So...whats for dinner?

Deb - your mom's cranberry relish sounds like a recipe that used to be on the Ocean Spray cranberry bag.  Here's one I found - doesn't have the nuts but you can just grind them in.

http://www.food.com/recipe/ocean-spray-fresh-cranberry-orange-relish-396869.

I make my cranberry sauce with Splenda and a package of sugar-free raspberry jello.  I like the whole berry sauce without too much other stuff.  When you use splenda, you need the jello to help the sauce "set" because normally the sugar does that for you.  I probably could use unflavored gelatin, but the sugar-free raspberry works really well and is nice and easy.

I'm going to make the mashed potatoes and butter pecan squash to take to my son's house.  I have a recipe for the squash in a 3-ring binder that I've not yet found - it must be in an unopened box somewhere. I think I can wing it, though.    I use buttercup rather than butternut squash - it's a little drier and sweeter. When I was young, I wouldn't eat squash at all. Someone turned me on to buttercup and now I love it.    Cut it in quarters, steam it in a little liquid in the microwave, then scoop it out of the skin. You can't really peel it raw.   Then mash it with a little cream, butter, cinnamon, pinch of salt and sweetener if it needs it.  Stir in some finely chopped pecans.  Then put it in a casserole and top it with more chopped pecans.  I don't measure this kind of stuff, so I just do it "to taste."

Laurie and Joyce - take it easy so you have energy for turkey day festivities...and all the work that comes with being the hostess with the mostest!

Thanks Debbie! That recipe even looks better than the one I used! Bet it tastes a lot better too!



Deborye,



That cranberry relish with ginger and thyme sounds very different! I wrote that one down....



Michelle,



I didn't like winter squash either for a very long time.... Love it now and both my kids will even eat it! Good tip on the squash... I peeled a butternut squash 2 days ago and my arm is still sore!



Apple,



I would think either or both would be delicious! Or maybe a drizzle of real maple syrup....mmmm!

February 11, 2009 8:41 PM

Link Eyed Between Beef And Cancer

By Jaime Holguin

(CBS) In feed lots across the country, beef cattle are given growth hormones to make them fatter faster, to save money.

Now questions are being raised about one of the most widely-used hormones, Zeranol, a synthetic estrogen implanted in cattle. A series of tests done for the Pentagon show a possible link between breast cancer and Zeranol.

In the lab, researchers at Ohio State University mixed beef from Zeranol-treated cows with human breast cancer cells and saw "significant" cancer cell growth -- in some cases at levels 30 times lower than the government says is safe.

Concerned about possible long-term effects, they write: "consumption of food ... derived from ... animals treated with Zeranol poses a potential health risk to consumers."

"We know that Zeranol and some of the synthetic hormones used in cattle production are estrogens, and we know that breast cancer is dependent upon estrogen," says Lou Guillette, a biologist at the University of Florida.

In his own research, Guillette examined the effects of hormones coming off cattle feedlots and getting into the water. The study, funded by the European Union, which bans beef hormones, found serious damage to the reproductive systems of fish downstream from a Nebraska feedlot.

"It certainly raises a red flag for us," says Guillette. "What it suggests is that there are very potent hormones that are coming off of these feedlots that are going into the environment."

Andrea Martin, the founder of the Breast Cancer Fund, says there needs to be more research into what women are exposed to that might be causing breast cancer.

"We feel there are preventable causes of breast cancer," says Martin. "In the last 50 years, it's almost tripled, and there's no reason to think it won't keep increasing."

As a breast cancer survivor, Martin says women in particular need to be aware of the risks.

"It's really a matter of women waking up and demanding to know what is in their products in their food. And what effect it has on their bodies," she says.

But the cattle industry says the minute amount of Zeranol found in beef poses no threat.

"My wife and my four daughters eat beef on a regular basis," says Gary Weber, of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. "I've reviewed all this science, and I'm confident that beef is safe and wholesome for consumers.

Weber initially said levels of Zeranol found in beef were "57,000 times less, literally, than what the FDA has determined is safe."

