Tea Time!

Tea Time is should be relaxing and can be casual. It does not need to be formal, and you certainly do not have to eat those unappealing little cucumber sandwiches if you do not want to!!! You can have tea everyday, all by yourself, although it is a great deal tastier if you share it with friends!
Here in America, high-tea is incorrectly used to describe a very formal, social tea. The meaning, however; should be used to describe simply a tea served with the dinner meal. You can choose to have “high-tea” everyday if you would like.
Here is how to brew a “proper Tea”
1. Fill tea pot with hot tap water to warm it up prior to adding tea leaves and boiling water.
2. Fill tea kettle with fresh, cold, non-distilled water.
3. Place kettle on stove and bring to boil.
4. Just before kettle begins to boil, pour water from tea pot and add one teaspoon tea leaves per cup to pot, plus an additional teaspoon 'for the pot.
5. Remove kettle from heat right after it comes to a boil, and pour 6 ounces per cup into tea pot.
6. Let tea steep 3 - 7 minutes depending on desired strength.
7. Pour tea into cups using a strainer to catch loose leaves.
8. Add cold, whole milk, or lemon to tea cups depending on preference of guests.
* often directions for tea will instruct you to add milk before pouring tea. This was done to temper the fragile porcelain of the 16th and 17th centuries. The practice continued as habit only. It is perfectly correct to add milk and lemon after the tea has been poured. This method is also preferred in order to maintain taste consistency since we have little control over the strength of the leaves being brewed.


There are many teas on the market. My personal favorites are Twinings Irish Breakfast Tea, or Earl Gray (Twinings or Bigelow).

Most of these come in teabag form- Use about 3-4 teabags per teapot and let steep for about five minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie

The other night I made a really tasty chicken pot pie and I thought I would share the recipe. Usually making a pot pie is too time-consuming, however I think you will like this little recipe because it uses some short-cuts but nothing that affects the taste.

First cook and remove the meat from one whole chicken (anything over 4 lbs should work. (tip: whenever I do one chicken, I figure it is just as easy to do two- then freeze for next time to save a step) reserve the stock

Cut the chicken into bite size pieces.

I use a ready made (rollable, not fixed) pie crust (Pillsbury is great- it tastes homemade!)

Other than the chicken and pie crusts, this is what you will need:

2 9-inch pie pans
1 bag of frozen, mixed veggies
6 TBSP butter
6 TBSP Flour
4 cups of broth, (you can use the stock from the chicken plus bouillon to make 4 cups)
1 tsp garlic
Salt & pepper to taste
3/4 tsp parsley
¼ tsp Thyme
½ bay leaf


To make the chicken pot pie, heat the butter in a pan. Add flour and continue to cook for two minutes. (med. heat) . Stir in broth and cook, stirring, until mixture is thickened. Add mixed vegetables. And allow to cook for two minutes on low heat.

*Pre bake your bottom crusts a little before spooning in mixture

Spoon in mixture and cover with top crust. Cut slits into the top of the pie to allow steam to escape.

Bake pies at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Pie should be golden brown and bubbly.

*Yields 2 nine-inch pies

Buy Organic Milk!

Should you buy only organic milk? I think so. Here is why:

Here is a basic list of rules that a farm must follow to be certified organic. This is not a complete list. The laws are quite strict. Please remember when reading labels that "organic" and "natural" are very different!

