Instead of buying all your gifts, why not bake them?
Not everyone is a baker so at this time of year, a homemade baked gift is a treat to many. Christmas cookies are the traditional homemade gift but no one is going to say no to a homemade pie, cake or other baked item.
Giving a homemade, baked gift to a neighbor, your child’s teacher or other person that you want to recognize this time of year is an easy gift to give. There are several ways to package your gift and here are some tips for homemade gift giving.
Christmas cookies can be packaged in a variety of ways. Many stores sell Christmas tins, plastic containers and even boxes specifically for cookies. Another idea is to use holiday-themed Ziploc bags and finish it off with a festive bow. You may also decorate the cookies. Sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, chocolate chip cookies are traditional favorites.
While you are baking for your family, bake a few extra cakes to use as gifts. Round and Square shaped-cakes never go out of fashion, but if you have kids in mind, invest in some Christmas shaped cake pans.
For cakes, pies and other baked goods there are several options. You can purchase inexpensive Christmas or holiday-themed tins but another idea is to check out glassware, plastic plates and other containers at a dollar store.
CHOOSE the right gift.
Put your best foot forward. Bake your speciality, not what's new on the cover of a magazine. (So what if your speciality is Fudge... yours will taste better than a supermarket version.)
What are the likes and dislikes of your recipient? Any food allergies?
Quick breads, easy to make, are also widely popular as Christmas gifts. Bread Machine makes the task of baking several loaves all the more easier. Wrap loaves individually in cellophane and tie with a bow to make perfect gifts. Pumpkin Bread, Cranberry Bread, Gingerbread, Chocolate Shortbread, Banana Bread etc. are great favorites at this time of the year.
Muffins and Cupcakes look very attractive in their paper cases lined up in a decorative gift box. Decorate cupcakes by spreading smooth jam all over the surface and then sprinkling desiccated coconut over them for a lovely red-white effect. You can further enhance the look by placing 3 holly leaves, cut out from green marzipan and 3 little red marzipan balls to represent the berries
PRESENTATION is everything.
Why not try putting a few pieces of Espresso Chocolate Chip Shortbread in a large coffee mug and wrap it in cellophane?
Just some Ginger Crackles on a holiday party plate makes a good gift.
Always include a copy of the recipe with every gift.
MAILING those gifts?
Choose the right desserts to mail that won't break, melt, spill, or spoil, if delayed in the mail. (Pound Cake is always a safe bet. It's heavy, but it doesn't fall apart.)
Use a sturdy mailing container like a heavy box or a cookie tin.
Don't be afraid to wrap your baked good like you would a piece of fine china. Use plastic wrap to encase the food and then use tissue paper or bubble wrap for extra protection.
You can't go wrong with baked gifts from the kitchen!
Always remember, A present made by you is much better that a store bought one.
Give this holiday favorite a try!
Cranberry Orange Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg until well blended. Mix in 1 teaspoon orange zest and 2 tablespoons orange juice. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the orange mixture. Mix in cranberries and if using, walnuts, until evenly distributed. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Cookies should be spaced at least 2 inches apart.
3. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are golden. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 teaspoon orange zest, 3 tablespoons orange juice and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread over the tops of cooled cookies. Let stand until set
Happy Holidays! Enjoy!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
BENEFITS OF BUYING LOCAL AT A FARMERS MARKET
Shopping at your local Farmer's Market is recommended because it is chemical free. Nutritional value begins to decline immediately after picking and continues as the produce ages. Exposure to light, air and heat can also cause a loss of nutrients.
Much of the produce found in your grocery has traveled many miles and several days before reaching you. In many cases, frozen fruits and vegetables contain more nutrients than "fresh" bought from the grocery store. When you purchase produce in the grocery, you are also paying for the gas and shipping costs.
Shopping at your local farmer's market allows you to have the freshest produce available. Most of the items are picked that day or the day before and are at their peak. Better yet, if you have any questions, the person who grew it is right there to ask. If you are in doubt as to where the produce came from, grown locally or shipped in, ask the grower.
