By Nicole Martins

The holidays are upon us once again and it’s that time of the year to dust-off the fine china and polish the cutlery for this season’s festivities. If you are planning to do a lot of entertaining don’t wait till the last minute to take stock of the serving and cutting utensils. Appetizers often include a cheese plate and depending on what you’re serving there are specific cheese cutters designed to do very specific tasks. For example, you may be serving both Parmesan Regano – which is a very hard cheese; along with a soft cheese – like Camembert. In this case, you’ll want to set out different cheese knives: one designed to cut hard cheeses and the other designed to cut soft cheeses.

Holiday Parties are Not the Time to conduct your Own Cheese Cutting Trial

If you use your chef’s knife to cut a soft delicate cheese it will most likely stick, cling and make a mess of the cheese: Not a good party favor. In fact, this experiment was already conducted in a Cooks Illustrated trial to determine if the soft cheese knife, designed with 3 cut-out holes on the blade, really works. The answer was a resounding – yes. If you’re the really adventurous type, you could conduct your own trial with your guests. But there’s no need to bother because the soft cheese knife really works.

If you’re really aiming for perfection, you can go out of your way to have several cheese knives: hard cheese knife, soft cheese knife, cheese slicers and cheese spreaders. You can serve several types of cheeses displayed on a wooden cheese board. Soft cheeses, like Brie, look great when set upon a wooden board. Bamboo is also a nice choice.

If you are looking to do a cheese plate individually, for each guest, one suggestion is to include a slice of 3 to 4 different cheeses. Choose cheeses that represent a balance of differences in flavor, texture, and/or milk type.

About the Author

You can read more of our cheese knife review and other kitchen knife reviews by visiting: www.best-in-kitchen-knives.com

By Mary Schulte

Healthy desserts definitely do not need to be boring. Take this one. An amazingly delicious pecan pie recipe that has been in our family for decades. It’s super-easy. Besides the Yum Factor, it happens to be a really healthy dessert too! (You may know that pecans are very high in all kinds of nutrition food values, so when included, they create very nutritious recipes. Plus – take a look at the flavorful sweetener we use).

You just can’t go wrong with this pecan pie recipe, which is continually raved about whenever we make it. I can’t even begin to tell you how many people over the years have said it’s the best pecan pie they’ve had. So I just had to share this specialty which has been passed down from my grandma, so this recipe is definitely tried and true. And it’s not just for the holidays (for some reason people associate pecan pie with Thanksgiving and Winter holidays, in the U.S. But make it any time! It’s also perfect for the Fourth of July! Or parties and receptions. You can use either a regular pie crust, or the mini party-style pie shells.

It only takes about 15 minutes to put together.

You will need

1 to 1 ½ cups pecan halves
1 deep pie shell, unbaked (or mini pie shells)
3 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 melted butter
2 teaspoons molasses

Beat the above ingredients thoroughly, until mixed well.
Then add in the pecan halves and stir well.

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Put the pie shell (in its pie pan) onto a cookie sheet as a protection, so the pie mixture will not dribble onto your oven rack and burn while baking. Then pour the above mixture into the pie shell. The mixture will be soupy and can spill. Carefully put into oven. Bake about 50 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

This fantastic pecan pie recipe is pretty much a no-brainer. Like I said, it takes about 15 minutes to make, but then of course allow for the baking time. You’re sure to get compliments. So try it out!

We’ve got lots more healthy dessert ideas on our Delicious Healthy Dessert Recipes page at Delicious Healthy Dessert Recipes .

There’s a killer strawberry pie (not the gelatinous kind!) and an apple crisp with a truly luscious topping – the best. Both have been in the family for decades, too. So check them out. Plus, we’ve got a really good dessert Forum going where you can get more yummy ideas – and share yours!. So be sure to also visit our Share Your Dessert Forum!

About the Author

Mary Schulte is the founder of ElderOneStop, LLC and www.elder-one-stop.com specializing in one-stop resources and information for seniors and baby boomers — including health, caregiving, nutrition, activities, gifts, retirement, housing, travel, and more. A free newsletter is available, as well as a web site subscription. And be sure to check out our Forums to see what others are sharing!

Delicious ways to add Omega-3s to your meals

(Family Features) Foods for a healthy lifestyle can be full of great flavor. The traditional Mediterranean diet is a wonderful example of great food that can have a healthy impact on the body.

The Mediterranean diet is characterized by daily consumption of olive oil, fish, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains. It encourages eating fewer processed foods and reducing consumption of meat, a common source of Omega-6 fatty acids.

