Hormel Foods Recipes

Lifestyle

Quantity Food Planning Guide

Determining how much you need for any size gathering just got easier. The guidelines and chart below will help you plan how much to purchase for your next party.

Fruits

Allow ½ cup bite-sized pieces per serving

18 pound watermelon = 16 cups
4 pound pineapple = 5 cups
3 pound cantaloupe or honeydew = 4 cups
1 pint strawberries, blueberries or raspberries = 2 cups
6 oz. kiwi = 1 cup

Vegetables

Allow 4 to 6 pieces per serving

2 pounds broccoli or cauliflower = 30 florets
1 pound baby carrots = 65 pieces
1 pound celery = 50 (4x½-inch) sticks
1 pint cherry tomatoes = 25
1 pint grape tomatoes = 75
1 pound cucumber or 1 pound zucchini (2 medium) = 50 (¼-inch) slices

Dips

Allow 1 tablespoon per serving

1 cup dip = 16 servings

Meat and Poultry

Bone-in meat and poultry allow ¾ pound per serving.
Boneless meat and poultry allow ¼ pound per serving.

Quantity Foods

	Serving size	25 servings	50 servings	100 servings
Sliced ham, turkey, beef (½-ounce slices)	2 to 3 ounces	3 to 5 pounds	7 to 9 pounds	14 to 18 pounds
Cheese (½-ounce slices)	1 to 1½ ounce	1½ to 2½ pounds	3 to 5 pounds	6 to 10 pounds
Buns	1½ buns	3 dozen	6 dozen	12 dozen
Potato salad	½ cup	1 gallon	2 gallons	4 gallons
Baked beans	½ cup	1 gallon	2 gallons	4 gallons
Coleslaw	½ cup	1 gallon	2 gallons	4 gallons
Chicken or ham salad	½ cup	1 gallon	2 gallons	4 gallons
Mayonnaise	1 to 2 teaspoons	½ to 1 cup	1 to 2 cups	2 to 4 cups
Mustard	1 teaspoon	½ cup	1 cup	2 cups
Pickles	1	1 quart	2 quarts	4 quarts
Olives	2 to 3	6 ounces	1 pound	2 pounds
Potato chips	1 cup (1 ounce)	1½ pounds	3½ pounds	6½ pounds
Cake	2x2-inch piece	¼ sheet cake (24 pieces)	½ sheet cake (48 pieces)	1 sheet cake (96 pieces)
Ice cream	½ cup	1 gallon	2 gallons	4 gallons
Coffee	¾ cup (6 ounces)	3 cups	6 cups	12 cups
Punch	½ cup (4 ounces)	1 gallon	2 gallons	4 gallons

Dinner on the Go

With summertime nearing, already hectic schedules are about to get more busy for on-the-go kids who are involved in every warm-weather activity imaginable. Along with the warm weather activities comes the chaos that accompanies a jam-packed calendar of events. As longer days are consumed with transporting kids to and fro, dinnertime, regrettably, often just becomes another item on the to-do list.

“Parents are always trying to come up with ideas for dinner,” said Joan Hanson, test kitchen director for Hormel Foods. “When summer’s at its busiest, it’s nice to have some last-minute meal ideas in your back pocket.”

So avoid weeding through take-out menus and try these suggestions from Hanson to prepare yourself for those busy summer dinners.

Stock-up. Keep your kitchen stocked with items such as rice, pasta, tortillas, canned beans, cheese, frozen vegetables and tomato sauce at all times. These are staple ingredients that can be combined to make quick meals at a moment’s notice.
Grab ‘n Go. When you’re in a hurry and have a hungry family to feed, grab a hot ready-to-eat meal from your nearby grocer. Stop by the deli counter for a rotisserie chicken or a preservative-free Hormel® Deli Entrée, such as Beef Roast Au Jus or Turkey with Gravy.
Leave-overs. When you have the time to cook, make enough for two meals and freeze one for a busy day. Chop and freeze leftover meat to use in rice and pasta dishes or on top of salads to add variety to your dinner menu.
Prep help. Assign tasks to everyone in the family. Meal preparation will go faster and the kids will enjoy helping prepare what they eat.

The Secret Ingredient for Well-Balanced Meals

Considering today’s demands of work and after-school activities, creating a weeknight dinner from scratch is not always realistic. Many parents are too busy to make dinner but feel guilty for not providing their children with a hearty, home-cooked meal.

However, a newfound realism surrounding dinnertime is beginning to emerge in cities and suburbs around the country. Embracing a modern attitude, families are combining convenient, microwavable products and fresh ingredients to create delicious meals that save time and energy.