Another bonus in buying local is that it helps to provide a positive impact on the environment and local economy.
Because of consumer's requests for organic produce, you'll likely find local farmers who grow organically.Another bonus to buying at a farmers market is that many farmers markets offer not only vegetables, but also fruits, nuts, homemade soaps, freshly blended teas and a variety of locally-made goods such as jams, sauces, and marinades. Some even offer crafts, handmade clothing, cheeses and much more.
Each Thursday at Tanner Health System during the growing season -which typically lasts until October -local farmers and vendors will set up their booths just outside the cafe' and offer locally grown fruits and vegetables, eggs pasture raised meats, jams and jellies, granola, breads and muffins, honey and more. All vendors live in Carroll County or an adjacent county and all products are produced by the vendors.
A little Farmer's Market History
In July 1934 a contingent of farmers pulled their trucks onto an expanse of empty land at the property known as Gilmore Island at the corner of Third and Fairfax in Los Angeles. They displayed their produce on the tailgates of their vehicles, to their delight, customers quickly arrived and parked their cars on a hastily created dirt parking lot in spaces designated with chalk. They strolled among the trucks purchasing fruit, vegetables and flowers.
The atmosphere was casual, the open air commerce enticing, the goods fresh, and the result remarkable. Farmers Market became an instant institution.
Much of the produce found in your grocery has traveled many miles and several days before reaching you. In many cases, frozen fruits and vegetables contain more nutrients than "fresh" bought from the grocery store. When you purchase produce in the grocery, you are also paying for the gas and shipping costs.
Shopping at your local farmer's market allows you to have the freshest produce available. Most of the items are picked that day or the day before and are at their peak. Better yet, if you have any questions, the person who grew it is right there to ask. If you are in doubt as to where the produce came from, grown locally or shipped in, ask the grower.
Another bonus in buying local is that it helps to provide a positive impact on the environment and local economy.
Because of consumer's requests for organic produce, you'll likely find local farmers who grow organically.Another bonus to buying at a farmers market is that many farmers markets offer not only vegetables, but also fruits, nuts, homemade soaps, freshly blended teas and a variety of locally-made goods such as jams, sauces, and marinades. Some even offer crafts, handmade clothing, cheeses and much more.
Each Thursday at Tanner Health System during the growing season -which typically lasts until October -local farmers and vendors will set up their booths just outside the cafe' and offer locally grown fruits and vegetables, eggs pasture raised meats, jams and jellies, granola, breads and muffins, honey and more. All vendors live in Carroll County or an adjacent county and all products are produced by the vendors.
A little Farmer's Market History
In July 1934 a contingent of farmers pulled their trucks onto an expanse of empty land at the property known as Gilmore Island at the corner of Third and Fairfax in Los Angeles. They displayed their produce on the tailgates of their vehicles, to their delight, customers quickly arrived and parked their cars on a hastily created dirt parking lot in spaces designated with chalk. They strolled among the trucks purchasing fruit, vegetables and flowers.
The atmosphere was casual, the open air commerce enticing, the goods fresh, and the result remarkable. Farmers Market became an instant institution.
Try out this Heart Healthy Recipe, most of these items you can purchase at
Tanner's local Farmers Market!
Pan-Roasted Chicken with Shallots
Makes: 4 servings
Start to Finish: 20 minutes
Views Nutrition Facts
Ingredients
8 shallots or 1 large onion
4 mediumskinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1 to 1 1/4 pounds total)
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoonolive oil
1 mediumzucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cupsnipped fresh parsley
Directions
Peel shallots; halve small shallots and quarter large shallots. If using onion, cut into thin wedges (should have 1 cup shallots or onion wedges); set aside. Sprinkle chicken lightly with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Add chicken; cook for 2 minutes.