1. No pesticides or chemical fertilizers are allowed on the ground where the cows graze or where their feed is grown.
2. NO bovine growth hormones (BGH) are allowed to increase milk production. There's no genetic mutation or irradiation allowed.
3. They do not allow antibiotics. If a cow becomes sick and must be treated with antibiotics the farmer must wait an entire year before that animal will be allowed to return to milk production.
4. Cows which produce Organic milk must have “access to pasture” What this means varies from farm to farm. Some animals graze exclusively, some have only limited grazing time.
Organic Farms Benefit Us All
Organic Farms help the environment. No pesticides, chemical or synthetic fertilizers are used. This is important because such chemicals wash away in rain water and end up in your water supply.
Did you know that on regular farms (not organic) cows are given food made from other (dead) animals? This can spread diseases such as Mad Cow Disease.
On regular (not Organic) farms the cows are treated with BGH (bovine growth hormone) or rbST (recombinant bovine somatotropin). This dramatically increases milk production. These chemicals cause IGF-1 (an insulin like growth factor) in the milk. This survives pasteurization! It is thereby passed to humans and absorbed into your body! There is a great deal of debate on whether or not this is a cause of breast and colon cancer.
The USDA and FDA have approved this hormone and claim that it is safe, however the US seems to be alone in their belief. It has been banned in Europe, Canada and Japan.
The hormones also make the cows sick. It over-stimulates the cows udders and milk glands, causing mastitis. (an infection in the udder) This subsequently can cause pus to be emitted along with the milk. There are those who say that most of the pus is eradicated during pasteurization, however; the thought of giving my children milk mixed with pus is sickening!
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Antibiotics
Since the non-organic cow is constantly sick it must be treated with antibiotics.
Although it is illegal to receive milk from a cow being treated with antibiotics, the antibiotics seem to be showing up in the samples at an alarming rate. Some studies show this at 21%, while others as high as 38%

This can make you and your children immune to antibiotics when you actually need them.

Next time you are in the grocery store, take a good look at the expiration dates on the organic milk. How does it stay good for so long? One reason is because organic farms use a different method of pasteurization. Regular milk farms use a process known as Flash pasteurization. This means it is brought to a temp of between 140 and 160 degrees for a short amount of time and then cool very quickly in order to destroy bacteria, molds and yeasts.
Organic milk farms use the UHT method. This means it is heated to 275 degrees for a couple of seconds. This method is superior in killing micro-organisms and because of the shorter processing time, also better preserves the nutrients.

UHT treated milk also can stay out of the refrigerator (before it’s opened). Neat huh?

Just ask your parents or grandparents how long the milk used to sit on their doorsteps after delivery by the milkman. Why was it that it didn’t go bad? Less bacteria! The growth hormones were approved in the 1990s, that combined with using an inferior method for pasteurization had led to milk that spoils very quickly.

What about the taste? Pus in the milk gives it an “off” taste as you might imagine. The taste and texture of organic milk is much smoother and creamier.

The USDA and FDA claim that there are no nutritional differences between organic milk and their hormonally treated milk; however, there are several independent studies that provide evidence to the contrary.

Protect our children! Buy organic!

=) Amy

Food Preservation

Due to the recession and fear of the current political climate there has been a renewed interest in preserving food. Most people aren't aware that we have a large canning kitchen here in Jacksonville that is available to all Duval County residents! It is great for co-ops, groups of friends, churches.. whomever! The following is a direct reprint from the Recreation and Community services link on http://www.coj.net/.