Especially with tight schedules, many families still do their best to spend time together at dinner. To assist in that goal, time-saving tools - such as the microwave - have become essential, trusted and accepted elements of cooking routines.

“When prepared properly, a meal made in 15 minutes can be just as enjoyable as one that takes hours,” said Joan Hanson, test kitchen director of Hormel Foods. “With more convenient meal options available today, families can spend more time together and less time in the kitchen, without sacrificing the meal’s flavor.”

Hanson offers the following tips on how to make dinnertime less daunting.

Add a Gourmet Touch: Turn any meal gourmet with a surprise twist on the core items. For a fresh spinach salad, add mandarin oranges and sprinkle in some microwave-ready bacon for a protein punch.
Embrace the Center of the Plate: It’s possible to honor the main course, or center of the plate, and still save time by preparing your side items from scratch. For a hearty meal, ready in minutes, serve a satisfying, microwave-friendly meat product, such as beef tips & gravy, over cooked egg noodles and pair with a green salad.
Be Creative with the Everyday: Give regular sandwiches a delicious makeover by first microwaving Hormel® Roast Beef au Jus, which can go from the refrigerator to the table in four minutes. Pile the meat high on a toasted French baguette. Dip the sandwich in savory au jus and accompany with french fries and fresh fruit for a complete meal.
Take Comfort in Dinner: Whether it’s a crisp evening or the family just had a long day, comfort foods often warm the body and the soul. Next time the family is in need of an uplifting meal, heat a microwavable, pre-cooked meatloaf and gravy for the family to enjoy. Serve with mashed potatoes and buttered broccoli spears for a delicious dinner in minutes.

Teaching Kids with Teaspoons

As temperatures rise and summer breaks near, parents are tasked with occupying their kids’ newly abundant free time both indoors and outdoors. Cooking is a fun and productive use of that extra time no longer occupied with school and after-school activities – especially on rainy days. Involving your kids in meal prep will get them excited about the food they eat, teach them about well-balanced diets and encourage some quality family time.

Like other summer activities, parental coaching and supervision are required ingredients when cooking with kids. Depending on your helpers’ age, interest and, of course, attention-span, there are ways all kids can assist in the kitchen, so parents should be aware of what responsibilities their children can or want to undertake. No matter what the role, kids will love being a part of this fun family experience and parents will love the help!

“Menu planning and preparation is a great activity to share with the kids,” commented Joan Hanson, test kitchen director, Hormel Foods. “And, kids are more likely to eat what they help plan and make, which also creates a way to incorporate healthy fare into the family’s diet.”

When teaching the tots to cook, get creative with your techniques. Hanson offers a few helpful tips for parents cooking with kids:

Measure ingredients. While measuring, add some math skills. For example, which is larger: ¼ cup or ½ cup? How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?
Assign tasks. Dole out tasks such as stirring the spaghetti sauce, mashing the potatoes, greasing pans, layering sandwiches or adding toppings to a pizza to give ownership to the child. This is particularly helpful if you have a picky eater.
Stock up. Try to have kid-friendly kitchen tools on-hand, such as plastic bowls that won’t break if dropped.
Be health-conscious: Remind kids that meat provides protein which helps build strong muscles and that milk, yogurt and cheese provide calcium for strong bones and teeth.

Smart Snacking

It’s 3 p.m. and the kids are heading home from school. Whether parents are at work or in the carpool lane, one thing is certain: the refrigerator is about to be searched and afterschool snacks are about to be eaten.

According to a Hormel Foods survey*, more than half of U.S. parents (55%) say their child prepares their own after school snack, but what foods are they choosing to eat? Thirty-three percent of parents believe their child eats a healthy snack like fruit, vs. 8 percent who believe they eat salty snacks like chips or pretzels. The challenge for parents is to ensure their kids are making the right choices while they are away.

For healthy choices that kids can prepare on their own, the tasty ideas below are just right for any inspired child-chef.

Quick Quesadilla Bites. Place two slices Hormel® Turkey Pepperoni on triangle shaped crackers. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and microwave until melted. Enjoy with dipping salsa.
Turkey Roll-ups. Spread garden vegetable cream cheese on two 100 percent natural Hormel® Natural Choice® Oven Roasted Deli Turkey slices. Lay apple slices at end of turkey slice. Roll up and enjoy!
Salsa Dip. To make a quick single-serving portion, combine one packet of CHI-CHI’S® Snackers® salsa, a spoonful of sour cream and fresh cilantro into a small bowl. Enjoy with pre-cut fresh veggies for dipping.

Families Coming Together to Go Green

Greening the planet is an important practice in the world today, and essential if we want to keep our environment intact for future generations. There are many ways families can become more eco-conscious—from recycling paper and plastic to saving energy. Another way families can go green is by using natural food products, which have been through only minimal processing.

