Today’s Lesson: Always Read Nutrition Facts

Sometimes, even a healthy food isn’t so healthy.

Take, for example, the package of bison hot dogs I received recently for review. Bison, I know, is an incredibly healthy meat, especially when compared to beef: it’s lower in calories, fat, and cholesterol. So surely hot dogs made from bison would be similarly impressive, right?*

Eh, not so much.

As a Lifetime Member of Weight Watchers, I read Nutrition Facts Statements habitually—I don’t remember the last time I ate something without checking to see what was in it. So of course, before I cooked a bison dog for Harry, I read the label. What I saw, frankly, shocked the pants off me:


Bison Hot Dogs

100% all natural bison dogs/uncured
Serving size 1 link, 4 oz (113g)
280 calories
23g fat
8g sat fat
1250mg sodium
16g protein

These numbers are troublingly high. They're on par with Hebrew National, and more than double Applegate Farms beef hot dogs.


Applegate Farms Organic Uncured Beef Hot Dogs: Two of these equals one bison dog, and bison's numbers are still double.

How can something whose primary ingredient has 109 calories and less than 1 gram of saturated fat per 100 grams get all the way up to 280 calories and 8 grams of saturated fat in 113 grams? And 1250 mg of sodium? I believe that's an entire day's worth for my 4-year-old.

I wrote exactly that to my contact at the company that had sent me the meat. Here is her response:

Hi Debbie,

I had a long conversation with the person who is responsible for producing the non-muscular products and he said that the numbers are accurate. Our goal was to make an all-bison dog, that did not include fillers including beef fillers that many of our competitors use to both lower the cost of production and help with binding the meat. Because we were committed also to not including artificial binding agents for a product as lean as bison, we use sodium to help us on the binding front.

I hope that helps, and if you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thanks,
[name redacted]

Now, I commend them for avoiding fillers and artificial binding agents, but it seems like they’ve substituted ingredients that are equally ill-advised—even though they’re all-natural. Such a great idea, but ultimately so unhealthy I won't serve it to my kid. While it may be all-bison, it sounds like it must be mostly bison fat, not meat.

I wrote that to my contact, too. She didn’t correct me.

Today’s lesson: Always read the Nutrition Facts Statement—don’t assume that when something is made from healthy ingredients, it’s automatically healthy. Because as Felix Unger Oscar Wilde said, “When you assume, you make an ass of u and me.”

* Before you point out that hot dogs are inherently unhealthy: I know. Even feeding Harry Applegate Farms is probably doing some kind of irreparable damage. But what can I say? We’re a hot dog family.

L'Shana Tova, Everyone

Rosh Hashanah Baking

Just a quickie, to wish you all L'Shana Tova and point out a couple of terrific recipes, both of which are scheduled for a (possibly overly ambitious) session of Baking With Harry:

Patricia's Awesome Apple Cake. Seriously, the best apple cake you'll ever try.

Challah. We'll be kneading in 3/4 cup of golden raisins just before forming the dough into the traditional turban shape.

Well, there you have it. Two guaranteed winners. Go forth and bake, my people.

Quick Pasta with Escarole & White Beans

This month I’m testing recipes for the galactagogues chapter of Parents Need to Eat Too. I see you scratching your head—either you were never a breastfeeding mom with supply problems, or you’ve blissfully erased that episode from your memory. A galactagogue is something that stimulates or promotes the production of breastmilk—if you’re unlucky enough (as I was) to have a body that doesn’t produce adequate milk to sustain your baby, a galactagogue may be the answer. During the first seven weeks of Harry’s life, as I tried and failed and tried again to nail down what’s supposed to be a simple, natural process, I learned an awful lot about galactagogues from a variety of lactation consultants. And thanks to the research I’m doing for the book, I now know even more.

Whole grains, greens, and beans are considered lactogenic foods. This little dish uses all three, and it has the added benefit of being ready in just about 30 minutes.

Have no fear if you’re not a nursing mother, or if you are but you’re not looking to increase supply. One meal, even two, won’t turn you into a dairy cow. On the other hand, given how good this tastes, it might be worth it to moo, briefly.