Turn chicken. Add shallots to skillet.Cook for 8 to 10 minutes more or until chicken is no longer pink (170°F), stirring shallots frequently and turning chicken, if necessary, to brown evenly. If necessary, add additional oil to prevent sticking. Reduce heat to medium low if chicken or shallots brown too quickly.
Transfer chicken and shallots to a serving platter. Cover to keep warm. Add zucchini to skillet. Cook and stir for 3 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add to platter with chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Have a Picnic for the Planet on Earth Day
Now here’s an Earth day (April 22nd) idea I can get behind. Celebrate the planet we live on with good food and a great picnic.
If you’re going to enjoy an Earth Day picnic, here are some suggestions to make sure it’s an earth-friendly picnic.
1.Bring only reusable plates, cups, utensils and napkins. Keep the disposables to the barest minimum.
2.Include local food in your picnic.
3.Provide a receptacle for recyclables that you will take home and make sure it gets to the right place. Don’t count on the park doing your recycling for you. Even if it has a can for recycling, many people throw both trash and recyclables in those cans, and often everything in them gets thrown in the trash.
4.Bring an assortment of Frisbees, footballs, and other things that can get you and your family up and moving after the picnic.
5.Leave your picnic spot in better shape than when you got there. Don’t just clean up your own trash. Spend a few minutes walking around the picnic spot to clean up trash that others have left behind.
Celebrate the earth, eat environmentally friendly!
What better way to honor Earth Day than to prepare a dish that's easy on the environment? Choose Earth Day recipes that feature seasonal fruits and vegetables that are less likely to contain harmful pesticides. (Peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce and potatoes typically have the highest pesticide levels, according to the Environmental Working Group in Washington, D.C., while onions, avocados, frozen sweet corn, pineapples, mangoes, asparagus, frozen peas, kiwi, bananas, cabbage, broccoli and papayas have the lowest. Choosing the latter and avoiding the former - unless organic - could slash your family's pesticide exposure by almost 90 percent.) Look for spring gems like asparagus, blueberries, cabbage, cauliflower, mushrooms and peas at your nearest farmer's market. Eating local supports your economy and involves fewer miles traveled - and fewer pollutants emitted - to get dinner on your plate. Whip up some fun for the kids, too, with our "mudpie" cookies and chocolate dirt cups!
Around- the- Kitchen Earth friendly tips:
Use dishtowels and cloth napkins instead of paper products. They’re more absorbent and prettier, anyway.
Use cool water to rinse dishes as you load the dishwasher.
Let the dishes in the dishwasher air dry.
Fill a basin instead of washing directly under running water when washing dishes by hand.
Switch to non-toxic soaps and cleansers for everyday tasks—they’re better for the environment AND safer for kids. Baking soda, for instance, is helpful for removing stubborn food and stains from pots and pans.
Install a high-quality water filter instead of buying bottled water.
Install a faucet aerator—you’ll get the same cleaning power with less water. Vacuum the coils behind (or under) your refrigerator regularly.
When Preparing Meals:
Use cool water to rinse vegetables—even better, fill one side of the sink with a few inches of water and wash all the produce for your meal at once.
Choose your appliances wisely: slow-cookers, pressure cookers and your microwave all use less energy than your range.
In hotter months, avoid using the range. Opt for your microwave instead—it won’t heat up the house. Microwaves use from half to 1/5 the amount of energy as your range. Hint: for maximum efficiency, cook smaller rather than larger pieces of food. A whole meat loaf, for example, takes longer to reheat than the same weight of sliced meatloaf thanks to more surface area.
Use your toaster oven if you need to bake something in the hot summer months,. It takes a lot less energy to heat a small space than a large one.
Allow leftover food to cool completely before putting it into the refrigerator—it will take less energy for the refrigerator to maintain a cold temperature.
Enjoy this earth day recipe!
