Basics & Beyond: No Place Like Home?

Tara Fitzpatrick

FRESH BAKED: Lou Lorton of Horizon House serves up warm and welcoming comfort on a plate.

Lou Lorton, DTR
Dietetic Technician
Horizon House
Seattle, WA

“We are striving for a more home-like environment on our supported living floors. For example, we call each floor a ‘neighborhood’ and there is a servery on each floor, which we use every day in addition to the dishes prepared in the main kitchen. The serveries — where cookies are baked daily — are part of our vision of being involved in the rhythm of the residents' daily life.

“We want the aroma of cookies baking to permeate the floor. I think it's working to make things homey. We get so many comments, even from the staff: ‘Those cookies smell SO GOOD.’ Yesterday, I saw oatmeal raisin cookies piled high on a plate, still warm, and that just looked like home.

“Creating this environment took a great deal of organization. We identified items that our diet aides — who are not trained cooks — could prepare in the serveries, Cookies have been a great choice.

“Residents, who are doing different activities throughout the day in the area, get the feeling that they are in their home living room and someone is baking cookies in the kitchen. That's a nice feeling. It has increased their anticipation and appreciation of everything that we are serving that day.

“With age and medications and all the different things seniors have going on, their appetites sometimes suffer. Pain, for instance, really diminishes the appetite. Having the aroma of cookies can help stimulate their gustatory urges.”

Virginia Beck, RD
Coordinator to Registered Dietitian
Clark County School District
Las Vegas, NV

“All of our cookies are reduced-fat, and they are very well received. I don't think the kids even notice, and they definitely don't mind. Especially to the younger kids, a cookie is a cookie. Our selection of cookies includes sugar cookies, chocolate chip, carnival cookies, sprinkles, and raisin-oatmeal. Reduced-fat cookies are better for children. Having the cookies helps cut down on their cravings for fat.

“Our student wellness policy allows for no more than 30 percent of calories in a certain food to come from fat. Our cinnamon rolls — we make about 30,000 in our central kitchen every day — are also reduced fat.

“When making cookies, you can easily use less butter or margarine in most recipes. You can experiment with substituting apple sauce or prune paste to replace that flavor and moisture.”