Quick Pasta with Escarole & White Beans
Serves 4
Weight Watchers: each serving is 8 points, without added Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped small
2 pounds escarole, roughly chopped, washed, and drained—leave some water clinging to the leaves
Salt & pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes, more if you like heat
8 ounces cut whole grain pasta (if you’re not on Weight Watchers, feel free to use more)
2 cups cooked white beans plus 1/2 cup cooking liquid, or 1 can no-salt-added white beans, drained, 1/2 cup of the liquid reserved
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

1. Put a large pot of salted water, covered, on to boil.
2. While that’s going, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so, just until the aroma fills the kitchen. Add the escarole by the handful, stirring and adding more as it wilts, until it’s all in. Stir in salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Cover, reduce the heat, and let it simmer while the water comes to a boil.
3. Cook the pasta according to package directions. About five minutes before it’s done cooking, add the drained beans—not the liquid—to the escarole. Stir and re-cover; let it simmer while the pasta finishes cooking.
4. When the pasta’s ready, drain it and toss it into the sauté pan—if it’s not big enough to hold everything, return the pasta to the big pot and add the escarole and bean mixture. Mix it all together over low heat and add some of the bean liquid. It’s ready when it looks saucy and the temptation to grab a fork and dig in is overwhelming.
5. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Lemon-Oregano Chicken

My friends, I owe you a recipe. Luckily I happen to have a good one, one that’s worth sharing, one that works for both Nap-Time Cooking and Big Batch Cooking.

Today I made dinner to bring to a family we know, a preschool friend of Harry’s with a brand-spankin’-new baby. (Given my whole Parents Need to Eat Too shtick, I thought I should put my money where my mouth is and actually feed someone.) The dish I made, Lemon-Oregano Chicken, was easy to put together in the morning, easy to cook late in the day, and deliciously satisfying at dinnertime. It yields enough to feed a crowd—in addition to giving our friends two meals, it also served as our own dinner tonight. If I were making this just for us, I’d pull the leftovers from the bones, dice or shred, and freeze in quart-sized freezer bags. Then, when the mere thought of cooking is more than I can handle, I'd defrost a bag and make my (relatively) low-fat Chicken Pot Pie or Whaddya Got Fried Rice.

And whodathunk? Harry loved it. Granted, he insisted that I top each little morsel with olive oil and salt (he’s convinced that this is how all food should be served, and I’m going with it as long as he’s trying new things). But he willingly tasted it, then asked for more, and then more again. Instead of the potatoes, carrots, and fennel I roasted he opted to pair it with red grapes and capers, and that’s just fine with me. Dude’s got some interesting eating habits, all right.

Lemon-Oregano Chicken
Serves 6 to 8
Weight Watchers: A drumstick is 1 point, and thighs and breasts are each 3 points. This is all without skin, of course, and we’re talking reasonably-sized pieces, not jumbo. (I don’t count the oil in the marinade since so little is absorbed.)

1/2 cup lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano
Salt & pepper
3 cloves garlic
6 pounds chicken parts (from about 2 chickens)

1. Put the lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, and salt and pepper into a gallon-sized zipper-lock bag.
2. Roughly chop the garlic, then sprinkle a little bit more salt on top. Drag the edge of your knife across it repeatedly—the friction you get from the salt will break down the garlic into a paste. Add this paste to the bag, then add the chicken.
3. Seal the bag, mush everything around a bit, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and as long as overnight. (If you’re Nap-Timing it, do this during the morning nap.) If you think of it, reposition the bag every so often to allow the marinade to penetrate evenly.
4. Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil (to help with cleanup later) and set a cooling rack on top. Coat the rack with cooking spray or brush with oil.
5. Remove the chicken from the fridge. Take the pieces from the bag and pat each one dry before placing it on the rack. Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper, then slip it into the oven.
6. Roast for 15 minutes, then carefully pour 1/2 cup of hot tap water into the baking sheet—this will help prevent smoke from filling your kitchen. Roast another 20 minutes or so, at which point the drumsticks and wings should be done. Remove them to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
7. Roast the breasts and thighs another 10 to 20 minutes, until the juices run clear when pierced with a sharp knife. Remove the skin before eating, and force yourself to discard it. It'll be difficult, I know, but you can do it. Unless you're not watching your calories/cholesterol, in which case knock yourself out.

