If you’re cooking Thanksgiving Dinner, The American Red Cross wants you to know that the number-one day for kitchen fires is…Thanksgiving.

They ask all cooks to follow these simple steps to ensure a fire-free day of thanks.

1. Smoke alarm. Install a smoke alarm near your kitchen, or check the batteries on your current alarm. Use the test button to check, and repeat the check each month. Replace the batteries once a year.

For safety year-round, The Red Cross also recommends smoke alarms on each level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.

2. Fire extinguisher. Consider purchasing a fire extinguisher to keep in your kitchen. Contact your local fire department to take training on the proper use of extinguishers.

THE NIBBLE uses the easy-to-use aerosol Tundra Fire Suppressant.

3. Clothing. While cooking, don’t wear loose clothing or sleeves that dangle.

4. Don’t leave. If you are frying, grilling or broiling food, never leave it unattended: Stay in the kitchen. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.

5. Check during cooking. If you’re simmering, baking, roasting or broiling food, check it regularly. Use a timer.

Cooking with safety is the first step (photo courtesy Fairmont Hotel | Chicago).

7. Move accessories. Keep anything that can catch fire—pot holders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, towels or curtains—away from your stove, oven or any other appliance in the kitchen that generates heat.

8. Clean before and during. Clean cooking surfaces on a regular basis to prevent grease buildup.

9. Night check. Always check the kitchen before going to bed or leaving home, to make sure all stoves, ovens, and small appliances are turned off.

A final safety-related tip:

10. Refrigerate leftovers. No matter how tired you are, don’t leave the turkey and other perishables on the counter or table. If you don’t have the energy to transfer the contents to containers, or to wrap the turkey, just shove everything in the fridge as is. The food will be fine until morning.
 
 
For additional resources, check The Red Cross Home Fire Campaign.

One of three tea advent calendars from David’s Tea: 24 Days Of Tea.

Last week we recommended a gourmet chocolate advent calendar. Today, it’s a collection of tea advent calendars from David’s Teas.

For the most serious lover, there’s 24 Days Of Tea, boxes of loose teas including these:

Apple Cider, Buddha’s Blend, Candy Cane Crush, Caramel Shortbread, Chocolate Orange, Cinnamon Rooibos Chai, Cream of Earl Grey, Fireside Mocha, Forever Nuts, Ginger Turmeric Tonic, Gingerbread, Let It Snow, Mother’s Little Helper, Mulled Wine, Nutty & Spice, Red Velvet Cake, S’mores Chai, Santa’s Secret, Sleigh Ride, Snow Day, Sweet Almond Green, Tulsi Tranquility, White Cranberry Bark and Zest Wishes.

The collection includes a Perfect Spoon to measure the tea. Each box holds two portions of tea.

For those who prefer organic foods, there’s 24 Teas To Love, a calendar with 24 sachets (tea bags):

Blueberry Jam, Calming Chamomile, Cinnamon Rooibos Chai, Cold 911, Cream of Earl Grey, Detox, Dream On, Goji Green, Japanese Sencha, Le Digestif, Mother’s Little Helper, North African Mint, Peppermint Amour, Queen of Tarts, Saigon Chai, Serenity Now, Silk Dragon Jasmine, Super Ginger, Sweet Almond Green, The Big Chill, The Glow, The Skinny, The Spice is Right and Vanilla Chai.

For people who prefer low caffeine, there’s the 24 More Sleeps collection of sachets:

Alpine Punch, Apple Cider, Bear Trap, Blackberry Blizzard, Blueberry Muffin, Caramel Shortbread, Caribbean Crush, Carrot Cupcake, Cinnamon Rooibos Chai, Coco Chai Rooibos, Cotton Candy, Fireside Mocha, Frozen Raspberry, Gingerbread, Just Peachy, Magic Potion, Peppermint Amour, Rainbow Sherbet, Raspberry Cream Pie, Sleigh Ride, Snow Day, Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait, Sunny C and White Cranberry Bark.

Advent calendars begin on December 1st, so don’t tarry. Send your gifts today!

This week’s favorites, in alphabetical order:
 
BUBBIES: MOCHI ICE CREAM IN HOLIDAY FLAVORS

We love mochi, a Japanese sweet treat consisting of a round pouch of rice dough, traditionally filled with red beans or other paste. In the U.S., ice cream often replaces the red beans.

If you’re not familiar with mochi (MOE-chee), here’s the scoop.

This year, Bubbie’s, which makes ice cream mochi in 19 flavors, offers mochi fun in limited-edition holiday flavors:

 
When you just want a bite of sweetness, a piece of mochi hits the spot.

DISCOVER MORE AT BUBBIESICECREAM.COM.
 
 
JIF POPPERS

Years back, we had a Combos habit: a pack a day of the pretzel nuggets with a cheddar cheese filling (and since then, seven additional fillings).

At some point, we gave them up, but now we have a new habit: Jif Poppers (photo #2).

This new stack combines mini pretzels with large nuggets of crunchy popcorn coated with peanut butter. We can’t resist them.

There are three flavors:

 
For us, the clear winner Chocolate Poppers. We’re not sure why the same snack was made without the chocolate pretzel coating; are there really that many people who don’t want chocolate? But, they’re delicious nevertheless.

Strawberry Poppers are not for us. To our palate, the dried strawberries don’t have synergy with the PB-coated popcorn. Long live Chocolate Poppers!

The line is certified kosher by OU.

FIND A STORE NEAR YOU AR JIF.COM.
 
 
3. WATERLOO: COCONUT SPARKLING WATER

Waterloo makes sparkling waters in seven flavors (plus Original). Based on how natural they taste, we like some better than others.

