Transform your kitchen into a safe mini bakery this holiday season. Holiday baking brings family and friends together and creates lasting memories as friends share recipes, stories, and meaningful time together.
Amid the flurry of flour-covered countertops and mountains of messy mixing bowls, keep food safety in mind. Make sure that your holiday baked goods bring you nothing but deliciousness by taking precautionary measures to prevent foodborne illness.
Know the dangers
We have all heard...
After a long summer tending to your garden, you may be getting a little tired. However, if you want your pumpkins and other winter squash to last well past the growing season, take special care when bringing them in this fall. If you intend to keep your pumpkins around for a while and use them later this year, keep reading!
The primary goal of food preservation, whether canning, freezing or dry storage, is to prevent food from spoiling before it can be consumed. Therefore, if you want your...
After a multiday team meeting, our group went out to dinner. A special at a local restaurant was a whole pumpkin, scooped out and filled with mashed pumpkin, seafood, veggies, and sauce. It was a hit!
While they're tasty and make for festive decorating, I find winter squash intimidating to cut up since many varieties of winter squash don't have flat surfaces to place securely on a cutting board. Haven't cut myself yet, thankfully.
Nutritionally, one cup of cubed butternut squash contains ...
When writing about specific fruits and veggies, I like to look at recipes with that food. I know how I'd use eggplant, but how do others use it? It seems like eggplant pairs endlessly with so many flavors across so many cultures. While eggplant can be the center of the dish, it can also compliment other ingredients. It's definitely worth adding to your next recipe!
Nutritionally, one cup of cubed eggplant contains around 20 calories, 5g carbohydrates, and 2g fiber, and contains vitamins and...
Peaches are one of a handful of foods I don't buy fresh unless it's summertime and I can get them locally. The quality and flavor of peaches in summer from a local farm is just. so. good! My favorite way to eat them is on their own. No muss, no fuss. But there are lots of ways to prepare peaches, with three tasty recipes at the end of this blog post to give you inspiration.
In reviewing resources for this post, I learned something new: "Non-Melting Flesh" and "Melting Flesh." Peach varieties...
Oh my, is it hot this week in Illinois! So, these five cold summer salad recipes will certainly taste great to help beat the heat.
I like salads (and recipes like salsa with a mix of different fruits and veggies) for a couple reasons. One, there are multiple different nutrients in one bite. Two, sometimes these foods are more fun and enjoyable to eat than munching on plain carrot sticks or an apple.
Plus each recipe has an ingredient that is growing in Illinois during summer months, from...
I don't remember growing up eating turnips. And while turnips are not my go-to veggie, I enjoy grabbing an occasional bunch when I visit farmers markets or local farms each year, primarily to shake up my food routine.
If you enjoyed turnips as a kid (or as an adult), how did your family cook and serve them? Write about your experience on social media and tag Illinois Extension.
Nutritionally, 1/2 cup cubed turnips contains around 18 calories, 4g...
Is it a zucchini or a cucumber? I get this question almost every time I talk with kids about that long, green vegetable. (They do have some similarities. It would be easy to confuse.)
If you garden, cucumbers seem to keep coming and growing and expanding across the soil! So, when you are ready to eat, know you can do a lot with a cucumber. From pickles to salads and from sandwich toppers to dippers, cucumbers can be used in many ways.
Nutritionally, 1 cup of sliced cucumbers contains around...
I'm ready for some green this spring! While you have lots of options with spring flowers and impending green blades of grass, let's talk about the humble celery. And we can celebrate that March is National Celery Month.
Nutritionally, a large stalk of celery contains 10 calories, 2g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, and vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A and...
It is estimated that 37 million adults living in the United States live with chronic kidney disease, and unfortunately, most are undiagnosed.
Chronic kidney disease occurs when the kidneys have been impaired or damaged, impacting their ability to filter waste and excess fluid from the blood. When the kidneys are not...
As a parent, providing safe, nutritious food for your little one is a necessity, but what do you do when the options run low? Many parents of infants are stressed and frustrated as the nation is currently facing infant formula recalls and shortages. On February 17, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Abbott Nutrition's...
A community member called my office several years ago with a really interesting question: why does the liner of my can of pineapple look different from my canned beans? Until that question, I hadn't paid much attention to the inside of my cans, except to look at the food. I think about that question sometimes, so in honor of Canned Food Month in February, let's explore commercial canning and can liners (or coatings).
Roles of Canned Foods
A LOT of foods are canned, and for...
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women. Most of us know someone who has been touched, in some way, by heart disease. Sound a bit scary? It doesn’t have to be because heart disease can often be prevented by adopting simple lifestyle changes. First, we have to understand what puts a person at risk for developing heart disease.
There is really no one specific behavior or factor that increases...
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women. Most of us know someone who has been touched, in some way, by heart disease. Sound a bit scary? It doesn’t have to be because heart disease can often be prevented by adopting simple lifestyle changes. First, we have to understand what puts a person at risk for developing heart disease.
There is really no one specific behavior or factor that increases...
Winter can be a shock to the system. Yes, it’s true, some of us live for the frigid temperatures and the snow and ice outside. But for the rest of us, we’d rather hunker down and wait for the Spring thaw. Whichever you prefer, though, the dramatic shift outdoors can have an impact on your body, including the micro-environments that your countless friendly microbes call home. That’s right, we’re talking about your microbiome(s).
You might have heard the term “microbiome” before in reference to...
Winter can be a shock to the system. Yes, it’s true, some of us live for the frigid temperatures and the snow and ice outside. But for the rest of us, we’d rather hunker down and wait for the Spring thaw. Whichever you prefer, though, the dramatic shift outdoors can have an impact on your body, including the micro-environments that your countless friendly microbes call home. That’s right, we’re talking about your microbiome(s).
You might have heard the term “microbiome” before in reference to...
Keeping our bodies hydrated is important for our overall health and wellness. Dehydration can lead to both physical problems (headache, fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite) and mental/emotional problems (confusion or delirium, irritation, and anxiety). It can be scary, dangerous, and it won’t always be signaled by thirst—especially in the winter.
Water Loss in Winter Months
During Midwest winters...
What is a food you never grew up eating, but now enjoy as an adult? There are several for me, including pears, asparagus, cauliflower, and kiwi fruit. I've had strawberry-kiwi flavored drinks, but never a fresh kiwi fruit until several years ago. I'm so glad I tried them, with their soft, sweet, and a little tart fruit with crunchy little black seeds.
One medium kiwi fruit contains around 40 calories, 10g carbohydrates, and 2g fiber, and contains vitamins and minerals, including vitamin K,...
