Countdown to a Food Safe Thanksgiving

BY LISA S.T. DOSS

Beyond the chilled breezes and the remnants of fall colors cascading down, November transitions into a month of reflection for family and friends—along with comfort food. Conversations occur through texting and phone calls, revealing plans for traditional meals and the desire to try new side dishes. As family members begin constructing checklists, they should be sure to follow safety procedures, ensuring every seated member has an enjoyable, grateful, and healthy Thanksgiving.

Kitchen Safety Measures Excited children always want to be where the action lies, among beloved family. Start thinking about special activities to occupy the interests of young children, avoiding the kitchen to prevent accidents and severe burns. • Always remember that Thanksgiving is a day for enjoyment, too! Use the week to start preparing the kitchen. Begin by removing all small appliances and other items from the countertops. Next, clear the floor of any potential tripping hazards.

Finally, activate your smoke alarm, ensuring it works properly. • Sanitize all surfaces, including cutting boards, and wash all bowls, plates, and utensils, preferably in the dishwasher. • Remember, vegetables and poultry require separate cutting boards and utensils! • Use rubber bands to wrap dangling electrical cords, keeping them out of the clutches of a child’s hands. • Place a few spoon and knife trivets at the top of countertop stations to promote accessibility and safety. • Take turns occupying the kitchen, monitoring the stove top and checking the main course! • Hang two small trash bags from a lower cabinet knob as used dish towels. • Give a responsible child the task of dishwasher duty. He or she should know the placement of plates, bowls, dishes, and utensils and how to load the appliance. Always run the dishwasher hours before dinner to make the cleanup easier.

Meal Preparation Tips Bacteria found in poultry, Campylobacter and Salmonella, can remain on any given surface for 32 hours; therefore, consider separate stations for raw meat and produce. If you are alone, prepare uncooked vegetables, such as salads and vegetables, before handling raw meat and poultry.

Other suggestions: • Defrosting frozen poultry in the refrigerator takes approximately 24 hours for every five pounds. It is okay to submerge in water and refrigerate. • Rinsing a raw turkey creates a potential cross-contamination hazard. Since bacteria cannot be seen, smelled, or felt, cooking is the only means to kill it.

Turkeys are safe to eat with the internal temperature reaching 165 degrees

Fahrenheit in three places—the thickest part of the breast and the innermost part of the thigh and wing. • Use the freezer to store chopped onions and other ingredients. • Order a frozen or pre-baked dessert for pick up!

Meal Enjoyment Most families know which person is guaranteed to eat more stuffing or cranberry sauce; therefore, serve enough for everyone to have at least a generous helping. As cooked food cools down to room temperature, it only has two hours before it is deemed unsafe to eat. Thus, consider serving a large dish (e.g., the turkey, etc.) with the option to return to refill two particular favorites, for example, dressing or cranberries, (unless the guests anticipate dessert!)

TIP: Slice significant cuts of meat into small quantities to cool faster in the refrigerator.

TIP: Make cleanup easy! Encourage guests to use baking dishes that also serve as storage containers.

How Long Do Thanksgiving Leftovers Last? Next-meal recipes are extraordinary. Why allow a single bite go to waste when you can reinvent mashed potatoes, stuffing, and turkey or ham? How about a meal of turkey enchiladas or cranberry salsa turkey wraps? Do not wait until Sunday evening, three days after dinner, to question what to do with the remaining food. Instead, start freezing early and include the label “Best by February first!” Reheating safety practices: • Sauces, gravies, and soups should come to a rolling boil before being served. • All dishes, including stuffing, should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. • If traveling with leftovers, ensure they are well-packed in a cooler.

Take notes this holiday season and reflect upon the meal preparation, serving, and cleanup. Another big meal is coming up. There’s time to balance the art of preparing quality, healthy meals while spending time with the people you love most!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Maintaining Financial Organization

BY MARTIE EMORY PHOTO ARTISTRY BY MELINDA

With a strong, 20-year reputation of excellence and true consideration for their valued clients, Cannon Wealth Management in Winston-Salem knows the value of personal service. Especially with our finances, there can be a lot of “head versus heart” when it comes to saving, spending, and investing, and this professional team strives to understand every client’s goals and dreams. That might mean striking a beneficial balance between saving for retirement and enjoying life in the present, as well!

BUILD. DEFEND. PRESERVE.

Offering a comprehensive financial menu of services that includes investments, risk management, tax planning, cash flow management, retirement planning, and estate planning, that difficult first step is often a simple matter of knowledge and organization. Here’s a three-part plan they recommend:

• ORGANIZE YOUR RECORDS

If you’re currently gazing at a stack of papers that you consider the “keep” pile, because you know important documents are hiding in there, that’s a (tiny) first step! Now sit down, and calmly coordinate those papers by subject: household bills, insurance policies, bank accounts, brokerage accounts, retirement accounts, vehicle information including personal car, RV or boat titles, medical receipts, appraisals of any jewelry, artwork, or antiques, leases for safe deposit boxes or storage units—you get the idea. Place those sorted piles in nice folders (cheery colored ones if it helps you feel more positive!), or a simple binder, and then think about a permanent storage spot. That might be your desk, a fire-proof storage box, or a filing cabinet you can easily access. It’s also wise to have a back-up of your important information, such as a secure digital vault—ask your Cannon

Wealth adviser about eMoney.

