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Show . . •;, : t , • Beaver Press - April 15, 2010 - Page 4 Give Yourself A Lawn You Can Key Ingredients To Backyard Party Success: A Charcoal Grill And Juicy Burgers " (NAPS)—AB consumers seek put the highest value for their .dollar this year, there's no better , time to get back to the basics of outdoor entertaining: a top charecral, grill and a world-class burger. This winning combination, will make any grilling party arstrcce3s. ^Everyone is certainly looking for_value the'se days, but that doesn't mean savvy consumers arewiHing to compromise on quality—and they shouldn't have to," said Sherry Bale, Weber-Stephen Products Co. "In Your guests may flip for this Classic Patty Melt on Rye If you rememthe long run, a durable grill that ber to flip them only once. ______ wlllf last for years is well worth burgers, boneless chicken breasts thicker, the crust may char before the investment." - T h e grill has been the focal and fish fillets, it is best to use the center is done cooking. Leveling the Playing Field point of outdoor entertaining for direct heat, which means the fire Burgers will plump up as they more than half a century—and is directly below the food. cook, making it difficult to add Juicy and Delicious now this iconic backyard fixture Fat content is the key to mak- toppings later. "With your thumb is getting an upgrade-that adds up-to more value for grillers. ing a juicy burger. Use ground or the back of a spoon, make a TJh^new Weber One-Touch Plat- chuck instead of ground round, shallow indentation about 1 inch inum charcoal grill comes in a because ground chuck contains wide in the center of each patty/ bol(T brick -red color (in addition more fat and therefore more fla- advises Purviance. By doing so, to mack) and features two side vor. Chuck contains about 18 per- when the center pushes up, the tables that offer cooks more cunt fat, as opposed to round, top of each burger will be somewhat level. than?300 square inches of valu- which is closer to 12,percent. Practice Patience: Flip Once Season to Perfection abl&work space. A burger should only be flipped "Ground beef alone makes a Once you've got a top charcoal r grill, the final ingredient to make pretty dull-tasting hamburger, so once. ib check if a burger is ready your backyard party a success is make sure that the meat is mixed to be flipped, slide the eclge of a to build the world's most tasty throughout with at least salt and spatula underneath the patty and pepper," says Purviance. "'Other lift up gently. If the meat is stickburger. Whether you're an experienced ingredients, such as Worcester- ing to the cooking grate, leave the griller or just starting out, here shire sauce, hot sauce, chopped burger on for another minute or are'ijhe top tips for grilling the green peppers or grated onions, so. When you can lift the edge of perfect burger from outdoor will improve the taste and the the burger without it sticking, it's ready to flip. grilling expert Jamie Purviance, juiciness of your hamburgers." Shape Up For niore information and author of the New York Times Shape each raw hamburger recipes including the Classic Patty beatrselling cookbook "Weber's patty to be about % inch thick. If Melt on Rye, or to purchase a copy Way So Grill"; the patty is thinner, it is likely to of "Weber's Way to Grill," visit ' lV Be Direct For thinner cuts of meat, like overcook and become dry. If it's any www.weber.com. . , '*• Specialist: the (Beaver Tress .ft; Going Green In The Kitchen ; |-^ EnjOV . (ARA) - Your lawn is your carpet in the summer; a soft surface to run, play, and relax o n . . . so why does it have all those bald spots and thinning patches? That wouldn't be comfortable to walk across on your living room rug, so why put up with it in your lawn? No lawn is perfect, but every iawn can be a full, comfortable surface to hang out on. It's a lot easier to grow luxurious grass than you may think and figuring out how doesn't have to be confusing. The experts at Scotts offer a few tips: The basics If your lawn has patches and holes, seeding can easily help fill in bare spots. A generally heaithy-iookir.g lawn with just a few bald spots doesnH have to be a challenge, spot seeding will probably work nicely for you. Even if you have tried this in the past, don't lose hope. Just follow these quick steps and remember that the keys to success remain the same no matter what - start with quality seed, ensure that the seed makes good contact with the ground and keep it moist. Finding