Hunger in America

More than 14% of U.S. families - 17 million households - struggle to put food on the table last year, according to a USDA report that found Americans' food insecurity at its highest level since the government started keeping statistics on hunger in 1995. Nearly 7 million households skipped meals or experienced disrupted eating patterns. Most food-insecure households saw adults go without food to shield children from hunger, although 500,000 families reported that their children were also affected.

When Mike and I were first married we had little additional money and often ran out of the essentials - no more laundry soap, no toilet paper, or worse, no ketchup. We spent every Sunday, sometimes Saturdays, at my mother's house eating dinner and it was the one good meal we looked forward to each week. I felt like such a failure. Eating out was a real luxury.

Today, we have become fairly secure with the fact that we don't struggle to put food on our table, which in large part is because we garden, can fruits and vegetables, freeze meals ahead, and have a full cow and soon another pig frozen in our basement - almost three freezers full! The sad truth is, we continue to eat out frequently because we don't have enough time to cook all this fabulous food.

In my practice, serving young families, I am learning that it seems more common for families to struggle financially than it is for them to have a comfortable nest egg. Many of our families do struggle to feed their families at least once a week. We have served families that admittedly can't provide the birthing team a snack during their birth because they genuinely can't afford to purchase anything and/or at our postpartum visits, they haven't enough food to eat optimally. Some of our families don't have hot water because they lack sufficient funds to pay their gas bill. Others are frequently giving us new phone numbers, because they can't afford their land line. This is a sad reality, but one that reminds me of our early family struggles.

These stories can be a bit romantic - families sticking together through the tough times. Couples cuddling and watching movies because they can't afford to shop, or gamble, or get lost in their own expensive hobbies. Grandparents feel needed and are visited much more for all the same reasons. Blessings are more frequently realized and a great find in the Goodwill can really cheer up your day.

It seems once we start to gain financial security, relationships struggle. Husbands don't feel as needed. Grandparents feel isolated or challenged. It seems many friendships, even marriages, are created on the simple fact that one person needs the other. Success can threaten the link that previously bound these relationships. Dependency on each other can force you to stick together through the rough days.

Several years ago, our minister shared a sermon surrounding lottery winners and their ultimate happiness. Apparently, if you ask someone who has had a major tragedy in their life, and someone who has won the lottery, and even someone who has had neither great success or great tragedy in their life, the most unhappy person would be the lottery winner. I am quite confident that winning the lottery would separate Mike and I; therefore, I have never once bought a ticket. I simply think we would have different priorities and would not be required to work together if we had means beyond our needs.

Anyway, back to hunger in America...the kids and I have been without family for many years now on Thanksgiving, so we've made it a tradition to find a ministry in which to participate. I like to be creative and try new things, so typically we do something different each year. We have worked at a soup kitchen, visited and fellowshipped with the homeless, volunteered to work other's shifts at work so they can be with family, purchased meals for food closets and various other activities. We have invited friends over in the past who didn't have family local to celebrate with and once made a huge breakfast instead of turkey, so we could spend the holidays with all our extended family that had other homes to visit. This year we taught our children how to create a nice, easy Thanksgiving meal at home.

The key to a stress free Thanksgiving in our home is planning ahead...even cooking ahead! Wednesday evening, Keely made peach cobbler and pies. Noah, Samuel and I made deviled eggs (which is the first time I have ever made these and they were Fabulous!). We put together our green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and mashed potatoes, but left them to cook for Thanksgiving afternoon. Noah learned how to carve the turkey.

Next year, I think we'll be back out serving the community, although I am not sure yet just how. If I remember correctly, the local universities are often looking for families willing to host exchange students through the holidays while they close the dorms. Hum...we could bring them along as we work to decrease the 17 million families that struggle to put Thanksgiving dinner on the table. If you have a great idea, please leave it in the comments section!

Turkey Cookin!

Each year I like to search for new turkey recipes. One year Martha Stewart recommended cooking the turkey upside down so the fat juices from the dark meat would moisten the white meat. She even recommended cooking with bacon on top of the turkey for additional moisture. I tried it and wasn't at all impressed.

I am learning that the recommended temperature and time table for cooking a turkey has decreased each year, as it was originally set very high to achieve a large safety net for killing all the bacteria. Turkeys have been quite dry however, so the cooking times are decreasing. The type of pan, size of the oven, and stuffing also alters the cooking time.

I've found two great resources - short and simple - for calculating the turkey's cooking time and am thrilled. The last two years, Mike and I simply gave up on cooking a traditional turkey because we simply couldn't coordinate it all with all the additional sides to work into the oven. We purchased a dinner in a box with just the turkey breast and was quite happy with the outcome. This year, our co-op offered organic turkeys and I bought one - seventeen pounds worth for just the six of us.

Thanksgiving

Full of ideas and grand plans, we tend to do something a little different each year for Thanksgiving. One year we served at a local church, serving dinner to families down on their luck or delivering them directly to the homeless. It seems a large number of families reach out on Thanksgiving, so volunteer opportunities are really hard to come by. A few years ago, I thought I would host dinner for our family at my house. I do enjoy entertaining and really enjoyed myself, but it cost several hundred dollars to serve all those people and realizing only an hour after dinner that we were alone to clean up the mess gave little motivation to make that an annual tradition. At least until my kids are grown.

Last year we invited family over for breakfast. We had all the fixings and the wisdom in that plan was that breakfast shouldn't coincide with anyone else's family dinner so everyone could join us. Plus, they don't have to rush off immediately after the meal to the next dinner. It was a hit.

This year however, Mike volunteered to work - all four days of Thanksgiving vacation. (He may regret that when he realizes he worked two days for Uncle Sam.) I had wanted to take the kids somewhere special for the weekend, since we would be missing Daddy, but he didn't want us to spend the money he would have earned. We decided to hunt hard for a volunteer opportunity. At the last minute we found a need with Wheeler Mission. They asked us to be marathon Marshall's for the mini-drumstick, directing the runners and handing out water. We were excited, but I'll admit I was very anxious about waking my night owls and preparing them for freezing weather at 6:00 in the morning. As I feared, we didn't succeed in making that obligation.

We did however, invite Franny and her family over for Thanksgiving. It was a joy. We learned a few years ago to buy the prepared turkey that is ready to cook straight from the freezer. No fuss and great taste. We also glazed a ham from our barter. From there, Keely and I prepared very lumpy mashed potatoes with gravy in our frog gravy-boat, green bean casserole using our garden beans, stuffing (Stove Top of course), Rhodes bread with apple butter, cranberry sauce, and the best cheese cake I have ever had. Oh, we also made apple cider in the crock pot. Delicious.

Two Step Creamy Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup white sugar

1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped cream topping, thawed

1 (9-inch) prepared graham cracker crust

1/2 pint sliced fresh strawberries

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon mixture into graham crumb crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Once the cheesecake has set, garnish with sliced strawberries. Serve.

This evening we are headed to Rachael's for the annual tradition of chili on Black Friday. Mike will meet us back home at about 9:30pm and I think, Candice will drop by here as well. At some point this weekend, I think we'll put up our Christmas tree. We are sticking to the tradition of buying a real tree. Noah in particular really enjoys that. We can pick up a grave blanket too, for Lyric. Blessings to You!