I guess we can count ourselves lucky, we are in the middle of winter, according to the calendar, and the temperature is quite balmy. Who knows if real winter weather will hit again. The cold snap we had in the last couple of weeks was enough for me. A good thing is it is getting lighter in the evening, so doesn’t seem so gloomy. Hang in there, spring is just around the corner. If it gets too bad, catch a flight to someplace sunny and warm.
Book club will be at Carole’s home (304) on Monday Feb. 12th. We will be reviewing Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok. A book about a young girl and her mother who immigrated from China.
Traveling neighbors
Carole was off to Scottsdale AZ for some sunshine and fun with family. One of the highlights was her visit to see Frank-Loyde Wright’s home Taliesin West. I was lucky enough to have visited it several years ago. A must see if you are in the area.
Edy is off to NYC on a work trip.
Bev spent some time in Florida, here is her report of her trip:
I spent a week in Cutler Bay, FL., near Miami recently, visiting my brother, his wife and their son Mason and his family. Mason’s house backs up to a lake that welcomes Muscovy ducks, swans, Ibis, and egrets. As well as the occasional alligator. The two girls, ages 2 and 6, don’t go near the water. But they can observe the local green iguana crawling up the tree in the backyard.
The girls kept me totally entertained and I didn’t care if we didn’t go anywhere else but that wasn’t to be. So, we visited the U of Miami campus, where Mason teaches, Ibis aplenty there, as well as green iguanas. We took the 6-year-old to Key Biscayne to play in the ocean, drove to the Everglades to see 2 alligators, plus a newly hatched baby, about a foot in length laying in the water not far from its mom.
Another highlight of the trip, besides being welcomed so generously by my great nieces, was stop at Vizcaya Gardens and Museum. The Mansion was constructed in 1916 and used as a winter retreat. There is a barge constructed of coral just a few yards out in the bay from the main house. It reminded me of Cleopatra’s barge. I’m still trying to figure out how they got out to it…swam? Rowboat?
This was not my first visit to Miami, but it sure was my best. Sometimes we can find treasures right here in our own United States!
Bev Klein.
Sad News
Mrs. Moon passed away this past week. Condolences to her family.
Recipe du Jour
Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole
Ingredients
2cups cooked chicken, shredded.
½ # ham, diced
1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded.
1 C Gruyere cheese, shredded.
½ c mayonnaise
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T fresh lemon juice
½ tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Cup breadcrumbs (I use Panko Breadcrumbs)
¼ c unsalted butter, melted
Fresh parsley for garnish
Preheat oven to 375F, grease a baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, diced ham, Swiss cheese, Gruyere cheese, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish, spreading it evenly.
- In a separate bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with melted butter.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the chicken mixture in the baking dish.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the casserole is hot and bubbly, and the top is golden brown.
- Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.
Safe Temperature for cooked chicken
Author: Kim Allison
See also: Kim Allison Blog
Knowing the proper doneness temperatures when cooking chicken will ensure juicy results. But what if the meat or juices are pink, and it looks bloody? If you’re like many, the sight of anything but perfectly opaque meat with clear juices can make you cringe when chicken is on the menu.
Keep reading to find out what actually causes this the pink color in chicken and how to be sure your family’s chicken temperature is truly safe.
Chicken Doneness is a Temperature, Not a Color
Chicken meat cooks to a creamy-white color—unlike the more robust hues of cooked beef, pork, or lamb. This white color provides a much starker contrast to the occasional pink tones that can naturally occur in any meat.
Dr. O. Peter Snyder, Jr., Ph.D. of the Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management says, “If consumers were taught to eat safely prepared, bloody chicken, as they want to do with beef, they would be able to enjoy juicier chicken.” The trick is to learn how to prepare safe-to-eat chicken and get over our fear of a little blood in our birds.
So, how do you know for sure if your chicken is safe to eat? One word: temperature.
