It seems like yesterday that I pulled out the summer clothes
in anticipation of a carefree
vacation.
Now we are hanging hoodies and sweatshirts on the hooks instead of wet beach towels.
But September brings fabulous changes that are good for us. Households are busy preserving garden fruits and vegetables to use and enjoy in the fall and winter seasons. We meet or reunite with friends at school or college, start projects at work or begin a new fall activity such as joining a walking group. To me, fall is as much a time of renewal as spring. I cannot get over the clear autumn night sky and the crisp cool air. Getting back on track is great.
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The Kraft Kitchen unveiled some of the most popular recipes of the summer season and is promoting healthy lifestyles. Check out the favourite recipes and ways to burn 100 calories as we all get back to the grind.
Tangy chicken kabobs
Brush on the refreshing orange sauce and grill up this chicken in minutes. Kids love these. The pineapple in this recipe makes it a good source of vitamin C. Serves four.
1 lb. boneless, skinless 500 g
chicken breasts, cut into one
inch/2.5 cm pieces
2 cups pineapple chunks 500 mL
(about half of a cored, peeled
pineapple)
1 each red and green pepper, cut
into chunks
1/2 cup barbecue sauce 125 mL
4 tablespoons frozen 60 mL
orange juice, thawed
Heat grill to medium-high heat. Using eight long wooden skewers, thread chicken alternately with peppers and pineapple.
Mix barbecue sauce and juice and brush on kabobs. Grill kabobs eight to 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, brushing occasionally with remaining sauce.
Note: If using wooden skewers, wrap ends in foil to prevent burning.
Creamy potato salad
1 lb. red potatoes, unpeeled, 500 g
cut into chunks
1/4 cup Italian dressing 60 mL
1/4 cup salad dressing 60 mL
11/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 7 mL
1 teaspoon salt 5 mL
2 hard cooked eggs, chopped
3/4 cup sliced green onions 175 mL
fresh or dried dill leaves and
ground paprika for garnish
Cook potatoes in boiling water 15 minutes or until tender and drain. Rinse potatoes with cold water until cooled.
Mix dressings, mustard and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add potatoes, egg and onions, then mix lightly. Cover. Chill at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. Serves four.
Before serving, sprinkle the salad with fresh or dried dill leaves and sprinkle with paprika for added flavour.
I served fresh cherry tomatoes from the garden and corn on the cob with the above recipe selections. What a seasonal meal. Complete the dining with a delicious dessert.
Triple berry cheesecake tart
11/4 cups graham wafer 310 mL
crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted 60 mL
8 ounce pkg. cream cheese, 250 g
softened
1/4 cup sugar 60 mL
1 cup thawed topping or 250 mL
whipped cream
2 cups mixed berries 500 mL
(raspberries, blueberries,
strawberries)
3/4 cup boiling water 175 mL
1 package (85 g) Jell-O lemon
jelly powder
1 cup ice cubes 250 mL
Mix wafer crumbs and butter in small bowl until well blended. Press onto bottom and up side of nine inch (22 cm) tart pan. Place in freezer while preparing filling.
Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Arrange berries over cream cheese filling.
Cover and refrigerate.
Stir boiling water into dry jelly powder. Mix in medium bowl two minutes until completely dissolved. Add ice cubes and stir until ice is completely melted. Refrigerate about 15 minutes or until slightly thickened to the consistency of unbeaten egg whites. Spoon jelly mixture over fruit in pan. Refrigerate three hours.
If you don’t have a tart pan, use a nine inch (22 cm) round cake pan lined with foil. Prepare as directed, pressing wafer crumb mixture onto bottom and one inch (2.5 cm) up side of pan.
For more great food ideas check out www.kraftcanada.com or the magazine What’s Cooking.
Whipped cream
You may notice that I use whipped cream in many of my recipes. I have nothing against prepared whipped topping, but I have a bad habit. Yes, I lick the beaters. This is something that I love and cannot give up. Unfortunately, I have taught my children to want this, too. There are always fights when the cream is done whipping.
Over the years readers have commented on how it can be difficult to beat the cream until it is stable. Some have never whipped cream from scratch. Here are some tips from the Dairy Farmers of
Canada:
- Do not fear that whipped cream is rich tasting and contains fat. Just enjoy it in moderation. In fact, two tablespoons has a healthy dose of conjugated linoleic acid along with as much vitamin A as a peach.
- The foolproof method: Chill bowl and beaters thoroughly and make sure the cream is cold. Whip at low to medium speed, rather than high. After cream has been whipped to the point of soft peaks, gradually add sugar (pour in the centre of the bowl until sugar just rises above the cream) and vanilla flavouring (one
teaspoon/five mL) per two cups/500 mL of cream. Whip to stiff peaks and refrigerate until serving.
- One cup (250 mL) of whipping cream produces about two cups (500 mL) of whipped cream.
- Each cup (250 mL) of whipped cream can take up to two tablespoons (30 mL) of liquid for flavouring (orange juice, coffee, chocolate sauce or liqueur). I love the coffee whipped in to top off chocolate cake.
- Whipped cream is more stable if you whip it with icing sugar as opposed to granulated sugar. I learned this when I use stiff whipped cream to ice cakes.
Burning 100 calories
Find out how many calories you burn when undertaking your favourite sports and activities. By burning an additional 100 calories a day for a year, you could lose up to 10 pounds a year. The data is based on a 150 pound (67.5 kilogram) person.
Minutes needed to burn 100 calories: Washing dishes 28, house cleaning 18, chopping and splitting wood 14, walk
family dog 20. For a complete list, go to www.kraftcanada.com.
Jodie Mirosovsky is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
