Food

There's no such thing as a free meal, but some restaurants are offering customers something for nothing — if they're able to eat that something in less than an hour. Pounds and pounds and pounds of that greasy, cheesy something. What would you do for a free meal? Freddie Keyes was willing to try The Burkinator, a burger monster dreamed up by Charlie Burkett, owner of Burkett's Deli in downtown Hagerstown. Burkett presents what seems like a straight-forward promo: If you finish The Burkinator, a side of chili cheese fries and a beverage in 30 minutes or less, you don't have to pay for it and you get your mug on the deli's wall and a T-shirt that reads "I sunk the Burkinator sub. " But that Burkinator is 12 inches long and made with six, one-third-pound-beef patties covered with slices of cheddar cheese and topped with four slices of thick-cut bacon.

If you add a potato to soup will it soak up the excess salt? Lyn Dunham, a reader from Falling Waters, W.Va., asked us if there's any truth to an old tip she's heard for getting rid of excess salt in food. [cont. from lifestyle ] She heard that if a raw potato is sliced and put into the food, such as soup, it will absorb the unwanted salt. "It's more of a wives' tale," says Michael Toth, culinary arts instructor at Washington County Technical High School in Hagerstown.

St. Mary Catholic School's student council, along with the Catholic Daughters, collected 410 pounds of food for Micah's Backpack, an organization that collects food for the needy.

St. Mary Catholic School's student council held a canned food drive recently to benefit  St. Mark's Food Bank in Hagerstown. A total of 8,947 cans were collected. 

Pam Lake called it a “lovefest.” Food, drinks, haircuts and blood-pressure screenings were free. People could take home clothing and produce. It was the third straight year that Keepers of the Flame International Church on Salem Avenue in Hagerstown gave away household staples and provided a day of music and games. Lake, whose husband, Brian, is the church's pastor, said the goal is to lavish fun and food upon people who need them, at a time many households are struggling to get by in a difficult economy.

A woman was worried. She hadn't seen the neighbor children for nearly a week. Their family had fallen on hard times, and usually, the kids stopped over for snacks or even stayed for a meal. Finally, on Christmas Day, the children stopped over. The youngest child said she had received “the best gift.” “Her mother had cooked a meal for the family, and they'd had food in the house for an entire week,” Russ Robinson said. Robinson told the story he had heard from a school counselor Saturday while packing boxes of food for the Williamsport Christmas Family project at the Williamsport Moose Lodge.

 Ham? Check. Turkey? Check. Mashed potatoes? Check. A place to share the joy of Christmas with others? Check. It was not just food but fellowship that was on the menu Sunday at a community Christmas dinner at Rehoboth United Methodist Church in Williamsport. Free and open to “everyone and anyone,” the dinner was hosted by The Shepherd's Table, a soup kitchen that holds regular community dinners on Thursday nights, organizer Bill Eckard said. This was the sixth year The Shepherd's Table hosted a Christmas dinner, Eckard said.

A former homeless veteran cooked up a Thanksgiving feast for more than 250 people at the Salvation Army's Thanksgiving meal Wednesday.  “It's important to give back what was given to me, and that was help when I needed it,” said James Rhinehart, the cook for the Salvation Army's Daily Feeding Program. “These people are human beings just like everybody else.” Rhinehart said the program on busy days typically provides meals for around 170 people, but that number went up for Thanksgiving.

   Business and food safety experts from across the state will teach two one-day workshops to help entrepreneurs learn food business best practices. Topics include everything from product and process approval, required certifications and food business inspections to labeling requirements, and marketing and strategies for responding to emergencies. The first workshop takes place Tuesday, May 28, at Cacapon Resort State Park near Berkeley Springs. A second workshop takes place the following day, Wednesday, May 29, at the Jefferson County Public Services Center in Kearneysville, W.Va.

