6 THE CAROLINA TIMES, SAT.. NOV. 8. 1975
SWEET POTATO ROUNDUP
lUFOGRAf.lS
By MARY WHITMORE
I
HOME ECONOMIST
. 7'; .,
AGRICULTURAfc
EXTENSION OFFICE
Sweet potatoes are now adding a colorful note to grocery
produce counters. They are now in bountiful supply and taking
advantage of their availability can add color and variety to your
family meals.
Two general types of sweet potatoes are grown commercially.
One type, sometimes called Yams" or "Puerto Ricans," has a
soft, moist testure when cooked and very sweet, orange to
orange-red flesh. Depending on variety, the skin may be orange
pale rose, or copper-red.
The second type, when cooked, is firm, somewhat dry and
mealy, and has a pale orange to light yellow flesh. The skikn skin
is usually a light yellow to fawn colored. The popularity and
production of this type has dwindled rapidly.
Processed sweet potatoes come in diverse forms, from only
partially cooked to almost ready to eat. Canned sweet potatoes
may be vacuum-packed, without any liquid, in a syrup, or solid
pack (solid pack is tightly packed with little liquid). They are
canned whole, mashed or as pieces. Frozen sweet potatoes are
available whole or halved, peeled or unpeeled, baked, stuffed in a
shell, sliced, trench cut, diced, mashed, and sometimes formed
into cakes.
Dehydrated sweet potatoes need only hot water added to
- .
produce a mashed sweet potato that can be served with butter or .
used in recipes calling for mashed sweet potatoes. , f-p '
Fresh sweet potatoes should be well-shaped with firm, with 1 Op WUEUlty
smooth, brieht. uniformly colored skins.
Sweet potatoes can be boiled, baked, browned, fried, or
candied, or used for making pies, custard, cookies and cakes. For
best flavor and nutritive value, always cook sweet potatoes whole
in their jackets it takes 35 to 55 minutes in boiling water and
about 35 to 60 minutes in a hot over (425 degree F.). The moist
type cooks in less time than the mealy type.
Delicious Sweet potato Puff can be prepared from either fresh,
canned, or dehydrated sweetpotatoes.
SWEET POTATO PUFF
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
... M cup hot rnjik, ,.. .....
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
Va teaspoon salt
V teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
2 eggs
To the sweet potatoes add the milk, fat, salt, allspice, and
orange rind. Mix well. Separate eggs. Beat the egg yolks and add
to sweet potato mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff, and fold the
potato mixture into the whites. Place in a baking dish and bake at
350 degree F. for 45 minutes. 6 servings, 23 cup each.
Toffee Crunch Cookies
'Synthetic'
RALEIGH Nature's
luxury product, quarried
marble, has an imitation
called "cultured marble."
Made of a blend of pure
ground marble, polyester
resins and dyes, the "fab
ulous fake,'-' is tough, re
gists chipping, abrasion
and shock, say extension
housing specialists, North
Carolina State University.
JSijice cultured marble,
is non-pourous, it resists
stains and can be cared
for with a detergent- or
soap-filled sponge.
Cultured marble comes
in a variety of colors with
veining, swirl or fleck
effects.
Molded pieces, slabs or
panels can be purchased
as well as bathtub wall
panel ! kits for the do-it-yourselfer.
mm
By Bobbie Hill Ql
A tasty new Holiday snack treat, just right for after school or
fall and winter weekend parties, adds a surprise flavor . . . English
toffee ... to a delightfully crunchy, chewy cookie that is only
moderately sweet.
The flavor comes from chopped chocolate-covered English
toffee candy bars . . . easy to work with and ideal for baking. They
chop up easily, and their distinctive taste blends perfectly with
pecans.
Toffee crunch cookies are simple to bake, easy to pack, and
ideal for travel. What a super way to surprise a college student,
or those high-schoolers Just back from football or hockey outings.
J TOFFEE CRUNCH COOKIES
', teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon vanilla
i teaspoon salt 1 eup chopped Heath
tt cup butter or margarine English toffee candy ban
y, cop brown sugar, packed W cnP coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup chopped candy-6 ounces in bar form, frozen then chopped
in blender.
Despite today's sophisticated
home laundry methods, con
sumers still find themselves con
fronted with problems. Here are
a couple of queries and answers:
, Q. What causes some fabrics
to turn gray or yellow when I
wash diem?
A. Graying is caused by any
of three things - not enough
soap or detergent in hard water,
wash water temperature not hot
enough, or an overloaded wash
er. Yellowed fabrics are caused
by incomplete removal of body
oil, iron in the water, and the
use of bleach on sensitive white
fabrics, like spandex, some ny
lons, some acetates, etc. To com
bat the yellowing problem asso
ciated with iron in the water,
use a phosphate-based water
conditioner in both wash and
rinse cycle.
Q. What causes some fabrics
to lose color or start tearing
when they're really not that
old?
A. Color loss may result from
the rubbing off of printed-on
designs, dyes that are not color
fast, Jbleacblilajajage or dyc
transfer. Torn garments can be
caused by overuse of bleach,
not diluting bleach, wiping up
spilled bleach with a piece of
laundry, or accidental spills or
splashes which weaken the fabric.
