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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2015)
6A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL January 7, 2015 Cook's Corner Back to basics with dining dollars BY BETTY KAISER For the Sentinel Traditionally speaking, Janu- ary is the month of beginnings. A time of hope. In reality, it is a time when New Year’s reso- lutions are made and broken. Ambitious exercise plans are initiated and then forgotten. Low-calorie meals are consid- ered and discarded and money matters are agonized over. At our house, January is bud- get-crunch time. Where did we spend too much money in the previous year, and why? And how can we stop the drain? Last year, every category of spending seemed to escalate—especially food expenditures. I’m not an accountant, but I estimate that my groceries and household supplies cost at least 25 percent more than I budgeted. It’s time for me to plug the holes. Our government may believe that there’s no infl ation, but I beg to differ. I know what things cost today, yesterday and the years in-between. Regardless of the economy, prices go up. They don’t go down. I remem- ber what food cost in the early 1960s. I could feed a family of fi ve, put gas in the car, pay the milkman and go to the movies once a month on $20 a week. Times have changed. Our family take-home income at that time was about $75 a week or $4,000 a year. According to the U.S. Census 2008, the aver- age Oregon yearly income was $61,945. Department of Justice bankruptcy fi gures beg to differ. They say that today $45,435 is the norm. That’s probably clos- er to the truth. Whatever your income, you have to eat. So, I wondered, what does it cost today to feed a family with young children? According to the USDA Food Plan, a Thrifty Plan to feed a family four costs about $131 dollars a week. A Low Cost plan is $166; Moderate cost is $206; and a Liberal plan is $255 per week. Remember, these are government fi gures. Extreme coupon clippers and the very frugal can eat on much less, but they are not the norm. Let’s face it—food is expen- sive, and when you shop, you’d better have a plan. Shopping is the one thing we have control over. Planning is key. Without a plan, I spend too much on junk. So I’m back to basics (but not boring!) with my dining dollars. They are: 1. Make a seven-day meal plan. 2. Check the pantry and freezer before I buy. 3. Never shop without a list. 4. Buy products on sale. 5. Buy the basics fi rst (bread, eggs, milk, fruit, veggies, meat) 6. Go easy on junk food i.e. potato chips, empty calories. 7. Divide my budget into four segments and shop weekly. There are two other vital components of meal planning: “Make it yourself” and “Planned leftovers.” Once a week I bake a whole chicken or cook a small roast so we can have a couple of dinners and lunches out of one meal. It’s amazing how good chicken salad sandwiches taste instead of lunchmeat. We also usually have a stir- fry once a week. Onions, cel- ery, carrots, broccoli and a little meat over rice are an economical meal. We always have a pasta meal, and if I make a big pot of chili, stew or soup, I freeze half of it. I seldom buy a dessert if I can make myself. It only costs me a couple of dollars versus a $20 bill at the bakery. I save that for weak moments when a cream puff is calling. FYI: Health note. One other advantage of making it yourself is that you don’t have to worry about the fi llers and chemicals in pre-made food. If the prod- uct’s ingredients take up the whole back of a package you re- ally don’t want to eat it! Today’s recipe will smell wonderful and taste like a mil- $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM Our Community Newspaper lion dollars. It came from a friend who loves freshly baked gingerbread—with a twist— thin slices of pears that bake right into the batter. It bakes up sticky on the outside and steam- ing and moist in the center. So, save some money, eat well and enjoy! WARM GINGERBREAD WITH PEARS 2 1/2 cups unbleached all- purpose or pastry fl our 1 tablespoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup molasses 1/3 cup corn syrup 3/4 cup brown sugar 6 ounces melted butter 2 eggs 1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger 1 cup boiling water 2 medium ripe pears, cored and cut into thin slices Jelly, powdered sugar, whipped