By Staff
There seems to be considerable difference of opinion as to when the fat cells in our bodies go away. They do not go away. They fluctuate according to our weight. When there is a loss of weight, the cells shrink in size, thus triggering hormones that encourage us to increase our eating.
Mealtimes should not be hit-or-miss. Introduce some regularity and believe me, your body will thank you. Endeavor to get on a regular schedule whereby you reward your body with balanced meals at specific times throughout the day. High fiber foods are important to fill you up. Whole fruit, vegetables, cereals and breads tend to release fibers which cannot be digested into the lower intestine, thus stimulating a hormone that enables you to turn off hunger; so you should include these types of foods with each of your meals.
Your individual rate of metabolism plays such an important part in determining our caloric need. Some may require 200-300 fewer calories to do the identical work of a person with a higher rate of metabolism. We spend considerable time discussing the importance of providing our bodies with a balanced diet of nourishing food to keep our fires burning and our engines running, but seldom address the method of delivery.
We need to exert wiser control over eating habits. The first part of digestion, chewing, is often eaten as though we were running a marathon. Some individuals "backsides" scarcely make contact with the seat of the chair before they are up and running with the food still clenched between their teeth. Who sits anymore? Chewing is one of the very most important steps in the process of digestion. Yet, most of the time, we skip or oblige it with brief moments between our molars, before sending it hurling down to our stomachs. Then, when we experience a moment of discomfort we lay the blame solely on either the cook who prepared it … Sound familiar? Think about this as you sit down to your next meal … won't you?
Use your teeth for what they were designed, pause, repeat the procedure again, if necessary, take time to savor the flavor, then leisurely swallow; before reaching for the next forkful. For your stomach will be there for the duration of your body and the manner which you treat it now can come back to haunt you.
First on today's agenda is to repeat a recipe that appeared in this column sometime back, and was originally submitted by a reader, Amy Beth P. of Niles.
Rumaki
12 slices bacon, halved crosswise
12 ounces chicken livers, halved
12 whole water chestnuts, halved
Marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon sugar
Combine the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Add the water chestnuts and chicken livers to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Place one portion of liver, and one portion of halved chestnut into the center of each bacon half. Wrap securely with a toothpick. Place the Rumaki onto a broiler pan or a shallow baking dish and broil about 5-6 inches away from the heat, until the bacon is crisp – about 10-15 minutes, or you can bake them in an oven of 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. (Variations: substitute sea scallops, or add scallions to the combination, or grill on a portion of foil on your grill.)
*Serves as a very good appetizer for a "Luau" or a backyard party!
A Touch of Levity: The more I go through parenting, the more I say I owe my mother an apology.
Homemaker's Hint: There are three good ways to protect yourself:
1. Discard offers from sources that ask you top pay fees, taxes or other charges to claim a prize, as no legitimate company would do that.
2. If accepting payment by check ask for one which has been drawn on a local bank or on a bank with a local branch; for this allows you to personally verify the check's validity.
3. Always bear in mind that if something sounds just too good to be true, most likely it is.
Old Fashioned Ukrainian Borsch
1 pound beef chuck (one piece)
8 cups beef bouillon
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
1 bay leaf
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
3 beets, shredded
1/2 – 3/4 cabbage, shredded
2 tablespoons minced parsley
8 ounce can tomato sauce
2 potatoes, cubed
1 tablespoon vinegar
sour cream as desired
Place the beef chuck, and cold beef bouillon into a nice deep kettle, then add salt, pepper and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and keep skimming off the fat that accumulates. Continue this procedure for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in another pan, melt the butter and use this to saute carrots, onions, beets, cabbage and parsley for three minutes. Add the tomato sauce, vinegar and allow this to simmer over a very low heat for 10 minutes. Now, add this to the soup, along with the potatoes, and place a lid on the pan. Allow this to cook and simmer for one hour, until all tests tender.
Skim off the top of this mixture whenever needed. Taste and correct seasonings accordingly, then immediately remove the beef to a preheated platter, slice and serve separately. Pass the sour cream when you serve it.
How familiar are you with hydrogenated oil? You will see it included in the list of ingredients on a bevy of products from breakfast cereals, to chippy snacks, frozen dinners, and ready to bake biscuits, etc. The reason it is included is because it prolongs shelf life, texture and lack of spoilage. This is certainly advantageous to the manufacturer, but dig a bit deeper and you will learn it is a good way for our food manufacturers to use a cheaper product, turn it into a despoiler and feed it to us, without our having a clue as to what we are eating. The moment you question, decide whether you actually want to be eating an unsaturated fat that your food company has turned into a saturated fat, which is worse for your health, in packaged foods, then you can pick the brand of whatever it is you are eating that is made without the hydrogenated oils.
* If you happen to have any sole hiding in your freezer, now could be a good time to thaw and enjoy …
Sole Au Gratin
4 sole fillets 1/2 pound each
12 tablespoons butter
4-6 tablespoons chopped parsley
salt and white pepper
4 scallions (white parts only) chopped
2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
4 tablespoons toasted breadcrumbs
1/2 cup dry white wine
Butter a large gratin dish generously, then sprinkle the base with half of the parsley, scallions and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper then arrange the sole fillets on top of this. Cover with the remainder of the chopped ingredients, then arrange the bread crumbs on top of this. Add the wine; melt the remaining butter and sprinkle it over the top. Place into a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until the fish appears cooked and the top turns crisp and golden.
A touch of levity: I am truly convinced that hygiene is completely in the eyes of the beholder; for one lunch hour I was watching a food worker in a sandwich shop spread mayonnaise on my bread. As she did so, I called attention to the fact that the sleeve of her grubby work shirt was dragging across it. Her reply? "No problem, I need to wash it anyway." (Needless to say, I skipped lunch that day.)
