Community Resources

Community Resources

Holiday Cooking Safety - Preventing Holiday Cooking Fires

Cooking at home is one of the joys of the holiday season, steeped in family tradition and togetherness. At the same time, it is an activity that can pose risks as well. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), more home cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving than on any other day of the year, with more than three times the daily average for such emergencies. Not far behind are Christmas Day and Christmas Eve, which ranked second and third respectively in terms of cooking fire risk.


Fortunately, you can keep your family and your home safe from cooking fires by following a few simple tips:


  • Ensure someone is always paying attention to what’s cooking. The most common contributing factor to cooking fires in the home – overwhelmingly – is unattended cooking. Stay in the kitchen whenever something is cooking on the stove and be present in your home – overwhelmingly – is unattended cooking. Stay in the kitchen

whenever something is cooking on the stove and be present in your home when there’s something in the oven. And while it may not be possible to keep an eye on the oven for hours on end, ensuring that responsible adults are present and aware at all times will go a long way in preventing an emergency.


  • Make sure to have sufficiently placed and functional smoke detectors in all areas of the home. Cooking fires are far easier to address and extinguish when caught early – and a smoke detector can be crucial in alerting you to a problem. If you have not changed the batteries in your smoke detectors and tested them, it is a great idea to do so before cooking that big holiday meal.


  • Keep a fire extinguisher or a fire blanket nearby. Having a means to extinguish or subdue a cooking fire is a great idea, especially since uncontrolled cooking fires can spread rapidly.


For additional holiday cooking safety tips, check out those offered by the Texas Preparedness Site (TDEM), Ready.gov, and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) websites. 

Additional Holiday Safety Videos:

For More Holiday Safety Tips just click here!

Holiday Cheer - Without Fire Fear

Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is a time of year associated with joy and festivities, it also happens to be the time of year when household fires are particularly prevalent. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), roughly one in three fires occur during the winter months – and a large part of this is attributable to such holiday traditions as decorations, cooking and family gatherings. 


Luckily, there are simple steps that you and your family can take to stay safe from fire this holiday season:


  • Decorate safely. When choosing holiday decorations, try to ensure that as many of your choices as possible are flame retardant. Be particularly cautious with candles – the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says that nearly half of home fires in December start with candles, and Christmas is the peak day of the year for candle fires. Also, be sure to check those Christmas lights: Nearly one in five Christmas tree fires start with decorative lights. So make sure to check those lights for damage, as well as for the UL seal.
  • Keep children away from fire hazards. Family gatherings often mean more little ones running around. With this in mind, make sure that all candles, matches, lighters and other fire hazards are well out of reach. As for the adults, ensure that any smokers know that they should only light up outside, if at all. 


  • Exercise care with home heating. According to the NFPA, home heating equipment fires spike in the winter months, with nearly half occurring between December and February. To keep such fires from happening, ensure that any flammable materials are kept a safe distance from indoor heaters and fireplaces. Never try to use an oven or stove to heat your home. And for a bit of extra assurance, it’s a great idea to check all of the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide monitors in your home before the holidays get into full swing.


For more holiday fire safety tips, check out the information provided by the Texas Preparedness Site (TDEM), Ready.gov, and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) websites.


Cooking with the Commissioners

Holiday Sausage Balls


Bisquick Sausage Balls

Sausage Balls with only 3 ingredients. These classic sausage balls are great for the holidays!

Servings: 24 sausage balls


Ingredients:

• 1 pound pork sausage 

• 2 ¼ Cups shredded cheddar cheese

• ¾ cup Bisquick


Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the sausage, shredded cheese and Bisquick.

3. Form the mixture into approximately 24 one-inch balls.

4. Place the sausage balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

5. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Banana Nut Zucchini Carrot Bread


Prep time: 15 min

Cook Time: ~ 1H and 20 m

Servings: 12

Calories: ~400


Ingredients:

  • 2 cups finely shredded zucchini
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 2 finely shredded carrots
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup (218 g) olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup Lightly roasted nuts (chopped almonds, walnuts, pecans)
  • 1/2 cup Cranberries

Instructions:


Step 1: Prepare the Zucchini and Carrots

  1. Rinse the zucchini and carrots, and trim off the ends.
  2. Use a fine grater to shred the zucchini and carrots.
  3. Spread the shredded zucchini and carrots on a clean medium towel.
  4. Roll the towel up from one end and squeeze out excess water.


Step 2: Mix Dry Ingredients

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together:
  • Flour
  • Baking Soda
  • Baking Powder
  • Cinnamon
  • Salt


Step 3: Prepare the Wet Ingredients

  1. In a large bowl, mash the bananas.
  2. Add the following to the mashed bananas and stir until fully combined:
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Oil
  • Vanilla

  3.  Next, stir in the nuts and cranberries.


Step 4: Combine Ingredients

  1. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until fully combined.
  2. Gently fold in the grated zucchini and carrots until evenly incorporated.


Step 5: Bake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Lightly oil a loaf pan (~9x5x3 inches) and pour in the batter.
  3. Bake for 70-80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with light crumbs.
  • Tip: To prevent the top from browning too much, tent with aluminum foil during the last 10-15 minutes.


Step 6: Cool and Serve

  1. Let the bread cool slightly in the pan before cutting and serving.
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