POULTRY: A TASTY ANYTIME DELIGHT
Poultry is high on the list of popularity in American meals-and
that's no accident. With today's modern production, processing,
and marketing methods, chicken, turkey duck and geese are
available the year round - for roasting, broiling, frying, stewing, or
making soups, salads, or practically whatever you can think of.
Packaged, cut-up chicken and turkey, heat-and-serve fried
chicken, and the newer turkey and chicken rolls, roasts, or bars
make poultry among the most versatile and easy to prepare dishes
. you can find. Roasts and rolls, all meat and boneless, make a
wonderful dish for buffet dinners, late parties, or any time.
Because of seasonal production and limited supplies, "Chicken
on Sunday" and 'Turkey on Thanksgiving" were meals looked
forward to with mouth-watering anticipation in the 1930's. But
those days are In the past today's consumers have a delectable
variety of poultry products to serve any day of the week, any
week of the year. ' -
Poultry Is an excellent source of high-quality protein, with the
amino acids essential to growth and health. Weight watchers are
partial to chicken and turkey because an average serving contains
fewer calories than an average serving of most other meats.
Poultry also provides many other essential nutrients including
iron, thiamine, (vitamin Bl, riboflavin (vitamin B2), and niacin.
Before poultry can be graded, it must first be federally
inspected for whole-someness. The top grade for poultry, and the
only one commonly found in stores, is U. S. Grade A. Grade A
birds have good overall shape and appearance. They are meaty,
have a well-developed layer of fat in the skin, and are practically
free from defects such as cuts and bruises.
Official standards also provide for U. S. Grade B and U. S.
Grade C poultry. These birds and not as attractive as Grade A.
They may have defects and faulty conformation, and could be
lacking In fleshing and fat cover.
You can usually save money if you buy whole poultry and cut
it into serving pieces yourself. Whole poultry usually is a few.
cents less per pound than cut-up poultry. It is also more
economical to buy large turkey than small ones. Not only do the
larger birds usually sell for a few cents less per pound, but they
also have a larger proportion of meat to bone, so you get a
bargain two ways. Smaller birds, however, do offer more varieties
of cooking than large bnes.
How often -have you asked yourself,"How much poultry
should I buy for my family?' Naturally, the amount depends not
only upon the kind of poultry you choose, but also on the
cooking method, the number and size of the servings, and
whether or not leftover are desired.
For whole broiler-fryers, stewing chicken, turkey, duckling, or
goose, the average serving per person is about 3 ounces of cooked
meat (without bone), and you will need to buy lA pound for each
serving. For a boneless turkey roast, count on only 13 pound per
serving. If you are buying cut-up chicken, these are the serving
sizes often used; one breast half, one leg, two drumsticks, two
thighs, or four wings.
Remember that poultry, like all meats, is perishable; therefore,
proper storage is important. So buy frozen, chilled, or smoked
poultry only from freezer or refrigerator cases in order to-obtain
a top-quality product. It is wise to examine packages to be sure
the wrappers are neither torn nor broken. Any frozen poultry
should be solidly frozen when purchased.
Quick Decorating Solutions
Why is it every time you turn
around there's a new decorating
problem in your house? Prob
ably because your lifestyle
changes as fast as your family
needs.
5r
( V
)ii,V- 1
Sisal area rug tops
patterned vinyl floor.
You can keep pace with what's
happening, decoratively speak
ing, by thumbing through home
magazines, writing for free
booklets offered by manufactur
ers of home furnishings and by
clipping any and all ideas that
appeal. Whether these ideas ap
ply now or will sometime in
the future, before you know it,
you'll have an interesting "how-to-do-if
reference file.
Here are a couple of sugges
tions that indicate how easily
and economically you can trans
form dilemmas into creative so
lutions. In each case, leftover
pieces of GAF GAFSTAR
cushioned sheet vinyl provided
the color and design stimulus;
impulse plus imagination came
up with the rest!
Provide Privacy
A room divider can serve
adult needs in a den or children's
needs in a bedroom shared
by siblings. Construction of a
divider of 2 x 4's between floor
and ceiling may be covered with
matching wipe-cleanable vinyl
flooring for a decorator look
that's super-functional, too. This
bright spot of color also
achieves achitectural interest.
Cover-Alls
Perhaps your potting room,
kitchen, working or sewing cen
ter has countertops that are
marred and ugly. By cementing
leftover pieces of vinyl flooring
on work surfaces, you can perk
them up, yet the vinyl's also
dirt-resistant and durable. Water
and stains mop up with a onceover-lightly
with a sponge.
Focal Point
Perhaps you just need a lot
of personality, pronto, in a
room, and you're tired of busy
scatter rugs trying to do the
job.- How about pulling a switch
and letting a vinyl floor cover
ing inject design pizzazz, topped
with a solid remnant of carpet
This subtle reversal of tradition
al roles underfoot will really
jazz up the room-and save you
money as well.