Beans and Rice Class Reminder 02/27/10

DOn't forget tomorrow!

Free Class: Beans and Rice

10 a.m. to 12 noon

Gateway Building

Relief Society Room

Target Pulls Valentine’s Toys Over Lead Concerns

OAKLAND, Calif.
Target Corp. is pulling its Valentine’s Day “Message Bears” from store shelves after California’s attorney general raised concerns that the toys have illegal levels of lead.

The announcement Tuesday comes after a letter sent by Attorney General Jerry Brown said that testing revealed lead levels that violate federal law.

Target spokeswoman Beth Hanson says the Minneapolis-based company will pull the bears, which were made in China, from store shelves while it investigates.

Hanson says Target’s initial investigation indicated the bears “had compliant testing results” when the toys shipped.

The products were identified as a pink stuffed bear with “XOXO” across its chest and a brown stuffed bear with “I Love
U” across its chest, with the word “love” represented by a heart.

Brown’s letter says an investigator for a nonprofit watchdog group bought the toys at stores in California.

For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com—Where Accuracy Matters.

Cribs recalled after 3 deaths-from Yahoo News

By NATASHA T. METZLER, Associated Press Writer Natasha T. Metzler, Associated Press Writer – Tue Feb 9, 3:17 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Government safety officials Tuesday announced a recall of more than 500,000 drop-side cribs sold at Buy Buy Baby, Kmart, Wal-Mart and other stores after the death of three infants.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says plastic hardware on Generation 2 Worldwide and ChildESIGNS cribs can break and allow the drop side to detach. In addition, the mattress supports can break away from the crib frames. Both defects create gaps where a small child can be trapped and suffocate or strangle.

The agency has received three reports of children who died after getting trapped in gaps between the drop sides of their cribs and their mattresses.

An 8-month-old boy from Newark, Ohio, suffocated in July 2007 after the drop side of his crib detached due to a broken stop tab on the lower track. An 8-month-old boy from Richmond, Ind., suffocated in October 2003 after broken hardware allowed the drop side to detach from his crib's headboard in one corner. A 6-month-old boy from Staunton, Va., suffocated in September 2002 after two missing screws allowed the lower drop side track of his crib to pull away from the headboard post.

Consumer advocates have complained for years about the problems associated with drop side cribs.

ASTM International, an organization that sets voluntary industry safety standards for everything from toys to the steel used in commercial buildings, approved a new standard last November that requires four immovable sides for full-size cribs. The industry groups refusal to certify drop-side cribs is a big step toward eliminating the manufacture of new cribs in this style.

The CPSC has received 20 other reports of incidents involving detached drop sides and eight reports of incidents involving detached mattress supports.

The cribs were made by Generation 2 Worldwide, which went out of business in 2005. The CPSC believes that more than 500,000 cribs were sold. They were available nationwide at furniture and other stores, including Buy Buy Baby, Kmart, Wal-Mart.

Crib owners should contact the place of purchase for information on remedies including refunds, replacements and store credit. CPSC says owners should contact the agency if they have difficulty getting a remedy.

___

Website with Abundant Amount of Bean Recipes

Sometimes I come across a few websites that have abundant recipes for great bean, rice, and other healthy food stuffs...but none So IMPRESSIVE as these two. I will be featuring a couple of the recipes I found today, in my Cooking with Beans and Rice class on Saturday February 27th from 10-12 noon at the Gateway Bldg. Relief Society room. But I would encourage you to explore the recipes on these sites and get excited about some new and healthy cooking ideas!

Here they are:
For the food network, punch in search term, bean recipes.
www.foodnetwork. com/food/ cda/recipe and http://cheaphealthy good.blogspot. com/2008/ 01/italian- white-bean- and-spinach- soup.html and while you are there, click on the recipes button and there you will find a whole host of other ideas you may like! ~Lori

SNOWMAN SOUP by Jennie D.

SNOWMAN SOUP makes 1 cup

2-3 tablespoons instant hot chocolate mix
1 tablespoon chocolate chips
2 large marshmallows (or lots of little ones)
1 tablespoon crushed candy cane (or cinnamon red hots, butterscotch or
other hard candy)

Combine all ingredients in a mug. Add one cup hot water. Stir until
chocolate chips are melted.

