SUPERMARKET SLEUTH

‘Seasonal Seven’ spice up holidays

— Now that Thanksgiving is in our rear-view mirror, it’s time to look toward Christmas and the coming new year to see what our culinary needs are going to be. There will be potlucks, family dinners and parties galore, and many of us will be called upon to provide dishes to go along with those events.

McCormick has what it calls the “Seasonal Seven,” which are flavors that are at the heart of many holiday dishes, sweet and savory. The “Seasonal Seven” are sage, cinnamon, poultry seasoning, ginger, nutmeg, and vanilla and peppermint extracts.

McCormick also has a nice selection of sauce and gravy mixes that includes bearnaise, au jus and hollandaise, as well as turkey, mushroom, pork and country gravies.

To kick-start your menu planning, check out the “Look Book” on McCormick. com for a visual archive of recipes. You can collect your favorites in a personalized digital scrapbook to keep your holiday inspirations in one place.

I’m familiar with wheat germ, but I’ve never really used it. I remember my mother having a jar in the fridge when I was a child, but the level of wheat germ never seemed to get any lower. If I remember right, the brand she bought was Kretschmer, a company that’s been around since 1936.

Unlike raw wheat germ, Kretschmer’s is toasted to add a subtle nutty flavor. You can use it in recipes, or on top of yogurt. It comes in Original Toasted and Honey Crunch flavors, and should be found on the cereal aisle of most grocery stores, where a 12-ounce jar sells for about $5.

For more information, go to MyWheatGerm.com, where you’ll find seasonal recipes, diet tips and nutrition information.

I will admit that I haven’t baked a homemade pie in years, but if I decided to, I might just need to call the Crisco Pie Hotline for tips on making the perfect holiday version. The pros at the hot line are back again this year to serve up baking advice, recipes and information on the latest tips and trends.

Experts can be reached Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. by calling (877) 367-7438. Then, from Dec. 12-21, the hours will be 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

If you’re looking for an interesting gift idea that gives back to your local community, check out TenderLovingCake. com. It’s a partnership between the Butcher & the Baker, a Memphis wholesale-only bakery, and Oates Design, a firm that specializes in advertising design and production for print promotion.

The partners started out using the venture to benefit the Mid-South Food Bank, and have since branched out to Nashville, Tenn., Little Rock and Jacksonville, Miss.

Here’s how it works.

For every coffeecake it sells and ships online, it will set aside and deliver another cake to the buyer’s choice of one of four regional food banks. That means that those of us in Arkansas can send our free cake to the Arkansas Foodbank.

The cakes weigh 3 pounds and come in Cinnamon Pecan or Sour Cream Blueberry, both made with nuts. They cost $28.95, but remember, that’s for two of the cakes, one for you and one for the food bank.

Product suggestions? Tips? Email:

rboggs@arkansasonline.com

Food, Pages 38 on 11/28/2012

Upcoming Events