Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children™

/PRNewswire/ -- Schedule time on the family calendar to create memorable meals and moments on Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children™ . The J.M. Smucker Company is continuing its partnership with The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, to support the 10th Anniversary of Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children™ to be held on September 27th, 2010.

Family Day is a day when parents can look forward to eating good food and sharing great conversations with their children and make family mealtime part of their traditions. In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today. Her book cites research that states families who eat together and share in the preparation of family meals become a stronger family unit with smarter, healthier and happier children. Family dinner also promotes better grades and fosters good relationships with parents: behaviors that The J.M. Smucker Company is proud to be a part of.

"Our company strongly believes in the power of sharing family meals and the tremendous importance that eating as a family can play in our lives," said Maribeth Badertscher, Vice President, Corporate Communications, The J.M. Smucker Company. "Family meals help family members connect with each other, teach children valuable life lessons and establish an important ritual that allows them to grow together."

Successful family meals begin with an idea and a little planning. To help plan a family meal at home for Family Day 2010, parents can also visit www.poweroffamilymeals.com where they'll find:

* Family meal time ideas and tips
* Recipes and menu planning
* Conversation starters
* Information on the importance of family meals
* Resources for Family Day


Family Day is a national movement to bring to light the importance of family dinners and the power of family meals. For more information about Family Day and to pledge to be a part of the movement visit www.CASAFamilyDay.org. Join The J.M. Smucker Company and CASA for the 10th Anniversary of Family Day on Monday, September 27th, 2010.

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A Dual Dinner with the Beam Family

A Bourbon Experience!

Enjoy a unique four course dinner where each course is an ingenious combination of exquisite dishes and the finest bourbon around. Meehan’s Public House Downtown, along with Chef Jordan Wakefield and Jim Beam are inviting you to experience premium bourbon like never before. For only $55, guests can enjoy a cocktail reception followed by a savory four course dinner. Reservations are required and can be made by contacting Meehan’s Public House Downtown at (404) 214-9821

What: A DUAL DINNER WITH THE BEAM FAMILY- A Bourbon Experience
When: Thursday, September 23, 2010
6:30pm
Where: Meehan’s Public House Downtown
180 Peachtree Street Atlanta, GA 30303
404.214.9821
www.meehansdowntown.com

Serve up spuds for a healthy meal in minutes

(ARA) - Cheryl Koompin knows a thing or two about getting dinner on the table for her family after a long day of work. She and her husband raised two boys while maintaining the family's potato farm in American Falls, Idaho. That meant years of early mornings, long days in the field and making sure dinner, homework and chores were taken care of in the evening.

Today, Koompin is the United States Potato Board's (USPB) chairman of the board. She is using this expertise and leading the U.S. potato industry in their efforts to educate consumers, specifically moms, that potatoes are a nutritious, delicious and quick mealtime solution.

"I understand first-hand the challenges of getting a healthy meal on the table in minutes," says Koompin. "I hope some of the potato tricks and tips I learned over the years can help other moms speed up dinnertime prep. Plus, kids love potatoes and moms can feel good about serving them."

One medium (5.3 ounce) potato has 110 calories, no fat, sodium or cholesterol, and more potassium than a banana. Pound for pound, potatoes are also still one of the least expensive items in the produce department. One serving - a medium potato - will set you back only about 25 cents.

Nutritious, affordable and delicious, but are potatoes convenient for today's time-strapped mom trying to get dinner on the table in a hurry? Yes.

You can speed up your spuds in a number of ways, including using your microwave for perfect baked, roasted and mashed potatoes. Potatoes are also one of the best vegetables for slow cookers, one of the most popular cooking appliances today, because you can prepare a dish the night before or in the morning and have dinner ready when the family gets home. The starch in the potato absorbs water and swells during the cooking process, resulting in tender, fluffy potatoes that require no monitoring while cooking.

