Prairie Fare: A slow cooker shouldn’t be ignored in the summer months
Mom, that’s a female yellow pepper because it has four bumps,” my 14-year-old daughter said as she pointed at the peppers on a cutting board. “It’s sweeter.” She was grinning sweetly and looking at me. I mean my daughter, not the yellow pepper. “That red pepper is a male pepper because it has three bumps,” […] Read more
Children, older adults and outdoor workers are especially vulnerable to dehydration
Like many people, I have been busy with yardwork lately. We have had a proliferation of miniature maple trees popping up all over our yard, thanks to hundreds (maybe thousands) of propeller-like seeds dropping from our tree. I wander around the yard every day, inspecting my pots and gardens for the telltale reddish stems and […] Read more
Measuring cups and spoons, and digital temperature gauges take the guesswork out of modern cooking and baking
I thought back in time as I drove by the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center recently. I had reached the rolling hills near Washburn, N.D., on my way to the North Dakota 4-H Camp. Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark and their crew built Fort Mandan in the Washburn area in November 1804. The […] Read more
This tart seasonal favourite doesn’t have to be confined to desserts
Mom, how did they figure out we could eat rhubarb, anyway?” my older daughter asked me. I had cut some stalks of rhubarb and was disposing of the large green leaves. A wilted leaf caught her attention and soon she had it draped over her head like a large green scarf. Of course, she snapped […] Read more
Don’t let foodborne illness spoil your outdoor cooking and dining experiences
The other day, I wiped off and arranged the outdoor furniture on our patio after the furniture finally came out of storage. Then I sat down at the table to enjoy the warm breeze and admire the flowers I just planted. After a long, cold winter and spring, I was beginning to wonder whether warm […] Read more
Avoid the temptations of grocery store marketing strategies
I suppose this is going to be a column,” my son said as I pushed a grocery cart and he added items to it. We had paused in the produce aisle and he added bananas, oranges, strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, onions, potatoes, several types of peppers and other colourful produce items. He examined the items […] Read more
More herbs can help keep recipes flavourful while reducing fat and salt
Do you know what’s in the sauce?” I asked the server. “Do you not like it?” he asked. I need to adjust my facial expression, I thought to myself. “Oh, I like it a lot. I’m just wondering what the ingredients are,” I responded with a smile. “I am not sure, but I will check […] Read more
Food safety scares underline the need for proper food handling for fresh produce
A recent scare around romaine lettuce here in the U.S. (Canadian readers can rest assured they were unaffected, though the CFIA says it’s monitoring the situation) has many wondering just how safe those leafy greens really are. “Can I eat the romaine lettuce in my refrigerator?” one recent caller asked me. “No, we need to […] Read more
Make a nutritious and well-balanced salad ahead of time and enjoy it with just a few quick shakes to mix it
Every now and then I get a little envious of the creativity of my co-workers’ lunches. I have noted a couple of people making “salads in a jar” on occasion. All they need to do is gently shake the glass quart jar to mix the ingredients, grab a fork and enjoy their healthful creation. Maybe […] Read more
If you are a coffee drinker, you are not alone; nearly two out of three people have coffee daily
Do you start your day with a cup of coffee or two? Many people do. I remember the “egg coffee” that accompanied the traditional Scandinavian church dinners in my hometown. A raw egg was added to the coffee grounds before the coffee was cooked in a big pot on the stove. As a kid, I […] Read more
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