Overcorrecting with Overcooking
Perhaps one reason society accepts red and pink hues in steaks is that beef can be safely cooked to varying degrees of doneness. Chicken, on the other hand, is either safe to eat or it’s not. There is no such thing as medium-rare chicken. Nevertheless, too many cooks overcook their chicken temperature for fear of undercooking it. Overcooked chicken is just like overcooked beef: dry, tough, and less flavorful than properly-cooked meat
Regardless of the type of meat being cooked, the higher the doneness temperature, the more juices will be lost and the less tender the results will be. Properly gauging the internal temperature of chicken is the only way to guarantee safe and juicy results every single time.
Internal Temperatures for Doneness and Eating Quality of Chicken
➤ 165°F
What is so magical about 165°F (74°C)? At 165°F (74°C) all foodborne bacteria instantly die This instant death for foodborne pathogens is recommended for poultry because even the most stubborn salmonella bacteria will be completely pasteurized at this temperature. Even if a slow, low-accuracy dial thermometer is off by as much as 10°F (6°C), a final cooked temperature of 155°F (68°C) in chicken will only need to stay at that temperature for just under 60 seconds in order for the meat to be safe. (Does that sound like it goes against everything you’ve ever learned about chicken safety? If so, you might need to read our complete guide to chicken temps to brush up on the nuances of bacterial kill times.)
➤ 170°F and Higher for Dark Meat
Leg and thigh meat is still safe at 165°F, but it is recommended to cook it to an internal temperature of about 170-175°F (77-79°C). The chicken’s legs are actively worked muscles, and the meat is tougher because of it.
Temping pink chicken for safety
The leg pictured to the right was cooked to the recommended range of 170-175°F (77-79°C) (as verified with a Thermapen® ONE). Leg meat needs to be cooked to higher temperatures than the leaner and more delicate breast meat because it contains more connective tissue that needs time at high temps to dissolve properly. This higher temperature will ensure that the dark meat becomes tender and juicy. Even at this higher temperature, the meat still appeared quite pink.
Common Myth: “Chicken is Done When the Juices Run Clear”
One common but inaccurate method of verifying the doneness of chicken is to cut into the meat and watch to be sure all of the juices are running clear. When probing chicken over the grill or in the oven, we sometimes look for anything pink in the meat as a clear indication that its not yet properly cooked. The fact of the matter is that depending upon where you probe your chicken, the color of the meat or juices may never be free of pink, red, or even purple tones.
So why does chicken so often appear under-cooked?
Why Cooked Chicken Can Still Be Pink
Reason 1: Young Chickens
A porous bone in a young chicken stays pink
The chickens available at grocery stores that we purchase are usually between 6 and 8 weeks of age. These young chickens aren’t yet fully mature, and their bones are porous rather than completely calcified. The bone marrow inside of chicken bones is purplish and can often permeate through soft, porous chicken bones (pictured at right).
The liquid contained in the mass of a chicken expands during freezing, including the bone marrow. The dark marrow can push through the bone’s surface as it expands. The bones and meat adjacent to them become stained, and will remain a deep red/purple color regardless of the final internal temperature of cooked chicken.
Reason 2: Myoglobin
A pink chicken joint
Myoglobin is another culprit for the purple and red colors found in poultry. It is a richly pigmented protein that delivers oxygen to cells to muscle fibers. The more active an animal is, the more oxygen is contained in their muscle, giving it a darker color.
Chickens are flightless birds, so the breast meat is never heavily oxygenated. Low levels of myoglobin are why chicken breasts have such delicate white flesh. The heavily worked legs have darker meat because of higher levels of myoglobin.
While chicken is packaged and readied for purchase in a grocery store, myoglobin can tend to pool in the meat fibers.
Reason 3: pH Levels
The acidity of the meat can affect its color, too. The higher the pH level (lower acidity), the pinker the meat will be. This is why some chefs use an acidic marinade with citrus or vinegar to help reduce pink colors in chicken meat. But marinades will do little to protect against tinges of pink from marrow and myoglobin.