Mango & Roasted Cashew Salad This rich spring recipe combines sweet, flavorful mango and its relative, the crunchy cashew. Combined with wine, ginger and maple crystals, the pair makes a light fruit salad that’s perfect for an Earth Day meal or an anytime side dish.
Ingredients 1/2 cup organic sweet white wine, such as a Riesling 1/4 cup maple crystals, or light brown sugar 1 large mango, cut into medium-size cubes (about 1-1/2 cups) 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger 1 cup oven-roasted cashews (see Tip) Garnish: 8 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Cooking Instructions Pour wine into medium bowl. Add maple crystals, and stir until completely dissolved.Add mango cubes and grated ginger. Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours to let the flavors mingle. Drain off excess liquid; return to bowl. Add cashews and mix well. Garnish with fresh mint.
Substitution(s) Other tropical fruits such as pineapples and papayas are good alternatives to the fresh mango in this recipe.
Tips & Tricks To make the oven-roasted cashews: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spread raw cashews on a baking sheet and toast in oven about 5-8 minutes, until cashews turn a light golden brown.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Watching Calorie Intake
Hope you have heard about or maybe even tried our new Under 500 Calorie Meals.
Here are more great ideas that will cut calories from your daily intake, possibly without your even noticing:
Downsize Your Dishes. Use smaller plates and bowls to help you eat less. We tend to fill up the dish we’re using and then eat it all. Our brains also think we are getting more when the same amount of food is placed in a smaller dish.
Savor Your Meals. Eating slowly helps you consume only what your body needs to feel satisfied. Eating too quickly, in less than 20 to 30 minutes, leads to overeating and feeling uncomfortably full afterwards.
Leave Some Food on Your Plate. This is especially important if you grew up in the “clean plate club.” By leaving even a few bites, you can focus more on your internal signals of satisfaction and less on eating food just because it is there.
Don’t Eat Out of a Bag or Box. When you eat out of a package, you are likely to keep eating until it’s all gone – no matter how many servings the package actually contains. Pour one serving into a small bowl.
Choose Your Glass Wisely. Here’s another place where our eyes play tricks on us. When glasses are short and wide, we tend to fill them with more fluid and to drink more. Use a slender glass for any beverage except water.
Rethink Your Drinks. High-calorie beverages like soft drinks, juice drinks, energy drinks, specialty coffees and alcohol add calories just like solid foods. Whenever possible, replace these drinks with plenty of water.
Here are more great ideas that will cut calories from your daily intake, possibly without your even noticing:
Downsize Your Dishes. Use smaller plates and bowls to help you eat less. We tend to fill up the dish we’re using and then eat it all. Our brains also think we are getting more when the same amount of food is placed in a smaller dish.
Savor Your Meals. Eating slowly helps you consume only what your body needs to feel satisfied. Eating too quickly, in less than 20 to 30 minutes, leads to overeating and feeling uncomfortably full afterwards.
Leave Some Food on Your Plate. This is especially important if you grew up in the “clean plate club.” By leaving even a few bites, you can focus more on your internal signals of satisfaction and less on eating food just because it is there.
Don’t Eat Out of a Bag or Box. When you eat out of a package, you are likely to keep eating until it’s all gone – no matter how many servings the package actually contains. Pour one serving into a small bowl.
Choose Your Glass Wisely. Here’s another place where our eyes play tricks on us. When glasses are short and wide, we tend to fill them with more fluid and to drink more. Use a slender glass for any beverage except water.
Rethink Your Drinks. High-calorie beverages like soft drinks, juice drinks, energy drinks, specialty coffees and alcohol add calories just like solid foods. Whenever possible, replace these drinks with plenty of water.
View these helpful hints and more at www.eatright.org under For the Public section
One of the favorites from the cafe during National Nutrition Month,
Eat Right With Color!
