Holiday Newsletter

Happy Holidays!

With the end of the year approaching and the holidays among us, Periodontal Associates would like to take a moment to share a few words of what we are thankful for, practice news, and even a couple of must have recipes!

Let’s Give Thanks

Everyone has something to be thankful for this holiday season.  First and foremost, Periodontal Associates is thankful and honored to work with such amazing patients.  We strive to give each and every one of our patients the highest quality care, and in return we often find sincere gratitude and affection given right back.   We also asked each team member what specifically they were giving thanks for this Thanksgiving. Here are a few of their responses.  I am thankful for…

·      All the smiling faces that come in our front door.  – CeCe, Hygiene Coordinator

·      My beautiful wife.  – Paul, Insurance Coordinator

·      The integration of recycling programs in public schools.  – Drew, Patient Coordinator

·      My sweet dog, Mica, and cinnamon vanilla coffee creamer.

                    – Maggie, Patient Accounts coordinator

·      Family, friends, and good health. - Barb, Office Manager

·      Working with such gifted doctors and team, my patient’s trust and confidence, living in this beautiful state of Colorado, and of course my friends and family.  - Dr. Eric Beckman

·      The birth of my two sweet children, my family, working with a fantastic and dedicated team, my friendship with all my patients, and my health.  - Dr. Doug Heller

·      My loving family, good health, my talented staff, and all my appreciative patients of whom some I have worked with for over 35 years.  - Dr. Ken Versman

·      My employment during these economic times, and my family and friends.         

                - Diane, Implant Coordinator

·      My new family, husband, and sons.  - Carolyn, Hygienist (married on Sept. 8, 2012)

·      Awesome patients that make my job worth it.  - Michelle, Hygienist

·      -My freedom, my family, my daughter, and a new job I look forward to growing with.

                - Genevieve, Scheduling Coordinator

·      My beautiful family.  - Shani, Assistant

·      Family, great health, and coffee.   - Erin, Assistant

·      Life and each new day.   - Amy, Assistant

What’s new?

As you may all remember, back in July of this year Dr. Eric Beckman joined the Periodontal Associates family, and we could not be more excited!  His background and education only further enhances the Periodontal Associates.  

Dr. Beckman and his wife, Lauren, are looking forward to their new life in Colorado and are excited to explore the city of Denver and the Rockies.  They both enjoy traveling, telemark skiing, fly-fishing, and hiking/camping when they find the time.  Dr. Beckman looks forward to meeting all of our patients, and extending Periodontal Associates commitment to a strong partnership with our patients, enabling them to achieve optimal health through an individualized approach to treatment.

In fact, please click here to view a recent interview of Dr. Eric Beckman.  Or you can visit Periodontal Associates YouTube channel. Go to www.youtube.com/periodontalhealth to see a list of all of our videos including Dr. Beckman, patient reviews, and instructional videos.

 

Also, instead of what is new, let’s take a look at what is old.  It is that time of the year where your insurance benefits are coming to an end.  Please take advantage of these services now as in most cases, any benefits left in Flexible Spending Accounts or Health Savings Accounts are lost at the end of the year. Please contact us to schedule your next appointment in order to utilize these benefits and improve your health.  Not to mention, Dr. Versman, Dr. Heller, and Dr. Beckman would love to visit with all of our patients during this holiday season. 

As a friendly reminder, we will be closed to spend time with our friends and family from December 24^th, 2012 until the New Year on January 2^nd, 2013.  We look forward to seeing you before then!

MMM, MMM Recipes

Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good

·         1 pumpkin, about 3 pounds

• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 pound stale bread, thinly sliced and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1/4 pound cheese, such as Gruyère, Emmenthal, cheddar, or a combination, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 2–4 garlic cloves (to taste), split, germ removed, and coarsely chopped
• 4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, drained, and chopped (my addition)
• About 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives or sliced scallions (my addition)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme (my addition)
• About 1/3 cup heavy cream
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Preparation

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment, or find a Dutch oven with a diameter that's just a tiny bit larger than your pumpkin. If you bake the pumpkin in a casserole, it will keep its shape, but it might stick to the casserole, so you'll have to serve it from the pot—which is an appealingly homey way to serve it. If you bake it on a baking sheet, you can present it freestanding, but maneuvering a heavy stuffed pumpkin with a softened shell isn't so easy. However, since I love the way the unencumbered pumpkin looks in the center of the table, I've always taken my chances with the baked-on-a-sheet method, and so far, I've been lucky.

 

Using a very sturdy knife—and caution—cut a cap out of the top of the pumpkin (think Halloween Jack-o-Lantern). It's easiest to work your knife around the top of the pumpkin at a 45-degree angle. You want to cut off enough of the top to make it easy for you to work inside the pumpkin. Clear away the seeds and strings from the cap and from inside the pumpkin. Season the inside of the pumpkin generously with salt and pepper, and put it on the baking sheet or in the pot.

Toss the bread, cheese, garlic, bacon, and herbs together in a bowl. Season with pepper—you probably have enough salt from the bacon and cheese, but taste to be sure—and pack the mix into the pumpkin. The pumpkin should be well filled—you might have a little too much filling, or you might need to add to it. Stir the cream with the nutmeg and some salt and pepper and pour it into the pumpkin. Again, you might have too much or too little—you don’t want the ingredients to swim in cream, but you do want them nicely moistened. (It's hard to go wrong here.)

Put the cap in place and bake the pumpkin for about 2 hours—check after 90 minutes—or until everything inside the pumpkin is bubbling and the flesh of the pumpkin is tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a knife. Because the pumpkin will have exuded liquid, I like to remove the cap during the last 20 minutes or so, so that the liquid can bake away and the top of the stuffing can brown a little.

When the pumpkin is ready, carefully, very carefully—it's heavy, hot, and wobbly—bring it to the table or transfer it to a platter that you'll bring to the table.

Serving
You have a choice—you can either spoon out portions of the filling, making sure to get a generous amount of pumpkin into the spoonful, or you can dig into the pumpkin with a big spoon, pull the pumpkin meat into the filling, and then mix everything up. I'm a fan of the pull-and-mix option. Served in hearty portions followed by a salad, the pumpkin is a perfect cold-weather main course; served in generous spoonfuls, it's just right alongside the Thanksgiving turkey.

 

We hope you enjoy these yummy recipes as your home fills with great smells and better company.  We look forward to visiting with you during this next month, and if we do not see you then, we wish you happy holidays! And as you enjoy the holiday treats, be sure to brush and floss away that sugar!

Warmest wishes,

Drs. Versman, Heller & Beckman and Periodontal Associates Staff