cream or lemon curd, for serving (optional) Preheat oven to 350° F. In a medium bowl, stir to- gether fl our, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In a large mixing bowl, com- bine molasses, corn syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, eggs and crystallized ginger. Stir to blend well. Gradually stir in fl our mixture. Carefully add boiling water, a little at a time, until you have a sticky and glossy batter. To make individual ginger- bread desserts: Butter and fl our 12 to 16 ov- enproof ramekins and fi ll each about 3/4 full. Place 2 to 3 slices of pear on top, pressing them gently down into the batter to anchor them. Bake until a skew- er inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Brush the tops with melted jelly or sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream or lemon curd. To make one cake: Butter and fl our a 9- by 13- inch baking dish and spoon in the batter. Arrange slices of pear over the surface, tucking them down into the batter slightly to anchor them. Bake until a skew- er inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Brush the top with melted jelly or sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream or lemon curd. Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes that are deli- cious, family oriented and easy to prepare. Contact her at 942- 1317 or email bchatty@bet- tykaiser.com T OGETHER Continued from page 1A years, said that experts there have seized on the potential of grafted vegetable plants and have been growing a new com- bination for about fi ve years — a plant that combines, through grafting, the roots of a potato plant with the stem and leaves of a tomato. Yes, you read that right — one plant that produces both to- matoes and potatoes. It’s called Ketchup n’ Fries by TomTato, and Log House and SuperNatu- rals Grafted Vegetables, LLC will be offering the new com- bo using help from, who else? — Territorial Seed Co., which will offer the plant exclusively through its mail-order system for two years. Despite their own work graft- ing unique combinations, Doyle said Log House took notice of the success a Dutch grower had marketing TomTato in England, where about 40,000 examples of the early-season tomato/late- season potato plant were sold last year. “We decided that since they’ve been so successful in England, we’d utilize their track record, though we continue to do our research on different va- rietals of tomatoes and potatoes that could graft well together,” Doyle said. Doyle called Ketchup n’ Fries a “way to have fun with gar- dening” but cautioned that the plant’s ability to produce both tomatoes and potatoes should not be overlooked. “Its more of a gimmick in- volving grafting than anything else,” she said, “but it still pro- duces a lot of fruit and a pretty good set of potatoes, whether it’s planted in the ground or grown in a container.” The plant can produce about fi ve pounds of potatoes versus a typical two-pound output, Doyle said, and it’s creating quite a buzz in the gardening world. Ketchup n’ Fries was even fea- tured on the Colbert Report in 2013. “We keep getting calls,” she said. “There’s been a lot of in- terest already, and we think it’s going to get new gardeners in- terested in growing their own vegetables this spring, which is what we like to do.” Doyle said her company has had nothing but success work- ing with Territorial Seed and is excited for this new foray. “Territorial does a wonderful job naturally,” she said. “We’ve never had one complaint on any of their shipments, and this will be a fun project to work on to- gether.” Territorial owner Tom Johns agreed. “This is going to be a real fun thing for people,” Johns said. “It’s already immensely popular in England, and we’re excited to have the exclusive here in Amer- ica. It’s fun for Territorial, and to have Log House’s involvement. We’ve worked closely together on things with a national scope before, so it’s really interesting that we’re located in the same town.” Johns said that, since Eng- land’s climate is a lot like ours, Ketchup n’ Fries could fi nd a welcome home in Oregon. The plant can be grown in the ground or a container, though Doyle cautions that the contain- er should be at least 18 inches in diameter to accommodate the plant’s healthy rootstock. Both Doyle and Johns hinted that their companies have only