Food And Prayers

 The US Midwest   and South has just gone through  one of the largest and most devastating tornado clusters in American history. Prayers will help. They always do. Yet food , hot and donated will also benefit.

This is one of the most horrirfic natural weather disasters to ever hit the continental US. Six states, were hit, destroying homes, schools and hospitals. The field of impact ranges from southern Illinois to western Kentucky.Arkansas,Missouri and Tennessee have also been hit. There are people and animals without electricity, water and food. Mayfield Kentucky was completely devastated. You can donate to the Kentucky REd Cross along with Aspire Appalachia and United Way  Company. You can also donate baby and pet food along with canned food to The Salvation Army, Kentucky/Tennessee Division. Food donations go to Dare To Care Food Bank, Hope To All Food Pantry at 307 W, Mose Rager Boulevard Drakesboro, KY and Community Kitchen 1237 Martin Luther King Boulevard in Paducah, KY, Give what you can and what can last, Breads, coolies crackers and cold cuts along with cheeses are good choices. Bottled water is a must. It can provide sustenance and cleaning too.

Raising money can also help. Think about creating  a bake sale which is perfect for those who  don't like to bake.Due to the virus, try to have it in a large, spacious area like your school gym or church hall.(some colleges are having holiday bake sales in their parking lots where there's a lot of space and fresh air.)  If you're really talented or can bake with help then think about making gingerbread houses or chocolate Yule logs , sweets that many home bakers find complicated to make. You can also try making fun gingerbread ornaments with royal icing and pretty decorations. These can be hung on the tree and eaten afterwards. Another big bake sale seller at this time are a wide array of cookies. The fancy spritz cookies are easy t make now thanks to improvements in cookie presses (there are even electric ones now). There are holiday themed discs that can be used in the presses and the dough can be tinted green and red for the holiday. of course oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip will always sell.

This is the season for heart and helping. Do what you can to help those devastated by the megatornados that hit six states in the Midwest and South. it could be cans pf pet food and formula. It could be the proceeds of a bake sale. Just reach out and help.

A New Kind of Thanksgiving

 Usually mid-October is the time for home chefs to plan their Thanksgiving meals. Most usually host large dinners of up to even thirty guests. However that's changed thanks to the pandemic. There will still be turkey  but a smaller one shared by the immediate family.

Kim  Severson wrote about this subject in today's New York Times Food section. Industry experts are predicting we'll still have the same holiday but with the immediate family. That means smaller birds and possibly a main course of just breasts and legs. executives at Kroger Supermarkets are closely studying their own data which indicates their shoppers will limit Thanksgiving to people living within their households. It's estimated that there's going to be a thirty percent rise in smaller more intimate meals than last year's eighteen percent.There will be more and more younger people  hosting more compact dinner parties too. This means their first time cooking a turkey and recreating dishes their parents and grandparents made. Yet the industry isn't that rosy. It's hard to predict the exact sales right now along with the threat of some home chefs opting for a big chicken or capon instead. Turkey farming is not easy either. Birds are allowed to mature to give is the ten and twenty pound roasters we're used to. They won't be in high demand  this year as they were in years past. Then there's the problem of some processing plants being breeding grounds for Covid -19 which means they  have to be shut down.

However there is some hope, despite the fact that raising small birds is not that easy. It boils down to genetics and economically driven feed formulas. These are the factors that determine when a bird matures at a predetermined size in a set amount of time. Cody Hopkins  who runs a livestock cooperative of forty farms, mostly in Arkansas, Mississippi and Missouri will ship out about thirty thousand broad breasted whites - the most common breed of American turkey -  thanks to  tweaking feeding and raising methods. Since the cooperative sells directly to families, instead of to supermarkets, farmers have been able to move processing timelines in an attempt to produce smaller birds.They will also process and sell more  turkey wings and breasts. According to John Peterson who owns Ferndale Market in Cannon Falls Minnesota and is president of turkey research and promotion council for Minnesota stated that the decisions  for the birds have to be made in March and April and they can';t be easily changed. A turkey matures to full size in only four or five months. There are poults, young turkeys, that can be sold instead along with some companies like Stew Leoanrd's  selling dinners for four , instead of eight. The industry can be saved more or less.