Agricultural Canning Center
2525 Commonwealth AvenueJacksonville, Fl, 32254904 387-8860
Today's modern Canning Center serves a different function than the original facility built in the early 1930s to feed inmates at a nearby prison. Changed during World War II, it continues today to serve the community by teaching food preservation and storage techniques.
The facility on Commonwealth Avenue was built in 1978 to better serve Jacksonville's growing population. Air conditioned and recently updated, the Canning Center provides an institutional kitchen environment. All equipment necessary for canning is provided onsite. Users provide their own ingredients.
Collaboration between the City of Jacksonville and the University of Florida, School of Agriculture Extension Service provides funding for the Canning Center's services. The client list includes Duval County residents, boaters, various churches, people on restricted diets, non-profit organizations within the city, the 4-H School Enrichment Program and other governmental agencies. It is also used within the Agriculture Department to train its many master food and master gardener volunteers who subsequently assist in educational programming throughout the city.
The Canning Center has established a partnership with Duval County Schools, providing educational tours and teaching the value of agriculture to school age children throughout Jacksonville. Students arrive at the center after touring a nearby farmer's market. The Canning Center supervisor leads students through an educational program that teaches the difference between high-acid and low-acid foods and gives basic principles of food and kitchen safety, including a practical exercise in proper hand washing. Students are taken step by step through the preparation process. Finally, the students can their own snack, and watch the supervisor seal it mechanically and the students take it with them when they leave. This is a favorite tour for both students and teachers.
Year-round hours: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday – Thursday
Who Can Use The Canning Center? All Duval County residents who are canning for themselves, their families, churches, or any non-profit organization (not for businesses) may use the facility. For safety reasons no children under 8 years of age are allowed. Walk in clients are not accepted. You must call and make an appointment two or three days in advance, if possible.
What Is The Cost?$7.50 per hour, per group, including processing time, plus .65 cents per quart can, .45 cents per pint can (all low acid foods, vegetables, meats, soups and stews) must go in cans. All high-acid foods (fruits, jellies, jams, and pickles) will go in jars. Clients must provide their own jars. There is a .15 cents per jar processing fee. To qualify for tax-exempt status, a nonprofit agency must have a valid Tax Exempt Certificate on file and pay for the canning with a check from the nonprofit agency or organization.
What Can We Can?Tested and tried recipes must be used at the canning center. The canning of fruits and vegetables are the most popular, but many other items can be canned: meat, soup, jelly, jam. Etc. The center has some recipes that have proven over the years to be just great. Also the Family and Consumer Sciences Program area next door at the Duval County Extension Service/Agriculture Department, has many more recipes.
How Long Will It Take?That depends on you and the help you bring with you. Most people who are in by 8:30 a.m. will be out by 2 p.m., depending on recipe.
What Do We Bring?Only your product and ingredients needed for recipe. If using jars you must bring your own. Bring boxes to use carrying the product home.

Buttermilk Biscuits

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour, stirred before measuring*
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup lard or vegetable shortening, chilled
2 tablespoons butter, chilled
3/4 cup buttermilk
PREPARATION:
Heat oven to 450°. Adjust oven rack to center position.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Cut in chilled shortening and butter until you have pieces the size of small peas. Make a well in center of dry ingredients; pour in buttermilk. With a wooden spoon, gently blend dry ingredients into the buttermilk, just until mixture is clumping together. If necessary, add a few more teaspoons of buttermilk.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured board. Pat out in a circle about 8 inches in diameter and 1/2-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2 to 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out and place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake on center oven rack for about 10 to 12 minutes, until tops are browned. Makes 10 to 12 biscuits, depending on size of cutter.

A Well Stocked Kitchen

Whether you are planning a kitchen for the first time or adding to your current inventory, having the right tools makes cooking easier and more fun.

Equipment Tools
mixing bowls in graduated sizes
dry measuring cup set
liquid measuring cups
measuring spoons
set of quality knives
mixing spoons (plastic, metal & wooden)
kitchen shears
pastry blender
Thermometers (meat & candy)
openers (electric, hand, bottle & corkscrew)
wire whisk
vegetable peeler
timer
mallet
colander
rolling pin
sifter
spatulas
wire mesh strainer
scales (optional)
cutting board
grater
brushes (pastry & basting)
metal turner
meat fork
tongs
ladle
kitchen towels & pot holders

Cookware
saucepans (1,2, & 3 qt with lids)
skillets (large & small)
dutch oven
stockpot or kettle with lid
double boiler

Bakeware
(pans are metal, dishes are glass)
2 or 3 9-inch round cakepans
8- & 9-inch square pans
13 x 9-inch pan
10 inch tube pan
bundt pan
13 x 9 baking dish
8 or 9-inch square baking dish
1 quart baking dish
2 cookie sheets
15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan
wire cooking racks
9 x 5-inch loafpan
muffin pan
9-inch glass pieplate
9-inch springform pan