By ANN STILLWATER
Columnist
ARS29I@PSU.EDU
Welcome to the 2007-2008 school
year at Penn State Harrisburg, the
Capitol Campus! Since on-campus
students must cook for themselves
at least sometime, the “Spice it Up
with Ann” column will continue
to bring low cost, high nutrition,
food knowledge to expand cooking
repertoires. Columbus Day is almost
upon us, so this first column will deal
with a quintessentially American
food: popcorn.
It’s a delicious, nutritious and historic
snack food! Com was not found in
Europe, but in North America. The
imagination gets a workout, as one
thinks about how such a grain was
popped over a fire in prehistoric
times. The Native Americans showed
the newcomers from Europe how to
pop com. Popcorn strains have been
developed to pop larger, fluffier
kernels of com, and there are a large
variety of ways to enjoy popcorn.
Many folks think that popcorn is
unhealthy, because the microwave and
theater versions use large amounts of
unhealthy trans-fats in their “butter”
topping. Plain popcorn, a whole
grain, is very nutritious with about
10 grams of fiber in every seven cups
of popped com. High fiber diets have
been shown to decrease constipation,
colon cancer, breast cancer and
several other ills. For those of us
with slight compulsive tendencies,
popcorn is a healthier snack food to
munch on while reading or studying.
If you really want the convenience of
microwave popcorn, the 94 percent
fat free variety is surprisingly tasty
and much healthier.
It is easy and cheaper to make
popcorn yourself. A large pan with a
tight-fitting lid is needed. A heavier
pan is preferred by some - with cast
iron as the Cadillac. Other people
My Marketplace:
student to benefit
By JORDAN WISKEMANN
Staff Reporter
JLWIO62@PSU.EDU
Returning Penn State Harrisburg
students may have noticed what
looks like a new newspaper laying
around Olmsted.
Senior Layla
Dide b a n
created the My
Marketplace
publication to
show students
there are things
to do in the
community.
“I want people
that
to see
Middletown is
fun,” she said.
“I want them to
like it here.”
Dideban said
she came up
with the idea
while working
for the Village
of Pineford
last summer.
She moved in
a number of
students and
when she later checked on them, they
complained about Middletown.
“A lot of kids told me ‘Middletown is
boring,’” Dideban explained. “They
said, ‘There’s nothing to do around
here and there isn’t even much of a
campus life on weekends.’”
As the Advertising Manager for
the Capital Times, Dideban worked
closely with local business owners,
selling ads for the paper. She started
to think if businesses would offer
student discounts, PSH students
would be more likely to buy from
them. This would bring more traffic
through the business and give students
something more affordable to do.
w!tf Am T
prefer a light-weight aluminum pan,
since it heats up more quickly. Special
popcorn poppers are available as
well. Pans with popcorn “stirrers”
that are attached to the handle of the
pan may be a good investment if you
make a lot of popcorn and have space
in your kitchen.
Hot-air poppers make fat-free
popcorn but cost about $l5 and
take up space in a small kitchen.
Many folks prefer to have popcorn
cooked in oil since salt will stick to
it without added butter. If you make
air-popped com, there are healthier
ways to moisten it. Soy sauce,
Worcestershire sauce or olive oil is
a good substitute. Sprinkle it over
the popped com and add any other
desired herbs or seasonings.
Popcorn pops because it has a
small amount of moisture in it. The
hard outer hull keeps the moisture
contained until it reaches a high
temperature. When the steam
inside becomes hot enough, the
hull explodes, causing the fluffy
kernels we all enjoy. Old popcorn
loses its moisture and will not pop
well. Keeping popcorn in an airtight
container and perhaps in the fridge
or freezer allows it to maintain
freshness longer.
In nearby Lancaster County is
the family owned Reist Popcorn
Company. Visit them in Mt. Joy to buy
popcorn and see the huge mural on
their building. Since 1925, the family
has grown and sold popcorn. The 50
pound sack can be split between a lot
of folks or packed in mason jars with
ribbons as a gift. Visit their website
at www.reistpopcom.com for more
information.