The USPB's new recipe for Quick & Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken and Potatoes calls for bone-in, skinless chicken breasts, fresh-from-the-farmers'-market ingredients like red potatoes, baby carrots, pearl onions and button mushrooms, and simple seasonings like Herbs de Provence (dried herbs found in the spice section of most grocery stores) and fresh thyme.

Quick & Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken and Potatoes

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: Can range from four hours to eight hours, depending on temperature set on slow cooker

Ingredients:
4 small (2 pounds) bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed
2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence (or combination of dried thyme, fennel, basil and savory)
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/4 pounds small red potatoes
3/4 cup frozen, thawed pearl onions
1 cup small baby carrots
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
8 ounces small baby bella or white mushrooms
Chopped fresh thyme (optional)

Directions:
Combine the Herbs de Provence, garlic salt and pepper on a dinner plate. Spoon flour on to second dinner plate. Coat each chicken breast in the herb mixture; then dredge well in flour.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken and cook over medium-high heat until chicken is golden brown on both sides (approximately three to four minutes per side). Cook chicken in two batches if necessary so as not to crowd the pan.

Place chicken in a large slow cooker and add remaining ingredients except fresh thyme. Cover slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or on low for eight hours. Sprinkle with fresh thyme before serving, if desired.

Makes six servings.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories: 430, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1.5g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 100mg, Sodium: 400mg, Potassium: 771mg, Carbohydrates: 43g, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 5g, Protein: 45g, Vitamin A: 90 percent, Vitamin C: 60 percent, Calcium: 4 percent, Iron: 20 percent

Visit www.potatogoodness.com to see three additional flavor variations to the Slow Cooker Chicken & Potatoes recipe. You'll also find videos and a host of potato recipes.

Courtesy of ARAcontent



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No Need to Sacrifice Taste or Nutrition for Easy Meals Using One Pot, Five Ingredients and Ten Bucks

/PRNewswire/ -- As the economy forces many Americans to toss takeout menus and ditch dinner reservations, many are making their way back into the kitchen in hopes of preparing nutritious, budget-friendly meals. Only problem is, recent research shows that many lack the knowledge of basic kitchen know-how and need help in the kitchen. However, the same research found that moms make positive changes when they receive guidance, so the Canned Food Alliance (CFA) provided moms with the Essential Kitchen Toolkit, which offers easy-to-read guides to planning and preparing healthful meals.

Now, the CFA has partnered with chef and cookbook author, Andrew Schloss so moms can apply the basics of meal preparation, to create easy, inventive meals at home with much lower costs. Not convinced? You do the math:

To answer this call for help in the kitchen these ten new recipes all have one thing in common: they feature 1 pot; 5 ingredients; cost 10 dollars or less; take 15 minutes or less to prepare and have 400 calories or less per serving - literally counting down to healthy meals in minutes.

"Being creative with the variety of canned foods available today is what makes these recipes unique. Without canned food, it wouldn't be possible to make these flavorful meals this quickly and at this cost," said Schloss. "By simply pairing ingredients, such as canned, diced green chilies to add flavor to a flank steak or adding a can of southwestern-style corn to any stew, I was able to create nutritious meals that taste great for under $10."

Now live on www.Mealtime.org, the "Kitchen Countdown" recipe collection offers nutrition, convenience and great taste all in one - and includes the following dishes for your serving pleasure:

-- Caribbean Fish and Sweet Potato Skillet Dinner
-- Chicken Nachos
-- Chili Stuffed Flank Steak
-- Corn and Crab Cakes
-- Fish Tacos
-- Mexican Shrimp Stew
-- Salmon Herb Pie
-- Smoked Turkey Gazpacho
-- Thai Coconut Chicken Soup
-- Vegetarian Brown Rice Casserole

What Sparked Us to Get Cooking?

In early 2009, a Rutgers University study - commissioned by the Canned Food Alliance and published in the Forum for Family and Consumer Sciences journal - revealed that although moms have good intentions, they want and need a better grasp of kitchen basics. This lack of basic kitchen knowledge is ultimately hindering them from preparing nutritious, great-tasting family meals. However, when given a roadmap for preparing convenient, nutritious meals, the research also showed moms made positive changes in their kitchens.