The school system's got milk - from low-fat to fat and lactose free - in a variety of flavors. Chocolate is the favorite milk flavor of students in Washington County Public Schools, followed by vanilla, according to the school system's Food and Nutrition Services Supervisor Jeff Proulx. Washington County Board of Education members, who were about to vote on a contract for a milk supplier, asked Proulx about the vanilla flavoring and the sugar in flavored milk during a May 7 school board meeting.

Fill up on good food and fine art and music when downtown Hagerstown restaurants and art galleries host Taste of the Arts on Thursday, May 16. The annual moveable feast features samples of food from 12 restaurants, music performed by students with Barbara Ingram School for the Arts and art on display at Just Lookin' Gallery and Contemporary School for the Arts & Gallery. Karen Giffin, community affairs manager with the City of Hagerstown, said the organizers want to draw people downtown to have a good time.

How it works The Herald-Mail periodically publishes the findings of initial food establishment inspections by the Washington County Health Department. Food service facilities are inspected on a regular basis to make sure they are following the regulations that govern such establishments. Inspectors also conduct follow-up inspections and monitoring inspections, and investigate complaints and food-borne outbreaks. Potentially hazardous food means any food rich in protein that will support the rapid growth and reproduction of food-borne disease microorganisms.

Chef Joe Fleischman's plan worked out perfectly Wednesday when children in attendance of Family Fit Night flocked to the self-serve fruit and yogurt parfait line he had cunningly prepared. “Brightly colored food usually is good for you, and kids go for it,” said Fleischman, of Meritus Medical Center, gesturing to the table stocked with mangos, strawberries, blueberries and peaches. Little did the giddy group know, Fleischman's snack was not only healthy, but also fewer than 200 calories, he said.  Hosted by Washington County nonprofit HEAL - an organization aimed at fighting obesity by promoting Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyles (HEAL)

 The Continuing Education and Business Services Division at Hagerstown Community College is offering two food safety courses in April for food service providers. The first course, “Food Safety Managers Certification,” will be offered on Tuesdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., beginning April 16 and ending April 23. Course topics will include proper methods of food handling and preparation, the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point concept of food safety, proper cleaning and sanitizing of equipment and facilities, guidelines for working with regulatory agencies, and personal hygiene.

It is important to help young people make the connection between food, nutrition, energy and health. Nutrition education is one key to reducing obesity and it is beneficial for a family to learn together. Here are some tips:   Take the time to read food labels and learn more about what you are eating and recommended serving sizes (also called portions).  Serve a variety of foods, but introduce change gradually. Kids might be unhappy if parents eliminate all of the family's favorite snack foods in one fell swoop.

The Humane Society of Washington County is bracing for kitten season but is experiencing a shortage of adult cat food and supplies due to the continued large intake of adult cats. It is asking the public for its assistance. The shelter is asking for donations of Purina Cat Chow and Kitten Chow and Yesterday's News cat litter. If anyone is able to help, drop off the items at the shelter, which is at 13011 Maugansville Road in Hagerstown. For more information, call 301-733-2060 or go to www.hswcmd.org.

Penn State Extension's certified food and wellness volunteer training program is in its second year. The course offers 40 hours of training, using online training modules for much of the education and ending with a full day of training at Penn State University in State College, tentatively planned for Wednesday, May 29. The cost for the training program and certification is $125. Partial scholarships are available for those with financial need. Upon completing the program, volunteers must give back 40 hours of service to Penn State Extension Programs in nutrition and wellness.

If your healthy eating plan has been on hiatus, it is time to get back on track to making healthful choices.  A motivator to eating right could be eating right with color. When you include all the colors of MyPlate ( www.choosemyplate.gov ) you are headed to enjoying healthful choices. Each colored section of Myplate represents a food group and the recommended proportion of foods from that group.  To include all of the colors of MyPlate as you march toward a healthy eating plan - follow these tips:  Fill half your plate with vegetables and fruit (represented by the colors green and red)