No nursing home for us. We are checking into the Holiday Inn!

With the average cost for a nursing home care costing $188.00 per day, there is a better way when we get old and feeble.

We have already checked on reservations at the Holiday Inn. For a combined long term stay discount and senior discount, it’s $49.23 per night.

That leaves $138.77 a day for: Breakfast, lunch and dinner in any restaurant we want, or room service, laundry, gratuities and special TV movies. Plus, they provide a swimming pool, a workout room, a lounge and washer-dryer, etc. Most have free toothpaste and razors, and all have free shampoo and soap.

Smart Meal Ideas
A Winning Combination of Taste and Value

These days, people are looking for simple ways to stretch their dollar in all facets of life, and mealtime is no exception. Dining at home is a great alternative to pricey take-out or restaurant visits and doesn’t have to require long hours in the kitchen or complicated ingredients. For more than 60 years, Campbell’s Kitchen has been a trusted resource for recipes that are quick, delicious and affordable too.
Campbell Soup Company recently introduced a “Recipes Under $10 Collection” featuring family-favorite recipes designed to feed a family of four on a budget. From Hearty Lasagna Soup to Easy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas, each of the recipes in the collection demonstrates that cutting costs does not mean sacrificing great taste. Visit www.campbellskitchen.com for additional budget friendly meal ideas.

Great Grilling, Y’all
As an Emmy-award winning host of two Food Network cooking shows, the author of seven cookbooks, and owner of two successful restaurants, Paula Deen knows a little something about grilling.
And to take grilling from good to great, Paula likes to go beyond the usual hamburgers, hot dogs and chips and serve up more sophisticated flavors. “My new smoked chops by Smithfield have great smokehouse flavor and can be ready to eat in just a few minutes,” she says. “And grilled pork tenderloins are so delicious and so easy!”
Some cuts of pork, including pork cutlets, tenderloins and center-cut pork chops, are as lean or leaner than chicken. And many chefs and food critics recommend pork for its delicious flavor and versatility, as long as it isn’t overcooked.
Paula has a few tips and some recipes to help you take your next cookout from good to great.

Grilling Do’s and Don’ts
-Do: Have two sets of utensils ready when you are cooking poultry and meats – one to handle raw food and one to handle cooked.
-Don’t: Transfer cooked food to the same platter on which you brought the raw food to the grill, unless you have lined the platter with waxed paper, foil or plastic wrap to hold the raw food. Throw the liner away before you transfer cooked food to the platter.
-Do: Take the guesswork out of checking for doneness by using an instant-read meat thermometer.
-Don’t: Cut into the meat to check for doneness; you will lose flavorful juices.
-Do: Trim excess fat from meats to make cleanup easier and reduce the chance of flare-ups. You’ll only need to leave about 1/4 inch of fat or less to flavor the meat. Remove as much fat from chicken pieces as possible, lifting the skin and cutting if off with scissors.
-Don’t: Flatten pork chops, burgers and steaks with the spatula; it will only press out flavorful juices and cause flare-ups. Flip the food only once if possible.

Method Matters
No matter what size your grill is, the method of cooking you use is what really matters. The direct method means that food is placed directly above the heat on the cooking grate. Direct grilling is used for cooking foods that take less than 25 minutes, such as thin pork chops, sausages, kabobs, steaks and most vegetables. Direct grilling is also necessary to sear foods, creating that crisp, caramelized texture where the food hits the cooking grate.
Indirect cooking uses reflected heat to cook; foods are placed away from the heat source. A combination of both is used for foods that need searing above direct heat, then longer, slower cooking over indirect heat. Indirect grilling is used for larger cuts of food that require 25 minutes or more of grilling time, and for foods that would dry out or scorch if exposed directly to the heat source.