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Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Hospital food safety measures reduce risk of contaminated hospital food

A new study found more than 80 percent of raw chicken used in hospitals in food for patients and staff was contaminated with a form of antibiotic resistant bacteria called extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing E. coli. While sufficient preparation eliminated the presence of bacteria, poultry meat delivered to hospital kitchens remains a potential point of entry for these dangerous bacteria into the hospital.


The study was published in the April issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
"While a high proportion of chicken contaminated by antibiotic resistant E.coli is a significant concern, robust food safety measures taken by hospital kitchen staff are able to prevent the spread of these pathogens and minimize risk to food handlers, staff and patients," said Andrew Stewardson, MD, the lead author of the study.
Researchers from the University Hospital of Geneva in Switzerland collaborated with the Food Control Authority of Geneva to test raw chicken delivered to the central hospital kitchen that prepares more than 8,000 meals daily. They compared the hospital samples to food in local supermarkets for the presence of ESBLs finding that most (86%) chicken meat samples were positive. E. coli is a normal part of healthy human gut flora but can also cause urinary tract infections and occasionally more serious invasive infections.
The researchers also looked at how food, as a potential source of multi-resistant bacteria, impacts the health of food handlers, healthcare workers and patients. They found six of 93 food handlers were ESBL carriers, but overall were no more likely to be colonized by ESBL-producing bacteria than the Swiss population.
The authors concluded that industrial risk management strategies in the hospital kitchen appear sufficient to minimize risk to food handlers, hospital staff and patients. However they caution that this conclusion may not apply to household kitchens, where food safety precautions are less rigidly applied.
Story Source:  The above story is based on materials provided by Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

How to Make Mini Peanut Butter Tagalong Cheesecakes


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 By: Natalie Purcel 

Despite my best efforts to avoid the evil Girl Scout army this year, I ended up with a couple boxes of Tagalongs hanging out in the pantry anyway. I hadn’t opened them yet because… well, I know what happens when I open a box of Girl Scout cookies.
Those “servings” on the side of the box? Lies.
So I was left with a problem to solve: how do I open the box of cookies without immediately inhaling all of the contents and collapsing into a pile of self-loathing on the floor?
My solution? Chop up all the cookies and divide them between another bite-sized treat… Thus, the mini Tagalong cheesecake was born. In the end, you really just end up eating a bunch of delicious cheesecake bites filled with Girl Scout cookies. Sigh, it’s the thought that counts.

Mini Tagalong Cheesecakes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 21 cheesecakes
Ingredients
1 pound cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 cup peanut butter (not “all natural”, I use Jif)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 box Tagalongs, coarsely chopped** (or 1.5 cups mix-ins of your choice)
21 whole Tagalongs* (see note below)
Directions
Preheat oven to 275 degrees and line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each liner* (see note below)
In a small bowl, gently beat eggs with vanilla extract, set aside.
In a large bowl or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed. Add peanut butter and continue beating until incorporated.
Gradually add sugar and continue beating until combined, scrape down sides of the bowl.
Drizzle in egg mixture, a bit at a time, beating until incorporated. Add sour cream and beat until combined.
Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and stir in chopped cookies by hand.
Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake about 22 minutes, or until filling is set. Outsides should be stiff but it’s ok if the centers jiggle a little when you tap the pan.
Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Serve with whipped cream, drizzled chocolate, and additional chopped cookies.
Notes:
*For the “crust” you can use a cookie of your choice. I used a second box of Tagalongs for the first 16 and then used Oreos as needed for the rest.

**You could use 1.5 to 2 cups of any mix-ins for these cheesecakes — chopped peanut butter cups or chocolate/peanut butter chips would also be great.