Eat Pink Chicken Confidently
Now that you know why your chicken can sometimes be pink, it’s time to eat chicken more confidently. Most importantly, stop overcooking your chicken!
Armed with an accurate thermometer like the Thermapen, you can verify the safety and quality of your chicken—regardless of its color. A probe inserted into the thermal center of a chicken breast, leg, or thigh should read 165°F (74°C) when it’s time to eat.
Restaurant Review
Ristorante Machiavelli
326 Main St.
Edmonds, WA
Hours
Mon–Thu 4-9
Fri 4-10
Sat 11–10
Sun 11-7
425-774-0650
No reservations
Jerry and I went to Machiavelli last week. Since they don’t take reservations, we planned on a early dinner. We arrived about 5:45, had to wait maybe 8 minutes or so to get a seat. We were lucky to get a window seat, so I think it was a little quieter. The whole time we were there they had folks waiting both inside and outside, at one time there were as many as 4 parties waiting. Many folks checked the desk then went elsewhere. . This restaurant replaces the old Chanterelle’s.
We both ordered a veal dish, which if you don’t already know is very difficult to find on restaurant menus. The food was good, not fantastic, but we would go back. The service, however, was excellent, we had a server named Kendra and she was great. The portions were adequate, we didn’t see anyone taking out “doggie bags”. We asked when was a good time to visit Machiavelli? Kendra told us to come during the week, we were there on a Friday evening, and come early.
Give it a try and give us a report.
Entertainment Recommendations
We have enjoyed several episodes of Life on our Planet. It is on Netflix, I think there are 8 episodes. Morgan Freeman does a fantastic job of narrating.
Uncommon Knowledge is a production from the Hoover Uncommon Knowledge Institute from Stanford University which is a series of interviews by Peter Robinson. We find them all quite interesting, the topics are a wide range from current events to events in history. We think Peter Robinson is one of the best interviewers we have had a opportunity to watch. The shows are on YouTube We just watched an interview of Niel Ferguson about higher education and the impact of DEI.
Ridge Reports- Stories of Days Gone By
Story #1 Moss Mattresses
Written July, 2002 at the request of David N. Ridge, by Elsie B. Ridge)
I will try to explain first, what a moss mattress was. The (Spanish) moss grew on trees, or maybe was formed on its branches in the woods. I think the dampness and all of the thick shade helped it multiply.
Papa bought a big tract of swampy land with the idea of clearing it out and making fields to grow cotton and other plants on it. Trees were cut down, then they dynamited all of the stumps and leveled it off. But, the land further back was in a low, watery area, until the state ran a canal through there to drain the Alexandria, LA woods. Papa’s cattle were run there and occasionally some of the calves would bog down and had to be pulled out. [My nephew now owns that property. He even built a levee and cut down more trees.]
The moss on these trees would be pulled off and hung all over the fences in the hot summer to dry, and turned over until all bugs, etc. dropped off. The moss would then be put on the back porch and beaten with small branches (with twigs) until all loose stuff fell off. A piece of mattress cloth the size of a mattress was spread on the floor and the moss spread on top. Another length of cloth the same size, attached to the rest of the cover, was pulled over it. With a person on each side, they started at a corner and pinned all sides together enough to be able to whip the covers together. It was then sewn in place to finish the mattress. About every three years, each mattress was taken apart, the moss was beaten to fluff it back up, and the mattress was then reassembled. Different ones were done each year.
We had two mattresses on each bed, one of moss and one of cotton. The moss one was cooler for summer and the cotton one warmer for winter. Eventually we only had cotton, as Papa started buying cotton for some company and brought samples from each sale he made. We were so glad when we only had cotton mattresses.
