Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukah all fall within three days of each other this year. As friends and families gather together this season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service has four food safety tips to ensure a healthy and safe holiday.
Even on Holidays, Always Follow the Four Steps to Food Safety
Clean hands before food preparation by following these simple steps: wet hands, lather with soap, scrub for at least 20 seconds, rinse with clean warm water and dry hands with a clean towel. Always serve food on clean plates and avoid reusing plates that previously held raw meat and poultry.
Separate raw and cooked foods to avoid cross contamination, which is transferring bacteria from raw food onto ready-to-eat food. For example, when preparing a roast and raw veggies for a dip platter, keep the raw meat from coming into contact with the vegetables, or food that does not require further cooking such as sliced, cooked meat and cheese.
Cook using a food thermometer to make sure food reaches a safe minimum internal temperature. Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality reasons, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming.
Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °F as measured with a food thermometer. Cook all poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer. When transporting hot, cooked food from one location to another, keep it hot by carrying it in an insulated container. For more information about food thermometers, visit FoodSafety.gov
Chill leftovers within two hours of cooking. Keep track of how long items have been sitting on the buffet table and discard anything out longer than two hours. Never leave perishable foods, such as meat, poultry, eggs and casseroles in the “Danger Zone” over two hours. The danger zone is between 40 and 140 °F where bacteria multiply rapidly. After two hours, enough bacteria may have grown to make partygoers sick. Exceptions to the danger zone include ready-to-eat items like cookies, crackers, bread and whole fruit.
An Amber Alert has been issued for a missing baby last seen in the parking lot of a Church's Chicken restaurant Monday night.
Eden Hawthorne was last seen at the restaurant on the 7200 block of Natural Bridge Road at around 8 p.m. Monday.
According to a missing person report from Normandy police, the mother and daughter were riding in the mother's van with three men and a female driver to the restaurant on the 7200 block of Natural Bridge Road in Normandy.
When they arrived, the mother and one of the men got out of the car and went into the restaurant. The other three left the scene with the child in the car.
Police said they may be traveling in the mother's van, a dark-grey 2006 Chrysler Town and Country with Missouri pates PN4R7B.
Anyone with information is asked to call the 911 or the Normandy Police Department at (314) 385-3300.
Dexter, Missouri - "Bootheel Recycling is a Missouri scrap metal recycling company whose customer base includes regional utility companies, large manufacturing businesses, tool and die shops, local Dexter scrap dealers, haulers, farmers and individuals across Southeast Missouri and Arkansas."
"We comply vigilantly with the laws set forth by OSHA, EPA, federal and Missouri. Our scrap metal recycling policies are honest and transparent. Our scales are certified yearly and calibrated twice a year. We belong to the Chamber of Commerce and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries. We are OSHA 10 certified. We have the highest graded material in the industry."
"We buy most forms of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, including copper, aluminum, stainless steel, brass, scrap iron, radiators and catalytic converters. Please consult our Scrap Metal Selling Guide to find out more about how to sell scrap metal, and how to get the most money for your scrap metal. The best indication of our success is our loyal customer base. We are nice people with good business practices. We have a very high level of return business, and our new customers often come to us by way of referral."
"Our friendly customer service staff will ensure that your recycling experience is simple and hassle-free. Our modern and streamlined processing system allows us to offer competitive prices. Please contact us today if you would like to inquire about our services."
Check out their website by clicking HERE.
Dexter, Missouri - The city of Dexter administrative offices will be closed Friday, December 23rd from noon - 5:00 p.m. and Monday, December 26th for the Christmas holiday. They will also be closed on Monday, January 2, 2016 for the New Year's holiday.
Trash will be one day late the week of December 26th and January 2nd. There will be no bulk pick up on Friday, January 6th.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the City of Dexter.
Chillicothe, Missouri - An Endangered Person Advisory has bee issued for a missing 7-year-old from Chillicothie MO. Seth Davis was last seen during a custody exchange at a Wal-Mart at 6pm on December 2, 2016.
Police say that his father, Anthony Davis, 32, was supposed to return the child on December 4th and never showed up. His cell phone was pinged in the Washington Missouri area on December 6th and 7th. Anthony suffers from a mental health issue and is believed to be off of his medications.
Seth Davis, is described as a white, male, age 7, height 4′, 50 lbs, brown hair, blue eyes, wearing unknown clothing. Anthony D. Davis, is described as a white, male, age 32, height 5’11”, 130 lbs, brown hair, hazel eyes, wearing unknown clothing.
The father and son may be traveling in a dark red 1998 Dodge Durango bearing Missouri plates, SM4G3N.
Anyone seeing the missing person should call the Gallatin Police Department at 660-663-9512.