the root of the problem Why is your lawn thin? What is the source of those bare spots? It's important to find out what's causing bare spots so you can possibly eliminate the cause while treating the problemi A patch next to your driveway, an area under a tree, a (NAPS)—When it comes to getting into shape and improving your high traffic path, or a spot often overall health, you can avoid getvisited, by the dog - alt these ting sidetracked with poor-tasting areas can be riddled with diffi"'diet food. The key is to make health cult bare spots, but they don't -part of your everyday routine. neeld to be a challenge anyTo help you have good health •habits, Kyle Shadix—a certified more. •chef de cuisine,, registered dietiSolve it with seeding tian and culinary expert apeciblizFixing a bare spot is actual*«g-in nutrition, food and health—ly pretty easy. Alt you need to do and*a team of fitness and nutrition is to rake the ground and experts offer three scrumptious recipes. These easy and tasty remove the dead grass or "recipes highlight the many ways weeds. For best results apply *6o~uS£* mclba toast in meals and Healthy snacks between meals will help keep up your energy throughseeding soil, such as Scotts Turf snacks throughout' the day: out the (iay and will tight the urge to overindulge during meals. Builder Seeding Soil, over the area to a depth of about 1 inch. cookie sheet or jellyroll pan. 1 tablespoon Paihiesan ' Chocolate Pistachio Crunch Place melba toast in single Then scatter some seed down Maker, 40 sweet and salty snacks layer in egg mixture; let stand 4 slices. Old Londoia Melba in the area. Finally, give trie until soaked through* about 3 Toast Whole Grain .i -4 cups (2 12-oe. pkg.) of grass seed g good watering and minutes;flipif necessary. Cooked shrimp or sliced '"* semiswect chocolate chips remember to keep it moist. precooked chicken breast Melt 2 tablespoons butter "•" (not milk chocolate) .'. An even easier option is to strips (optional) in a large nonstick, skillet over "'""1 box Melba Snacks Sea Sait medium-high heat.1.Add 6-8 simply apply an all-in-one seed; '"*! cup of pistachios, chopped ".' and toasted Toss romaine lettuce with soaked melba toast slices to ing product like Scotts Turf salad dressing and Parmesan skillet; cook until deep golden Builder EZ'Seed. This is the ""Stir chocolate in large bowl cheese. Place 2 raeSba toast in on bottom, about 2 minutes. only product you'll need, no set over saucepan of boiling the center of the tortilla. Place Sprinkle top of slices with % water until melted and a heaping raound of Caesar teaspoon sugar;1 turn slices need to eyen cover it or the bare smooth, making: sure thai eftioj) mixture over the melba over and, cook lentil deep spoj with soil. ] water does not touch bow! and to;tst. Top with 2 other melba golden on bottom; about 2 Keeping grass seed ademinutes. Transfer French that the chocolate does not get toast and i'old the wrap. quately watered has always toast to plates. Serve with too hot. Remove bowl from been the challenge. How do you applesauce, maple syrup or over water. Dip the Melba Mini French Toast Dippers Snack into melted chocolate to Mqkcs 25 sweet nibblers to pair your choice of breakfast dips* know how much water is too cf»Yer half. Gently shake off with nutritious fruit much? Or too little? E2 Seed Sweepstakes excess chocolate, Place on eliminates guesswork - when baiting sheet and quickly For more fun, you can enter large eggs sprinkle with chopped pistaOld London's "Dance Your Way to you first put the seed down, cup skim milk chios. Refrigerate until chocoHollywood" sweepstakes. One water it until it turns a deep, rich cup plus 12 teaspoons late is firm, about 35 minutes* lucky winner will receive a four- brown. When the color lightens sugar day, three-night trip for two to to milk chocolate, it's time to tablespoon vanilla extract Hollywood, Calif. teaspoon nutmeg .