However, a day after this CBS report aired, his organization said the figure was wrong. The levels of the drug are 5,700 less than what the FDA has determined is safe -- in effect, 10 times higher than the first estimate.

The manufacturer of Zeranol says the drug is FDA approved as "safe and effective" and adds, "there has been no demonstration that Zeranol affects the development of breast cancer in humans or animals."

The FDA tells CBS News it's waiting for the results of a major follow-up study which will track Zeranol levels in women and in store-bought beef.

Estrogen in chicken and beef may be contributing to hormone-dependent cancers

Posted: May 23, 2010

Breast cancer study

Conference:

American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting, June 2010

Study name:

Does dietary estrogen intake from meat relate to the incidence of hormone-dependent cancers?

A new study to be presented in early June at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago has reported that U.S. chicken and beef contain relatively high levels of estrogen. Estrogen in oral contraceptive pills has been reported to contribute to the incidence of hormone-dependent cancers in women. However, there appears to be very little discussion concerning dietary estrogen from meat in relation to cancer incidence. In the study, concentrations of estradiol-17β (E2) and estrone (E1) were measured in beef produced in the U.S. and Japan (40 samples each), and chicken produced in the U.S., Japan, and Brazil (25 samples each). Fat and muscle meat were examined separately. For comparison, the authors also analyzed fat tissues of 25 postmenopausal Japanese women.

Estrogen levels were found to be higher in fat than in muscle meat. Median concentrations (picograms per gram (pg/g)) of estrogen in Japanese chicken fat (E2 = 21.1, E1 = 65.7) and in U.S. chicken fat (20.7, 54.6) were the highest of the samples assessed. U.S. beef fat also had a relatively high level (14.0, 7.7). However, Japanese beef red meat (0.0, 0.1) and Brazilian chicken muscle meat (0.2, 0.4) were found to incorporate nearly zero levels of estrogen, and the estrogen levels in their fat were also low. The high E2 levels in Japanese and U.S. chicken exceeded the levels found in the fat of Japanese women (16.3). On the other hand, levels in meat with low estrogen content were a hundred times lower than in human fat.

The authors comment that the high estrogen concentrations in Japanese and U.S. chicken, as well as U.S. beef, have been attributed to the residue of external estrogen in the feed given to the livestock. The nearly zero level found in Japanese beef and Brazilian chicken may be considered the natural amount found in meat without estrogen supplementation. The estrogen levels found in U.S. chicken and beef are much lower than those of contraceptive pills. However, estrogen intake from meat consumption cannot be dismissed as a factor governing human health, according to the authors, considering lifetime exposure to such meat. The authors conclude that dietary estrogen intake from meat might promote estrogen accumulation in the human body and could influence the incidence of hormone-dependent cancers.

Fighting for a safer environment at home, in the community, and at work

American Beef: Why is it Banned in Europe?

HORMONES IN MEAT Fact Sheet

Most U. S. beef cattle are implanted with synthetic hormones in feedlots prior to slaughter. On January 1, 1989 the European Economic Community (EEC) placed a ban on hormone-treated U. S. meat, preventing U. S. meat products from being sold in any European nations. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has challenged the ban and accused the EEC of unfair trade practices, but the action of European governments raises some important questions about American meat.

Q. Why did the Europeans (EEC) place a ban on hormone-raised meat?

A. The European Economic Community banned hormone-raised meat because of questions on the dangers of meat that has been treated with synthetic sex hormones. European consumers pressured the EEC to take this action to protect their health.

More than a decade ago, Roy Hertz, then director of endocrinology at the National Cancer Institute and a leading authority on hormonal cancers, warned of the carcinogenic risks of estrogenic additives which can cause imbalances and increases in natural hormone levels. Hertz warned against the uncontrolled use of these potent carcinogens. No dietary levels of hormones are safe and a dime-sized piece of meat contains-billions of millions of molecules.

Breast cancer has been raised as a primary concern in light of associations between breast cancer and oral contraceptives, whose estrogen dosage is known and controlled. The risk of breast and other cancers only increases with the uncontrolled use of hormones in meat.