Basic Popcorn
Pour about two tablespoons of oil
into the bottom of a pan and heat it
over high heat. Add three kernels
of popcorn. When these pop, add a
half cup of un-popped kernels. Shake
vigorously when popping becomes
Dideban made her first deal with
J&J’s Pizzeria. If J&J’s offered
students a 10% off coupon for a
week, Dideban would make sure at
least 150 students used the coupon.
She posted flyers around the school
advertising the deal, and she created
her own campaign on Facebook.com,
a webpage for students.
“I created the Because I’m Poor,
That’s A 11... campaign as a kind of
experiment,” she said. “I wanted to
see how well this whole idea would
work, so I would know if I should
take it further.”
During her campaign, Dideban met
people from Diversified Acquiring
Solutions, a credit card processing
company. She found they
shared the same idea. Dideban and
people from DAS worked to create
a plan where PSH students would
receive a discount swipe card.
Any business that would allow the
discount swipe card to be used would
frequent. As popping slows, remove
the pan from heat and pour the
popcorn into a large bowl. Add salt
and enjoy. Popcorn salt is finer than
regular salt and may have butter
flavor added.
Spice up the popcorn with a variety
of seasonings. Add chopped garlic
to the pan just as the popcorn starts
to pop. Sprinkle with seasoned salt,
cayenne, Italian seasoning, sugar and
cinnamon or grated cheese to excite
the palate.
Honey Caramel Com
From Honey.com
This recipe is delicious and
addictive. It makes a great gift,
especially if given in decorative,
air-tight container. A thermometer is
not needed; 265 degrees is hard ball
stage. If a drop of the honey mixture
forms a hard ball when dropped into a
cup of cold water, it is ready. Boiling
it three minutes will work fine too.
- Makes 6 servings -
Ingredients
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Dash of salt
desired)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 quarts popped popcorn
Directions
Melt butter in large saucepan; stir in
sugar, honey and salt. Cook and stir
until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce
heat to medium; boil without stirring
about three minutes to 265 degrees.
Remove from heat; stir in orange
peel and soda. Place popcorn in large
oven-safe bowl; slowly pour syrup
over popcorn while stirring. Turn
onto greased 15-1/4 by 10-1/4 by 1/4-
inch baking pan. Bake at 250 degrees
for 45 minutes; stir every 15 minutes.
Cool. Break into serving-sized pieces.
Store in airtight container. Makes
three quarts (six servings of two cups
each).
made by a
students
get a lower card processing rate from
DAS.
According to Dideban, no other
school has ever created anything
like this. She visited nearly every
Middletown business to get them to
sign onto her plan.
“I started from scratch,” she said.
“I spent about
6 months on
Photo courtesy of LAYLA WDIBAN/Capital Times
start liking this
school and being more involved
in the community,” Dideban said.
“But, business won’t buy the ads if
students don’t use their discounts, so
I hope people take advantage of it.”
Some businesses have even planned
special nights just for the students.
Dideban’s currently working out
details with Roberto’s for a student
pizza night, and with Hair-Port for a
student makeover night.
“When parts of the project are
completed, I get excited, but
until people start using their
discounts and getting excited, I’m
not satisfied,” Dideban said. “I don’t
think it will ever be finished to me.”
1 teaspoon grated orange peel (if
it, and put in
between 12
and 15 hours a
day.”
Dideban
designed the
first issue of My
Marketplace
with the help
of a few
close friends.
PSH’s Student
Activities Fund
is sponsoring
her first two
issues, and
Middletown’s
Press and
Journal will
each
“I hope people
Campd£a Cendar
“Roots and Fiction: New Works
by Four Painters” featuring the art
of Dorothy Frey, Jay Noble, Heidi
Leitzke, and Sarah Noble” is open
to the public through October 12. A
reception and gallery talk is from 5
to 8 p.m. October 2. Gallery hours
are Monday through Friday 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m.