• CREATE YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN (ICE)

Think of this as an “In Case of Emergency plan” for your essential information, including where you keep it, and who should have access to it. This all-important list needs to include a living will, life insurance policies, 401K account details, list of bank account numbers, list of all user names and passwords, your personal medical history, and healthcare/financial Power of Attorneys (POA), necessary authorizations to release your personal medical information, marriage/divorce certificates, and all vehicle titles. If the unexpected happens and you aren’t able to communicate, having these important documents within easy reach will ease the emotional toll on the rest of your family.

• COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR LOVED ONES

Not always the easiest of conversations, having important documents and details in order while all the parties are healthy and of sound mind and body is the best way to approach your financial profile. Carefully consider who you want to be the executor of your will and to handle your healthcare choices, and make sure all family members are aware of your wishes. All that information needs to be in writing, notarized preferably, with the appropriate account passwords, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of all parties, so that a stressful family time can be handled easier. Remember, your ultimate goal has always been to protect your loved ones, and that mission continues to be number one!

To establish and nurture your own financial well-being, contact Cannon Wealth Management, located at 2160 Country Club Road in Winston-Salem. Reach them at 336-231-6844, or visit Cannon-Wealth.com, where you can schedule a consultation with one of their financial advisors. Also, be sure to like their page on Facebook and follow them on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

FCDS

Curious Learners Authentic Connections Academic Excellence

Our forward-thinking approach to learning fosters curiosity, develops talents and interests, and builds confidence to prepare students for what's ahead! Schedule Your Tour Today!

FCDS.org l 336.945.3151

Cannon Wealth

November is a wonderful month for reflecting and giving thanks.

During this busy time of year, even if we’re not exactly where we want to be financially, most of us have a roof over our heads, a safe place to sleep and food to eat. We have friends and family who touch and enrich our lives. As we go into the holidays, let’s shift to a mindset of abundance and celebrate this season of plenty.

Now is the time to start thinking about how to close out the year strong financially. There are some tax considerations, as well as some financial planning ideas which you would be wise to think about now! If we can assist you in any way, please reach out to us. Together we can plan for 2023.

BUILD. DEFEND. PRESERVE.

OUR SERVICES Retirement Planning Investment Planning Risk Management/Insurance Tax Planning Estate and Legacy Planning Cash Flow Management

336.231.6844 cannon-wealth.com

Sharing a History of Carving with Today’s Youth

BY CAROLYN S PETERSON

Many children grew up watching their grandfathers take a block of wood, with what appeared no potential, and a knife, many times passed down a few generations, and carve what they saw in the wood: a horse, a face, a toy soldier. You just never knew what would be at the end of hours of carving; in my day, my grandpa called it “whittling.” With today’s technology options vying for our attention, and especially our youths’ attention, spending time with that block of wood may not seem cool, but you’d be surprised how a group of people, Triad Woodcarvers, are reaching out not only to show their creations, but inspiring today’s youth in developing their own love of woodcarving.

An Art of Yesteryear

Woodcarving has been an expression of how we see the world around us since the beginning of time. Visit a museum and you will see many utensils, tools, and toys, as well as home furnishings, made from wood, and as man progressed, ornamentation was added. Taking the art of woodcarving and sharing it with people today is the focus of Triad Woodcarvers.

“Triad Woodcarvers (TWC) started in 2009 and has become the most active woodcarving club in the Carolinas, comprised of members from around the Triad and Yadkin Valley. We were formally organized with 17 members and have grown today to more than 100. Anyone 18 years or older can join, and individuals 12-17 can join our group with a parent. TWC participates in carving exhibitions twice a month on Saturdays at Klingspor, a woodworking shop in the Pavilions Shopping Center in Winston-Salem, NC. We are active in the community at church bazaars and local festivals, such as The Carolina Classic Fair, Charlotte Woodcarvers Annual Showcase, The Greenville (SC) Iris Festival, as well as other showcases and competitions across the US and Canada. Locally, TWC works to give back through our partnership with Sawtooth Center to promote their youth scholarship program and with the Winston-Salem Ronald McDonald House to donate 100 hand-carved ‘Angels of Hope’ to their resident annually,” said Will Crawford, TWC Program Director.

Sharing a Passion with the Next Generation

The youth of today have an interest in carving. TWC reaches youth the same way they reach adults, through demonstrations at festivals, county fairs, Klingspor weekends, and community events.