Q. During the seven years after the EEC ban on hormone-raised meat, the U.S. beef industry has continued to use sex hormones in meat. Why?

A. Hormones can be used to stimulate growth in cattle. Because farmers are paid based on the weight of the animals they sell for slaughter, the use of hormones has been seen as a way to boost profits.

Q. Which hormones are used on feedlots?

A. Diethylstilbestrol (DES) was one of the first hormones used to fatten feedlots. It was banned in 1979 after forty years of evidence that DES was cancer-causing. In its place, sex hormones, such as estradiol and progestins (synthetic forms of the naturally occurring hormone progesterone) have been implanted to virtually all feedlot cattle. The least hazardous way to administer hormones to animals is through an implant near the animals ear. Unfortunately, many farmers inject hormones directly into the muscle tissue that will be later used to make meat products. The only USDA-imposed requirement is that residue levels in meat must be less than one percent of the daily hormone production of children. This requirement is unenforceable because there is no USDA testing for hormone residues in meat. Furthermore, hormonal residues are not practically differentiable from natural hormones created by the cow's body. As a result, the use of hormones to boost meat production is completely unregulated.

Q. What kind of policies should be in place in the U.S. to address this problem?

A. Hormonal and other carcinogenic additives (pesticides from food fed to animals, some antibiotics, etc.) should be banned immediately, as should be all additives that are not proven effective and safe. Additive use and residue levels in animal products, including milk and eggs, should be subject to explicit labeling requirements. Until then, state initiatives that establish hormone-free certification for European shipments, should be applauded and extended domestically.

Q. What can consumers do to protect themselves?

A. Consumers can boycott chemical treated meat in favor of organic meat and insist on the fight to know which additives have been used and what residues might exist. Consumers should speak with their butchers or grocers about hormone-free meat product availability.

Beef Hormones Linked to Premature Onset of Puberty & Breast Cancer

Research links breast cancer, beef hormones

By Dennis Bueckert / The Canadian Press

Ottawa - Consumption of hormone-treated beef may be causing girls to

reach puberty earlier than they used to and making them more susceptible

to breast cancer, say researchers attending a world conference on breast

cancer.

It is "very likely" that hormone residues in North American beef is a

factor in the early onset of puberty among girls in recent decades, said

Carlos Sonnenschein of the Tufts University School of Medicine at

Boston.

"There is no other reason to explain it," Sonnenschein said in an

interview Friday.

Pediatricians say the onset of menstruation has steadily decreased in

recent decades. The average age for a first period is now 12½, up from

age 14 in 1900.

Early onset of puberty with its raging hormones translates into higher

risk of breast cancer, said

Sonnenschein.

"The length and amount of exposure to estrogens (a class of hormones) is

one of the most significant risk factors in breast carcinogenesis.

"Unless you are exposed to estrogens you don't get breast cancer. The

longer the exposure is, the higher the incidence. Therefore if you

decrease the age of menarche (first menstruation) . . . you

are at higher risk."

Hormones are used by cattle farmers in Canada and the United States to

increase the weight of cattle prior to slaughter. They are currently the

focus of a major trade dispute between North American and the European

Union.

Annie Sasco, of the International Agency for Research on Cancer at

Lyons, France, said more study is needed but it makes sense that

hormone-treated beef could affect the onset of puberty.

"Any exposure to a high level of hormones is associated with earlier

onset of puberty. It needs to be

studied more but it makes sense."

She said the risk of breast cancer associated with hormone residues in

meat is not proven, and is probably small.

"We all have estrogens and we need estrogens," she told the mainly

female audience. "They are needed for life, for being what we are. We

cannot say, 'Ban estrogens.'

"We all have to try, through our diet and physical exercise, to keep our

levels down. But there is a

need to keep things in perspective . . . without getting into a complete

panic."

Even if the risk is small, she said it would be prudent to stop the use

of hormones in the cattle industry there's no offsetting health benefit

for consumers.

