for the event. In addition to helping fight hunger, the luncheon presents a diverse program for all. Area students and senior citizen groups have created original, handcrafted ceramic bowls for every guest. Luncheon attendees are able to select just the right bowl to take home.

Local potters and ceramic artists have also donated their time and talents to create unique bowls. In addition, the Empty Bowls Luncheon includes celebrity signed bowls. Recognized personalities from the national stage have lent their names to the cause.

The annual Empty Bowls Luncheon has come to symbolize the beginning of Thanksgiving and the holiday season. We hope you join us for a memorable afternoon and help us fill the empty bowls in our community. All proceeds will benefit Second Harvest North Florida, its member agencies and our neighbors who need food assistance.

http://www.wenourishhope.org/events/2009/25th-annual-empty-bowls-luncheon

The Farmer's Market and Second Harvest

This week Tom Strother of Second Harvest North Florida joins us to talk about the new Fresh Food For Families program being launched at the Jacksonville Farmer's Market to allow SNAP participants to shop there.     I will be at The Jacksonville Farmer's Market on Beaver Street this Saturday, November 14th- 10am-Noon.  Please come out an enjoy the activites, cooking demonstrations, and samples.

'Fresh Food for Families' program to open new access to nutrition for EBT/SNAP users on First Coast

Select vendors at the Jacksonville Farmers Market on Beaver Street will accept EBT/Snap cards for purchases; through the program vendors will also now be able to accept debit and credit purchases

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - On Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, Second Harvest North Florida kicks off a new “Fresh Food for Families” program at the Jacksonville Farmers Market, with a fair from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. that will offer free information, giveaways and health services to benefit families living in communities neighboring the market. The kickoff inaugurates the beginning of vendors being able to accept Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards from low-income people to purchase food and plants and seeds to grow food for their households.

On Nov. 14, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., shoppers at the Jacksonville Farmers Market who present a receipt at Second Harvest’s display table showing that they have used their EBT/SNAP cards to purchase at least $10 worth of fresh food from Jacksonville Farmers Market vendors that day will receive a free bag filled with fresh fall samplings from market vendors. Also on that Saturday only, in honor of the program’s kickoff, JTA’s Trolley will operate free of charge from 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

At 11 a.m., the program will be formally launched with the help of local community organizations and government leaders such as the State Congress, Mayor’s Office, City Council, New Town Success Zone, The Chartrand Foundation, and Florida Department of Children & Families, Jacksonville Community Council Inc., Jacksonville Farmers Market and Second Harvest.

With funding from The Chartrand Foundation, Fresh Food for Families is the result of months of planning by Second Harvest, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and Beaver Street Fisheries, which owns the Jacksonville Farmers Market. The program addresses issues brought to light in a 2008 Infant Mortality Study produced by Jacksonville Community Council Inc. (JCCI), which revealed that babies – especially black babies – are dying in Jacksonville at higher rates than the Florida state average. Even more unsettling is the fact that Florida’s average is higher than the United States national average, which is higher than nearly all the industrialized countries in the world. Most notably, the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) for black mothers in Jacksonville is nearly double the rate for white and Hispanic mothers.

The JCCI planning group identified improving access by low-income families to fresh fruit and vegetables sold by local vendors at the Jacksonville Farmers Market as one significant way to improve the nutritional level and health of low-income families, especially women of childbearing age and their children living in the New Town Success Zone including zip codes 32206, 32208 and 32209. The Jacksonville Farmers Market, located at 1810 W. Beaver Street in zip code 32209, is well located to provide healthy, nutritious food to these families, but, prior to Nov. 14, almost no vendors at the market accept any form of payment other than cash, which prevents low-income people eligible for food stamp benefits from patronizing the market. Second Harvest worked with interested vendors to sign them up for free wireless point-of-sale terminals and pin pads that enable them to accept EBT, credit and debit cards for purchases.

Families in the New Town Success Zone live in a “food desert,” where no large, completely stocked grocery stores exist but fast-food and convenience stores selling “fringe food” abound. Given their limited transportation and income, obtaining food for a healthy well-balanced diet is nearly impossible for them.

“Increasing low-income families’ access to healthy, nutritious food like the fresh food sold by vendors at the Jacksonville Farmers Market is at the heart of Second Harvest’s mission,” Thomas Mantz, Second Harvest North Florida executive director, said. “We know that improving the quality of food consumed by families improves, in particular, children’s health and chances for future success. We are grateful to The Chartrand Foundation for funding this creative solution to the issue of hunger in our community.”

The Fresh Food for Families fair and market are open to the general public. MasterCard, Visa and Discover credit and debit cards, in addition to EBT cards, will be accepted by select Jacksonville Farmers Market vendors whose signage indicates their participation in this new program.

- http://www.wenourishhope.org/