A Fire Truck Cake for a Four-Year-Old

For Harry's birthday last year, I discovered that fondant is no fundant. This year I discovered that it's ridiculously difficult to make red frosting.

I knew Harry was going to ask for a fire truck cake. He's been obsessed with them for the last few months. I also knew something Diego would be required; Harry spends part of every day shouting "al rescate!" But when he asked for a fire truck cake with Diego riding on it, I drew the line. My meager artistic abilities would be overtaxed enough just pulling off the darn truck.

So I made him a Diego cake for a party at his Grandma & Granddad's house:



We're just lucky he didn't cry when he saw it. Lord knows I was a little scared of it myself. (Best line of the day goes to Harry's great-grandmother. To Harry: "Oh, it looks just like you!")

The fire truck cake, I thought, would be easier. After all, it didn't need to appear humanoid. I even found a 6-minute video that made it look as easy as making a peanut butter sandwich. No problem!

The party was today, Sunday. Yesterday, we had a bar mitzvah to attend, so I made the frosting on Thursday (Sara's Foolproof Frosting, and it sure was. Best frosting I've ever made). The cakes (Amazon Cake for the chocolate, and a recipe I'd never used before and ultimately didn't love for the vanilla), I baked on Friday, then stuck em in the freezer. I thought about coloring the frosting ahead of time, but I'm so swamped with work I just didn't think I could pull it off. Plus I wasn't entirely sure that doing it two days ahead would be kosher; what if it mutated somehow? The thought of chucking it and starting over made my eye twitch. Instead I played it safe (ha!) and saved the coloring part for last night, after Harry went to bed.

Here's the part nobody tells you, which I'm going to share with the entire world: Making red frosting is HARD. Crazy hard. It just looks pink, so you add some more coloring, and it keeps looking pink, so you add some more, and before you know it all the red coloring you've got on hand is gone, so you send your husband to the supermarket at 10PM to buy more, and he calls from there to say they've got two different kinds, which should he get, so you tell him to just get both & we'll return what we don't use, and in the end you wind up using ALL OF IT. That's right, it took most of an already-open bottle of high-end gel paste, an entire tube of Betty Crocker gel coloring, and a bottle of I-forget-which-brand, just to make something approximating red.



I know, I know, it looks pretty good. But all I see are flaws: I used the wrong size pastry tip for the white, so it was all goopy. The gray and the red bled into each other. And I just could not get the frosting to be all smooth and seamless, the way I really really wanted it to be.



You can barely see them, but those are Diego cupcakes in the background. For those, I cheated: Diego-printed cupcake papers, and cheezy pre-fab candy toppers.

In the end, though, the flaws that are so glaring to me were pretty much invisible to everyone else. (Or else the parents of Harry's pals are all exceptionally kind people.)



Next year: Store-bought. Or chocolate chip cookies. Those I know how to make.

Weight Watchers Update

Before:


April 10, 2010

After:


August 23, 2010

Stephen hit goal last week! He's lost an astonishing 40 pounds in 4 months. Honestly, I didn't even realize he had that much to lose. My husband's a hottie, folks.

As for me, I'm down 24 pounds. Nothing to sneeze at, right? I'm not quite at goal, though I'm only 3 pounds from my wedding weight, where I thought I should be. Giving birth to that adorable child has apparently changed my body more than I realized; I'm at least 10 pounds away from fitting into my wedding dress. I can't blame Harry completely, though. Back then I was working out 3 times a week, sometimes more, so my body had a lot more muscle than it does now. A lot. I haven't exercised regularly since 2006, people! And since muscle weighs more than fat even while it takes up less space, the scale isn't the only way to gauge what a weight-loss goal should be.

Disappointing, but I'll just keep going until I get there. And I'll write another note to self: EXERCISE, DUMMY.

Georgie Tedone Has Retired.

Why is this news? Because for the last, oh, 70 years she's been making mozzarella in the wee hours, every day but Sunday, to sell in her family's Williamsburg latticini. And on Saturdays, lordy on Saturdays, the roast beef...