National Nutrition Month® 2011 Recipe
American Dietetic Association
Vegetable Fried Rice
6 servings
1 tablespoon canola or corn oil
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons cider vinegar or lemon juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1⁄2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1⁄2 cup thinly sliced carrot
1 1⁄2 cups diced cooked chicken (about 9
ounces)
1 large egg, lightly beaten, or 1⁄4 cup egg
substitute
4 green onions with green tops, sliced
diagonally
3 cups cooked white rice
Chinese five-spice powder is a key ingredient in this colorful recipe. A pungent mix
of ground spices (usually consisting of equal parts cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed,
star anise and Szechwan peppercorns), it’s available in most grocery stores and
Asian markets. Serve this rice as an entrée or side dish.
1. Heat a nonstick wok or large skillet; add the oil and coat the surface. Add the soy sauce,
vinegar, sugar, five-spice powder, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat
for 1 minute.
2. Add the broccoli and carrot; stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the chicken, egg and green onions; stir-fry until the egg is cooked.
4. Add the rice and toss to mix well; cook until the rice is heated through.
Serving size: 1 1⁄2 cups
Nutrition Facts per Serving:
Calories: 250 Calories from fat: 60 Fat: 7 g
Saturated fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 73 mg Sodium: 371 mg
Fiber: 2 g Sugars: 4 g Protein: 17 g
Carbohydrate: 30 g
Exchange Approximations: Starch 1 1⁄2 Vegetable 1 Meat, lean 2
Monday, March 7, 2011
Getting to know us at Tanner Cafe
Welcome to the first post to the new Tanner Café Connection blog—a new way to bring Tanner Health System employees, family, friends and area residents to the “Tanner table” with recipes, nutritional information and more.
At Tanner’s Café in Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton, we take great pride in the quality of food we serve. Hospital food doesn’t have to be bad!
One of our mottos is: if you wouldn’t serve it to your mother, then don’t serve it here!
Our goal for this blog is to keep you informed of our activities and the wonderful choices we have here at Tanner’s Café, as well as to share some of our favorite recipes, help you make good dietary choices and help you become as excited about cook and nutrition as we are.
Every day at our Italian station, you’ll find a wide variety of freshly prepared pizzas and calzones, and don’t forget to check out our Italian Baker. We have a different item prepared here daily.
Moving on down to the Expo station, you can have you meal made right in front of you! We offer a wide range of options, such as a complete vegetarian meal on our “meatless Mondays” and, coming soon, 500 calorie meals! No guessing needed; each meal will be served to you in the proper portions.
Deli, deli, deli! Order yourself a sandwich or wrap prepared just the way you want it! Don’t forget to try the meatball sub or Rueben prepared in our Panini press and served with warm German potato salad.
Some days we just need comfort food. Don’t miss the chance to have fried apple dumplings at our Tanner Grill. You also have the choice of any of our premade items—from turkey or veggie burgers to fried chicken sandwiches and sweet potato fries. Look for “fryless Friday” on our calendar, and you can have baked fries and chicken strips. Look for our daily special and don’t forget to ask for Ms. Ruth’s special sauce for dipping.
Just like mother made it! Our hot line offers three different entrée’s and four different veggies to choose from, all of our veggies are prepared with vegetable stock and contain absolutely no meat stock. You can also dip yourself a hot cup of soup. Choose from two soups every day.
And don’t forget the PIE—cherry, peach or apple! Which is your favorite? Not a pie fan? Try one of our other scrumptious desserts or yogurt parfaits!
We are always willing to help and assist with any needs or concerns that you may have.
When you stop by Tanner’s Café in Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton, feel free to ask for me, Kim McLendon, the retail/catering manager, or one of our supervisors: Kevin Danburg, Chad Welborn, Larry Echols or Debbie Cooper. We all will be more than happy to help you.
We look forward to serving you in Tanner’s Café. And we welcome your comments and suggestions, whether in person or here in the new Tanner Café Connection blog.
