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Make quick, tasty meals with a slow cooker

By
University of Missouri
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0

Susan Mills-Gray, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, Cass County, University of Missouri Extension

Something about cold weather makes us long for a warm meal waiting for us as we come in the door at night. Slow cookers are a great way to enjoy family favorites without a lot of hassle. The following tips really make a difference and will convince you to get that pot out and get cooking!

  • Have an older slow cooker with a non-removable liner? Use a cooking bag to line the pot for quick and easy cleanup!
  • To make cleanup easier, spray liner with nonstick spray before adding any food or liquid.
  • Slow cookers work best when they are half to three-fourths full. If you fill a pot to the brim, it can’t regulate the heating of the food correctly. Likewise, less than half full will cause food to overcook.
  • One hour on a high setting is equal to two hours on the low setting.
  • A high setting is equal to 300 degrees F and the low setting is equal to 200 degrees.
  • Want to convert a conventional oven recipe to the slow cooker? Use the chart below to guide you. (see the full version of this article for the handy conversion chart)
  • Each time you lift the lid, you increase the needed cooking time by 20 minutes. Check progress without lifting the lid, if possible. Spin the cover until the condensation falls off to make it easier to see inside.
  • For food safety purposes, you want to get the food inside the slow cooker to 140 degrees as quickly as possible (this reduces the chance of bacterial contamination), so use the high setting the first hour, then switch to the low setting to finish cooking.
  • Start with thawed foods because frozen foods take too long to get to 140 degrees. The extreme temperature difference between frozen food and the slow cooker can cause breakage. If you have to use a frozen cut of meat, add 1 cup of warm water to the pot, then place the meat in the pot…..

Get more tips and slow cooker recipes, such as Holiday Breakfast Casserole, in the full version of this article at http://missourifamilies.org/features/nutritionarticles/nut353.htm

Reducing holiday financial stress

By
University of Missouri
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0

Suzi McGarvey, former Extension Associate; Reviewed by Brenda Procter, M.S., State Specialist & Instructor, Personal Financial Planning, University of Missouri Extension

With the holidays approaching, many people begin to feel the financial stress of the season. You can lessen the anxiety you may feel during this time of the year by planning purchases in advance. Consider the following tips for a more enjoyable holiday season:

  • Make a list of the people you will need to buy for and how much you plan to spend on each person.
  • Determine how much in total you plan to spend, and if this figure seems too high, make adjustments in your planned purchases.
  • Try to avoid the temptation of paying for all of your purchases with a credit card when you do not have the money to pay it in total. Avoid thinking that you’ll just “pay it off later.” If you cannot afford a particular item, look for something similar but less expensive or search for an alternative present. Set a limit and try to stick to it.
  • Be wary of store promotions. Offers of “buy now and pay later” sometimes have hidden clauses that allow interest to accrue until your first payment. Read through all paperwork before signing it, and do not be afraid to ask the store clerk questions regarding the promotion. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
  • Be creative with your gifts. Try making homemade items or giving personalized gifts that offer your services for things such as an evening of free babysitting.
  • A donation to a local charity may make more of a lasting impression than a store-bought gift. Use money that you would spend on friends and family to make one larger donation to one specific charity or give smaller donations to each family member’s favorite charity. Call local food pantries, shelters and charities to find out what they need during the busy holiday season. (Review tips on giving to charities so that you know how to put your donation to the best use.)
  • If you’re hosting a family dinner, ask others to bring a dish.
  • Pay attention to return policies for items you purchased….

For additional helpful tips, view the full version of this article at http://missourifamilies.org/features/financearticles/holidays.htm

Local food and farm task force to meet

By
Kansas Department of Agriculture
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CHRIS NEAL / THE CAPTIAL-JOURNAL
CHRIS NEAL / THE CAPTIAL-JOURNAL

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Local Food and Farm Task Force will meet at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 12, 2014. The meeting will be held at the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA), 1320 Research Park Drive, Manhattan, Kansas 66502.

This task force was established with the passage of SB 286 in the 2014 session of the Kansas Legislature.  The Task Force is responsible for preparing a local food and farm plan containing policy and funding recommendations in order to increase locally grown food production.

The meeting is open to the public. A break for lunch is scheduled and will be provided for appointed members of the task force.