“There are steps we all can take to be more environmentally-friendly and it’s easier than you might think,” said Joan Hanson, test kitchen director for Hormel Foods. “Even meal preparation can be eco-friendly when you’re utilizing homegrown fruits and vegetables and store-bought natural food products.”

Hanson offers several basic tips that will help you teach your family to appreciate nature and protect and preserve the environment. So, use these suggestions and begin paving your way to greener pastures.

Recycle with purpose. Work with your children to create a collage of nature cut-outs from magazines to decorate a container specifically for recyclables. This will help get them excited about recycling.
Go natural. Bring your family meals back to basics by using natural products including fruit juice, meat and cereal. At your grocer’s deli counter, look for natural meats, like Hormel® 100% Natural Deli meats in varieties such as Smoked Honey Ham and Roast Beef.
Nurture nature. Plant a small vegetable garden with the kids in the backyard or in a window box. It will help them appreciate the natural ingredients that are being used to prepare their meals.
Beckon the birds. Build a birdhouse as a family activity and hang it near a window so everyone can see when birds visit.
Grab the greens. Promote paper and plastic conservation by encouraging your children to decorate their own cloth bag to take to the grocery store.
Conserve Energy. Let in natural light by opening the shades, and teach your children to turn off lights when leaving the room.

Parents, with help from the kids, can make small changes to their everyday activities – making life a little greener for everyone.

Managing the Family Food Budget

As you know, families are dining at home more and more these days as a result of hard economic times. And, for the most part, they’re being penny-wise when cruising the aisles at the grocery store. However, according to a recent survey commissioned by Hormel Foods, there are some items Americans aren’t willing to sacrifice: More than half (54 percent) of Americans refuse to say farewell to fresh meat or poultry purchases, despite the current economic situation. Familiarity is also playing a part in purchasing decisions with more than half (53 percent) buying tried and true products more often because of the current economic climate, rather than something new.

While there are many items that your grocery carts can’t do without, there are a variety of different ways to regain control over family food budgets without sacrificing freshness or their favorite brands. Joan Hanson, test kitchen director for Hormel Foods, suggests implementing these simple practices into shopping routines that can help save money in the long run:

Reduce your supermarket stops. One of the most common financial mistakes when shopping is impulse buying, which can create havoc on your food budget. By limiting visits to the supermarket, you reduce this possibility and are forced to plan ahead.
Create a meal menu. Plan your meals for the week, and concentrate on only buying items that you need.
Build a budget. When you get home from the grocery store, multiply your bill by four and you will have a fairly accurate estimate of your monthly food costs. Stay within this price range every time you go grocery shopping.
Search for sales. Check the Sunday paper or in-store fliers each week to stay informed of the sale items.
Lavish your leftovers. Creating multiple meals from a dish saves a tremendous amount of money and shopping time. For leftover recipe ideas, check out www.HormelFoodsRecipes.com.

Spring Cleaning for Your Taste Buds

Easter is right around the corner and as you are gearing up for egg hunts, sweet treats and big family dinners, Hormel Foods would like to offer some entertaining and ham preparation tips that will make Easter party-throwing less stressful and more enjoyable for everyone.

Breeze through Easter entertaining with tips from Joan Hanson, test kitchen director of Hormel Foods:

Color-code your eggs. Before the big Easter egg hunt, assign specific colors to different age groups. This way, the older kids won’t scoop up all the eggs from the younger ones.
Make an Easter egg tree. Hang colored eggs with ribbon from a small tree branch to decorate.
Make an Easter basket centerpiece. Line an Easter basket or heavy woven basket with heavy plastic and fill with potting soil. Plant your favorite spring flowers in the basket. Or, plant spring flowers in tiny terra cotta pots for your holiday centerpiece.

Now for the main attraction – the ham: Whether basting, glazing or baking, below are some easy preparation tips for selecting and cooking your perfect Easter ham:

Freshen your flavor. When choosing between water-added versus natural juice ham, purchase the premium, natural juice ham. Natural juice hams have less added ingredients so you are getting more meat and flavor and fewer added ingredients such as water.
Don’t dry out. For those concerned with drying out the ham, choose a ready-made ham, such as Hormel® Cure 81® Oven Ready™ spiral ham. Your guests will enjoy a moist and juicy ham every time with Fool-Proof® cook-in-the-bag technology.
Glaze it up. Once you choose your Easter ham, spruce it up by basting with a simple glaze like Pineapple Marmalade, Honey Mustard, Raisin or Cherry. Recipes can be found at www.HormelFoodsRecipes.com.