[2] Even organic romaine isn’t immune to E. coli. See why below (photo courtesy Good Eggs).

Recently, Santa Barbara County recalled romaine harvested between November 27th through 30th due to an E. coli outbreak.

Almost instantly, every leaf of romaine disappeared [hopefully] from store shelves and restaurant menus.

The public was warned not to purchase or consume romaine lettuce if its growing locale was unknown.

Into the bin went whole heads, hearts of romaine, and bags of pre-cut lettuce and salad mixes that contain romaine, including baby romaine, spring mix and Caesar salad.

Further instructions were to wash and sanitize drawers or shelves in refrigerators where romaine was stored. (Here’s how to clean your fridge after a food recall.)
 
 
WHAT IS E. COLI?

E. coli (Escherichia coli) are bacteria that live in the intestines of healthy humans and animals. Most varieties are harmless or cause relatively brief diarrhea.

There are some particularly harmful strains that can cause severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting.

People may be exposed to E. coli from contaminated water or food. Raw vegetables and undercooked ground beef are two of the most impacted foods.

Healthy adults usually recover from E. coli within a week, but young children and older adults have a greater risk of developing a life-threatening form of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome.
 
 
HOW DO PRODUCE & BEEF GET E. COLI?

Produce and water get E. coli from manure; most typically, from dairy cow manure.

That’s because in some agricultural areas, dairy farms exist in the same region as produce fields.

The November outbreak occurred in three identified counties of the Central Coastal growing regions of northern and central California.

Romaine grown elsewhere was not affected. “Safe” romaine includes the desert growing region near Yuma, Arizona; the California desert growing region near Imperial County and Riverside County; the state of Florida; and Mexico.

For beef, the problem occurs in the processing plant. Microscopic amounts of E. coli from the intestines of cattle carcasses can come into contact with beef that is then ground.

When beef is cooked, the heat kills any bacteria on the outsides of the meat. Ground beef is different, in that it has many interior surfaces that may have had exposure to bacteria, but are not exposed to the flame that kills any E. coli.

That’s we are urged to cook ground beef to medium. It’s also why we should use separate cutting boards and utensils for raw beef and other meats.

Note: Don’t rinse off meat prior to cooking. It just spreads bacteria over the sink and anything in the sink.
 
 
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

We had consumed a romaine salad—one of our typical lunch choices—the day before the November outbreak was announced. It was also announced that our place of residence, the state of New York, was one of the top E. coli locations. Thankfully, we were not affected.

But after the most recent outbreak, some romaine lettuce products are now labeled with a harvest region. At least then, if an outbreak is called in Santa Barbara, romaine from other areas can be safely consumed.

We hope that all growers will do this. It will save consumers an unpleasant illness, and will also save millions of dollars of discarded produce.
  

Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go!

These sleighs are made from sweet rolls and mini gingerbread men, with candy cane runners.

We discovered it on the Facebook page of St. Pierre bakery. We recommended their product line earlier this fall.

It’s fun to make, and even more fun to eat as a sweet snack.
 
 
RECIPE: GINGERBREAD MEN SLEIGH

Ingredients Per Sleigh

 
RECIPE: ROYAL ICING

Ingredients

 
Note that this makes enough icing for 4 sleighs, but not enough to ice a batch of cookies.
 
Preparation

1. CUT wide slots in the top of the roll with a sharp knife. Insert the gingerbread men.

2. MAKE the royal icing. Mix the ingredients until the icing stiffens. If it appears too stiff, add more water, a bit at a time.

3. PLACE the roll on wax paper or parchment. Use a small knife or spreader to coat one side of the candy canes with icing. Press into the roll and let dry.

[2] St. Pierre’s brioche rolls (both photos courtesy St. Pierre).

[1] Cranberry mimosa. Appoint one of the guests to be bartender (photo courtesy Ocean Spray).

[2] Cheese wreath. One of your creative guests may want to do something special with the cheese plate (photo courtesy Eat Wisconsin Cheese).

[3] Ask someone in advance to carve the turkey or ham (photo courtesy iGourmet).

[4] Ask someone to put on the coffee when the main course is over (photo courtesy Coffee Brewing Gear | Pinterest).

[5] Desserts: When someone asks if they can bring something, the answer is yes! (photo courtesy Eat Wisconsin Cheese).

