January (10.0 MB) - Senior Connector

January 2007 Senior Connector www.seniorconnector.com Page 3Food for thought ~ Happy New YearBy Enid DamerI’m way ahead of myself– my Christmas article wasprinted in November andnow my New Years messagewill be printed in mid-December! But it doesn’treally matter and the editors/printers of the Connector dodeserve a bit of time off.This will be a time forthoughts of recipes new tome. Last year, I discoveredsome good ones, which I’dlike to share. The wonderfulthing about cooking is thatthere are always new ideas;some are recycled old ones,but if they are new to you,then they are new! Most ofthe recipes are low in fat andsugar, a factor to considerafter a holiday of overindulgence.A good friend gave mea recipe book titled, “TheBook Club Cookbook.” Ibelong to two book clubs soit was an appropriate gift.There is a synopsis for eachf 100 titles and a suggestedecipe to fit each story. Manyf the novels are ones I haveead. It’s the kind of bookyou want to curl up with inront of the fire on a snowyay and just read and read.ere’s one of the recipes. Itccompanies Angela’s Ashes,y Frank McCourt, a bookany of you will have read.Irish brown soda bread1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1-cup whole-wheat flour1 1/2 teaspoons bakingpowder1-teaspoon baking soda2 teaspoons brown sugar1 1/8 cup buttermilkAdjust oven rack to acentral position and preheatto 325 degrees. Placeflours, baking powder, sodaand brown sugar in a largebowl and mix well. Add buttermilkand stir until softdough is formed. (I foundI had to add more buttermilk)Knead on a boarddusted with whole-wheatflour. Shape into a roundloaf; place on an ungreasedbaking sheet, press downa little to flatten, and dustwith whole-wheat flour. Cuta deep cross on top. Allow torest for 10 minutes, coveredby a cloth. Bake 40 minutesor until the loaf is goldenbrown. Allow to cool and“serve with butter and jam.”My family sometimesmakes me feel that my cookingis old fashioned. Theyare not much on meat, potatoesand two vegetable mealsany more. In an attempt tobe more “with it”, I tried aMexican dish and we reallyenjoyed it. Simple, meatless,and very quick. Try it withyour grandchildren!Tex-Mex quesadillas4 - 10” soft tortillas1/2-cup salsa (medium orhot)1 cup grated sharp cheese4 teaspoons chopped greenonionsLay tortillas flat on acutting board. Cover halfwith 2 tablespoons salsa.Sprinkle with 1/4 cup gratedcheese and 1 tablespoonchopped green onions. Foldthe tortilla over to cover filling.Pre-heat a large nonstickfrying pan and lightlycoat with oil. When panreaches medium heat, addfolded tortilla and cookuntil golden on each side.Cut into wedges and repeatwith remaining tortillas.Serve with a tossed greensalad. You may add one ortwo tablespoons of diced,cooked chicken or drained,canned black beans.This recipe is good totake to winter potlucks.Roasted winter vegetables2 cups red potatoes, skinson, (or peeled baking potatoes)cut in bite-sizedchunks1 1/2 cups peeled yams cutinto chunks1 1/2 cups peeled turnip cutin chunks1 large onion, cut into thickwedges1 1/2 teaspoon olive oilPinch of salt and freshlyground pepper.Grease a large flat panwith the oil. Heat oven to375 degrees. Toss the potatoes,turnip and onion withthe oil, salt and pepper.Roast uncovered, in a singlelayer, half an hour, then stirand add yams. Stir occasionallyfor another half houruntil vegetables are almostdone.Now, if you want to befancy, make up the followingsauce while the vegetablescook.Walnut rosemary pesto1/4-cup fresh rosemary(removed from stalk)1/3 cup walnut halves,toasted1/2 cup grated Parmesancheese1 clove garlic, peeled1 1/2 tablespoon olive oilPinch of salt and freshlyground pepperPlace all in a processorand process until finelychopped. Add to the roastedvegetables, toss to combineand continue roastinguncovered until all the vegetablesare cooked.Alternately, add a goodItalian dressing to the vegetablesbefore baking the lasthalf hour.My wish for you is ayear of good health and lotsof fun trying new recipes!Safe driving tips for seniorsOnce we hit a certain ageour reflexes start to slowdown, our muscular strengthstarts to decline and our riskof injury gets greater. That’swhy seniors need to be evenmore careful. Our homes,streets and highways can befilled with potential risks.It can make you thinktwice about safe drivingskills – not just yours,but those of other driversaround you, as well! Drivingfor most seniors is a way ofmaintaining some independence,and those who havebeen driving all their livescertainly don’t want to giveit up just because they havereached a certain age.It is true that manyseniors can still drive, butunfortunately, not all ofthem can drive safely. Followthese safety rules at alltimes in order to protectyourself and those aroundyou.• Have your eyes testedannually.• Always wear your glassesor hearing aid while driving.• Always take your medicationsas prescribed by yourdoctor and do not drive ifthey make you dizzy, tired orconfused.• Keep your seatbelt fastenedat all times.• Pay close attention to othervehicles, pedestrians andbikes around you.• Plan your trips in advanceand avoid rush hour.• Avoid driving for longperiods of time: insteadmake regular stops to rest.• Always stay focused onyour driving and be ready forthe unexpected.• Take a driving refreshercourse, if one is beingoffered in your area.