#FoodSafety #PSA: #Sargento #Cheese #Recall Due to Potential #Listeria Contamination

Sargento Foods, Inc. is voluntarily recalling several cheese products due to potential Listeria (Listeria monocytogenes) contamination.

The recalled products:

• Sargento Ultra Thin Sliced Longhorn Colby, 6.84 oz., UPC 4610000228, with "Sell By" dates of "12APR17B" and "10MAY17B"
• Sargento Chef Blends Shredded Nacho & Taco Cheese, 8 oz., UPC 4610040041, with "Sell By" dates of "H14JUN17" and "H12JUL17"
• Sargento Sliced Colby-Jack Cheese, 12 oz., UPC 4610000109 with "Sell By" date of "11JUN17B"
• Sargento Sliced Pepper Jack Cheese, 12 oz., UPC 4610000108 with "Sell By" dates of "12JUN17B", "09JUL17B" and "10JUL17B"
• Sargento Chef Blends Shredded Taco Cheese, 8 oz., UPC 4610040002 with "Sell By" dates of "H14JUN17" and "F28JUN17"
• Sargento Off The Block Shredded Fine Cut Colby-Jack Cheese, 8 oz., UPC 4610040014 with "Sell By" date of "F05JUL17"
• Sargento Off The Block Shredded Fine Cut Cheddar Jack Cheese, 8 oz., UPC 4610040076 with "Sell By" date of "F05JUL17"

Concerned consumers should call 1-800-CHEESES (1-800-243-3737) or email the company via the "Contact Us" page on Sargento.com.

For the full company notice, go here:
https://info.sargento.com/?gclid=Cj0KEQiAifvEBRCVx5up6Ojgr5oBEiQALHw1TiseW-kei-Uh0yaI_E7MR_Bg1_KWIPbf2KCxkd0jnwkaAiEX8P8HAQ

UPDATE: As of 17-Feb17, this product recall has been expanded. Please visit the above link for the full updated list of affected products and the most complete information from Sargento.

A Healthy #Fryup? The Search for an #AirFryer #Tempura #FrenchFries #Foodie

I am a native Southerner. I love fried foods. (Old style Southern cuisine relies heavily on frying. There's a joke that Southerners will attempt to fry anything.) But obviously, all that oil and grease tends to mitigate many of a food's health benefits. There has been a recent push to reshape Southern cuisine by employing alternative methods of cooking. While this has met with some success, for many Southerners there is no substitute for frying. I am in that number; I may enjoy baked asparagus, but make it tempura and I'm in heaven. As a result, I've decided the best solution is to make "frying" itself a healthier method of cooking.

Luckily for me, technology has my back. The kitchen appliances industry has recently introduced into the mainstream so-called airfryers, gadgets which rely on air convection (and sometimes a small amount of oil) to crisp foods. As is the case with any consumer market, not all airfryers are created equal, so I've been researching these small kitchen appliances and reading reviews --- the latest issue of Men's Journal magazine has a one-page comparison and rating of four leading airfryer models, for instance --- with the idea of acquiring one.

I'm not giving up French fries, but if I can make fries healthier and still achieve that comfort food level of satisfaction that comes from "fries" then it's a win. Airfryer reports and reviews are promising overall. It seems the technology may have actually arrived to achieve a healthier fryup in the home consumer market. But it's a process to find the right machine for my needs. I don't expect to make a purchase tomorrow. However, the airfryer is on my radar and one will eventually make a debut in my kitchen (most likely, post-renovation, however).

#SYWR Holidays: Free #Velvet Throw + Free Toaster

Last week Sears/Kmart had several deals going for Black Friday, including offering free shipping on ALL orders with no minimum, no Max membership required (normally an order needs a $10.00 minimum to qualify for free shipping under the Shop Your Way Max program, which provides free 2-Day shipping on products sold by Sears/Kmart). It was possible to score some free products by combining points earned via the Shop Your Way Rewards (SYWR) program with the no-minimum free shipping promotion.

There are several ways to earn SYWR points, some of which require no purchase. In other words, you can score totally free points that can be converted into $ toward your purchases.

Using SYWR points earned from Sweepstakes Doorbusters (certain sweeps will award early entries free points) and a few Sweepstakes wins, I was able to get a free Cannon Velvet Plush Throw (70" L x 50" W) that will be great for snuggling while reading or watching movies and a free Proctor Silex 2-Slice Toaster --- which turned out to be a timely freebie considering that my sister somehow killed my toaster the last time we had brunch. (Unfortunately, she's accident-prone AND technologically inept which usually means gadgets in her vicinity often don't fare well.)

UPS delivered both freebies. My doggy loves Brown. So much so, she just wants to eat every UPS driver. Luckily, all the delivery people who come to my house know this. (The postman actually gets upset on the odd day that she doesn't fuss at him.) She is legend. You go, girl!

I'm Building a Home (AKA CM)

Your home is your castle, but this ain’t the Dark Ages.

Enter the era of Home Enlightenment.

Welcome to Castle Modern, the enlightened household built by Knowledge. 

In the seemingly never-ending quest to design, build and/or renovate the perfect abode, it pays to discover as much as possible — and to use what one learns to an advantage. (Plumb the past in order to inform the future, then implement the result/s.) Be it landscape engineering, home automation, home improvement, antique shopping, green energy or urban farming. Whatever it takes to make your house a home perfect for you (or in this case, me). This is a life's journey!

Join me as I review products, undertake DIY projects, ponder world issues that affect one's ability to live well and generally work toward creating my own Private Idaho.