Great after sledding since you did all that walking back up the hill!
Serve with peanut butter toast or a muffin.

Snow Day, Now What???!!!!???

Snow days can be magical, but also pose the threat of power outages,
heart attacks and close encounters with snowplows, mailboxes and ditches!


What is the first thing you do when your children (or you) have a snow
day? Besides big plans for a neighborhood snowball tournament, making
snowmen and sipping hot chocolate--- take a minute to:

Throw something yummy like a roast or chicken breasts in the crockpot, or
a meatloaf or casserole in the oven or a big pot of soup or stew on the
stovetop now! If you lose power you'll still have some warm food for the
energy you'll need to dig out, bail out, help out or hunker down!
If you don't lose power, then dinner for today and tomorrow are already
made!

Check all your flashlights. Know where they are and if they work.

Put a shovel, blanket, jumper cables, boots/sturdy shoes & socks and
other recommended winter car kit items in your vehicle if you plan to
travel. Take your cell phone. Let a family member know your destination,
route and what time you expect to arrive or return.

Shovel two or three times. Don't wait until the snow stops to get
started with the shoveling. It is healthier on your heart to shovel two
inches of snow twice than four inches once if you are out of shape, older
or have heart problems. (Everyone is running out of places to stack the
snow, but remember it is illegal to throw it back into the streets or to
block the public sidewalks.)

Now that you're better prepared---get that pot of hot chocolate simmering
and go check the snow to see if it is snowman snow! If not, bundle up
anyway and check on your neighbors. Make a few snow angels with the
earth angels in your life! Taste snowflakes! Take pictures to send to the
warm weather relatives in California, Arizona, Hawaii or Florida! Don't
think about global warming; at least for today! Wash your face with snow
(or someone else's!) Look for and try to identify animal tracks in the
snow!

Today I see the glass as half full;with hot chocolate! Enjoy the day!

SNOWMAN SOUP makes 1 cup

2-3 tablespoons instant hot chocolate mix
1 tablespoon chocolate chips
2 large marshmallows (or lots of little ones)
1 tablespoon crushed candy cane (or cinnamon red hots, butterscotch or
other hard candy)

Combine all ingredients in a mug. Add one cup hot water. Stir until
chocolate chips are melted.

Great after sledding since you did all that walking back up the hill!
Serve with peanut butter toast or a muffin.

Need info and Books on Hyperactivity & Attention Deficit

Had a parent-teacher conference with my 3-year-old's teacher at the special needs preschool she attends for speech therapy. Can anyone recommend books on hyperactivity and attention deficit? :(
Lisa R.

REforCE

Hi Friends,



Our family has decided to participate in a new community project called REforCE.

The acronym means: “REcycling for Charity and Education”. Simply put, it is a clearinghouse

for “stuff” often thrown away that could be put to use for charitable and educational purposes.



Here’s how it works:

REforCE maintains a Collection List of “wanted” items. You simply collect any of these items and give them

to our family at your convenience. (You can drop off items on our porch @ 4153 Stargrass Ct. anytime.J)

We will sort the items and pass them on to organizations and individuals who can use them.



The current Collection List is copied below. If you would like to receive future updates or have an item you’d like to add

to the list simply send your name, contact info and purpose for the item to Ireforce@gmail. com.



Thanks for taking a little time to make a difference!



Mindy C.


REforCE

COLLECTION LIST

ITEMS:

Altoid tins

Aluminum cans

Books-children’s

Boxes-paper/ copy

Boxes-moving

Boxtops for Education

Campbell’s Soup Labels

Cell phones

Christmas Cards

Cookie tins-Christmas

Detergent bottles w/ lids

Egg cartons-cardboard

Egg cartons-styrofoam

Fabric-cotton/ poly 18”x24”<

Fleece-blankets/ (small)

Fleece-fabric

GFS Butter mint tubs/lids

Hangers-wire

Ink cartridges-

Juice lids

Magazines-

Mesh bags-fruit & veg

Metal cans (food grade- any size)

Newspaper/junk mail

Paper-high grade/copy

Plastic bags-bread/buns

Plastic bags-grocery

Plastic bags-newspaper

Plastic ware-white

Pop tabs

Pudding cups

Shoe laces –good condition

Spray Bottles-16oz or larger

Straws

Sweaters-wool

Utzy Pretzel Tubs -2gal.