And finally, here’s a great fresh, low calorie frozen drink recipe just in time for spring and summer:
Lemon Watermelon Slush
1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed, with pulp (from approximately 4 large lemons) 1/2 cup sugar 8 cups seeded, diced watermelon 30 to 40 ice cubes 2 tablespoons fresh mint for garnish
In a small saucepan, bring lemon juice and sugar to a boil. Stir until all sugar is dissolved and remove from heat. Chill syrup well. Blend watermelon in blender, in four batches. For each batch, place 2 cups of watermelon into blender, add 1/4 of the chilled lemon syrup, and blend until mixed well. Add ice cubes to blender one at a time, approximately 10 per batch, until mixture is thickened. Repeat for three remaining batches. Serve in chilled glasses and garnish with fresh mint. Makes 8 servings.
Nutritional information: Per serving, 100 calories, 0.5 gram fat.
At Tanner’s Café in Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton, we take great pride in the quality of food we serve. Hospital food doesn’t have to be bad!
One of our mottos is: if you wouldn’t serve it to your mother, then don’t serve it here!
Our goal for this blog is to keep you informed of our activities and the wonderful choices we have here at Tanner’s Café, as well as to share some of our favorite recipes, help you make good dietary choices and help you become as excited about cook and nutrition as we are.
Every day at our Italian station, you’ll find a wide variety of freshly prepared pizzas and calzones, and don’t forget to check out our Italian Baker. We have a different item prepared here daily.
Moving on down to the Expo station, you can have you meal made right in front of you! We offer a wide range of options, such as a complete vegetarian meal on our “meatless Mondays” and, coming soon, 500 calorie meals! No guessing needed; each meal will be served to you in the proper portions.
Deli, deli, deli! Order yourself a sandwich or wrap prepared just the way you want it! Don’t forget to try the meatball sub or Rueben prepared in our Panini press and served with warm German potato salad.
Some days we just need comfort food. Don’t miss the chance to have fried apple dumplings at our Tanner Grill. You also have the choice of any of our premade items—from turkey or veggie burgers to fried chicken sandwiches and sweet potato fries. Look for “fryless Friday” on our calendar, and you can have baked fries and chicken strips. Look for our daily special and don’t forget to ask for Ms. Ruth’s special sauce for dipping.
Just like mother made it! Our hot line offers three different entrée’s and four different veggies to choose from, all of our veggies are prepared with vegetable stock and contain absolutely no meat stock. You can also dip yourself a hot cup of soup. Choose from two soups every day.
And don’t forget the PIE—cherry, peach or apple! Which is your favorite? Not a pie fan? Try one of our other scrumptious desserts or yogurt parfaits!
We are always willing to help and assist with any needs or concerns that you may have.
When you stop by Tanner’s Café in Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton, feel free to ask for me, Kim McLendon, the retail/catering manager, or one of our supervisors: Kevin Danburg, Chad Welborn, Larry Echols or Debbie Cooper. We all will be more than happy to help you.
We look forward to serving you in Tanner’s Café. And we welcome your comments and suggestions, whether in person or here in the new Tanner Café Connection blog.
And finally, here’s a great fresh, low calorie frozen drink recipe just in time for spring and summer:
Lemon Watermelon Slush
1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed, with pulp (from approximately 4 large lemons) 1/2 cup sugar 8 cups seeded, diced watermelon 30 to 40 ice cubes 2 tablespoons fresh mint for garnish
In a small saucepan, bring lemon juice and sugar to a boil. Stir until all sugar is dissolved and remove from heat. Chill syrup well. Blend watermelon in blender, in four batches. For each batch, place 2 cups of watermelon into blender, add 1/4 of the chilled lemon syrup, and blend until mixed well. Add ice cubes to blender one at a time, approximately 10 per batch, until mixture is thickened. Repeat for three remaining batches. Serve in chilled glasses and garnish with fresh mint. Makes 8 servings.
Nutritional information: Per serving, 100 calories, 0.5 gram fat.
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