And now for the all-important safety message:
*Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. At temperatures of 50 to 125 F, most bacteria can grow and some produce poisons that may cause illness.
* In preparing chicken, egg, or meat salad, refrigerate it as soon as possible. Try to prepare it as close to picnic time as you can. Then, keep these foods cold right up until the time you serve them.
* For foods that are to be served cold, such as meat or poultry salads, make sure you prepare them with cold ingredients. For example, the cooked chicken for chicken salad should be allowed to cool before it's added to the salad.
* Thermos bottles can keep stews or drinks at the right temperature for hours. If foods are poured boiling hot into sterilized bottles, there shouldn't be any problem. Coolers, insulated containers and styrofoam chests are perfect for keeping food cold when teamed with ice cubes, dry ice or reusable gel cold packs. Small, airtight containers and aluminum foil will keep foods fresh inside the larger containers.
* For packing the food to take outdoors, put foods in the cooler in the order opposite to using them. This means that the food you'll need last will be packed first, at the bottom. Take out the food only as you need it. Repack the container carefully and keep it in a shady spot to keep the chest cool.
* Try to have plenty of ice on hand and in the cooler to keep your food cold and safe all day.
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Recipes and picnic suggestions are welcomed today. Allrighty, then, let's celebrate our nation's birthday!
With regard to holiday grilling, I have to update my post
37 from yesterday's thread. I made the rub, more or less (I didn't have all the spices on hand, so skipped the coriander and onion powder, added cayenne and curry), smeared it all over pork tenderloins, gave them a spritz of veg. oil spray (e.g. PAM) and grilled them.
Delicious!I thought some of you might be interested in the update on Eric that I posted on the USO, ATRW and FR's Finest threads this morning:
Good morning, all!
We have gotten a letter, and a phone call since I last reported on Eric's boot camp experience, so I thought I'd give you a brief report.
He's one third of the way done, and says time is flying. Yesterday the whole squad had to run a mile, and they were told that the first 5 men in would get phone privileges that night, and he said when he heard that, he had to win! He came in third, and called us last night! It was incredibly good to hear his voice, and his enthusiasm for what he was doing!
He's a little homesick, but says he tries not to think about home very much. He says he misses things like being able to jump in his car and go where he wants to, or just grabbing a can of pop when he wants to. He also said that you never realize what you have until you are away from it, and he thanked us for our love (OK, I cried a whole lot about that one!.
He loves the physical stuff, especially the obstacle course where he had to climb a wall with a rope. He also mentioned crawling around in wet sawdust as a fun activity (??). He's excited that they're going to learn hand-to-hand combat on Thursday, and will soon learn how to fire their M-16's (that's what he's been waiting for!).
He did say that because it was so hot today that they didn't do their PT outside......some humanity has obviously crept into the military! He also said that they would be marching up Misery and Agony hills (about 15K, I think), but they wouldn't be forced to run because some people had died doing it (good thinking).
The food, he says, is good.....they have chow 3 times a day, but he said he's never really full.......of course he's always eaten like a horse anyway (6'1", 155 lbs!), and with all the physical exertion, there would be no way to fill the boy up. They spend a whole lot of time cleaning, and a few days ago had to change from BDU's (Battle Dress Uniforms) to PT's (Physical Training) in 5 minutes, then line up, then change back to BDU's then line up, then change change back to PT's run upstairs and line up, then run downstairs, change back to BDU's and line up........he said he'd never worked up a sweat before changing clothes!
His Drill Sergeants (with one exception) have been 'awesome' (his word), and he hasn't been yelled at individually yet (who would yell at such a good boy anyway? LOL!)
He has been able to continue to witness to lots of the guys around him, and really feels as though he has grown spiritually because of this experience. He says he can feel all the prayer for him (thank you, friends!!!), and wants us to keep praying for the guys he's been able to share his faith with.
Praise the Lord for his faithfulness!!