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Network : Fresh Tastes
: January 2001
A Winter Dinner
As a kid
I looked forward to winter. Though a cold wind-driven rain made getting
me to school a challenge for the adults in my life, it offered my
childish mischieviousness an outlet: puddles to stomp and splash in.
So what if I got wet and cold? "Your hands are like ice!" my mom would
exclaim as she shoved another layer of warm clothing on me. "Cold?
Really?" I thought to myself. I suppose they were cold although the
sensation didn't bother me. But as an adult I think I somehow became
more sensitive to cold. And since my IC set in, just the thought of
shivering outside in cold weather makes my muscles tighten and my
bladder ache.
These days
I nervously scan my wardrobe on winter mornings wondering if I can
layer on enough clothes to keep warm without looking silly. An IC
friend recently confided how she discovered the drawbacks of a too-short
coat: a frozen backside that brought on a major case of aching bladder.
Just today another fellow IC patient was reminiscing about how her
bladder symptoms first came on during a skiing trip. And for the
last ten years my IC has helped spawn "thermostat wars" at our house
every winter: Charlie feels the place is roasting hot. Sweating,
he turns the heater thermostat down as he walks by. Two minutes
later I walk by and turn it up. Brrr... it's cold in here.
If watching
snow settle from a house warmed by baking is your idea of wintertime
enjoyment too, then you might like this oven-baked winter dinner.
Almonds and fragrant orange combine with yams in a delightful Southern
dish. The recipe makes an ample amount for two family dinners. A
beef roast is a wonderful complement to the yams and also a way
to solve a lot of food-related problems with minimum work-- buy
a big roast that allows enough for two dinners on the weekend and
some leftovers to slice thinly for sandwiches the following week.
(A home-cooked roast is an easy way to supply yourself with preservative-
free lunch meat.)
Just add some
steamed green beans and warm french bread to the roast and the yams
to round out a great winter meal.
NUTMEG-RUBBED
BEEF ROAST
In a small
dish combine 2 teaspoons of cooking oil, 1/4 teaspoon of ground
nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon of ground allspice. Rub the spices liberally
over the surface of the meat. Pierce well with a fork on all surfaces.
Oven-roast as usual.
ORANGE-ALMOND
YAMS
serves 8
3 lbs. sweet
potatoes, cooked; or two 15-oz cans cooked yams
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup apricot nectar
1/2 cup hot water
3 tsp. grated orange peel
1 Tbsp. margarine
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Place cooked,
sliced yams or sweet potatoes in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Preheat
oven to 350 degrees F. In a saucepan combine brown sugar, cornstarch,
salt and cinnamon. Stir in apricot nectar, hot water and orange
peel. Bring to a boil and, stirring constantly, cook for two minutes.
Remove from heat; stir in margarine and almonds. Pour over yams.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
NOTES :
This is a great recipe for winter dinners. It can be made ahead
and refrigerated, then warmed in the oven or microwave. Some people
can get away with the apricot nectar and some can't. If the apricot
nectar is too acid for you, substitute pear nectar or try adding
1/8 teaspoon of tsp. of baking soda to the apricot nectar.
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