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When Life Hands You Calamondins, Try A Pie

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Mary A. Keith

Published: January 19, 2009

Q. What I can do with calamondins? I was given a bagful, and have no interest in making jelly or marmalade.

A. Calamondins are thought to be a cross between a lime and a tangerine. They are tart like limes but have the loose skin and rather flat-topped shape of tangerines. Of course they are tiny, which makes them a bit harder to handle. But you can juice them and make calamondin pies using recipes for lime, lemon or chiffon pies. There are also recipes for calamondin bread and cake that use puréed fruit. The cake starts with a boxed white cake mix, so it is pretty simple.

Q. Is it safe to make a casserole that contains cooked pasta, turkey and canned cream soup a day in advance, refrigerate it and reheat later?

A. Since the turkey is cooked and there are no raw eggs or other ingredients, this should be OK. Use a shallow pan or dish, not more than 3 inches deep. Have enough space cleared in the refrigerator for it so that it can chill quickly. Be sure to refrigerate it immediately and then put it directly into the oven. Don't let it sit out at all.

Q. How many eggs can I safely eat in a day? So far my cholesterol is OK, but I don't want to create any problems.

First, realize that in most people the biggest dietary cause of high blood cholesterol is not cholesterol in your diet but saturated fat. It is most important to keep your saturated fat intake low. Aside from that, there are studies showing that many (117,000 in one study) people can eat an egg a day without problem. On the other hand, the recommendation is to stay under 300 mg of dietary cholesterol a day.

One egg uses about two-thirds of that. So if you are strict with the fat, you could afford more eggs. If you love real butter or a steak, skip the eggs.

Q. Please, start me with the basics. What is a calorie, and why are they so bad?

A. A calorie is a measure of energy. It's mostly used for food, but could even be used to measure potential energy in other things.

Calories are not bad, they are essential. Without calories we couldn't live. The problem is just the balance between how many calories we take in from food or drink and how many we burn off living, exercising and even sleeping. When we take in too many, they accumulate on our hips or ribs. Some calorie sources, saturated fats in particular, get turned into cholesterol instead of fat. That creates other problems for us.

Q. Is a pattypan squash considered a summer or winter squash? More importantly, do I cook it like a zucchini or an acorn squash?

A. Pattypans are considered summer squash. They have a much more tender skin and more moisture than winter squash. So you can chop or slice it like zucchini, or just cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, then steam and fill it if you like. Chayote or mirlitons are also summer squash. They're the things that look like pale green pears with a crease around the side.

Q. My son insists that frozen dinners are already cooked and that he can eat them safely just by letting them thaw in his lunch bag. He carries them in his truck and often doesn't have access to a microwave to cook them. I'm worried he'll get sick. Who's right?

A. I don't like to be in the middle of family disputes, but he's running a very big risk by doing that! There was just a big outbreak of salmonella poisoning last month that was traced to eating undercooked frozen chicken dinners. Most of the time the food is only partly cooked before it's frozen and must be thoroughly heated to be sure it's safe. If it is thawing all morning there are several hours when any bacteria in there can be growing. There are lots of safe alternatives for lunch box meals, but frozen dinners are not included.

Mary A. Keith, a nutritionist and health agent at Hillsborough County Extension, can be reached at (813) 744-5519 or mkeith@ufl.edu.

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