yet scratched the surface of pos- sibilities for grafting vegetable plants. “Tomatoes and potatoes are of the same genus, so you could graft peppers, eggplant, toma- toes — we’ve done it before,” Doyle said. SOUTH LANE COUNTY FIRE & RESCUE The Only Emergency Medical Transport Service in South Lane County Community Public Education: • CPR/AED • Heart Attack Recognition • Fall Prevention • Stroke Prevention • Fire Prevention • Fire Extinguishers • Fire-Med Membership Call 541-942-4493 for info. FOR EMERGENCY DIAL 911 Serving South Lane County. since 1889 W orship D irectory Calvary Baptist Church 77873 S 6th St • 541-942-4290 Pastor: Riley Hendricks Sunday School: 9:45am Worship: 11:00am The Journey: Sunday 5:00pm Praying Thru Life: Wednesday 6:00pm “VICTORY” Country Church Community Center Shepherd Room 700 East Gibbs • 541-942-5913 Pastor: Barbara Dockery Worship Service: 10:00am Message: 11:00am “WE BELIEVE IN MIRACLES” Church of Christ 420 Monroe St • 541-942-8565 Sunday Service: 10:30am Old Time Gospel Fellowship 103 S. 5th Street • 541-942-4999 Pastor: Herb Carson Sunday Service: 10:00am Sunday Bible Study: 6:00pm We sing the old time hymns. Cottage Grove Bible Church 1200 East Quincy Avenue 541-942-4771 Pastor:Bob Singer Worship 8:30am, 11am Sunday School:9:45am YouthGroup Mondays 6:30pm AWANA age 3-8th Grade, Wednesdays Sept-May, 6:30pm www.cgbible.org Delight Valley Church of Christ 33087 Saginaw Rd. East 541-942-7711 Pastor: Bob Friend Two Services: 9am - Classic in the Chapel 10:30am - Contemporary in the Auditorium First Presbyterian Church 3rd and Adams St • 541-942-4479 Pastor: Rev. Bruce Cameron Worship: 10:00am Sunday School: 10:00am www.cgpresbynews.com Trinity Lutheran Church 6th & Quincy • 541-942-2373 Pastor: James L. Markus Sunday School & Adult Education 9:15am Sunday Worship 10:30am Comm. Kitchen Free Meal Tue & Thur 5:00pm TLC Groups trinitylutherancottagegrove.com 6th & Gibbs Church of Christ 195 N. 6th St. • 541-942-3822 Pastor: Aaron Earlywine Youth & Families Pastor: Seth Bailey Services: 9am and 10:30am Christian Education Nursery for pre-k - 3rd Grade www.6thandgibbs.com United Methodist Church 334 Washington • 541-942-3033 Pastor:Jerry Steele Worship: 10:00am Adult & Sunday School: 9:00am Comm. Dinner (Adults $3, Kids Free) Mon. 5-6:30pm cottagegroveumc.org Hope Fellowship United Pentecostal Church 100 S. Gateway Blvd. • 541-942-2061 Pastor: Dave Bragg Worship: 11:00am Sunday Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday www.hopefellowshipupc.com “FINDING HOPE IN YOUR LIFE” Non-Denominational Church of Christ 1041 Pennoyer Ave * 541-767-0447 Preachers: Tony Martin & Robert Evans Sunday Bible Study:10:00am Sunday Worship:10:50am & 5:30pm www.pennoyeravecoc.com St. Andrews Episcopal Church 1301 W. Main • 541-767-9050 Rev. Lawrence Crumb “Church with the fl ags.” Worship: Sunday 10:30am All Welcome Calvary Chapel Cottage Grove 522 E Whitaker • 541-942-6842 Pastor: Jeff Smith Two Services on Sun: 9am & 10:45am Wednesday Service 6:45 pm Child Care 10:45am Service Only Youth Group Bible Study: Wed. 6:45 pm & Sat. 6 pm www.cgcalvary.org look us on facebook: calvarychapelcottagegrove Living Faith Assembly 467 S. 10th St. • 541-942-2612 Pastor Rulon Combs Sunday School All Ages 9am Worship & Childrenʼs Church 10:30 am “The Bridge” Saturday Evening Service 6:00pm Youth ABLAZE: Wednesday 6:30pm Childrenʼs Breakout Class: Wednesday 6:30pm Cottage Grove Faith Center 33761 Row River Rd. • 541-942-4851 Lead Pastor: Isaac Hovet www.cg4.tv Sunday Service: 9am and 11am Full Childrenʼs Ministry available Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Philip Benizi Catholic Churches 1025 N. 19th St. 541-942-3420 / 541-942-4712 Pastor: Roy L. Antunez, S.J. Euch. Liturgies; Sat. 5:30pm Sun. 10:30am St. Philip Benizi, Creswell: 552 Holbrock Lane • 541-895-8686 Sunday: 8:30am Seventh-day Adventist Church 820 South 10th Street 541-942-5213 Pastor: Kevin Miller Bible Study: Saturday, 9:15 am Worship Service: Saturday, 10:40 am Mid-week Service: Wednesday, 6:45 pm Center for Spiritual Living Cottage Grove 700 Gibbs Ave (Community Center) Rev. Bobby Lee Meets Sunday 3:00 p.m. Info: 541-767-0182 (Mrs. “T”) Our Worship Directory is a weekly feature in the newspaper. If your congregation would like to be a part of this directory, please contact the Cottage Grove Sentinel at 541-942-3325.