Velo-bound plastic spirals

Wood- 2”x6”x12” or longer

Yarn

Yoplait Yogurt pink lids

HOUSE 4 SALE

Hello Everyone,



Our neighbors, Terry and Claudette Mullins, are selling their house (2 doors down from our home). They are moving to a new house near West Jefferson. If you are interested in looking at their “for sale” home (not listed), please contact me at your earliest convenience, and I’ll put you in touch with them. We live in a great neighborhood with lots of good neighbors and kids, and the street has little or no traffic most of the time. Houses in the Cross Creek subdivision sell well because children go to Hilliard schools and house owners pay Columbus taxes. If you are LDS and you buy the house, you are within the Hilliard Ward boundary and will attend church at the Columbus OH Stake Center, 1001 Doherty. The Mullins are great people and they have a well-kept home!



Call us soon!



Dave Williamson

Crockpot Recipe-Yogurt by Penny M.

Okay, sounds crazy, but I made yogurt this weekend... IN MY CROCK POT!!! It
is over the top delicious. I know some of you will really get excited over
this great tasting, uber-healthy money saving recipe! So here goes----

CROCK POT YOGURT

Ingredients;

-8 cups (half-gallon) of whole milk--pasteurized and homogenized is fine,
but do NOT use ultra-pasteurized.

-1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt (I just use
a whole container (about a cup) of organic store brand yogurt. You need to
have a starter. Once you have made your own, you can use that as a starter,
but it weakens with each use. You can also find a frozen active culture at
the health food store.)

-for flavor, if you choose to flavor it; frozen/fresh fruit, jam/jelly,
honey, vanilla or flavoring syrups

-thick bath towel (I just turned on the oven light and set the crock pot in
the oven at the incubation stage)

Directions;

Plug in your crock pot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk.
Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.

Unplug your crock pot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.

When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the milk and put it in a
bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump
back into the crock pot. Stir to combine.

Put the lid back on your crock pot. (I rinse off the condensation from the
lid and wipe it dry) Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the
way around the crock for insulation. (At this stage, I pull the crock pot
from the heating unit and set it in the oven with the light on for warmth,
don't turn on the oven... just the oven light.

Let it sit for 8 hours. Time it right and you can go to bed while the yogurt
incubates!

In the morning, (or eight hours later, the yogurt will have thickened--- it's
not as thick as store-bought yogurt, but has the consistency of low-fat
plain yogurt. You can do several things to control the thickness to your
desired taste. Personally, I'm fine with the thinner consistency, so I've
not messed with it and this is all hear-say... 1. Add non-fat powered milk
at the stage where you whisk in the live culture, I've read varying amounts
from 2 TBSPS to 1/2 cup. 2. Add a packet of non-flavored gelatin at the
whisk in live culture stage. 3. Lengthen the incubation (8 hour) stage. 4.
Pour your finished product into a sieve lined with cheesecloth or a coffee
filter until you get the thickness you like.

Chill in a plastic container(s) in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will
last 7-10 days.

You can flavor it all at once, or as you go.

Supposedly, you can make your yogurt with lower fat milks and even non-fat
an lactose free milk. It will make a thinner yogurt. I also read the
following, but can't back it up... "For the lactose intolerant, lactose is
broken down through the fermenting period. So, you can use regular milk
while making yogurt but be sure to ferment for 24 hours minimum... result,
lactose free yogurt!" Also read that many lactose intolerant people can
handle yogurt, and this seems to be the case in our home.

Enjoy... and let me know of your successes.

Penny Midgley

Websites on Foodstorage

foodstoragemadeeasy .net is a great site to get you started with almost any question you might have addressed--regardin g a three month supply of food. They have spreadsheets and recipes, and even video clips you can watch to get you excited and informed. Check it out! ~Lori

Building Three Month Supply

With all the economic discussions that now seem to be a part of everyone's life...my mind turns to the counsel of our inspired leaders to PREPARE in case of an emergency or economic downturn in our lives. The words "food storage" can be overwhelming to many. The church has a fantastic way to make this so much less intimidating; they tell us to begin by storing extra of what we already eat little by little until we have a three month supply.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Make a list of regular meals you enjoy eating. Include everything, like your vegetable side, or canned fruit, etc.

