Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 135, Number 1, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 2 January 2014 — Page 3

Holiday leftovers are a chance to be creative

There is no denying that a large part of the holidays is about food! All of our food is costing more and food preparation takes time. During the holidays we have plenty of food and it is easy to be wasteful. I personally have issues with food being wasted. There are so many ways to combine food to create delicious recipes and or freeze it for future meals and snacks. I know I have written on this subject before I have to write that I am passionate about not wasting food. I will be honest, it is a combination of how I was raised and then my Consumer and Family Sciences education. If you don't want to waste food either begin with making a list of all the delicious foods that you prepare and then have the opportunity of making them into another recipe that you and your family will enjoy. Please note that I am using the word planned overs to challenge you with making the most of the foods you have and not being wasteful of your money. These foods may be fresh or cooked vegetables, cheese from cheese balls and trays, a variety of meats,candies, cookies, snacks and all kind of baked goods, beverages and all the other items that family members prepare or purchase. I know most of you decide that you have had enough of all this tasty food. So please put on your creative cooking hat and make plans for tasty recipes. The odds are you will probably never make this recipe again as you won't have the same foods to combine. So start your creative cooking

Future, continued from front

other town has in this day and age," Ingle explained. "We have worked really hard to keep our crew down," She went on to explain that in every department, virtually everyone who's retired has not been replaced. In the past year,

Hie number of small farms is on the increase

A curious statistic showed up in the last USDA Census of Agriculture."“For more than 60 years, the number of farms in the US and Indiana had been decreasing. In the 2007 Census, however, the number of farms increased, in the US, Indiana, and here in Elkhart County. There are many ways to measure farm size: acreage, income, production to name a few. Nevertheless, no matter how you looked at the census numbers, there was a noticeable increase in the number of small

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knowing that the food you're working with is safe. When food is safe, looks and tastes good everyone one of us should 1 be making the most of our food dollars and not wasting. I would enjoy hearing your ideas, email me at" lienahrt@]3urdue.edu or call me at 574-533-0554. My first thought on this food opportunity is getting together with family and friends as you know most of them also have too much food. This could really be fun, some interesting recipes made there would be a variety of food at the party and the goals are that the food would be safe; you would work together to prepare it; the recipes would be tasty. I would hope that it would all be eaten but if not, plan ahead and have containers for the food that is not eaten and create to go containers for your guests. Another thought I have is to share this food with family and friends that could not come to the party. So here are some ideas on combining foods for great flavorful dishes. A true American comfort food is macaroni and cheese. So make it healthier in two ways, use whole wheat macaroni, add a few of die

47 employees have been doing the work of what was formerly 54 town employees. She acknowledged that part of the decrease was the merger of the Nappanee Dispatch Center with the one for Elkhart County. "It makes for a small number of people doing a lot of

farms. Most of the local small farms have

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Community

Food and Nutrition - By Mary Amt Lienhart Cross

work," she said. Aside from that, growth, development and industry continue to rise in Nappanee. Homes and new businesses are being built, where they can be. "The good news is are using the space avaiP' able," Thompson said.

Extension Ups By Jeffßurbrink

vegetables and make a cheese sauce with some of your leftover cheeses and cheese balls. You can take this further by using the vegetables, some rice or pasta and making the cheese sauce and creating a casserole. You can also use all of these cheeses to make a potato and vegetable cheese soup. Another thought that comes to mind depending on what your planned overs are is fondue. Fondue is a great way for family and friends to slow down and create a meal at the table or at least have dessert fondue. For the meal you can use the raw vegetables from the veggie tray and add raw beef, poultry or pork for cooking in the flavored oil. Just remember to keep the vegetables on a plate separate from the meat as some of the guests will eat the vegetables hefore cooking and you don't want to have cross contamination. I don't know of anyone who doesn't like desert fondue, you can make a butterscotch, caramel, or chocolate fondue to dip leftover cake, cookies and some fruit like pineapple canned or fresh, bananas, and strawberries in. Somehow I am sure you have ham and just maybe have had enough ham sandwiches. I know there is nothing like a good fried ham and cheese sandwich with all kinds of extras on it. Some other ideas that come to my taste buds are ham salad, ham and beans, and of course scalloped potatoes with ham. If you are making ham beans I have two ideas to share, brown the ham in a cast iron or

"I think a lot of cities are really struggling with the tax cap," Thompson explained. "Nappanee? We seem to be coming out of this recession okay and I think 2014 looks pretty good."

designed their business to sell direct to the consumer. Fresh produce, eggs, and meat products seem to be the most popular items raised on the small farms. Many of these farmers also have some other source of income, but many dream of a day when they could be 100% self-employed on the farm. If you are one of these entrepreneurial farmers, you might enjoy the Indiana Small Farm Conference, scheduled February 20-22, 2014 at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds in Danville Indiana. There will be sessions

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Advance News * Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014

regular skillet and you will get more flavor before adding to the beans, and plan ahead to soak your beans and cook them, and this is most economical and less salty than using canned beans. Lastly whether you are going to eat the food now, later, or share it with someone, you need to keep it safe. If you are going to share it with others, you might want to repackage it and label it. If you want to keep the food for later, you may need to freeze it. Freezing works for most foods, and if done properly, it will remain tasty. Plan to freeze foods when they are at their best quality. If foods are off color, have an odor, or have lost their eye appeal, don't freeze them. Keep in mind freezing is meant to keep food, it doesn't improve the quality. Many foods will keep best if you double wrap them or, for sure, use a freezer bag. You'll want to seal all the items in moisture and vapor proof freezer wrappings. Exposure to air can give food an off color and flavor and a tough, dry surface known as freezer bum. When freezing liquids, don't fill the containers to the top; leave at least one-half inch to allow for expansion. With the food you have frozen you have the start of your "Super Bowl" party, could be a great soup, chili, dip or casserole. Enjoy great food with family and friends!

Marks, from front

demonstrate that our schools have risen to the challenge of improving outcomes across the state of Indiana and our kids are better for it. "These strong results are a testament to our students and the teachers whose dedication is delivering greater levels of success in the classroom every year," he said. "I also extend my thanks to all the members of the State Board of Education, including Superintendent Ritz, for working together to complete this important task and for all their efforts on behalf of Hoosier kids."

about growing produce, hoop houses, live stock production, processing and marketing energy and small farm management. It i: a great way for small farmers to learn anc interact with other farmers, researchers, stu dents and Extension personnel. For details about the conference and tc register, go to www.ag.purdue.edu/small farms or call (888) EXT-INFO and ask foi information about the small farm confer ence.

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