“TWC also offers classes for students at STEM of the Triad, a home-school alliance, through which we offer a 13-week course each semester. All instructors are TWC volunteers and we have partnered with STEM for the past three years. We offer Beginning Carving and Advanced Carving for those students who completed Beginning Carving, and a carving club for students who complete Advanced Carving. Wood burning is also offered to STEM students. For the past six semesters, we have been close to our maximum capacity of 10 each semester. Our relationship with STEM is not only a partnership, but an outreach program to our youth and the community. TWC’s High School Woodcarving Instructional Program is all about developing a new generation of woodcarvers and will be an enduring legacy of the Triad Woodcarvers’ Club. The instructors for the carving classes are Carol Adair, Mark Payne, Stewart Hodges, and myself. Our wood burning instructor is Lynn Patrick,” Will commented.

Sharing a love and passion of an art begun long ago in human history is part of the focus for TWC.

“Our goal at Triad Woodcarvers is to promote the art and joy of woodcarving and give back to our community. The STEM instructional program may be our most fruitful endeavor for promoting woodcarving to the next generation,” stated Will.

For more information, visit www.triadwoodcarvers.com on upcoming events and membership. You can follow TWC on Facebook.

Novant Health Vein Specialists

Building the Best Team Possible for You!

BY MARTIE EMORY

Since Forsyth Magazines has been introducing readers to the exceptional physician assistants, also known as PAs, at Novant Health Vein Specialists over the last few months, it’s become clear how valuable the role of the PA is within the Novant Health family. They are vital to their peers, and their presence can be lifechanging for patients.

In October, Novant Health Vein Specialists welcomed its newest addition to the PA team, Samantha Abbott. Chosen from nearly two dozen applicants, she joins this skillful and dedicated team, knowing the one constant here is the longevity of providers. For the patient, that means arriving each year at your annual vein screening, knowing the same team will be there to greet you. That’s a valuable personal connection to boost a patient’s peace of mind. And for a PA like Samantha, interested in the vascular specialty, there are so many opportunities here with the team and patients to positively impact lives.

As the PA profession becomes increasingly popular, it’s clear that everyone benefits from the patient-centered, collaborative relationship between doctors and PAs. The doctor/PA dyad works together as a team, assessing symptoms, performing surgery as needed, and responding to their patients’ questions and concerns. Because the vascular specialty encompasses almost all parts of the body, each case is different. The camaraderie between providers is key in sharing ideas for treatment plans—no matter what the illness or injury—and if one provider is out for any reason, another is already up-to-date on the case and ready to step in.

Joel Deonanan, MD, shares, “Since our profession has us working together with everyone on the team every single day, our PAs naturally are exposed to, and thus excel at, working in our team setting.”

The required path for a new PA includes pursuing a bachelor’s degree, completing a minimum of 2,000 logged hours of patient care experience before applying to a PA program, shadowing a specialist in the field that most interests them, and after graduation from an accredited PA program, passing the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam. Experienced physicians always advise prospective PA candidates to be open to a variety of experiences, and for those interested in a career as a vascular PA, a typical day would include rotating work with every provider.

Amanda Cooksey, PA, notes that during her clinical rotations in PA school, she spent time in the operating room, clinic and in the field—enjoying that every day was different. She learned that care could be both broad and specialized, all at once. “The providers are all so respectful, and let me have a voice,” she adds. “Our work is very peer-to-peer oriented.”

Keith Bond, PA, immediately noticed the providers at Novant Health Vein Specialists are committed to quality care in a patient-centered environment. “That’s a mission that resonates within the team from day one,” Bond said.

Every provider at Novant Health Vein Specialists shares the value of the “family” atmosphere within the clinic, and notes that patients are treated with the same family-level respect and compassion. “We’re here to provide remarkable—and often lifesaving—care, which comes naturally to each of us,” said Bond.

Novant Health Vein Specialists has 10 experienced vascular providers you can trust to meet your needs, both in person and virtually. The care team uses the latest technology to provide advanced, individualized programs and treatments, and the clinic also offers free monthly screenings at the Winston-Salem location. The remaining 2022 dates are Nov. 1st and 17th, and Dec. 1st and 6th, where you may meet one of the newest PAs and see why their presence is so valuable to the group!

For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit SalemVeins.com or call 336-776-3160.

Fall into healthy legs

Join us Nov. 1 & 17 for a free vein consultation. RSVP required.

Don’t miss out on the beautiful weather this fall Novant Vein Specialists due to leg pain. If you or someone you know is experiencing any of the leg symptoms below, Novant Health Vein Specialists can help.

If you experience: • Swelling in your legs • Leg pain and discomfort • Tired or heavy legs • Bulging veins • Spider veins • Skin discoloration

Schedule a free consultation today and be on your way to healthy, pain-free legs this fall season.

RSVP to 336-776-3160 or go online to salemveins.com to register.

Three convenient locations Winston-Salem, Kernersville and High Point