2. Decide on 5-7 different meals if you can. Then, the next time you go to buy those items or if they are on sale, buy an extra meals worth and put it in your new food storage area.

3. If you even begin with adding one meal a week to your three month supply, in a month and a half you will have a whole weeks' worth of food in your storage,AND a growing sense of peace that you can sustain yourself and your family "come what may"!


For Example:

When spaghetti sauce goes on sale for 1.00, you could buy that, and pasta for 1.29, and pick up some corn or green beans at Aldi for .49 cents, and add a dry bread mix to the meal and for less than a Wendy's Combo meal you can feed a family of five!

God bless you in your efforts to be self-reliant! ! Jenny and I are more than eager to help you if you would like ideas or encouragement in this very important area of our lives. Have a great day. ~Lori

The Three Bear's Porrage Recipe

Here is a recipe you may enjoy for breakfast (or dinner) straight from long term food storage that should give you a big dose of fiber, flavor and nutrition!

THREE BEARS PORRIDGE
(With Extra Special Options)

1/2 C. cracked wheat
1/2 C. rolled oats
1/4 C. dry milk powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 C. raisins
3 C. boiling water or scalded milk
honey to taste

Add dry ingredients to boiling water (or milk) in saucepan. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until desired consistency. Add honey to taste.

Optional:
1/4 C. dried fruit (such as dates, raisins, etc.)
1/4 C. chopped apple
1/4 C. bran
1/4 to 1/2 C. wheat germ or flax seeds
2 T. nutritional yeast
1/2 C. sunflower seeds
2 eggs

Any of these may be added to the above porridge, if desired. Combine and cook as you would with the three bears porridge. Then stir in eggs, if desired, cover and let stand 1-2 minutes.

Variation: Any combination of grains may be substituted for oats and cracked wheat. You may also make a large batch ahead of time for convenience. Adjust cooking time for the grains used, cooking for the amount of time required by the longest cooking grain you used.

*This is a great way to reduce expenses and cholesterol! :) Enjoy!!
__._,_.___

Three Bears Porrage Info

The source for the Three Bears Porridge was WHOLE FOODS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY: Le Leche League International Cookbook, which is a great resource for nutritious recipes and will give you many ideas for using long term food storage, or incorporating a more healthy lifestyle with food. This book can be found through Latter-Day Family Resources if you are interested in it. Have an awesome day! ~Lori

Crockpot Pork Loin

Crockpot Pork Loin (serves many ladies or 2 very hungry men)

Boneless Pork Loin, 2 - 3 pounds
1 cup chicken broth
1 12-16 ounce jar Apricot or Peach Jam (can use sugar-free)
2 tablespoons yellow mustard or Dijon mustard
1 large onion, cut in large chunks

Spray crockpot with a cooking spray (Pam or other brand.)
Combine broth, jam and mustard in crockpot.
Place pork loin in crockpot and turn to coat on both sides.
Place chopped onion on top of pork loin.
Place lid on crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Cool slightly, slice diagonally. Plate with cooked rice and the
sauce it produces. Refrigerate leftovers.

Leftovers:
Make a skillet stir fry by using some of the leftover sauce, cooked rice,

bamboo shoots,water chestnuts, etc.

BBQ sandwiches; use leftover sauce and one tablespoon cider vinegar.
Cook until sauce reduces enough to hold up on a bun without being too
soggy.
Season or add other ingredients to your taste.

____________ _________

PLAIN CHICKEN BREASTS

PLAIN CHICKEN BREASTS
BASE: Combine 4 to 5 chicken breasts (thawed or frozen) and ½ to 1 cup
water in slow cooker. Cook on low for 7 - 8 hours. They will look quite
anemic, don’t be alarmed!

POSSIBILITIES: 1. Season with Montreal Steak seasoning. Sear or
pan-fry in a little olive oil in a skillet to brown.

2. Use as a starter for your favorite "slow cooker" white
chili recipe.

3. Use as a starter for slow cooker chicken and rice soup
(carrots, onion, raw rice, broth, chicken)

4. Dice or cube, combine a box of stuffing mix and 1 1/2
cups of the broth. Put mixture into greased crockpot. Top with jar
of chicken gravy, cook on low about 1 - 1/12 hours. You can sneak in
some extra vegetables too!

