The Cheap Gourmet

The First Official Cheap Gourmet Contest

On September 11, 2009, we launched the First Official Cheap Gourmet Contest. All that is required is to vote for your favorite food and enter your email address by filling out the form below. One lucky winner will receive an adorable "Barker's Dozen" Greeting Card gift pack containing 13 happy-yappy cards with envelopes packaged in a reusable vinyl tote.

Each 5x7 greeting card is graced by a photograph of dogs in action - running, playing, swimming, sleeping. Beneath the photo is an appropriate caption guaranteed to bring love and happiness to the recipient. Cards are blank inside so you can write a personal note, include your favorite Cheap Gourmet recipe, or photos of yourself, family or beloved pets.

There is no "catch" to The Cheap Gourmet Contest. Your email address will only be used to notify you when  you win the contest. One lucky winner winner will be chosen at random at midnight on October 2, 2009 and notified by email on or before October 5th. The "Barker's Dozen" Gift Pack will be mailed directly to your home or office at no charge to you.

With each sale of Dog Caption Cards, 25-percent of the proceeds are donated to animal rescue organizations. If you would like to offer support to our furry friends or interested in selling the cards to raise funds for your local animal shelter, visit www.HappyDogCards.com. (You can also earn 25-percent of each sale by joining the affiliate program!)

In the meantime, simply select your favorite food and enter your email for a chance to win. Only ONE ENTRY per email or ISP address.

P.S. Stop back often as we will be hosting another contest next month. We will be offering an amazing Cheese and Wine party gift set valued at $150. Stay tuned - you're going to love all the future Cheap Gourmet Contests!

Largest Beef Recall in US History - Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company

The USDA made an announcement to recall 143 million pounds of beef from Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company located in Chino, California. According to the report, an undercover video was what led to the recall.

Videos posted at Yahoo! News show cows with chains wrapped around their necks being dragged to the slaughterhouse and lifted up on forklifts because they were too sick to walk. Cows are either falling out of the truck or already dead by the time they arrive at the meat processing plant. 

This makes for the largest food recall in U.S. history and includes beef products dating back to February 1, 2006. Most of the beef products are sold in bulk to warehouse stores, fast food restaurants and schools. Yes, folks, this is the beef we are feeding our children for lunch. Yum!

My daughter wrote her senior paper on the practices of slaughterhouses. She has been a vegetarian since the day she was born. I still remember the day she spit pureed baby food meat, sealed her lips tightly and refused to eat another bite. She has never eaten meat since.

The report she wrote several months ago outlined the same practices that prompted the massive recall. PETA and the Humane Society have been providing this information to government officials for several years, but no one has been paying attention. Finally, someone has taken notice.

Reports state the meat processed at Hallmark / Westland Meat Packing Company "is unfit for human consumption". USDA Actions, including all news releases and statements can be found at the United States Department of Agriculture website.

Food Recall Update

On Sept. 26th, I reported the food recall by Topps Meat Company. At the time, Topps was recalling over 300,000 pounds of beef patties tainted with the deadly e-coli bacteria. Three days later, Topps Meat Company recalled an additional 21.7 million pounds and have now closed their doors for business.

Topps Meat Company recall includes all Topps hamburger products with either a "sell by date" or a "best if used by date" between Sept. 25, 2007 and Sept. 25, 2008. All recalled products also have the USDA establishment number EST 9748, which is on the back panel of the package or in the USDA legend. A full list of the recalled products is available at www.ToppsMeat.com.

On October 7th, Sam's Club recalled hamburgers manufactured by Cargill and sold under the brand name "American Chef's Selection Angus Beef." Cargill Meat Solutions said it is voluntarily recalling approximately 844,812 pounds of frozen ground beef patties because they may be contaminated with E. coli. A full list of recalled Cargill products is available at www.Cargill.com.

You can protect yourself from encountering e-coli in ground beef by cooking the meat to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don't already have a meat thermometer, it's a good idea to invest in one. You can purchase a meat thermometer for less than $20. It's well worth the investment.

Thermometer on a Rope

Topps Meat Company Voluntarily Recalls Hamburgers

Here we go again folks -- another food recall. This time it comes from Topps Meat Company who is voluntarily recalling more than 300,000 pounds of frozen hamburgers due to e-Coli contamination.

The recall affects mainly 10-pound boxes of frozen patties sold under the names:

Butcher's Best 100% All Beef Patties
Kohler Foods
Sand Castle Fine Meat

Additionally, some 2, 3, 5 and 8-pound boxes of frozen patties sold under the name of Topps 100% Pure Ground Beef Patties are being recalled.

Topps Meat Company frozen hamburger patties were distributed nationwide. According to the USDA, recalled patties include the number "Est. 9748" inside the USDA mark of inspection, and were produced on June 22, July 12 or July 23.

The United States Department of Agriculture issued the recall on Tuesday, September 25, 2007. If you have purchased frozen hamburger patties, review the USDA News Release to see if your product is listed.

Symptoms of e-Coli poisoning include diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, mild fever and anemia (reduced red blood cells in the blood). Typically, e-Coli poisoning affects children and the elderly more severely than adults. Symptoms usually disappear within a week, but in those with weakened immune systems or other health problems, e-Coli can cause kidney failure, long term disability and even death.

BlogCatalog Community Organ Donation Awareness Campaign

I'm a member of Blog Catalog, a unique community of bloggers from around the world. BlogCatalog members are joining together today to promote awareness about organ donation. Ironically, the awareness campaign was brought to my attention yesterday about two hours after a friend of the family passed away from kidney failure. He was on the ever-growing list of those waiting for organ donation.

According to statistics posted in the Blog Catalog Organ Donor Awareness Campaign there are more than 1,700 people waiting for organ transplants in Australia; 50,000 people waiting for organ transplants in Latin America; and more than 95,000 people waiting for organ transplants in Europe and the United States.

Becoming an organ donor is simple. You can sign-up as an organ donor at OrganDonor.gov or designate your donor decision on your driver's license. When you renew your license, simply tell them you want to be an organ donor and they will place a symbol (typically, a heart) on your driver's license.

You can also fill out a donor card and carry it in your wallet. To obtain a donor card, visit OrganDonor.gov and download one of eight donor cards.

To learn more about organ donation visit the following sites:

Wikipedia Organ Donation
Matching Donors
Stop the Black Market

I'm proud to be an organ donor and hope you will join me in bringing awareness to this very important subject. Please help us spread the word about organ donation. Together, we can make a difference!

Organic Consumers Association

Organic Consumers Association: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Organics

Are you concerned about food safety? Are you confused about organic labels? Are you sick of corporate greed? If so, you'll want to visit the Organic Consumers Association website at www.organicconsumers.org.

Not only will you be able to educate yourself about the organic industry, you can also join the Forum where you can connect with like-minded folks (like me!) who care about the planet. You'll find me there under the username of CheapGourmet. Come on by. I'd love to meet you there!