-. Caesar Salad Crunch Wrap water again. The star treatment includes (optional) _ ..Makes I crisp bite without Once youVe established a hotel, airfare for two, tickets to a teaspoon cinnamon . . __ all the fat and sodium Hve popular TV show and a pri- thicker lawn, be sure to give it (optional) vate dancing lesson at a famous the nutrients it needs to thrive. box Mclba Toast Classic I-(about 8-lG-inch size) Los Angeles dance studio. Follow a feeding menu appropritablespoons butter .. il'*whole wheat flour tortilla Entries will be accepted through 2,cups shredded romaine ate for your region's climate. An Whiak eggs, milk, xh cup June 30, 2010. To learn more and sugar, vanilla and spices in a to enter the sweepstakes, visit ail-over feeding with lawn nutri(or to taute) low-fat ents, like Scotts Turf Builder, will small bowt Pour mixture onto a www.toastforeverydayhealth.com. r salad dressing keep grass thriving and prevent future problem spots. Be sure to contains no weeds or other sandy soil, but remains in the follow package directions on undesirables. Next, after clay soii until it is completely how to apply. Just a couple of spreading the new soil, use a saturated. This interface limits times a season can end up savroto-tiller or other machinery to ing you time and energy in the water and nutrient movement, Ob you ^have tips for improv- reducing plant root growth to the blend the two soils. This helps long run. tn fact, compared to an reduce interfaces and gives the unfed lawn, a well-nourished ing my soii? fop few inches of soil. Most roots a better chance of growing Answer by: Jerry Goorfspeed, grass and perennials can tolerlawn develops a denser root into the soil profile. Utah State University Extension ate this condition for one to system that requires less water^horticulturist three years, but eventually the • The best thing for any new ing and tightly knitted grass landscape is to add organic ' " " Preparing soil for planting roots need a deeper soil profile roots to help block out weed matter to the existing soil. can be compared to frosting a and they begin to decline. growth, maximizing your results Compost, leaf mold, composted : cake. If gardeners spread a cou- Consider these tips. while minimizing your efforts. ple of additional inches of top • Once a lawn is growing, not manures and grass clippings, By following this simple coupled with other materials, soil over native soil thinking it much can bs done to remedy advice, you'll no longer have a "Will improve the whole root zone poor soil. Aerating the area reg- can improve unhealthy soils. thinning or patchy lawn. Instead for grass and other plants, they ulariy helps break up the interyou'll want to show off your luxfor Attyow Printing will be disappointed, it may look face and mixes the soils togethurious grass carpet to all of the thfaeds, Come To Hht neighbors. So go ahead, take Tgood, but it will not help in the er. Many people also find that long-run. What's underneath is spreading compost over the your shoes off and enjoy. lawn after aerating is heipfu!. what makes the difference. Courtesy of ARAcontent • - Plant roots need to extend The healthiest method for *We Specialize in as far into the soil as possible. preparing soil for planting is not 'Business forms "Spreading only an inch or two of "frosting" native soil with top . new soil on top creates a false soil. Instead, spend the money Cards soil profile, and the line between on good compost and work it flyers the added soil ^nd the native into the soil to a death of 6 to 8 •;SOil becomes an interface or inches before planting. This cre(Posters boundary between two very dlf- ates a deeper soil profile and of Advertising Jferent materials like the frosting gives the roots more room to .arid the cake. Frosting and cake grow and expand in the future. out our Cow <Jb not blend. Another example - If you are determined to add Technically, the coin that we everyday priced fefore js,; placing clay soil on top of top ' "soil to your landscape call a penny does not exist. At the U.S. Mint, It's officially called -Sandy soil. Water applied to the. a "cent." ;day soil does not drain frit6!trt©V' Munch And Crunch: Healthy Recipes For Any Time Of The Day yh Slow cookers are more energy efficient than the highest-rated Energy Star ovens. • (NAPS)—If you want a greener, more energy-efficient home, start by considering a change in how you cook. Slow cook your food. If just 10 percent of American homes replaced one oven-cooked meal per week with a slow cooker meal, the energy saved each year would add up to 900 million kilowatt hours, according to the California Energy Commission, In fact, slow cookers use only about one-fourth the energy that cooking the same dish in an electric oven for one hour would use. Slow cookers don't heat up your kitchen and help time-pressed families get a meal on the table quickly in the evening. For even more time savings, use a slow cooker liner from Reynolds for quick, easy cleanup. Here's a tasty slow-cooked breakfast or brunch idea: Breakfast Casserole Serves 8 1 Reynolds® Slow Cooker Liner 4 cups (about 5 slices) white bread, cubed 1 box (10 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry % pound bacon, cooked and crumbled 2 cups blended shredded cheese, divided 1 small red bell pepper, chopped y* cup onion, chopped 1 can (10.75 oz) cream of celery soup 5 eggs % cup evaporated milk '/i teaspoon each salt and dry mustard % teaspoon pepper Place slow cooker liner in 5to 614-quart slow cooker bowl. Fit liner snugly in bowl; pull top of liner over rim of bowl. Mix bread, spinach, bacon, 1% cups cheese, bell pepper and onion in a large bowl; pour into lined .slow cooker bowl. Whisk together remaining ingredients- Pour over bread mixture; stir gently to combine. Place lid on slow cooker. