Food, Health & Fitness
Pahrump Valley Gazette, Thursday, January 23, 1997 25
Sexually transmitted
diseases
Molly Williams, RN
Pahrump Valley Home Health
The term sexually transmitted disease (STD) is
used to describe diseases that are almost always
transmitted through direct sexual contact.
It is estimated by the World Health Organization
(WHO) that 250 million cases of STD occur each
year in the world.
The incidence and increase in STDs are attribut-
$11111111is
Aids
Slow cooked dinner party puts fun
back in winter entertaining
In keeping with a growing trend in food entertain-
ment, The Rival Company has developed the 'Slow
Cooker Dinner Party' for hosts to dazzle their guests
this winter.
With hosts winding down from the hectic holiday
season, they will welcome simple get togethers for
football weekends, and progressive dinner parties will
once again be a popular choice this year. Whether it is
among neighbors, friends or relatives; guests at these
mobile smorgasbords move from house to house and
enjoy different slow-cooked courses at each stop, start-
ing with appetizers and ending with desserts or, have
everyone bring their crockpot dishes to the one house
with the best T.V. for football entertainment. The
benefits of slow-cooked dishes are self-evident: food
preparation and cleanup chores for each host are re-
duced. You just fill it and forget it. No stirring or
supervision is necessary. Entertaining has never been
easier! Best of all, hosts spend time enjoying the party,
instead of slaving in the kitchen.
With the lights on many people's video recorders
still flashing 12:00... 12:00... 12:00, more cooks than
ever are enjoying the ease and dependability of a slow
cooker-it is the ultimate in plug 'n play. Instead of a
Ph.D. in computer science, food preparation with the
Crock-Pot requires nothing more than the ability to
choose between the hundreds of published recipes by
food authors, such as Mable Hoffman. "A slow cooker
is ideal for entertaining and regular family cooking. Its
versatility and ease of use frees me up to do other
things, knowing a delicious dish will be ready to serve
in a few hours," says Mable Hoffman. Among
Hoffman's latest cookbooks is Mable Hoffman's
Crockery Cookery Revised Edition.
Here are crockpot recipes for five courses and a
delicious hot spiced wine.
Hot Spiced Wine
2, bottles dry red wine
3 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
3 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in Crock-Pot; stir well.
Cover and cook on Low for 4 to 12 hours (on High
for 1 to 2 hours). Serve hot, in punch cups or mugs,
Serves 6 to 8 (about 2 quarts).
Course #2
Mariners' Fondue
2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) condensed cream
of celery soup
2 cups grated sharp process cheese
1 cup chunked cooked lobster
1/2 cup chopped cooked shrimp cup
1/2 chopped cooked crab meat
1/4 cup finely chopped, cooked scallops
dash paprika
dash cayenne pepper
1 loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
Combine all ingredients except bread cubes in lightly
greased Crock-Pot; stir thoroughly. Cover and cook on
High for 1 hour or until cheese is melted. Turn to Low
for serving. Using fondue forks, dip bread cubes into
fondue. About 1 1/2quarts.
Course #4
Chicken Parmesan
1 package onion soup mix
2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) cream of mush
room soup, undiluted
1 1/2 cup milk
1 cup white cooking wine
1 cup uncooked converted white rice
6 chicken breasts, bonesless and skinless
6 tablespoons margarine or butter
salt to taste, pepper to taste
grated Parmesan cheese
Mix onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, milk,
cooking wine, and rice in a small mixing bowl. Spray
Crock-Pot with cooking spray. Lay chicken breasts in
Crock-Pot. Place one tablespoon margarine on each
chicken breast. Pour soup mixture over chicken breasts.
Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan
cheese. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4
to 6 hours. Serves 6.
Course #1
Old-Fashioned Onion Soup
3 pounds large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup butter, melted
6-8 slices French bread, cubed
4-5 cups chicken broth
Place sliced onions in Crock-Pot; pour butter and
mix to coat onions thoroughly. Stir in cubed bread.
Add chicken broth to cover; stir well. Cover and cook
on Low for 10 to 18 hours or on High for 4 to 5 hours,
stirring occasionally. Stir well during last hour. Serves
6to8.
Course #3
Carrots Lyonnaise
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 cup boiling water
2 onions, sliced
I/4 cup butter or margarine
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 carrots, pared and cut into julienne strips
1-2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
Dissolve bouillon cube in boiling water; set aside.
In large skillet, saute onions in butter, stirring to
separate rings and prevent browning. Stir flour and salt
into slightly cooked bouillon; add to onions and cook
until thickened. Combine carrots and onion sauce in
Crock-Pot, stirring to coat carrots. Cover and cook on
High for 1 hour, then turn to Low for 2 to 6 hours.
Before serving, add sugar to taste. Serves 6 to 8.
Course #5
Pineapple Bread Pudding
1 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon '
8 eggs
2 cans (15 I/4 ounces each) unsweetened
crushed pineapple, drained
5 cups toasted bread cubes
chopped pecans, optional
whipped cream, optional
In a bowl, beat margarine, sugar and cinnamon
with an electric mixer. Add eggs and beat until
fluffy. Fold pineapple and bread cubes into the
creamed mixture. Pour into the Crock-Pot. Cover
and cook on Low for 6 to 7 hours or on High for 3 to
4 hours. Before serving top with chopped pecans
and whipped cream topping if desired. Serve warm.
Health Briefs
I
Laser Surgery
Americans spent an estimated $13.8 billion on
eyeglasses and contact lenses last year, but advances in
refractive surgery techniques are reducing this figure.
During photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), an
excimerlaser is used to alter corneal shape and refractive
power and can eliminate a patient's need for eyeglasses or
corrective lenses. In a recent FDA study, 95% of eyes treated
with-PRK had vision of 20140 or better. Currently, PRK is
considered an elective procedure, and, of the approximately
70 million Americans who suffer from various degrees of
myopia, only 8-9 million Americans qualify for the surgery
based on affordability, level of myopia, and other factors. As
technology advances and PRK becomes appropriate treat-
ment for a wider range of vision disorders, more individuals
will be able to leave their glasses at home.
Baby boomers and the aging eye
FACT:One out of three individuals at age 65 is affected
by vision-reducing eye diseases.
Since the 1940s, the health care requirements of the baby
boomer population have tremendously impacted U.S. soci-
ety. Loss of vision in an older person can be emotionally and
financially devastating. Because a third of new blindness is
preventable using existing treatments and available technol-
ogy, providing education and adequate eye care to the baby
boomer populations is an important goal.
