'Tis the season for holiday baking

(BPT) - The holidays are a busy season. From cooking and baking for family and friends to holiday shopping and preparing for time-honored traditions, the season will pass in a blur. Regardless, it's also the time of year when everyone has holiday cookies and extra-special meals on their minds.



While dreaming of countless delectable treats, like homemade eggnog and royal icing, there is also a risk that at-home cooks and bakers strive to avoid: salmonella. Renowned baker and author of The Cake Bible and Rose's Christmas Cookies, Rose Levy Beranbaum, uses pasteurized eggs instead of worrying about the risk of salmonella when baking her holiday treats.



Beranbaum offers tips for baking this holiday season and her favorite iced sugar cookie recipe.



* Prep the kitchen. Put away unnecessary items, clean off the counter or table top and make sure that all of the tools and ingredients are available to make for a smoother baking process.



* Measurement is key. Unlike cooking, baking requires exact measurement. One important technique is the spoon-and-sweep method for measuring flour, which can settle. Scoop the flour into the measuring cup, ensure it is full and sweep off the excess with a knife.



* Be patient. Allow the cookie sheets to cool completely before using for the next batch to avoid flat cookies.



* Think through baking times. Looking for a slightly softer, chewier cookie? Roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness and reduce the baking time slightly



* Use high quality ingredients. Products like Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs eliminate the risk of salmonella - and they add a little fun and excitement back into the kitchen for anyone who enjoys a quick taste of cookie batter or using eggs in raw preparations like Beranbaum's royal icing recipe.



Traditional Rolled Christmas Sugar Cookies



Makes about 4 dozen 3-inch cookies



Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups (11.25 ounces) bleached all-purposed flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

12 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large Safest Choice Pasteurized Egg

1 tablespoon (finely grated) lemon zest

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Royal Icing (recipe follows)



Directions:

Soften the butter. In a mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and beat until blended. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients. On low speed, gradually add them to the butter mixture and mix until incorporated. Add water, a few drops at a time, only until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the bowl.



Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and use the wrap, not your fingers, to press the dough together to form a thick flat disc. Wrap it well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably no longer than 3. Place 2 oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough, covered with plastic wrap to prevent cracking, to a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut shapes using your favorite cookie cutters or freehand with a knife. With a small spatula, transfer the cookies to the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until the cookies begin to brown around the edges. For even baking, rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking period. Use a small spatula to transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool before decorating with Royal Icing, dragees sprinkles and glittering holiday edibles. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.



Royal Icing



Ingredients:

3 large Safest Choice pasteurized egg whites

4 cups (1 pound) powdered sugar



Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, place the egg whites and powdered sugar and beat, preferably with the whisk beater, at low speed, until the sugar is moistened. Beat at high speed until very glossy and stiff peaks form when the beater is lifted (5 to 7 minutes). The tips of the peaks should curve slightly. If necessary, more powdered sugar may be added. Keeps for 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

3 ways to make your backyard irresistible to kids this summer

(BPT) - When summer arrives do you see even less of your kids than you did during the school year? Too many children, tweens and teens spend those extra hours of free time indoors playing with technology, rather than engaging in healthful activity outside. Even when you know where your kids are, you may not understand what they're doing with all those devices and game controllers.



This summer, why not help your children get excited about a healthy and fun time outdoors? You can make your backyard the neighborhood hotspot that no kid can resist by providing three key ingredients to a great summer: fun, food and friendship.



Fun in the sun



To compete with smartphones, PCs, tablets and other digital devices, you need outdoor excitement - the kind that only water can provide. Installing a backyard pool may not be practical for everyone, but a backyard water slide is.



Easy to set up and use, a water slide is a cost-effective way to create outdoor fun this summer. While parents may have mixed memories of fun and bumps from the water slides of their own childhood, backyard water slides offer the timeless appeal of water slides paired with modern technology to provide a more comfortable experience. Water slides feature the Speed Ramp, an inflatable launch pad that creates a smooth belly-flop landing at the start of the superfast 18-foot slide. A Splash Lagoon funnels water throughout the entire slide, reducing friction and increasing speed.



Food for fun



All that water sliding and other fun activity is going to make kids work up an appetite. They'll need fuel so they can keep having fun. Look for fare that is easy, kid-friendly and nutritious. For example, instead of serving high-fat, high-sugar ice cream, consider frozen fruit or fruit pops. Replace sugary, calorie-laden sodas with flavored water. For kids who crave crunch, replace chips with fresh-cut crisp fruits like apples and kid-friendly veggies such as carrots or cherry tomatoes. You can serve them with a variety of delicious, yogurt-based dips. Whip up a nacho platter that incorporates low-fat shredded cheese, fresh salsa and lean protein like beans or grilled chicken.



Friendship and fun



With your backyard gaining the reputation of the neighborhood hot spot for great food and fun, you may notice some new faces showing up. Encourage children to engage in games that can help them get to know each other and create new friendships with others in the neighborhood.



Some of the simplest games are great ice-breakers. One game that's great for getting to know each other is to have kids stand in a circle and toss around a bean bag or small ball. The child who throws asks a question - such as "What's your name?" or "What's your favorite sport?" - and the child who catches has to answer.



Another fun idea for older children is a biography building circle. Kids sit in a circle and start with one child making a simple statement about himself, such as "I like to play baseball with my dad." The next child in line adds his or her own information by building off something the first child said, such as "My dad is an airline pilot." The play continues with children each saying something new that is somehow linked to what the last child said.



Research shows that physical activity is good for kids. KidsHealth.org says exercise helps children develop stronger muscles and bones, control weight, lower their risk of type 2 diabetes and develop a better attitude about life. Parents can help kids get the exercise they need by fostering healthy outdoor play in their own backyards this summer.