COUNTY LIFE
Don’t let foodborne illness dampen your Super Bowl Party
As excitement for this year’s Super Bowl grows, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) encourages consumers to use safe food handling practices at a championship level and avoid becoming one of the estimated 48 million Americans who gets sick from foodborne illnesses each year.
The Super Bowl draws over 100 million television viewers who consume approximately 1.3 billion chicken wings during game day parties. With an average National Football League game taking more than 3 hours to play, Americans will be mixing plenty of football watching with food during Super Bowl parties.
At these parties, it is vital to keep foods out of the “Danger Zone,” which is the temperature range between 40 °F and 140 °F. When foods are left in the “Danger Zone,” bacteria can multiply rapidly, causing a single bacterium to multiply to 17 million in 12 hours. Avoid serving Super Bowl favorites, such as pizza and chicken wings, at room temperature for the entire game.
When serving food or ordering takeout food, use the following game plan:
- If warm takeout foods are to be served immediately, keep them at 140 °F or above by placing in chafing dishes, preheated warming trays or slow cookers.
- If take-out foods will not be served immediately, either keep them warm in a preheated oven, or divide the food into smaller portions or pieces, place in shallow containers, and refrigerate. At serving time, reheat to 165 °F.
- Cold foods that are served should be kept at 40 °F or below, which can be done by nesting serving dishes in bowls of ice. Avoid storing food outside, where the sun can quickly warm foods in plastic storage containers and animals can get into.
- Start a game day tradition by using a food thermometer to ensure foods being served to guests are not in the “Danger Zone.”
To ensure home prepared chicken wings are safe, follow these tips:
- Do not wash raw chicken wings. Sixty-seven percent of respondents in a 2016 FDA food safety survey indicated they washed raw chicken parts; however washing will not destroy pathogens and may increase the risk of contaminating other foods and surfaces.
- Ensure chicken wings are safe to eat by verifying they have reached an internal temperature of 165 °F. Take the temperature of multiple wings in the thickest part of the wing being careful to avoid the bone.
If you need food safety coaching, call your personal coaches at the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline, at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) or chat live with a food safety specialist at AskKaren.gov, available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, in English or Spanish. Learn more about key food safety practices at foodsafety.gov and on Twitter @USDAFoodSafety
.
After practice and try-outs, the inaugural team of Bowie High School Steppers was selected this past week and the squad will get to work with a car wash fundraiser on May 4.
All donations will go toward the drill team uniforms. Come get a wash from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 4 at Central Baptist Church. Email [email protected] with questions.
Coach Lauren Dosch announced the 2024-25 Steppers: Julie Berry, Reegan Ferguson, Elise Fitch, Rebecca Fitch, Peyton Howson, Hayden Lea, Lillie Posey, Jade Shoefstall, Katie Smith, Shelby Vannucci, Chazlyn Webb and Lilli Willett.
Pictured the new Bowie High School Steppers. (Courtesy photo)
Bowie High Steppers: (Back) Reegan Ferguson, Chazlyn Webb, Hayden Lea, Katie Smith, Lillie Posey, Peyton Howson and Director Lauren Dosch. (Front) Elise Fitch, Rebecca Fitch, Juliet Berry, Lilli Willett, Jade Shoefstall and Shelby Vannucci.
Spring has sprung and it is time to nominate top yards from your neighborhood to be considered for The Bowie News Yard of the Month.
The first award will be made for April and nominations may be submitted through April 26. The winner will be announced in the May 1 edition of The Bowie News.
Call the Bowie News office at 940-872-2247 or email it to [email protected]. Please include the address and name of the resident if you know it or a contact phone number for the nominee.
Sponsored by The Bowie News and Beautify Our Bowie, the contest winner gets to show off the brightly colored Yard of the Month sign in their yard during the month. A winner will be named for April, May and June.
The names of nominees may be submitted more than once throughout the contest if they are not a winner. Winners from last season will not be considered to allow for others to have an opportunity to participate.
A group of experienced gardeners volunteer their time to visit all the nominees and select a winner.
This contest will recognize a beautiful yard which is not necessarily the most fancy or elaborate, but one that shows care and upkeep in their neighborhood. The goal is to encourage all Bowie residents to keep their properties clean and looking nice for everyone to enjoy.
Criteria for judging will include ongoing maintenance of the yard and landscaping. The yard needs to be clean and free of trash, junk or other unsightly objects. Grass and shrubs need to maintained at reasonable levels.
Landscaping also will be considered, but are encouraged to include not only annuals for the season, but permanent items such as shrubs, vines or hardscape, as well as decorative structures like a gazebo or benches
Enjoy a free comic book day mini-convention 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 4 at the Bowie Public Library in conjunction with Freakz & Geeks of Bowie.
There will be arts and crafts, comics, a costume contest, special guests, BTXFG exclusive swag give-aways, a video game high-score tournament, vendors and more.
Whether you’re a cosplayer ready to break out your costume, a gaming fanatic looking to throw down, or simply looking for a day of family-friendly fun and entertainment, there’s something for everyone at the Mini Con.
Don’t miss out – come join the festivities and support your local Freaky Geeky community.
-
NEWS1 year ago2 hurt, 1 jailed after shooting incident north of Nocona
-
NEWS5 months agoSuspect indicted, jailed in Tia Hutson murder
-
NEWS12 months agoSO investigating possible murder/suicide
-
NEWS1 year agoWreck takes the life of BHS teen, 16
-
NEWS9 months agoMurder unsolved – 1 year later Tia Hutson’s family angry, frustrated with no arrest
-
NEWS12 months ago
Sheriff’s office called out to infant’s death
-
NEWS1 year agoBowie Police face three-hour standoff after possible domestic fight
-
NEWS1 year ago
Driver stopped by a man running into the street, robbed at knifepoint