For us, the star of the collection is Coconut Sparkling Water (photo #3). We say this as someone who likes coconut, but isn’t attracted to conventional coconut waters.

Natural coconut flavors and zero calories: We just bought a carton of 12 cans.

The line is certified kosher by OU.

FIND A STORE LOCATOR AT DRINKWATERLOO.COM.

[1] Bubbie’s holiday mochi in Gingerbread.

[2] Jif Chocolate Poppers from Jif.

[3] Waterloo coconut sparkling water.

[2] Where will you fit Thanksgiving dinner? (photo courtesy Thetford).

National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day, celebrated on November 15th, should be celebrated every month!

Unless you’re one of the handful of people (hello, Mom!) who scrub down the insides of the fridge weekly (and the outside every day!), you may be keeping more food than you want.

National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day was created by the home economists at Whirlpool Home Appliances in 1999, purportedly to encourage people to clean out their refrigerator in advance of the need for more space for foods for holiday dinners.

The biggest culprit is food, from leftover food and wine to condiments to whatever, that takes up space and needs to be tossed.

After all, if you wanted it that much, you’d have eaten it already. And you may be quite surprised at what has been lingering at the back of your shelves.

If you have a bottle of Worcestershire sauce or mint jelly that’s been there for years, just get rid of it. Even though some condiments may look and smell just fine, you’re hoarding food you don’t need. If you find yourself wanting some in the future, a fresh bottle will do much better.

Some people have smart refrigerators, but they’re not yet smart enough to tell you to toss that open can of anchovies, or the olives that have been there for three years.
 
 
GET READY…SET…

All you need are:

 
 
GO!

Before you start, take a look at your foods. Would it be more efficient if you purchased some plastic refrigerator/freezer bins to organize things on the shelves?

1. Unplug your refrigerator

This step can be done at your discretion, but it can help you conserve energy. Keeping the door open while you scrub will raise the interior temperature and make your fridge work harder to keep your food cold.

2. Remove everything inside the fridge to the countertop or the sink.

As you remove them, group them into categories (condiments, fruit, leftovers) so you can efficiently return them to the shelves, or to the trash bin.

3. Toss or recycle.

Get rid of anything that is old, expired, or simply not used. Make firm decisions: Do you really want to keep that Bloody Mary mix that’s been open for six months? Do you use that reconstituted lemon juice, or do you just keep a bottle “in case?” (If the latter, it’s better to quarter a fresh lemon and stick it in the freezer.)

Place the rejects in a heavy duty shopping bag so you can return later, dump the contents and recycle the containers.

If you have, say, a carton with just two eggs and don’t need the eggs for anything immediate, consume them posthaste and clear out space.

4. Remove the shelves and produce drawers.

Place them in the sink in warm, soapy water. While they’re soaking…

5. Clean the interior.

Use soapy water or a multipurpose spray cleaner and clean the entire inside, including the “floor” and “ceiling” of the compartment (you’d be surprised…).

Be prepared with Plan B for sticky spots or stains that don’t come clean easily. This includes lots of hot water, soap and the scrub brush. Some spots need multiple passes.

6. Wipe and polish.

Use paper towels or a clean dish towel to fully remove the soap or cleaner. Use a wet towel as necessary. Be sure to wipe down the the shelf seams and the rubber door gasket. You may need a Q-tip to get into the ridges.

7. Finish scrubbing the shelves and drawers in the sink.

Pat them dry and return them to their places. You’re now ready to put back the food.

8. Put back the food, focusing on organization.

Organize everything in a way that makes sense to you. If you don’t drink soda often, for example, stick it in the back. Place the condiments together, the spreads and jams together, etc.

But before putting anything back, use a wet paper towel to wipe down the containers. They can get quite sticky/greasy.

9. Repeat the above with the freezer.

Give yourself a break and take a day off in-between the top and the bottom. Congratulate yourself on a job well done.
  

We love fresh basil. We always have a small pot of basil on our kitchen window ledge.

We’ve always wished we could have more fresh herbs—chives, dill and parsley, particularly. But we only have one accessible window with good light.

Recently, we acquired a system that doesn’t fit on the sill, but does look very nice as a “centerpiece” on our kitchen table (photo #1).
 
 
1. AEROGARDEN HOME GARDENING SYSTEM

Enter AeroGarden home gardening system (photos #1 and #3). It helps you to grow fresh herbs, flowers or vegetables (think cherry tomatoes and chiles) in any room, no matter the amount of light. It has its own light source, emitting the ideal amount to grow your herbs.

No soil is used: The plants grow hydroponically in water. AeroGarden automatically tells you when to add more water. You can’t over- or under-water your plants.

The box includes a gourmet herb seed kit to get you started. The unit sets up in minutes, and the herbs sprout quickly.

Nine models range from small ($34.97) to extra-large ($599.96, taller than your sofa, designed for ferns and flowers). The larger models have Wi-Fi. A small kid-friendly unit enables young foodies to grow herbs in their rooms.

See a selection of the line in the large photo below.

See the whole line at AeroGarden.com.
 
 
2. BALL HERB GROWING KIT

[2] A ball-jar-size option, the Ball Herb Growing Kit (photo courtesy Ball)

It uses a soil-like growing medium, which is kept perfectly hydrated with a hydro wick that goes from the soil-and-seed basket above to the container of water below (photo #2). It eliminates the need to water the plant each day.

The kit includes everything you need to grow herbs, starting with basil seeds, for a very affordable $8.96.

Buy it online at Walmart.

One final item we’ve previously recommended: a combination fish bowl and herb garden!
 
 
MORE AEROGARDEN OPTIONS

[3] Some of the nine AeroGarden home gardening systems (photo courtesy AeroGarden).