When I married, Papa had a long-staple cotton mattress made for us. By the time we all grew up and were leaving home, all seven double beds had cotton mattresses and, also, cotton-filled quilts. The girls’ bedroom had three double beds for the six girls, two dressers and an armoire, and one corner of the room was fixed with rods to hold coats, suits, etc. The boys’ room had two double beds, each for two boys.
My first job was teaching 2nd and 3rd grades at Lamouri School. The Depression years hit us badly, and our meager teaching salary was cut from $80/month to $66. Our room and board were $20 (20 days–home on weekends). My school loan was $25/month, and we also paid for gas in Papa’s car, maybe 15 cents per gallon, to be picked up for weekends home. Could you believe I made a dress for 35 cents from 3 yards of material (10 cents a yard)?
I experienced sleeping on moss when I was about 7, in 1941. My grandparents were older then and all their children were gone. There was still moss hung on the fences, but the yearly refurbishing had mostly gone by the wayside. I can say that moss mattresses tended to lump and clump after a few years of neglect…no longer so comfy! —
By—David Ridge]
Story #2 Potato House
[ I found this writing by my Mom in a packet of family information after her death. These were her planting experiences in about 1922 in a small Red River Cajun town. My Grandpa Beauregard was still using the “potato house” in the mid 1940’s. I remember it as a very dark, musty smelling, spidery place, but it was where you went if you wanted potatoes for dinner. Rice was the starch of choice in South Louisiana, but potatoes were good too. Grandma Beauregard tended the monstrous garden near the house. The garden was planted in the super-rich Red River bottom soil that would fetch roots out of a broomstick. The blooms in the garden attracted bezillions of little flying varmints, which attracted lots of neat Louisiana spiders. I saw the biggest spider and web of my life there. The spider was a beautifully colored garden spider, about 6” from toe-to-toe with a body about 2” in diameter, and he was parked dead center in a web that was about 6 feet in diameter. I was 10 or 11 years old and thought he might be trolling for little boys. David Ridge ]
What time of year are sweet potato runners planted? Before the cold came, our dug-up crop was scattered on the dirt floor of the potato house. Later, in early Spring, a corner of the yard was boarded up so seedling potatoes could be put out and covered with dirt and hay where warmth of the sun soon had them sprouting runners. When ready to plant, these vines or cuttings were snapped off and planted.
One day the sky became very cloudy, and Papa said, “OK kids, let’s go.” We drove to the back place where the field had been plowed and rowed. Two of us older children took broom handles and walked down 2 or 3 rows making holes with them about 2 or 2 ½ feet apart. Papa and another kid dropped a sprout at each hole, and it was the job of others to put sprouts in a hole, pulling dirt around them with a little push to hold them down. We had to work fast as it looked like a pour down any minute. We were barely finished and in the car when rains came down hard. Just what our cuttings needed. I must have been about 10 or 11 years old. The girls in our family of eleven kids hardly ever did any field work—only one other time when we begged to go pick cotton. Pickers were being paid $1.00 for every hundred pounds they picked. Little did we know how much cotton you had to pick to make $1.00 . But finally Papa relented for just one afternoon. Our neighbor and friend, Eloise de Nux, was there and ready to go. We’d made a gallon of lemonade in case we got too hot. But the cotton plants were as tall as we were and shaded us. We were a bunch of silly kids who laughed, groaned, griped, and teased, but our sacks were far from making a showing. After each row of picking and another shot of lemonade, we started another row, but not so excited. By now we had pricked our fingers on the dried bolls and were resting more on our sacks. So when Papa came by we were ready to go “weigh in”. The scales must be wrong — 13 pounds? And that’s about as much as anyone of us picked. I think Papa was worried more about one of us getting sick in the sun, and maybe a Doctor bill. We didn’t argue or beg to go back.
I hope you enjoy David’s stories as much as I do. I hope he continues to contribute more of them in the future.
Have a Happy Valentine’s day.
Have fun celebrating with the ones you love.