I interviewed Georgie as part of an old-school Italian eating tour of Williamsburg I did for Time Out Kids. At the time, she told me she was never going to retire. I'm glad she did (that woman has worked longer than pretty much anyone I've ever known), but we miss her already. Two weekends ago Stephen stopped by for his regular ration of roast beef and found the store closed, no notice. We were concerned. And then, this past weekend he tried again, only to find workers dismantling the place. It was as if we'd lost a family member. Tomorrow morning is going to feel all wrong, without the nearly ritualistic trip to Tedone's Latticini, then Napoli bakery across the street.

I hope Georgie's sleeping in. She's earned it.



The Modern Gastronomer has another tribute. I imagine there will be more.

Moms Rising & The New Mom's Pantry

Quickie time, just to tell you that my latest blog post is up at MomsRising.org: The New Mom's Pantry. What are your favorite pantry items? Let me know there, or here!

Broccoli con Queso: Cooking with Junior

If you haven’t picked up on my subtle hints, my child has been blessed with a, let’s say, discerning palate. (And by “discerning,” I mean that his list of Won’t Eats is approximately 638 times as long as the list of Will Eats.)

This has been going on for close to two years now: I cook something new and exciting and delicious, and Harry refuses to taste it. I’ve stopped letting him see my disappointment (at least I think I have), because I’ve learned that the more I show him how important this is to me, the more likely he is to assert what little control he has. I make dinner for me and Stephen, and if Harry doesn’t like what we’re having he’s free to grab a yogurt or a cheese stick. Luckily his disdain doesn’t apply to fruit and he's always good for seconds on pasta (olive oil only, no sauce, please) or meatballs, so he’s getting all his nutrients. And for the most part I’m ok with all this.

But every so often, I try to casually encourage him to expand his culinary horizons. This week, that took the form of a brand-new cookbook by one of his heroes: Dora and Diego Let's Cook. I figured, if his Diego t-shirt, his Diego sunglasses, and his Diego backpack could motivate him to get dressed, perhaps a Diego-endorsed recipe might work that same magic in the kitchen.

Shockingly enough, the first recipe Harry chose to try was Broccoli con Queso. Yup, broccoli.

Here’s how it went:


First, Wall-E had to help stir.


And Harry didn’t want Eve to feel left out.


Each diner got his or her own bowl. Harry said that Wall-E and Eve both loved their food.


As for Harry, eh, not so much.





Incredibly enough, Harry insisted it was the cheese sauce that was the problem. He actually ate an entire (admittedly tiny) broccoli floret, plain. This is earth-shaking news, people. Earth-shaking.

I’m pretty sure he won’t eat another for quite a while, but I’ll take what I can get.

Balsamic-Herb Bison Steak

Whoa. That is some good bison. The ribeyes, I mean—holy cow. Tender does not begin to describe it.

Pretty much as soon as I unpacked the box last week, I knew the ribeyes would be that night’s dinner—I plunked the pair of vacuum-packed beauties into a pot of cold water for a fast defrost, and whipped up a quicker-than-quick marinade: balsamic, a bit of oil, a generous bunch of herbs, and garlic. Ain’t nothing simpler, baby. The meat soaked up the flavors for about two hours, and then it hit the cast-iron pan. Bison cooks quickly, quicker than beef, so it took some serious hoop-jumping to ensure everything was ready simultaneously; I tossed some sun-gold tomatoes into a blazing-hot oven with sliced garlic and a little oil, then threw together an Israeli couscous pilaf, all before I put the pan on to preheat.

In the end, the meat was the tiniest bit overcooked (but honestly, I’m a medium-well kinda gal anyway, so I was happy) and it was still amazing. Stephen said it was the best steak I’ve ever cooked. Granted, I don’t cook a ton of steak, but still: best. ever.

Harry, of course, refused to taste it. "I don't really like bison." Oh really, kiddo? Are they serving bison at your preschool now? Cuz I sure haven't served this before. Not to mention those bison burgers you devour regularly. Sigh. He had couscous (which we call “macaroni balls” since he insists he doesn’t like couscous either, and which he sorted carefully, pulling aside and refusing to eat any individual balls that were too browned for him) and a yogurt. Yum.

