If you hadn’t noticed, we are in the midst of a pickle obsession. Pickled flavored products are sweeping the nation, including pickle potato chips, pickle beer, pickle slushies, pickle popsicles, and even pickle cotton candy. The sweet, salty, sour combination of dill pickle seasoning can actually...

Nothing beats a cold treat in the summer heat. While ice cream is a popular choice, we cannot forget about sorbet. This frozen cup of deliciousness is packed with the taste of fresh fruit. Sorbet is made from the simplest ingredients: fruit and/or fruit juice and sugar. That’s it! It differs from...

While most Americans have three meals a day, not everyone partakes in breakfast, which is often referred to as the “most important meal of the day.” Maybe you’re in a time-crunch, maybe you’re trying intermittent fasting, or maybe you’re just not hungry.  Whatever the reason, you may wonder...

Pasta salad is the quintessential dish of the summer. This cold side dish makes it’s appearance at every cookout, picnic and potluck. It’s hard to pick a favorite pasta salad, when there are so many variations to choose from. There’s the antipasto salad, BLT pasta salad, caprese pasta salad, Greek...

If you’ve ever tasted hummus, you’ve likely eaten tahini. Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. It’s similar to a nut butter, but instead of using nuts, it uses sesame seeds. Tahini is typically expensive, and thus, I’ve always avoided this specialty ingredient. Instead, I always made...

This blog post was written by Illinois State University student, Hannah Gold. Zucchini is a great source of antioxidants and nutrients, but it might seem like there are only a few ways you can prepare it, such as eating it plain or with minimal seasonings. A fun new way to eat zucchini is...

Oregano is found in many herb gardens likely due to the large number of dishes it can help flavor. It’s famously known for it’s use in pizza and complements most any tomato dish. Fresh oregano has a bold peppery taste that pairs well with cooked vegetables, including eggplant and zucchini, egg...

Now that gardens are being planted, it’s my turn to plant this important seed: how you are going to use the bountiful harvest so that it doesn’t go to waste? Canning is one way to preserve your food, but if that always seemed too overwhelming and time-consuming, maybe you haven’t yet explored the...

Osteoporosis doesn’t typically have any symptoms, and most don’t know they have it until a bone breaks. While it mainly affects postmenopausal women, it’s still a major cause of fractures for older men, too. Prevention begins in childhood and continues throughout adult life, but no matter your age...

As a parent of two kids ages six and nine, I sometimes have to remind myself to stop doing everything for them. Rather it is my job to teach them the important life skills that will set them up for success as they get older and leave the family home. Establishing independence in the kitchen doesn’t...

Broccoli rabe, also known as rapini, isn’t the most well-known vegetable, but that doesn’t mean you should count it out. The whole plant is edible, it’s extremely easy to cook, and it’s loaded with disease-fighting nutrients. Broccoli rabe may have edible buds that resemble broccoli, but it...

I love a good salad but often get bored using the same greens and the same bottled dressings over and over. What’s the solution? Try watercress! Watercress adds a fresh, slightly peppery flavor that can be added to other salad greens or stand alone as the star. Hence the name, watercress is...

Springtime carries chances of severe weather, including thunderstorms, high winds and tornadoes that can lead to power outages and boil orders. Knowing what to do before disaster strikes can help you take charge in protecting you and your family. When the power goes out for a short time it’s...

If you’ve eaten sushi, you’ve likely encountered wasabi. The green paste is a condiment served alongside sushi or sashimi (raw seafood). However, most of us have likely not eaten actual wasabi. Real wasabi is the wasabia japonica plant, also referred to as Japanese horseradish. It’s lime...

Which is healthier, ground turkey or ground beef? Most people will tell you ground turkey, and they’re not wrong per say. But is it really that much healthier? First, when comparing one meat to the other, you must level the playing field and compare the two using the same number of ounces and the...

As berries start to ripen, mason jars are being gathered and dusted off in preparation for making jam. Unlike jellies, jams include the actual fruit and not just its juice. They’re made by cooking crushed or chopped fruits with sugar… lots of sugar! Jams will hold their shape and are easier to...

One of the questions I often receive is “what about coconut oil?” Coconut oil has increased in popularity because of it’s perceived health benefits, and people want to know if it truly lives up to all the hype. I often feel bad for disappointing people when I must tell them that coconut oil is not...

March is National Nutrition Month. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics created the annual campaign in 1973 (50 years ago), and it includes a new theme each year. This year’s theme is “Fuel for the Future.” But what exactly does that mean? Food is the fuel that our bodies need to keep our system...

With the price of eggs so high, you may be thinking that it’s time to cut back. Maybe you skip the scrambled egg breakfast and choose oatmeal instead, or you look for a vegan egg alternative that’s not equally as costly. But how do you substitute eggs in recipes, such as muffins, pancakes or...

I recently tried a new white chicken chili recipe and it called for both cannellini beans and Great Northern beans. I have always used one or the other, but never at the same time. The two beans in the same bowl of soup allowed me to see and taste their similarities and differences, though honestly...