5. Spread honey mustard on one side, grill lightly, turn and
do the same to the other side.

6. Dice small. Combine one can cream of chicken soup, 1 cup
milk, frozen mixed vegetables in a greased casserole dish. Spread or
drop dollops of prepared Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix on top. Bake according
to muffin temperature, just add 15 minutes to baking time or until
cornbread
is done. Can make this in the crockpot and try the folded towel
trick.

7. Chill/Cube, add celery, chopped pecans, seedless grapes
and Miracle Whip. Serve on lettuce.

8. Shred into bite-sized pieces. Add cream of chicken soup or
chicken gravy, a cup of broth and a few tablespoons of raw oatmeal
(this is the thickener). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook
on high in crockpot about 1 hour. Serve on toasted bun.

9. Cube, place in skillet with some olive oil. Brown slightly.
Add one chopped bell pepper & ½ onion, chopped. Drain can of
pineapple tidbits reserving liquid. Stir 2 tablespoons cornstarch
into liquid. Add pineapple and cornstarch mixture to skillet.
Cook/stir until bubbly. Serve over seasoned or buttered rice.
____________________________________________________________

Vegetarian Brown Beans

VEGETARIAN BROWN BEANS
BASE: Rinse 2 to 3 cups pinto beans in a colander. Put rinsed beans in
large pan, add ½ to 1 gallon water to cover and soak overnight. Drain
and rinse beans again in a colander. Place rinsed beans in slow cooker.
Fill cooker almost full---about 2 to 3 inches from the top rim. Stir in
one or two packages of dry onion soup mix and one chopped onion. Cook on
low 7 - 8 hours.

POSSIBILITIES: 1. Serve as is with cornbread on the side and garnish
with chopped onions.
2. Add a cup of cooked rice and a jar of salsa for Spicy Bean
Soup.
3. Use as a base for your favorite chili recipe.
4. Add uncooked macaroni the last half hour, cook on high for
20-30 minutes or until done.
5. Add a cup of diced ham and 1 - 2 large diced potatoes the
second time around.
6. Puree the amount your family will eat in one meal for a
cream soup. Garnish with green onion, sour cream, cheddar cheese or
other toppings.

Expand the possibilities by using any kind of bean; navy, white, kidney,
pink, black, etc. If you want to use the beans in dessert recipes, leave
out the onion soup mix. White beans are more like tofu and take on the
personality of what they are paired with. Black or brown beans are great
when making brownies or chocolate desserts---I’m not kidding!

Saucy Chicken

SAUCY CHICKEN
BASE: Combine 4 to 6 (frozen or thawed) boneless, skinless chicken
breasts and 1 - 2 cans or jars of *spaghetti sauce in slow cooker and
cook on low for 7 - 8 hours.

POSSIBILITIES: 1. Serve as is with a vegetable and salad
2. Serve over cooked spaghetti, top with grated parmesan or chopped
fresh basil
3. Serve with sautéed polenta slices topped with shredded cheddar
cheese
4. Serve with or over cooked rice (stir in a few tablespoons of
butter and cilantro)
5. Serve over sautéed baby eggplant or zucchini
6. Serve over cooked California Mix (frozen bags of cauliflower,
broccoli and carrots)
7. Dice and mix into cooked bowtie pasta with seasoned green beans
on the side

*Or Substitute 2 16 oz. jars of salsa instead:
1. Serve with cornbread and a salad or vegetable
2. Serve with polenta (fancy name for cold, sliced cornmeal
mush) and shredded cheddar cheese
3. Dice and serve over any combination of black beans, corn and
rice on a bed of lettuce
4. Remove from sauce, shred for tacos, burritos or tortilla
wraps---use sauce on the side
5. Dice or shred, sauté in skillet with a little olive oil,
onion, bell pepper & garlic clove, 1 teaspoon cumin, and a cup of
cooked rice. Heat through before serving.
6. Dice/ add 1 can chicken broth, 1 can rinsed and drained black
beans, 1 can drained corn and 1 cup salsa for a Southwestern Soup.
Top with cheese & tortilla chips.