Two things to note: First, even though bison meat itself is extremely lean, there was a considerable amount of fat surrounding the pieces. Those two steaks, which were 9 ounces each raw, gave us about 12 ounces of cooked meat in total. Twelve ounces of seriously tasty meat. And second, this marinade doesn’t have to be used on bison. The flavors will work equally well with beef. Since I know we don’t all have FedEx men dropping off unsolicited boxes of bison…

Balsamic-Herb Bison Steak
Serves 2 to 4
Weight Watchers: a 4-ounce serving is 5 points. I don’t count the oil in the marinade since so little of it penetrates, but I do count the oil in the frying pan.

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for the pan
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup mixed herbs (I used parsley, mint, and thyme)
4 garlic cloves, smashed
pepper
1 to 2 pounds bison steak (I used ribeyes, courtesy of High Plains Bison)
salt

1. If you have a mini-food processor, put the olive oil, balsamic, herbs, garlic, and pepper into the bowl. Process until the herbs and garlic are finely chopped, and transfer to a nonreactive bowl large enough to hold the steak. If you don’t have a mini-food processor, grab yourself a big ol’ knife and get chopping. The smaller the pieces, the better. Once everything’s chopped, put it in that nonreactive bowl I mentioned, and whisk in the oil, vinegar, and pepper.
2. Dunk one side of the steak into the bowl, then flip it over and leave it there—this doesn’t make a ton of marinade, but don’t worry, it’s enough to penetrate. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours and up to overnight.
3. About 30 minutes before you want to eat, remove the steak from the fridge and put a large cast-iron pan over medium heat. While it’s heating up, pull the steak from the marinade and pat it dry—wipe off any large bits of herb or garlic, since they burn easily. Sprinkle both sides liberally with salt.
4. When the pan’s smoking, drizzle a teaspoon or two of olive oil into it and add the steak, laying it in carefully so you don’t get splattered.
5. Cook for 5-7 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Be careful not to overcook it—bison cooks faster than beef. For tips, check out High Plains Bison’s advice.
6. Remove the steak to a plate, cover loosely with foil, and let it rest 10-15 minutes before serving.

I'm Blogging for Moms Rising!

I'm absolutely thrilled to make this announcement...

Moms Rising, an organization of 1,000,000+ moms who care about healthcare, politics, nutrition, the work-life balance, and, oh, every other issue that we deal with in daily life, invited me to join their roster of bloggers. This morning, my first post went live. If you're a regular reader here, you'll recognize a lot of what I wrote there; that blog will be a mixture of new material and things I've shared with you here.

I hope you'll join me in supporting Moms Rising, and leave me lots of comments (both here and there!).

High Plains Bison: It’s What’s for Dinner

A few minutes ago, the doorbell rang. Deadline Hell Week continues (I know, it’s supposed to be seven days, but such is life) so I asked Stephen if he could get it. Except when Stephen’s in his office with the a/c on he can’t hear me, so when I said “asked” you should know that meant “shouted at the top of my lungs.” And still he didn’t hear me. So I got up and dragged myself down the hall and out our apartment door, grumbling the whole time about how ridiculous it is that I always have to answer the doorbell. Yes, these are the things that get my goat.

And then I opened the front door, to find the FedEx man holding this:



It’s for me. A big ol’ box of bison meat, courtesy of High Plains Bison. I forgave Stephen immediately.



Inside were three sweet little cartons, packed with dry ice: Ribeye Steaks, Italian Sausage, and Hot Dogs (score! My kid, he loves hot dogs). Bison is seriously low in fat and cholesterol (like, lower than chicken!), which makes it 100% Weight Watchers friendly. Tonight we’re feasting on steak, baby, and naturally I’ll report back here. Since it just arrived I haven’t quite figured out what I’m going to serve with it, though.

Suggestions?

PS I almost forgot: High Plains provided a discount code to use when ordering. It'll get you 20% off, which ain't bad. Just please note that although you'll add the code, EATGOOD22, on the cart page, the discount won't show up until the billing page. Just have a little faith, and all will be well.

Who's Coming to BlogHer?