Homemaker's Hint: For any of you who might be planning a foreign vacation this summer, you might wish to ask your travel agent about any special insurance that would help you get a doctor, prescription, money or even transportation home. It is wise to carry your insurance card, agent's name and phone number and several claims forms on you.
Broiled Salmon Steaks
6 – 3/4 inch thick 6-8 ounce salmon steaks
1/2 cup butter or oleo melted
1 cup crushed saltines
1 cup crushed potato chips
1 teaspoon salt
dash paprika
6 lemon wedges
6 sprigs fresh parsley
Combine the butter with the salt and paprika. Wipe the salmon steaks with a damp cloth, then dip each of them into the butter mixture. Combine the crushed saltines and potato chips and dip each of the steaks into this, then arrange them on a lightly greased broiler rack over your broiler pan. These should be broiled approximately 6 inches from the heat and for a duration of five minutes. Then, turn and broil for 5-8 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when probed with a fork. Serve each steak garnished with a lemon wedge and sprig of parsley.
Food facts: Fish can be a gold mine of concentrated nutrients and eating fish frequently can be associated with a significant decrease in the rate of heart disease.
Homemaker's Hint: With this onslaught of summer weather, usually comes the chance that you will be visited with a number of tiny winged guests, but avoid using any of the strip insecticides; for they contain some very highly toxic compounds.
Why not whip up a batch of homemade noodles to go with this next recipe for:
Indonesian Baked Chicken
1 – 3 pound chicken, cut into serving portions
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tablespoon boiling water
3 tablespoons Indonesian sweet soy sauce
2 tablespoons mashed garlic
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
Place your brown sugar into a small bowl, then stir in the boiling water and add the remaining marinade ingredients. Be sure to mix this all together well. Use this sauce to brush on each of the portions of chicken. Immediately place them into the refrigerator for several hours, so that the flavors in the sauce will have time to permeate the chicken.
Now, bake this seasoned chicken in a preheated 350 degree oven for a good hour or until the chicken tests tender. Note: this same sauce can also be used on broiled or barbecued chicken.
Homemaker's Hint: Looking for some fresh bright greenery to bring life to your kitchen? Many of the very vegetables that you bring home from the market can inexpensively fill this need and without the extra cost! Just cut the top inch or more off a beet, rutabaga, parsnip or turnip and completely trim off the greens. Now, line an earthenware container, ashtray or other low container with pebbles and fill with water. Set the flat, cut end of the vegetable into the pebbles. Throughout the next few days, be sure to change the water whenever it appears cloudy. This resulting forest of greenery will last for a good month or so, and is an ideal project for a child to witness.
A Touch of Levity: For what seemed to be an untold number of hours, the neighbors watched as my surf-fishing husband valiantly struggled to haul in something huge! The drama ended when his catch turned out to be a very water-logged 4×4. As he worked the hook out of the lumber, a bystander called out "What did you use for bait? Your Home Depot card?" Tsk! Tsk! How embarrassing!
Close your eyes, and visualize this next recipe served with those homemade noodles you have in the making.
Spicy Short Ribs
3 to 4 pounds beef short ribs
1 cup ketchup
1 cup water
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon salt
dash pepper
3 onions, sliced
1 bay leaf
Combine those ribs with all of these remaining ingredients with the exception of the onions in a large saucepan. Place a cover on the saucepan, then let this simmer for at least a good two hours if not longer. The meat should test very tender. Cool, then proceed to chill straight through until an hour and a quarter before serving time. Skim off all of the fat and any loose bones from the ribs; then finally remove the bay leaf as well. Place your ribs into a six cup baking dish; cover them with the sauce then top with the onion slices. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bast onions with sauce in dish. Slide back into the oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes longer, or until the meat tests ultra tender.
Homemaker's Hint: Refrain from washing or blanching freshly harvested peas before freezing them. Simply shell them directly into your plastic freezer bags. They'll stay separated, allowing you to dip into them as needed.
A Touch of Levity: My friend's small son came crying to her, "I stubbed my toe!" the boy wailed. "Which one?" his mother asked. "The one that had roast beef" he sobbed.
Onion Pie
3 cups peeled onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
2 to 3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons melted butter or oleo
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, well beaten
3 tablespoons flour
bacon slices, cooked crispy
To make the pastry, combine the flour, salt, caraway seeds and shortening and cut this into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Then, stir in the water very lightly using a fork. Continue stirring until the mixture begins to adhere to the fork and follow it around the bowl. Now, it is time to turn it out onto a floured board and roll it into a thickness of 1/8 inch. Fit this resulting crust into a 10 inch pie pan and flute the edges. Bake for 10 minutes, or until very lightly browned in a 425 degree oven. While this is baking, prepare your filling. Saute the onions in the butter until very lightly browned, then spoon them into the prepared pastry. Add the milk, sour cream, and salt to the eggs. Blend 3 tablespoons of flour with the remaining 1/4 cup of sour cream; then combine this with the egg mixture and proceed to pour over the onions.
Bake in a very slow oven of 325 degrees for a good 30 minutes or until it tests firm in the center. Then, garnish with the crisp bacon.
Timely Trivia: Do you remember back, a generation ago (I do), when cornstarch served young mothers as a dusting powder to absorb the baby's excessive skin secretions; (I do, I did this!) and grandmothers cleaned their furs by gently rubbing a little in with gentle pressure and then shaking the fur thoroughly?
**Waste not, want not! Fight ever increasing inflationary food costs! Do practice self-control at the supermarket where every customer is a "supermark" for dollars easily lost on needless, valueless edibles. Retailers believe that at least 70 percent of their purchases are bought on impulse!