Crockpot Class Notes

HAYDEN RUN WARD
SLOW COOKER KITCHEN CLASS
January 29, 2010
Jennie Dragoo

BASICS
Don’t re-invent the wheel! An instruction manual/recipe book came with
your slow cooker; use it! The manufacturer put a lot of time and money
into developing recipes that will make their slow cooker the star of the
show. If someone upgraded and gave you their older/smaller/no-frills slow
cooker without a manual/recipe book---thank them profusely, then get to
the library and check out one or two crockpot cookbooks out of the
gazillion available! Then, use it!


This is about as low tech as good cooking gets; OFF/ON and HIGH/LOW/WARM,
those are the usual options. If you were fortunate and for a wedding
gift got a programmable, thermometer/probe model, yippee---you still need
to read the book, and you still need to take it out of the box or
cupboard and actually use it. Or, you could give it away to someone
that loves slow cookers who doesn’t think one is enough.

BUDGET
Everyone needs a budget; a budget teaches you how to spend wisely and
save wisely. Even the Queen of England only has so much money to spend.
I’m not saying she has a slow cooker, but if she gets in a pinch for time
or money, then she should get one and use it! How does cooking once and
eating twice sound for your budget? Some people have money and no time,
some people have time and no money---a slow cooker can serve either or
both circumstances.

A slow cooker uses about the same electricity as a 100 watt light bulb.
They can keep your kitchen cooler in the summer, free up the oven or
stovetop on holidays, give you time to enjoy your family, visitors or
guests, make the cheapest meats a tasty (even gourmet) meal or provide
the base for many different meals.

SECRETS
No offense Stephen Covey, but the slow cooker is the best time-management
device on the planet---as long as the LUCKY owner takes it out of the box
or cupboard and actually uses it! If dinner is practically cooking
itself with just a little bit of planning and prep; what are you going to
do with your spare time? Will you read "just one more story" to your
toddler at nap time? Take a nap yourself? Read a fun book? Some say time
is money; I say time is TIME!

TIPS
Don’t peek! Every time you lift the lid, the slow cooker takes 10-20
minutes to recover and return to temperature. That’s why the lids are
glass or clear plastic now! Only lift to stir and only stir when/if the
recipe calls for it.

Put the vegetables on the bottom and then the meat. Vegetables take
longer to cook than meat in stews, roasts and other dishes. Don’t ask me
why---it is probably some technical, scientific, whoop-de-do reason. You
can probably find out why by reading the slow cooker manual, cookbooks,
or the hard way.

Try to keep your vegetables diced or sliced more uniformly for the same
reason. Promptly refrigerate leftovers. Promptly divide into smaller
portions and freeze or refrigerate when cooking large quantities of beans
or meats to use in other recipes. (I cook "big" in the slow cooker
overnight and repackage into smaller portions in the morning.)

Adapt your favorite recipes to slow cooker recipes. This works great for
soups, stews, mashed potatoes, oatmeal or porridge, and casseroles. You
have to reduce the liquid when adapting because moisture doesn’t
evaporate in a slow cooker like a bubbling pot of soup or stew on the
stovetop or a casserole that thickens in the oven. If you "bake" bread,
cheesecakes, regular cakes, etc. in your slow cooker, you’ll need to
absorb the moisture by placing a folded dish towel or two between the lid
and the slow cooker---the books explain the process---I’ve never tried
"baking" in the slow cooker, but you can bet your brownies I will be!

The "BASE RECIPES" times are more exact. The "POSSIBILITIES" are general
so tweak to suit your style and tastes!

SAUCY CHICKEN
BASE: Combine 4 to 6 (frozen or thawed) boneless, skinless chicken
breasts and 1 - 2 cans or jars of *spaghetti sauce in slow cooker and
cook on low for 7 - 8 hours.

POSSIBILITIES: 1. Serve as is with a vegetable and salad
2. Serve over cooked spaghetti, top with grated parmesan or chopped
fresh basil
3. Serve with sautéed polenta slices topped with shredded cheddar
cheese
4. Serve with or over cooked rice (stir in a few tablespoons of
butter and cilantro)
5. Serve over sautéed baby eggplant or zucchini
6. Serve over cooked California Mix (frozen bags of cauliflower,
broccoli and carrots)
7. Dice and mix into cooked bowtie pasta with seasoned green beans
on the side

*Or Substitute 2 16 oz. jars of salsa instead:
1. Serve with cornbread and a salad or vegetable
2. Serve with polenta (fancy name for cold, sliced cornmeal
mush) and shredded cheddar cheese
3. Dice and serve over any combination of black beans, corn and
rice on a bed of lettuce
4. Remove from sauce, shred for tacos, burritos or tortilla
wraps---use sauce on the side
5. Dice or shred, sauté in skillet with a little olive oil,
onion, bell pepper & garlic clove, 1 teaspoon cumin, and a cup of
cooked rice. Heat through before serving.
6. Dice/ add 1 can chicken broth, 1 can rinsed and drained black
beans, 1 can drained corn and 1 cup salsa for a Southwestern Soup.
Top with cheese & tortilla chips.