Since it's in NYC, it seemed silly of me not to go. So I am. I have to say, though, that between the crazy what-to-wear-at-BlogHer posts I'm seeing all over the internets (seriously, are women really that judgy about what other women are wearing? makes me sad to think so), the #blogher tweeting, and the fact that I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to get out of this conference, I'm a little nervous about the whole thing.

Will I see you there? I need friends! Look for me at the newbie breakfast on Friday, mkay? I need someone to force me to go to this ridiculously fun-sounding shindig thrown by MamaPop for which I scored an apparently coveted ticket, but am already considering skipping. (run on sentence much?)

Anyway, if you've been to BlogHer and have advice for me, I'd love to hear it.

How to Transform Your Own Recipes for Nap-Time Cooking

It’s been a while since I mentioned Nap-Time Cooking, one of my favorite tricks for getting a relatively complex dinner on the table with little ones in the house. Maybe you’ve tried Corn, Peach, Tomato over Grilled Polenta—absolutely perfect for this time of year, btw—or (Relatively) Low-Fat Chicken Pot Pie and discovered, Hey, this technique really works! And maybe you’ve got a favorite recipe of your own that seems too complex to pull off now that baby’s here, but you think it just might work for Nap-Time Cooking. Dollars to donuts, you’re right. Here’s how to do it:

• Nap 1 is generally devoted to prep: Measure out any spices and put them into small bowls. Wash, peel, and chop vegetables and herbs—one of the few I’d recommend leaving for later is fresh basil, which turns black after being chopped. After being cut, firm, dry vegetables can remain at room temperature for hours. If it will be more than two hours before you move on to Stage 2, prepared vegetables that are moist or juicy (including sprouts and washed and cut leafy greens, fresh herbs, onions, and tomatoes) should be refrigerated. Refrigerate cut onions in an airtight container, or the odor might infiltrate all your other food! Acid deters the growth of bacteria, so naturally acidic items like citrus fruits are considered safe at room temperature. All proteins must be refrigerated.
• Nap 2, if you’re lucky enough to have a triple-napper, is for intermediate preparation: browning or marinating meat, and preliminary cooking of vegetables. All protein must go back into the fridge (in a clean container to avoid cross-contamination), and if you’re softening vegetables in the pan drippings the whole pot should be cooled slightly, then refrigerated. Roasted or sautéed vegetables that haven’t touched protein are fine at room temperature; just remove from heat, cover, and set aside. If you don’t have three naps to work with, skip the packing up & refrigerating and move right on to the next steps.
• Nap 3 is for the final cooking—assembling, baking (remember to preheat the oven, about 20 minutes before you plan to start), simmering on the stove, tossing with the remaining ingredients. If you've refrigerated the pot, try to remove it from the fridge at least ten minutes before you start cooking, and be sure to reheat gently, over a low flame, before resuming the recipe.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT FOOD SAFETY

In order to ensure that my Nap-Time Cooking technique follows all current food safety guidelines, I spoke to an expert: Catherine Strohbehn, PhD, RD, CP-FS, and HRIM Extension Specialist at Iowa State University. (Confused? RD = Registered Dietician; CP-FS = Certified Professional-Food Safety; HRIM = Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management.)

Here’s Dr. Strohbehn’s advice:

• In general, refrigerate semi-prepared foods that will go more than two hours between stages. There are two exceptions: 1. Since bacteria need moisture to thrive, vegetables with dry surfaces (like carrots, sweet potatoes, and winter squash) are considered safe at room temperature. 2. Once cooked, just about any vegetable should be fine at room temperature for a couple of hours, as long as it hasn’t touched protein—especially if you’ll be cooking it again in later stages, when heat above 165° will kill off much of the bacteria.
• The temperature “danger zone” for cooked foods is between 70° and 135°—foods should stay in this range for no more than two hours.
• Any protein that will be at room temperature for more than two hours must be refrigerated. This includes pan drippings. For this reason, be extremely careful about cross-contamination. Use a separate cutting board and knife for animal proteins. If any vegetables or other ingredients come in contact with the meat, the board, the knife, or even drippings, those ingredients must be refrigerated, too. After browning meats, don’t return them to the original packaging—use a clean container.

Having trouble breaking down a recipe? Leave a comment, or write to me through the contact link at the top right, and I’ll help you sort it out.