The Buzz

Food-borne illness is no joke. over 5,000 people die each year from food-borne illness. Do not let common myths make you or your family sick.

Three myths that make consumers sick.

"If it tastes o.k., or smells o.k. it is safe to eat"

Fact : If you trust your taste buds to detect unsafe food, you may be in trouble.

The CDC estimated as many as 6.5 million to 33 million illnesses yearly are food related. Taking even a tiny bite to test the saftey of a questionable food can be very dangerous.

"We have always handled our food this way and nothing has ever happened"

Fact: Many incidents of food-borne illness went undetected in the past. Food-borne illness signs and symptoms of vomiting, cramps,and diarrhea were often still blamed on the "flu." Also, both the nature of our food supply and the virulence of food- borne pathogens has changed.

"I sampled it a couple of hours ago and never got sick, so it should be safe to eat."

Fact:Food-borne illness may develope with-in a half hour to a few days: some may occur as long as 2 or more weeks after a contaminated food is eaten.

Another consideration: While you might safely consume a food, someone with a weaker immune system could be more susceptible to a food-borne illness. Young Childern, older individuals, pregnant women, and persons with an illness are more vulnerable and would be more likely to get sick.

Coming soon highly effective tips for safe handling of food products in the home.

To safe and happy summer,

Lisa Fults,

Special T's and Sports

Custom screen printing

My quilty pleasure........

Ever since I can remember the process of baking cookies made it all better.  If I was sad, heart broken or lonely my mom would bring me into the kitchen and we would bake.

 We sometimes did not even talk. My mom did things from scratch. I love organizing the bowls, spoons, all the ingredients. Feeling the oven warm.

By the time the mixing started whatever was weighing my heart down do not seem so big.

Our favorite Cookie Reciepes :

Spicy Hermits: 1/2 cup crisco shortening, 1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed), 1 large grade a egg, 2 tablespoons water.

cream shortening and sugar, mix in egg, then water, set aside.

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teasoopn ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 3/4 cup raisins, 1/2 cup broken walnuts.

pre-heat oven to 375, sift together dry ingredients, add to creamed mixture, stir in raisins and nuts, Drop from teaspoon 2 inches apart on lightly freased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Make about 40 cookies.

Our kitchen was a focal point not just for bad or sad times but celebrations as well.

Ever year my Dad had Pie frenzy. He would bake so many flavors all from scratch. all pie dough had to be done by scratch.  Apple, pumpkin, chocolate, pecan, peach, banana cream, and on and on.

We had so much joy in that space, the gang all chipped in. Neighbors, family, friends from near and far.

My Dad past away in 1991 and my mom moved to O.K. to be close to her sister, my brothers and sisters are all scatter about , even my kids are grown and off doing thier own thing. So now it is just me, but I still bake.

 My sister, Sheila, has kept the pie frenzy going but she renamed it pie fest and all the nieghbors in Scottsdale can't wait to dig in.

Coming up next issue our favorite fourth of July cake and drinks.

Lisa Sabrina Fults 

Special Ts and Sports 

At the time, I didn’t have a clever response to any of these questions so I would just explain that we were trying for a boy (we already had two adorable little girls). Now I realize that by having that third child, my husband and I suddenly, and unknowingly, became members of the Large Family Club. Anyone who wasn’t a member of the club simply couldn’t understand where we were coming from. Of course, the third child who secured our membership to the club was another precious girl! Note to non-club members: A mother who expects to be able to go to the bathroom on her own on any given day and a father who expects to be able to take a relaxing vacation anytime in the next 20 years should definitely not join the club.

When we were expecting our fourth child, people were no longer asking the questions. Instead, they were reacting in silent shock to our exciting news. I suppose we are in the minority of most American families. According to a Census analysis released in 2004, only 10 percent of U.S. households had five or more people. It is a well known fact that the average number of children in U.S. families has dropped significantly since the 1960s (although I haven't been able to find an exact statistic so far). Indeed, being a member of the Large Family Club in the 21st century puts families into a whole new category for practically EVERYTHING. For starters, the noise level in our house has, and will continue to, increase exponentially. I can hear it now - four little girls' high-pitched screams all at once.

After the fourth child, we had to upgrade our vehicle from a Ford Explorer to the biggest possible SUV on the market, a Chevy Suburban with three rows of seats! Forget about being able to take the whole family anywhere in our nice and comfy four door sedan. Afterall, you've got to have enough room for all the kids, the occasional friend (or two), and don't forget the necessary kid paraphernalia (aka "crap"). Actually, a minivan is the more customary vehicle for members of the Large Family Club, however, my husband and I just hadn't been able to bring ourselves to buy what we considered to be an un-cool set of wheels. Alas, with the price of fuel sky-rocketing as it has, we have no choice but to trade in our gas-guzzling Suburban for something more fuel-efficient. Looks like I may be joining all those minivan-driving soccer moms after all.

Speaking of paraphernalia, I think my husband last counted six strollers in our garage. As new parents who wanted the best of everything for their child, we started out with a high-end travel system which included the oh-so-convenient snap-in infant seat and a huge storage basket underneath. Then we went to a more compact version of the same thing (in the newest pattern, of course). Finally, there was the umbrella stoller to save space, the jogger for those rare strolls in the park, and even a trailer that attaches to a bicyle. The trailer was used a total of TWO times and still sits in the rafters of our garage. When the third baby came along we, of course, had to get a double stroller. I think you get my drift. The amount of "stuff" you accumulate with a large family is neverending. We haven't even begun to discuss the gazillion toys that constantly lay strewn all over the house. Not one room (even the bathroom) is without them! Even that is not so bad when you consider what life will be like in 5-10 years from now with FOUR daughers going through puberty. Ah, the fun that lies ahead. We'll save the discussion of the cost of four college educations and four weddings for another day!

Having a large family brings days of craziness that can sometimes be overwhelming and hectic. But those crazy days are met equally with those of pure delight, awe and amusement. Those are the moments we choose to focus on. Our four children bring us great joy and we feel lucky and blessed to have such a happy and healthy family. The heartwarming and hilarious moments well make up for the craziness. Catching one of the girls in a moment of carefree laughter and silliness is enough to make my day complete (plus maybe a nice glass of wine at the end of a long day when they're all finally in bed). Cheers to the members of the Large Family Club!!!!!