We plan to be at home for the holidays. This oven baked french toast from Kraft Canada may come in handy for all of us who are having overnight guests. It can be made the night before and baked in the morning.
Oven baked french toast
Serves eight. In my oven, I found 400 F (200 C) a good oven temperature.
1 Italian or French bread
1 package cream cheese, 250 g
softened
3 eggs
1 cup milk 250 mL
1/4 cup maple syrup 50 mL
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Cut bread into eight to 10 thick slices.
Beat cream cheese with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Add eggs, milk and maple syrup.
Dip bread slices in mixture and place in large casserole dish. Pour remaining liquid over bread. Let stand one hour or overnight.
Place five slices of soaked bread on greased baking sheet and bake at 425 F (220 C) for 20 minutes, turning once. Repeat with remaining slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup and fresh fruit.
Vegetable value
Dear TEAM: Are nutrients the same or less or more in the core of the cabbage? I use it in soup mostly. As for broccoli, how much trimming of the stems should take place? Peeling? Where are the nutrients? And peppers, is there any nutritional value in the white dividers inside the pepper? When you use the zest of the citrus fruits is there value there, too? – D. B., Eston, Sask.
Dear D.B.: Nutritionists have provided some answers to your question.
- The core of a cabbage should have a similar amount of fibre to the leaves but probably less vitamin C and carotene.
- No doubt the higher the fibre content of the outer part of the broccoli stem, the tougher and stringier it is. Nutritionally, it will be similar to the spears.
- The amount of sunlight and other growing conditions affect the nutrient density. The more sunlight the better, in general.
- The more colour in the vegetable, the more nutrients. For example, dark green lettuce leaves will have more nutrients than pale green leaves. For this reason, the white of the pepper will have fewer nutrients than the outer coloured part.
- Orange peel has as much vitamin C as the orange, by volume.
The peel, stem and core of vegetables and fruits may often be discarded because of their fibre, which makes them tough and hard to chew.
Methods of cooking, such as shredding and zesting, make these foods edible and so provide nutrients as well as soluble and insoluble fibre. All in all, there is good value in all parts of fruits and vegetables, so the more consumed the better.
Graham flour
Dear TEAM: I have found a few recipes calling for graham flour. What exactly is graham flour and would it be purchased at a health food store?
I would like to add that I would like my neighbour back. When I look out my window I can see Alma Copeland in her yard or entertaining guests on her deck. But, in The Western Producer it says she is from Rosetown. Please acknowledge her home. – K.S., Elrose, Sask.
Dear K.S.: The caption under a photo in our Sept. 4, 2003 column did say I was in my Rosetown, Sask., home. Sorry Elrose folks, it should have said Elrose.
Graham flour is a whole wheat flour named after its developer, Sylvester Graham. He took white flour which is made of the endosperm, the inner starchy portion of the wheat kernel, and ground the endosperm finely, and then returned the bran and germ layers to the flour. Whole wheat flour is made by grinding the whole wheat kernel, therefore it also contains all three parts of the wheat kernel (the bran, endosperm and germ).
The difference is in the way they are milled. Graham flour has a coarser, yet flakier texture than whole wheat flour, but is basically the same. Their nutrient values differ minimally. Whole wheat and graham flour can be used interchangeably in recipes.
I could not find graham flour in any of the health food, bulk food or grocery stores in our area. If you search for graham flour on the internet, you will find websites where it can be ordered. The ones I checked out were all from the United States. An easier solution might be to substitute whole wheat flour for the graham flour in the recipe.
Cranberry salad
This cranberry salad would be great to serve with leftover turkey. It was sent in by a reader, N.K., Saskatoon, Sask.
1 package (85 g) raspberry Jello powder 11/4 cups boiling water 300 mL
1 cup canned or cooked whole 250 mL
cranberries
1/2 cup whipping cream or 125 mL
Cool Whip
1/2 cup celery, chopped fine 125 mL
1/2 cup chopped walnuts 125 mL
Combine Jello powder and water. Stir in cranberries. Chill until nearly set. Then add the cream, celery and walnuts. Chill until serving.