Journalist and Author of Enrique’s
Journey. Sonia Nazario, a projects
reporter for the Los Angeles Times,
has spent more than two decades
reporting and writing about social
issues, earning her dozens of na-
tional awards. She will discuss her
book Enrique’s Journey, on Monday,
October 8 from 1 p.m to 2 p.m. in
the CUB.
Tiling s ]kl A A f| To
You Ii CvU Know
Penn State Harrisburg, with the
largest selection of master’s and
doctoral programs in the region, is
hosting a Graduate School Infor
mation Night at 6 p.m. Thursday,
October 11 in the campus library.
Flag Football- Applications are now
being accepted for flag football stu
dent officials. Please contact Julie
Stoehr, Coordinator IM Sports/Fit
ness/Recreation at 948-6267 or
jrslol7@psu.edu for more informa
tion.
Upon entering the CUB, all students
must swipe their PSU ID+ cards at
the front deck. Students who do
not have their PSU ID+ card will be
denied access to the Capitol Union
Building fitness areas.
Date: MOlldcl
Time:
J%MmLir£!
THE CAPITAL TIMES
Experience Harrisburg 2007 -Down
town job and internship Fair will be
held on Thursday, October 11 from
4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. the job fair will
start at the Whitaker Center for Sci
ence and the Arts. There is no cost
to attend. For more information,
please call the Harrisburg Regional
Chamber and CREDC, at 717-232-
4099 or visit www. Experience Har-
risburg.com
Aquatics Department’s Fitness
Swim Group- On deck coach
ing available by Aquatic Center
Coordinator, Mary Lou Watkins
on Monday evening 5 p.m. to 6:30
p.m. Workouts available through the
week
Rosters for co-ed water polo are
available at the Capital Union
Building. Co-ed teams of 7-8 plays
are needed. This intramural sport
is being offered for the first time at
Penn State Harrisburg and experi
enced and inexperienced players
are welcomed! You do not have
to be a great swimmer to partici
pate. Roster submission deadline
is noon, Monday Oct 1 and rosters
may be turned in to Mary Lou
Watkins, Aquatic Coordinator office
on pool deck. Teams must sign up
in advance and attend at least one
instructional session/ week for the
first 2 weeks of the program. The
remaining 4 weeks will consist of
scheduled games. There will be a
mandatory Captain’s meeting on
Tuesday, Oct. 2 at 9:30 on the pool
deck. Questions can be directed to
Mary Lou Watkins at 948-6664 or
948-6740.
10AM to 6PM
Penn State Harrisbur
Communit
Sponsored by the XGl's
LOCATION HAS MOVED!
We Need You to Take the
Extra Steps To Donate
Blood and Save a Life!
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Hfilll n ire
HVI S|B H
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- October 8,2007
THE BLOOD DRIVE
October 1, 2007
Gymnasium schedule on
Friday, October 5 will include
Kinesiology class from 10 a.m. to
11:50 a.m. and Athletics from 2 p.m,
to 9 p.m.
Penn State, in collaboration with
NGOZI INC, is hosting radio and
TV personality Travis Smiley at the
Scottish Rite Cathedral on October
20, 2007 and the sth annual Black
Male Summit on October 25, 2007.
The first 75 students to sign up in
C-120 Olmsted Building will be
given a free ticket to both events,
otherwise tickets for the October
20th event are: $35, $45, & $55 .
Please contact Stephanie White at
948-6180 with any questions.
The Capital Time is looking for
writers, columnists, and photog
raphers. No experience is need.
Stop by E-126.
Drop into the Learning Center in
C-216 or schedule online for writing
and math tutoring at http://www.
rich 15.c0m/psuh. For other courses,
e-mail tutorrequest@psu.edu.
As a reminder, a large portion of the
Penn State Harrisburg campus is
now a tobacco-free zone
The area bounded by Penn State
Way, College Avenue, and Olmsted
Drive (the central core of campus)
is now tobacco free. This includes
Ziegler Commons, Vartan Plaza, and
the athletic fields. Signage is being
placed informing faculty, staff, stu
dents, and visitors to campus of the
tobacco-free zone.
Center
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