Thanksgiving will be different this year. Yet both home chefs and turkey farmers can rejoice. There will still be a need for the birds, albeit, smaller ones to satisfy smaller dinners with fewer dinners.

The Start Of Barbecue Season

One of the best aspects about Flag Day is that it's the start of the barbecue season. Where else but to look to Germany where our barbecue staples originated. Stick with the standards or try some modern twists.

Of course there are hamburgers, originally from the northern port city Hamburg, located on the Elbe River. These are always tasty and over the years have had been changed with all sorts of spices and extras thrown into the original recipe. It calls for onion which gives the chopped meat that distinctive flavor along with dried bread crumbs and parsley. Egg is used for binding. What many American home chefs don't realize is that there is another flavor - an undercurrent of spice. It is nutmeg, usually one quarter teaspoon. There may be a debate about this  of whether or not to use grated fresh or bottled. That's really up to you and if you can get fresh nutmeg or not. (most farmer's markets do sell the nuts, they're about the size of chestnuts). A good dose of fresh ground pepper and a teaspoon of sea salt is also added. The onion must be cooked until translucent in a foam of butter (use a knob of butter and cook until a pale golden brown foam forms).Let the onions cool and add them and the other ingredients to the chopped beef. Cook until nicely browned on both sides.

Hot dogs or frankfurters are another German contribution. Unfortunately, they can't be made at home yet you can easily buy those that taste like the first dogs.Frankfurter Wurtzschen can be bought at German butchers in your area, This may take an extensive Google search  (although should it should be easier in the Chicago area) however if you're in the Bergen County area of New Jersey , then go to the Swiss Pork Store in Fair Lawn.. They make the most original frankfurters along with weisswurst, the creamy  , ivory colored wurst.  If you don't have one nearby then look into The Wurst Haus which comes out of Hermann, Missouri. They may be able to sell them to you. If not , then go for Nathan's which has the best flavor and texture. Another barbecue must have is bratwurst. These are delicious just grilled  and served with mustard  and sauerkraut. If you can make the last then do so, It is fermentation but it's one of the easiest ferments to do at home.

It's the start of the barbecue season. Go for the wursts , bratwursts and Hamburg steaks.Enjoy the originals.

We Heart Missouri Food

Missourians are a brave tough crowd. From the pioneers who founded the state, to Harry Truman to the brave people who went through that devastating life shaking tornado,. They can make do with almost anything in any situation. The same goes for their food. They take risks with traditional dishes and create something bold and unique.. They are culinary warriors.

Missourians come from hardy immigrant stock. Their state is a mishmash of cultural finds from ribs to ravioli, from German to Chinese.. They have created a truly awe inspiring recipe book that puts their spin into time honored recipes. Take for example, St Louis. famed fried ravioli. Instead of served crispy and hot with a side o f marinara sauce for dipping. It's genius. They have put their on spin on classic Chinese cashew chicken renaming it Springfield. Here instead of marinating it in soy Missourians deep fry the chicken and then add the sauce. it's a tasty American spin on a traditional dish,.German food also plays an important part here thanks to many German immigrant settling the state in the 1840s; St. Louis offers as many different kinds of wurst s as Munich , Berlin or Hamburg does. Stollen is a popular Christmas and Easter cake here.

Missouri most famous city , St, Louis is known for its; ribs. it's a different style of cutting them ,mainly trimming away the brisket part or tips. These are usually slow cooked over a low heat to ensure a melt off the bone tenderness.Saucing the ribs with St Louis barbecue sauce is also needed to produce an authentic tasting treat. Since St Louis is a German town, beer is used in the sauce. This makes the meat butter soft and tasty. Horseradish and other piquant flavorings are also added to give the ribs some bite.

Missourians are a hardy race, forged from strong pioneer immigrant stock and buffered by their good food. They have contributed some unique and delicious food to America;s cookbook and table. The state is known as "The Show Me State" but it should be renamed "The Show Off State" for their strength and fortitude. - and good cooking.