If you’re hosting Christmas or any big dinner, here’s how you can make the event less stressful.

If you’re guesting, call the host in advance and offer your help (perhaps forward this email, if needed).
 
 
1. MAKE A LIST & CHECK IT TWICE

Before the big day, review the ingredients of everything you need, from nutmeg to fresh parsley to tea bags for the tea drinkers.

Candles? Check. Matches? Check. Whatever? Check. One year we actually ran out of salt!
 
 
2. CREATE A FLOW CHART

At least a day in advance, make a chart by time slot, of every task that has to be done. This should include everything from making recipes through setting the table through brewing the coffee.

Our list, which runs to two typed pages, specifies not just timing, but what pots, dishes and serving utensils will be used.
 
 
3. DELEGATE!!

Who can help you with any task, large or small? Ask them in advance of the day. They’ll be glad to pitch in.

 
We’d like to take a moment to thank all of our helpers from Christmases past and future: Bingo, Charles, Claudio, Eitan, Elizabeth, Laura, Vivian: You rock!
 
 
4. STREAMLINE

Revisit your menu. Some of us are guilty of overkill: wanting to please everyone with everything—like serving roast potatoes and mashed potatoes.

Do you really need two different salads? Cranberry relish and cranberry sauce? Steamed vegetables for the dieters and a separate vegetable dish tossed in butter? And creamed onions?

For our mother, the answer was yes. She made at least two of every menu item, and three desserts. She was also on her feet in the kitchen the entire time.

We always commented about Mom, that if there wasn’t enough left over to serve another entire dinner, she hadn’t done her job. It was time to retire the tradition.

After killing ourselves for years to be our mother’s daughter, we realized: We’re not Mom. And no one but us will notice that there is only a turkey, and not a turkey, a ham and a roast.

Just make one of everything: Everyone will have plenty to eat. If dessert is just store-bought ice cream in holiday flavors, great.

And everyone, including the host[s], will have a great time!

How about apple pie for breakfast—sort of?

An apple crumb pie has a streusel topping made with oats, brown sugar and butter.

The oatmeal recipe below is a close cousin, made with apples, apple pie spices…and oats, brown sugar and butter.

Alex Caspero, MA, RD, CLT, who developed the recipe for Fruits And Veggies More Matters, advises:

“To cut down on prep time for busy mornings, make a double or triple batch earlier in the week; then portion out in individual jars or containers. When you’re ready to eat, splash with a bit more milk and warm through, or enjoy it cold.”

We say: It’s good enough to have for dessert: as is, with sliced bananas, a dollop of sour cream or ice cream.

 
RECIPE: APPLE PIE OATMEAL

Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
Preparation

1. HEAT the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the apple and cook for 3-4 minutes until just softened. If you prefer your apples softer, cook them a few minutes longer.

2. WHISK in the oats, cinnamon, ginger, almond milk, maple syrup and applesauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened and oats have cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.

3. Stir in the vanilla extract, taste for sweetness (adding in more brown sugar maple syrup as desired), divide into two bowls and serve.
 
 
BROWN SUGAR VS. MAPLE SYRUP

[1] Part oatmeal, part apple pie, all delicious (all photos courtesy Alex Caspero).

[2] Step 1: Cook the apples.

[3] Step 2: Add the oats and the spices. Simmer, and you’re ready to eat!

Maple syrup is a largely unrefined sweetener, made by boiling the sap of maple trees.

They have different flavor profiles, and different nutritional profiles. You can read more about it here.

Here are the different types of sugar and sweeteners.
 

Sometimes you feel like having plain coffee, sometimes you like a hit of flavor.

Simply Organic has developed Pre-Brew Coffee Spices for you.

Add a spoonful to ground coffee before brewing, and enjoy the flavor and aroma of carefully-crafted spice blends.

There are zero calories and no added sweetness: just organic spices.

There are four options:

 
The Simply Organics line is certified organic, certified kosher by KSA, and is vegan, non-irradiated and non-ETO.
 
A 1.69-ounce jar is about $6.00, a good stocking stuffer price.

GET YOURS AT SIMPLYORAGANIC.COM.

Also available on Amazon, iHerb, Vitacost, Walmart and other retailers.

 
 
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