The European Union has banned the use of hormones for fear they pose a

health risk, and has banned imports of hormone-treated Canadian and U.S.

meat.

The two North American countries have taken the dispute to the World

Trade Organization and have won the right to retaliate by placing

tariffs on European goods. Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on a

range of goods this week.

The federal government maintains the hormones are safe, despite strong

misgivings on the part of its own scientists at the Health Protection

Branch.

Four scientists with concerns have been placed under orders not to

discuss the issue in public.

The incidence of breast cancer has been rising steadily, most quickly in

rich countries. In 1997, around the world, close to 400,000 women died

of the disease.

The number of new cases reported annually approached 900,000 in 1997,

up from 572,000 in 1980.

Date: Sat, 31 Jul 1999 22:36:56 -0700

From: Andrew Gach <UncleWolf@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>

Posted to: Health and Environment Resource Center

<HEALTHE@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>

Someone baking some TROLL house cookies??????????????????

Good One, Deborye!

Laurie- This is suppose to last for a few more days, Im worried about all that food we bought for TG luckily the power hasnt stayed off for long each time.

Deb- Troll! Yes i did and they were good.

Kay-I have never been a fan of indian food either mostly curry is my least favorite.

I grew up with Troll House cookies,  After all I'm only 2nd generation American of Norwegian heritage.  I was well acquainted with Trolls and knew they would love cookies as much as I so of course they would have their own kinds of cookies.

Eating a toll house cookie right this very moment!  And glad to see the troll post was removed!  Didn't like seeing that crap contaminating our fantastic discussion thread!

Seaside- I fiqured it was somthing like that, never saw the post just seen it was removed, now who wouldnt love our recipes hehe! Wow, it has been a crazy year for weather!! I made choc chip cookies last night and they didnt last long LOL!

Michelle- Must of been your cookies that started it LOLOL!!! just kidding of course!

HEAR HEAR Michelle.  I have been busy and just jumped on the computer, noticed the troll has been removed. We don't need that crap, people preaching to us about food and what is in it. WTH!

I have the stuffing baking in the oven, I don't cook it in the bird any more.  Along with the corn bread and regular stuffing with celery, onions and garlic, I put a lot of herbs and 2 granny smith apples a handful of dried cranberries and raisins.  Smells good.

Now to clean the cranberries and make that relish that is on the side of the Ocean Spray bag, LOL.  

This was my Mom's fav holiday. ( 

Deb - hope your DD is able to land OK.  The weather tomorrow is supposed to be dreadful.  Hopefully she won't encounter any delays.  It's tough when we have to share our kids with their friends   My DH and I were always the ones flying in to visit family and there was never enough time to spend with any one of them.  And we frequently passed on visiting with our friends because there just wasn't enough time.  It's hard...

Debbie - yes, it's supposed to rain...a lot.  And some places, more to the north, may get a dumping of snow.  And then it will clear and warm up with temps heading to 60 by Saturday.  It's been a crazy November!  I hope your power stays on overnight. 

I was watching a sandwich show tongiht, One of the sandwich's they made was called the "ELvis" It was made with white bread, peanut butter, bananas, bacon and honey, then it was grilled. Sounds different but good at the same time, i might try it tomorrow!

Hey All   yes crazy on the weather, getting tons of rain....sm flood in my backyard, but not close to the house.  We finally had the boat put up even though Sunday is supposed to be 60, didnt want to push our luck.

Baking a carrot cake today because DD coming home for the holiday and we didnt get to celebrate her birthday back on Nov4.  Not sure what would have been her choice of cake, but I like carrot cake, so thats what she is getting...ha ha its all about me!  Son is also home from college....life is good.

I have been cooking all morning...pork pies, mashed potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce.  Now I think I can get out of my pj's and shower...lol!  And we are going to deliver the food to my son's house so I don't have to worry about fridge space.  Right now it's outside on the back steps...it's cold enough. 

Carrie - enjoy the house full of kids! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful, bountiful Thanksgiving!