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or on high for 2V£ to 316 hours. Carefully remove lid- Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Let stand, uncovered, 15 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve casserole directly from lined slow cooker. Do not lift or transport liner with food inside. Cool slow cooker completely; remove liner and toss. For more recipes and ideas, go to www.slowcookerliner3.com. Technology Turns Over A New Leaf (NAPS)—The digital age is taking a seat at America's dining room tables. Now you can learn the life story of your,bagged lettuce and spinacjh.with a few simple clicks on a Web page. Does it matter? The Food Channel thinks so. It has identified "Food Sourcing/Vetting" as a top consumer food trend in 2010. But what it really means to consumers is the chance to make informed purchase decisions about the foods they feed their families. That's why Fresh Express is offering its,Leaf Locator online tool that can tell consumers where the leafy greens in their particular bag of salad were grown. Consumers can find the Leaf Ix>cator on the "Your Salad Story" Web site —www.freshexpress.com/salad— which allows thorn how the salads are cared for from field to store. In growing leafy greens, what happens in the field makes a big difference in the quality of the final product. Any master winemaker will vouch for this. In wine making, the growing region of the grapes has a lot to do with the quality of the wine. Similarly, a great salad starts with leaves grown in those regions that are best suited to bring out the unique flavors and textures of different varieties of leafy greens. Once you know the inside story about your particular bag of Fresh Express salad, you can more fully enjoy delicious recipes such as this healthy luscious Wild Rice & Apple Salad: "Lettuce" enjoy fine fresh food: Now you can track your salad's life story online. l /t cup celery, cut VA inch thick Vi cup dried cranberries 4 tablespoons toasted pecans, chopped l At cup shaved ParmigianoReggiano cheese SALAD DRESSING: 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon extra-virgin l olive oil 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley VA teaspoon minced thyme Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper Directions: SALAD: Toss the Fresh Express Tender Ruby Reds salad, cooked wild rice, apple slices, celery and cranberries with the dressing. Toss well Wild Rice & Apple • and sprinkle with the toasted pecans and the shaved Salad cheese. Serves 4 SALAD DRESSING: In a large mixing bowl, combine SALAD: 1 Pkg. Fresh Express Tender the vinegar, olive oil and herbs. Adjust seasoning with Ruby'" Reds salad salt and pepper to taste. 1 cup wild rice cooked Serve in a large bowl or according to the directions. serve it individually as a great on the package for side salad—or serve with 6 packaged precooked wild ounces of roast turkey breast, rice-grain combination) cut into small cubes, for a 1 Granny Smith apple, wonderful lunch salad. i, cut into thin slices (NAPS)—Nearly one in five residential landscape architects is replacing part or all of traditional grass lawns with vegetable gardens, according to a survey by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). For more information, visit www.asla.org or call (888) 999ASLA(2752). • • • The Kentucky Legend Ham Hotline, open March 15 through April 30, can help you select, prepare and serve a delectable ham. The experts at Kentucky Legend Hams field calls at (866) 343-5058 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday-Friday. Ham facts and recipes are at www.specialty foodsgroup.com and (800) 9253663. ** * Sweet, fiber-rich, dried California Mission and Calimyrna figs offer a wealth of nutritional value, including iron, potassium and calcium. To order figs or find kitchen-tested recipes, go to www.valleyfig.com and www. cookscountrytv.com. f |