Removing candle wax
Here is a hint from my Team colleague, Betty Ann.
Candle wax frequently drips onto the tablecloth at formal dinners or weddings. To remove candle wax from a tablecloth, place some white paper on the ironing board, then a layer of newspaper and on top of this, more white paper. Place the material with the wax on it on top of the white paper. Cover again with white paper and then several layers of newspaper. Hold a warm iron on one spot for 10 seconds, then lift the iron and move to another spot. After repeating this several times, lift the paper carefully. The wax should have melted into the paper. Move the material to a clean area of paper and repeat to ensure all of the wax has been removed. Be sure to have the white paper next to the ironing board and the cloth so the ink from the paper does not damage the material.
If fun tack has stuck to material or tulle, try the same process as for removing the wax. The fun tack will usually peel off when warmed.
Caring for poinsettias
How we enjoy the colourful red, pink or white poinsettias during the Christmas season. I was given a vibrant red poinsettia that is sitting in my front room, and I just love it.
How can we prolong the life of these plants? The department of horticulture science at the University of Saskatchewan says the conditions in our homes will determine the length of time poinsettias will retain an acceptable appearance.
Plants placed in a cool location, in full sunlight, will last longer than those placed in a hot, low-light location. It is not uncommon for a poinsettia to last from Christmas until Easter. On the other hand, plants placed on a TV or near a heat register and in a low-light portion of a room will likely only last to New Year’s.
Fluctuating temperatures such as those near outside doors or heating system outlets are also detrimental to the plants.
They should receive enough water to keep the soil evenly moist and be fed on a regular basis.
If you wish, poinsettias can be kept from year to year. When the leaves start to turn yellow and bracts shrivel and drop, set the plant in the basement or some area where the temperature and light can be reduced. Under these conditions water should be withheld almost entirely. A plant should receive only enough water to prevent the stem from shrivelling.
In early May, the plant should be cut back to within approximately 15 centimetres of the soil level, repotted in readily drained media, placed in a warmer temperature under natural daylight conditions and normal watering resumed.
After the danger of frost is over, poinsettias can be planted outside in a partially shaded location for the summer. When planting, leave the poinsettia potted and place the pot deep enough so that the soil comes up to its rim. The plant should be brought inside the last week in August, before the first frost.
Poinsettias will not colour up under the natural long days of summer or when short days of winter are extended with artificial light. For this reason they are know as short-day plants. A plant that is to be in prime condition for Christmas should have the short-day treatment started by the first week in October. Colouration will result when a plant receives natural light from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and continuous, uninterrupted darkness from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. Darkness can be obtained by placing a plant in a closet, a dark, unused room or under a box. To obtain well-developed, fully coloured bracts, the plant must receive at least 40 consecutive short days. Fewer short days will result in poorly shaped, imperfectly coloured bracts. After the short-day treatment, poinsettias can be subjected to long days without deterring bract colouration.
The overall procedure for holding plants from year to year can be repeated indefinitely; however, plants will become progressively larger with time. Short plants can be produced by starting new ones from cuttings taken during late summer.
Thought for the new year
I found this poem in an old box of clippings. It has “food for thought” as we hang up our new calendars.
I have a brand-new calendar,
That very soon will be
Hanging on my kitchen wall
So I can plainly see –
A whole new year of days untouched
By failure or defeat,
Each little square a symbol of
New challenges I’ll meet.
New promises to honour
And new resolves to make
New projects in the offing
New jobs to undertake.
New friendships to establish,
New dreams to entertain
New fields I hope to conquer
New heights I may attain.
Each little square is empty
And it’s strictly up to me
How I will use those untouched days
That lie ahead of me.
But before I turn my back upon
The year that’s almost through
I’d better take myself in hand
And see what I can do.
To bolster my defences
Against failure or defeat,
And gear myself to tackle
The challenges I’ll meet.
For only by correcting
The errors of the past
Can I hope to make the coming year
Better than the last.
– Author unknown
Alma Copeland is a home economist from Elrose, 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.