VEGETARIAN BROWN BEANS
BASE: Rinse 2 to 3 cups pinto beans in a colander. Put rinsed beans in
large pan, add ½ to 1 gallon water to cover and soak overnight. Drain
and rinse beans again in a colander. Place rinsed beans in slow cooker.
Fill cooker almost full---about 2 to 3 inches from the top rim. Stir in
one or two packages of dry onion soup mix and one chopped onion. Cook on
low 7 - 8 hours.

POSSIBILITIES: 1. Serve as is with cornbread on the side and garnish
with chopped onions.
2. Add a cup of cooked rice and a jar of salsa for Spicy Bean
Soup.
3. Use as a base for your favorite chili recipe.
4. Add uncooked macaroni the last half hour, cook on high for
20-30 minutes or until done.
5. Add a cup of diced ham and 1 - 2 large diced potatoes the
second time around.
6. Puree the amount your family will eat in one meal for a
cream soup. Garnish with green onion, sour cream, cheddar cheese or
other toppings.

Expand the possibilities by using any kind of bean; navy, white, kidney,
pink, black, etc. If you want to use the beans in dessert recipes, leave
out the onion soup mix. White beans are more like tofu and take on the
personality of what they are paired with. Black or brown beans are great
when making brownies or chocolate desserts---I’m not kidding!

PLAIN CHICKEN BREASTS
BASE: Combine 4 to 5 chicken breasts (thawed or frozen) and ½ to 1 cup
water in slow cooker. Cook on low for 7 - 8 hours. They will look quite
anemic, don’t be alarmed!

POSSIBILITIES: 1. Season with Montreal Steak seasoning. Sear or
pan-fry in a little olive oil in a skillet to brown.
2. Use as a starter for your favorite "slow cooker" white
chili recipe.
3. Use as a starter for slow cooker chicken and rice soup
(carrots, onion, raw rice, broth, chicken)
4. Dice or cube, combine a box of stuffing mix and 1 1/2
cups of the broth. Put mixture into greased crockpot. Top with jar
of chicken gravy, cook on low about 1 - 1/12 hours. You can sneak in
some extra vegetables too!
5. Spread honey mustard on one side, grill lightly, turn and
do the same to the other side.
6. Dice small. Combine one can cream of chicken soup, 1 cup
milk, frozen mixed vegetables in a greased casserole dish. Spread or
drop dollops of prepared Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix on top. Bake according
to muffin temperature, just add 15 minutes to baking time or until
cornbread
is done. Can make this in the crockpot and try the folded towel
trick.
7. Chill/Cube, add celery, chopped pecans, seedless grapes
and Miracle Whip. Serve on lettuce.
8. Shred into bite-sized pieces. Add cream of chicken soup or
chicken gravy, a cup of broth and a few tablespoons of raw oatmeal
(this is the thickener). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook
on high in crockpot about 1 hour. Serve on toasted bun.
9. Cube, place in skillet with some olive oil. Brown slightly.
Add one chopped bell pepper & ½ onion, chopped. Drain can of
pineapple tidbits reserving liquid. Stir 2 tablespoons cornstarch
into liquid. Add pineapple and cornstarch mixture to skillet.
Cook/stir until bubbly. Serve over seasoned or buttered rice.

Cooking with Lori : Beans, and Rice

Brothers and Sisters,

The Cooking with Beans and Rice class is scheduled for February 27th from 10am-12noon in the Relief Society room. This is open to anyone male or female who is interested in learning about and tasting things made with beans and rice....not necessarily in the same dish. If you want to utilize your food storage, save money, add fiber to your diet, or maximize your nutrition... .this may be of interest to you!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Sister Adkins
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