Page 12 - Senior Times South Central Michigan - February 2017 - 24-02

Page 12
Senior Times - February 2017 cooking
900 Territorial Road W, Battle Creek, Michigan 49015 Call 269-968-0300 or lakeviewmgr@gmail.com
An apartment community for seniors 55 and older
(Between Capital Avenue and 20th Street)
Happy Valentines Day!
Who doesn’t enjoy a shepherd’s pie on a snowy February evening? For a twist, serve them in pint-sized mason jars for fun. To make these delicious meals even faster, use either left-over mashed potatoes or purchase a small package of instant or refrigerated ones from the grocery.
Shepherd’s Pie in a Jar
Ingredients:
1⁄2 Pound ground beef
1 Teaspoon soy sauce
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1⁄4 Cup onion, finely chopped
1 Stalk celery, finely chopped
1 Carrot, finely chopped
1-2 Tablespoons flour
1⁄2 Cup beef broth
1⁄2 Teaspoons garlic powder
1⁄2 Teaspoon onion powder
1⁄2 Cup frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste
Toppings:
Prepared mashed potatoes
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef in frying pan; season with soy and Worcestershire sauces. Add butter and oil and then add onion, cel- ery, and carrot and sauté until vegeta- bles are tender. Sprinkle with flour and add beef broth, seasonings, and stir in peas. Bring to a boil and heat through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Spoon into up to four pint-sized mason jars (Can make two and freeze the rest of the beef mixture for another time). Pipe or spoon mashed potatoes on top and place jars on a cookie sheet and put on top rack of oven and bake about 15 minutes or until mixture begins to bubble and potatoes begin to lightly brown. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving. Can top with some shredded cheese too.
FOR TWO
Joanna Stelloh Phelps, Special to Senior Times
Activities
❖ Bicycling
❖ Billiards
❖ Burnham Brook Singers
❖ Cards & Games
❖ Evening Dances
❖ Golf
❖ Line Dancing Lessons
❖ StampClub
❖ Tap Dancing Lessons
Hours Of Operation
 Building Hours:
Mon-Fri, 6am-9pm
Sat, 8am-3pm; Sun Closed
 Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm
 The Kool Family Community Center Basic Annual Membership: $55
 Call For Prices For
The Fitness Loft 269-969-8956
 www.thekoolcenter.org  Like us on Facebook
200 West Michigan Avenue, Battle Creek, MI 49017  269-965-0000
Change Perceptions
of Growing Old
By: John Grimaldi
Big changes are in store for America's older citizens in 2017 and beyond, says Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). Ageists beware; the older generation is making a New Year's resolution to play a new role in 2017 and beyond, says AMAC.
"It used to be that the world belonged to the young when in fact
it has always belonged to the young
at heart. And, with more people liv- ing longer than ever before, the older generations have an opportunity to show our worth. The stereotypes of the past are slowly but surely giving way to a new way to look at the so-called 'older generation' as more and more
of us embrace active retirements and even the establishment of new business careers," according to Weber.
Recently, the Milken Institute's Center for the Future of Aging shed light on the importance of recogniz- ing the nation's aging population as
an invaluable asset. At a summit con- vened to stress the importance of the contribution the older population can make in the nation's future, partici- pants focused on the need for "refram- ing perceptions of aging in the 21st century."
Among their conclusions: We must change our perceptions of growing old. A report issued at the conclusion of the Milken summit stated that: "Today it is socially unacceptable to ignore, ridicule, or stereotype someone based
on their gender, race, or sexual orien- tation. So why is it still acceptable to do this to people based on their age? Ageism creates a negative reality of aging. It's bad enough that ageism can influence public policy, employment practices, and how people are treated in society, but what's worse is that we accept the ageist behavior ourselves and start acting it out. Older people are as multidimensional as any other group in our society. We need to show the multidimensionality of their pas- sion."
The Census Bureau estimates that America's population aged 65 and over will be nearly 84 million people or nearly 20% of the nation's expected population.
"What's more important," says Dan Weber, "is the fact that the majority of them will be active citizens, playing a transformative role in society. The mir- acles of modern medicine will contrib- ute to the 'new look' of old age, but it will be the self-determination that we express today that will make the dif- ference. There's a lot of knowledge we carry around in our old brains and it is time to put that knowledge to good use by becoming role models and mentors. It's a New Year's resolution befitting the knowledge we have amassed over the years."
For more information about AMAC visit www.amac.us.
Congratulations
Mary Mahler
By: Luann Sommers, Forks Executive Director
Bertha Branham is pictured here with the special quilt that she made for the Forks Center as a fundraising project.
Bertha made this beautiful quilt for
a silent auction held at the Forks Center in December. The lucky winner of this handmade quilt was Mary Mahler. Mary is part of the wonderful volunteer team and proud owner of a new quilt.
Many thanks to Bertha and Mary for making this a successful event for the Forks Senior Center.