Recognizing that moms make positive changes when they receive advice on how to prepare and serve easy, quick and healthful meals, the Canned Food Alliance developed the Essential Kitchen Toolkit as an educational resource. The Toolkit, which was modeled after the successful action plans used in the Rutgers research, offers easy-to-read guides to planning and preparing healthful meals, navigating the grocery store and organizing the kitchen, as well as a kitchen glossary, and food and kitchen safety tips.

"We learned through the Rutgers research that moms needed help, so we gave them the tools to get them started," said Rich Tavoletti, executive director for the Canned Food Alliance. "So now, we've taken it a step further by offering the "Kitchen Countdown" recipe collection as an easy way for moms to apply those tools to help them be creative when it comes to serving flavorful and wholesome meals for their families."

To find out more, log on to www.mealtime.org to find the "Kitchen Countdown" recipe collection, the Essential Kitchen Toolkit, more information on how to cook with canned foods and hundreds of other healthful and easy-to-prepare recipes.

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How Do You Fondue?

(BUSINESS WIRE)--With the hectic bustle of the holiday season in full swing, The Melting Pot fondue restaurant (http://meltingpot.com) offers tips for holiday entertaining, fondue-style, that can keep the host mingling with guests and out of the kitchen.

“Fondue is a fun and interactive experience, which makes it the perfect holiday party activity,” says Shane Schaibly, manager of culinary development for The Melting Pot. “Most people have a fondue pot, whether it’s left over from the disco days or a new wedding gift, and can easily throw together a great meal to share with friends.”

Fondue dishes range from easy cheese appetizers and complete dinner entrées to chocolate desserts. Chef Schaibly offers the following tips to make each course at home.

Cheese fondue

1. Chill your cheese. Shredding cheese when it’s cold ensures the pieces maintain similar sizes and prevents clumping, which can lead to lumpy fondue.

2. Dust lightly in flour. This ensures the fondue reaches a smooth consistency. Use one tablespoon of flour for every two ounces of cheese. Gluten-free dieters can replace the flour with cornstarch.

3. Be a smart matchmaker. Keep cheeses from the same region together, as their flavors will naturally complement each other. Including only two or three varieties will allow each flavor to come through without being overpowered or lost.

Entrée options

1. Ensure the oil is the right temperature. Oil is the traditional cooking style and is still best for batter-dipped proteins. But it can be quite temperamental. If the oil is too hot, it will cook the outside of the protein but leave the inside raw. If it isn’t hot enough, it won’t fully cook the protein. Aim for 350° F, and test with a food thermometer.

2. Dry the dippers. Any water on the food will cause oil to pop, so make sure the vegetables are dry before dipping.

3. Be health-conscious. Vegetable bouillon is a low-sodium, low-fat, high-flavor alternative to oil. It’s also more forgiving because if a piece of meat isn’t done to perfection, it can be dipped back in for an extra minute or two.

4. Experiment with other cooking styles. Some other cooking styles available are coq au vin, a blend of burgundy wine and vegetable stock with chopped vegetables, and mojo, a garlic and citrus flavored broth. Both are similar to bouillon in their forgiving cooking times and go well with a wide range of protein choices.

Dessert

1. Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate. This is a delicate process. If any water makes it into the top bowl, the chocolate will become grainy and lumpy and will be unusable.

2. Melt it in the microwave. Place penny sized pieces into a round, microwave safe container and nuke for 30 seconds at a time at medium heat. Between warmings, stir the chocolate completely until it becomes fluid and then transfer to a fondue pot.

3. Set it on fire. Flambéing is a fancy trick that is easy enough for beginners to do and certain to impress the dinner crowd. Use one tablespoon of high-proof liquor (The Melting Pot uses Bacardi 151) and light it in a fireproof container, then pour it into the fondue. A sprinkling of cinnamon will sparkle like fireworks.

