World Food Day right here
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Food is important. It’s more than a hobby. More than a chore. It’s a necessity. No food, no you.
Each October, national and international organizations join together for World Food Day to work for awareness and develop ways to make sure everyone everywhere has enough to eat.
That is important. Food is a basic human need. We often see in the media starving people on other continents, but I’m sorry to say that we have hungry people right here, too.
There are lots of reasons for not having enough to eat, and there are several organizations in town to go to for help. The primary resource for free, nutritious food is the Salvation Army’s food pantry.
If you have been reading the paper or listening to the radio then you know the pantry has been consistently running low. Although they get some supplies from the Kansas Foodbank Warehouse in Wichita, it isn’t enough for the need right here, right now, in this economy.
The Kansas Foodbank receives food from Feeding America, formerly known as “Second Harvest,” which is the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity.
Each year, the Feeding America network provides food assistance to more than 25 million low-income people facing hunger in the United States, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors.
Those are the most vulnerable people we have: children, who need good nutrition to grow and think; and the elderly, who may be on limited fixed finances or unable to go shopping.
Want to help?
KVOE’s 8th annual “Drive For Food” is coming Oct. 22. They want to “Pack the Pantry” and all you need to do is call them at 342-1400, supply your (in-town) address and set a donation out by your door the morning of the 22nd. What could be easier?
You can also drop off food at:
F Mark II Lumber, 825 E. Sixth Ave.;
F PrairieLand Partners, 1744 Road F;
F Town Crier Bookstore, 716 Commercial St.; or the
F Lyon County Extension Office, 2632 W. Highway 50.
There have been some really good sales lately on things the pantry can use, and if you get a coupon and take it to a store that doubles up to a dollar, you can buy a few extras for the pantry without landing in the poorhouse yourself. Just last week I used a sale and a coupon in The Gazette to get a soup that is normally $2.39 for $1.19.
The Salvation Army needs:
• Breakfast foods (cereal, pancake mix, oatmeal, etc.)
• Peanut butter
• Jelly
• Pasta
• Rice
• Beans
• Canned tomatoes
• Canned fruit
• Canned vegetables
• Canned meats (tuna, chicken, Spam, etc.)
• Flour
• Sugar
• Powdered milk
• Soup
• Crackers
• Boxes of gelatin or pudding
• Ramen noodles
• Spaghetti sauce
• Box meals (Tuna Helper, Hamburger Helper, stuffing, pizza)
• Gravy (jar or package)
• Pickles or Olives
• Juice
• Salad dressing, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce
• Salt, pepper, and other spices
You’ll feel good, the pantry workers will feel good, and someone else will feel good and full. It’s a win-win-win.
What can you do with that bag of food you got from the Salvation Army? Try some of these recipes.
BROTH SIMMERED RICE
1 3/4 cups chicken broth (or
beef or vegetable)
3/4 cup uncooked regular
long-grain white rice
Heat the broth in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil.
Stir in the rice. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Variations: Add 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning to broth. Add 1 cup chopped spinach with rice. Stir in 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese before serving. Serve with additional cheese.
RED BEANS AND RICE
1 cup dry red beans
(or kidney)
2 cups water
3 slices of bacon, chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium green pepper
chopped
1 cup uncooked rice
1 tsp. salt
Bring beans to a boil in a large saucepan. Boil for two minutes then remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. Return the beans to the stovetop. Add water to cover beans (if necessary) and heat to a boil. Immediately reduce to a very low simmer, cover, and cook until tender, an hour to an hour and a half. Drain beans, reserving liquid.
Cook bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Stir in onions and green peppers, cooking until onions are tender. In a 3-quart saucepan, add 2 cups of bean liquid, the beans, bacon, onions, green peppers, rice and salt. Heat to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and let cook 15 minutes more.
Remove from heat, fluff, cover and let steam five minutes. Serve the dish warm with hot bread, and maybe some hot sauce.
CORN AND TOMATO BAKE
Pepper to taste
1 tsp. sugar
1 can of corn, partially drained
1 can of tomatoes, not drained
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup grated cheese
Mix seasonings with corn and tomatoes. Place in small casserole. Spread crumbs over the top; dot with butter. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
HAMBURGER HELPER SOUP
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
5 cups water
1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes
1 box Hamburger Helper
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen mixed
vegetables
Brown ground beef. Add onion, water, tomatoes and sauce mix that comes with the Hamburger Helper. Heat to boiling then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.
Add noodles from Hamburger Helper and frozen mixed vegetables. Cover and slowly cook until vegetables are done, about 15 minutes.
• • •
One can of soup looks a little small, especially if it’s a condensed soup. But you can stretch any soup by adding more of the ingredients already in the canned version. For cream of broccoli soup, add frozen broccoli and a little extra milk. Add cheese if you like, and a roll and you’ve got a filling meal.
Drain a can of corn (save the juice for flavor somewhere else) and add it to a can of clam chowder. A little milk and you’ve doubled the size of the soup. A little diced cooked potato and you’ve tripled it. Throw in some chopped green chiles and you’ve spiced it up.
Leftover vegetables from a previous meal (say, pot roast) can be chopped small and mixed with a can of beef or chicken vegetable soup to enlarge it. Throw in a cup of cooked rice, or some cooked beans to make it go even farther.
The Salvation Army food pantry is at 327 Constitution St. They accept donations between 9 a.m. and noon Monday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and 1 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. You can go to the front door, or the south entrance.
Feed the world by feeding Emporia first.
• • •
Halloween is upon us! It seems like yesterday that I was planning for the Fourth of July. Time to share your scariest, most ghoulish and creepy — yet tasty — recipes and ideas for All Hallow’s Eve. Send that recipe to murphysmenu@yahoo.com or Murphy’s Menu, c/o The Emporia Gazette, 517 Merchant St.