Individuals who have questions regarding the meeting should contact KDA marketing director, Kerry Wefald at [email protected] for more information. Persons who require special accommodations must make their needs known at least two days prior to the meeting.

###

WHO: Local Food and Farm Task Force

WHAT: Regularly scheduled meeting

WHEN: Friday, December 12, 2014 10 a.m.

WHERE:  Kansas Department of Agriculture, 1320 Research Park Drive, Manhattan, Kansas 66502

Online shopping safety tips

By
University of Missouri
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0
Daniel Foster

Adapted from MU Office for Financial Success Finance Tip of the Week blog post by Ryan H. Law, M.S., CFP®, AFC, Personal Financial Planning Department, Office for Financial Success Director, University of Missouri Center on Economic Education Director

After Black Friday and Cyber Monday, many people will continue with their holiday shopping both in stores and online, but it is important to do so safely. In either setting, you want to protect your private information. You should also be familiar with store information and store policies so that you know who to contact and how an issue or return can be resolved, if necessary.

Here are five additional tips specifically for shopping safely online:

  1. Be sure the website’s purchase page is secure. It doesn’t matter if the rest of the site is secure or not, but be sure the page where you enter your credit card information is secure. Here’s how you can tell: the browser should say “https” instead of “http” and you should see a lock icon somewhere on the page. Here is what the Amazon.com sales page looks like:You can see both the https and the lock icon, which means it is a secure page.
  2. Don’t purchase items from emails unless you can verify where they came from. You may get deals in your inbox from Walmart, Target, Amazon and many other reputable companies. Email marketing is cheap and effective. When you hover over the links in the emails from reputable stores, you can see that the link goes back to the company website. However, you may also get emails that say nothing more than this, for example:“Get the New 32GB iPad Sold for $31.08!”

    When you get this type of email and you don’t recognize the sender or the store name, you should be suspicious. Do NOT click any links within such an email, including the “unsubscribe” link! Just delete these emails immediately. They are spam and many have some kind of virus. If you don’t click on the links, you will be safe.

  3. Use your credit card to make purchases online. Never trust a website that doesn’t accept credit cards or that encourages you to pay using Western Union or something like that. Your credit card has built-in protection, as do websites like PayPal. If you never receive the item, you can file a dispute and your credit card company won’t charge you for the item.

For the remaining safety tips, view the full version of this article at http://missourifamilies.org/features/financearticles/cfe79.htm

Ice melters

By
K-State
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0

There are five main materials that are used as chemical de-icers:
calcium chloride, sodium chloride (table salt), potassium chloride, urea,
and calcium magnesium acetate.
Calcium chloride is the traditional ice-melting product. Though it will melt
ice to about -25 degrees F, it will form slippery, slimy surfaces on
concrete and other hard surfaces. Plants are not likely to be harmed unless
excessive amounts are used.
Rock salt is sodium chloride and is the least expensive material available.
It is effective to approximately 12 degrees F, but can damage soils, plants
and metals. Potassium chloride can also cause serious plant injury when
washed or splashed on foliage. Both calcium chloride and potassium chloride
can damage roots of plants.
Urea (carbonyl diamide) is a fertilizer that is sometimes used to melt ice.
Though it is only about 10% as corrosive as sodium chloride, it can
contaminate ground and surface water with nitrates. Urea is effective to
about 21 degrees F.
Calcium magnesium acetate (CMA), a newer product, is made from dolomitic
limestone and acetic acid (the principal compound of vinegar). CMA works
differently than the other materials in that it does not form a brine-like
salt but rather helps prevent snow particles from sticking to each other or
the road surface. It has little effect on plant growth or concrete surfaces.
Performance decreases below 20 degrees F.
Limited use of any of these products should cause little injury.
Problems accumulate when they are used excessively and there is not adequate
rainfall to wash or leach the material from the area. Since limited use is
recommended it is best to remove the ice and snow by hand when possible.
When they are applied, practice moderation. Resist the temptation to over
apply just to make sure the ice and snow melts. Keep in mind this can damage
concrete surfaces as well as the plants and grass growing along the walks
and driveways. These problems are normally latent and do not show up until
spring or summer.

 

By: Ward Upham

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