Everyone needs Omega-6 and Omega-3 essentially fatty acids because our bodies don’t produce them. But it’s important to keep them in the right balance to each other. The Mediterranean Diet helps achieve that balance by focusing on using olive oil instead of vegetable cooking oils that are high in Omega-6.

Chef Nick Stellino, of PBS-TV fame, uses Pompeian OlivExtra Plus with Omega-3 DHA for sautéing, baking and preparing soups, sauces and marinades because OlivExtra Plus has both olive oil and an added infusion of Omega-3 to help achieve a better balance.

“If you are going to cook with oil, doesn’t it make sense to cook with one that contains more Omega-3?” asks Chef Stellino.

These recipes for Chicken Marsala and Black Bean, Edamame and Wheat Berry Salad make it easy to set a healthy table everyone will be happy to sit down to.

For more delicious ways to set a healthy table, visit www.pompeian.com.

Chicken Marsala
Serves 4

2 1/4 pounds chicken parts, skin removed
2 tablespoons Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup Pompeian Marsala Cooking Wine
garlic cloves with skin on
2-3 lemons cut into wedges
4 rosemary sprigs
Salt and pepper to taste*

Preheat oven to 400° F. Place chicken pieces in a roasting pan and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place garlic among chicken pieces and tuck lemon wedges alongside garlic.

Pour cooking wine over chicken. Scatter rosemary sprigs on top of chicken and bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350° F. and bake for another 15 minutes, or until chicken is golden brown and juices run clear when chicken is pierced. Serve immediately.

*All cooking wines are denatured, so adjust your salt content accordingly.

Black Bean, Edamame, and Wheat Berry Salad
Serves 6 (3/4-cup servings)

4 cups water
1/2 cup dry wheat berries
1/2 of a 15-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen, shelled edamame, thawed
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons Pompeian Red Wine Vinegar
3 tablespoons Pompeian OlivExtra Plus
Salt and black pepper to taste

Combine water and wheat berries in medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 55 minutes or until wheat berries are just tender.

Place in a fine mesh strainer and run under cold water to cool quickly; drain well.

Combine wheat berries with remaining ingredients in medium bowl. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 8 hours in advance.

Note: Wheat berries are unprocessed wheat kernels and are sold in major supermarkets and health food stores.

Courtesy of Family Features
#F1974
Source: Pompeian

(Family Features) Potato, Turkey & Veggie Casserole is a new take on an old favorite:  meat and potatoes. The surprise ingredient is canned German potato salad, definitely a delicious time-saving side dish on its own, but an ideal casserole base, too.

To get started, brown the turkey or beef seasoned with a hint of thyme leaves and garlic powder, making sure to cook completely. That way, once the casserole is assembled, it just needs to be heated through before serving. Add the entire can of READ German Potato Salad to the skillet. This mouth watering salad features traditional ingredients – sliced potatoes in a vinegary-sweet dressing, along with bacon and onions – which pair perfectly with the turkey or beef. Round out the one-dish dinner with light sour cream and mixed vegetables. Use frozen or canned vegetables, and, remember, it doesn’t have to be just peas and carrots! Top with bread crumbs and bake until hot, and the crumbs are crisp.

It’s a simple supper that the entire family can enjoy, fast enough for a busy weeknight – just under an hour prep to plate. Add a mixed greens salad to start and it’s time to dine.  For additional delicious recipes and serving suggestions, visit www.READsalads.com.

Potato, Turkey & Veggie Casserole
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Makes 6 servings

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 pound extra lean ground turkey breast or 90% lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme leaves, garlic powder, ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 can (15 ounces) READ German Potato Salad
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 cups frozen or canned mixed vegetables (thaw if frozen; drain if canned)
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Heat oven to 350 F. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add turkey and seasonings. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, until cooked through, stirring occasionally and breaking turkey into large crumbles. (Cook ground beef until no pink remains.)

Stir in potato salad and sour cream. Add vegetables; stir to combine. Spoon into 2-quart casserole dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Toss together bread crumbs and remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake 30 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.

Nutrition information per serving (1/6 of recipe): 259 calories; 18 g protein;
31 g carbohydrate;  8 g fat;  491 mg sodium;  38 mg cholesterol;  3 g dietary fiber;
2 mg iron; 0.10 mg thiamin;  2830 IU vitamin A;  7 mg vitamin C.

Courtesy of Family Features
#F1909
Source: READ (Seneca Foods Corporation)