Dippers

1. Small dippers work best. They must be bite-size; too small and they’ll fall off the skewer, too large and cooking times increase.

2. Choose the dippers. Cheese fondue is best accompanied by assorted breads (pumpernickel, French baguette, rye), vegetables (carrots, celery, cauliflower), or fruit (apples, grapes). But if the local bakery has a family favorite, use it! If the kids don’t like cauliflower, leave it out!

3. Prep proteins the day before. If meats are on the menu, be sure to marinate them the day before so they can absorb plenty of flavor. Small raviolis are also a nice entrée selection and don’t take long to cook.

4. Prepare for dessert. Dessert accompaniments are the easiest to select, mostly because everything tastes great when dipped in chocolate. The Melting Pot offers marshmallows, cheesecake, pound cake, strawberries, bananas, pineapples and brownies. Fruits, sturdy cakes and cookies are a good choice here, as well as Rice Krispies® Treats.

“Sharing a pot of fondue is a great way to slow down and connect with the people you care about,” says Schaibly. “It’s easy to make because there aren’t any hard and fast rules in fondue. If it tastes great, it was done right.”

For more tips and complete recipes, take a look at The Melting Pot’s recently-released first cookbook. Available in the restaurants, “Dip Into Something Different – A Collection of Recipes from Our Fondue Pot to Yours,” features signature recipes for the restaurant’s most popular fondue dishes, salads and accompanying cocktails.

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Family Dinnertime Benefits Too Tempting to Pass Up

(ARA) - The benefits of the family dinner hour are more than nutritional. Children in families who spend dinnertime together gain dietary, educational and behavioral benefits, as well.

Bringing the family back to the dinner table has been proven to instill lifestyle nutrition values in children, assist in higher academic performance, improve well-being and reduce the risk of unhealthy weight control behavior, particularly in girls, according to the University of Minnesota School of Public Health’s Project EAT.

Family dinnertime is also an opportunity to strengthen communication between parent and child. In a recent Columbia University study, nearly half of the 1,000 teens surveyed said the best time to talk to their parents about something important was during dinner. The report also found that more than 80 percent of teens said they preferred having dinner with their families to eating alone.

Research conducted in 2006 by the NPD Group’s National Eating Trends and CREST Services showed that moms prepared 70 percent of the supper meals eaten at home, meaning that in addition to juggling children’s activities moms are often the bottom line when it comes to getting dinner on the table.

“We’ve been tracking mom’s dinnertime trends over the years and consistently find that the intrinsic benefits of family dinnertime are undeniable -- but it doesn’t need to be stressful for mom,” says Linda McCashion, vice president of public relations at the United States Potato Board.

The United States Potato Board’s new online resource, www.MomsDinnerHelper.com, makes it easy for moms to get a family-worthy meal on the table. On this site, moms are invited to borrow family-favorite recipes from “The Famous Potato Recipe Exchange,” browse “Helpful Dinner Hints” and participate in the “Tater Talk” blog, which is an ongoing dialogue that covers all things potatoes. Most importantly, the site’s content is generated by the nation’s champions of dinnertime: fellow moms.

“Between sports practice, homework and dance recitals, sometimes dinnertime falls to the bottom of the priority list,” McCashion says. “The potato recipes available at www.MomsDinnerHelper.com can help take some of the pressure off.”

Moms already know and trust the potato as a family-favorite vegetable. More than 20 percent of in-home dinner meals include potatoes, according to the NPD Group’s National Eating Trends. That means nearly one out of five weeknight meals features a potato dish of some variety.

Aside from tasting great and being easy to prepare, potatoes are also highly nutritious. One medium-sized (5.3 ounces) potato, eaten with the skin on, has only 110 calories and contains no fat, sodium or cholesterol. Potatoes provide 45 percent of the recommended Daily Value (DV) of vitamin C and are also one of the best sources of potassium in the produce section.

The potato recipes available at www.MomsDinnerHelper.com show that there’s no reason to sacrifice nutrition or taste when it comes to the benefits of family dinnertime.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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