chef preparing food

Manitoba Culinary Institute hosts Black Box Challenge

The Manitoba Canola Growers Association and Manitoba Pork offer up scholarship funds 
in a student-based culinary competition

Students at the Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts employed their homegrown ingredients as they faced off in a Black Box Challenge to earn scholarship funds and bragging rights last week. Assiniboine Community College hosted its annual Black Box Culinary Competition on April 9-10, sponsored by Manitoba Pork and the Manitoba Canola Growers Association. Competing students



people prepping a vegetable salad

Food preparation evolves as the family nest empties

Prairie Fare: Potato Soup Mix in a Jar

Mom, what college-credit class should I take next fall?” my 16-year-old daughter asked. I gulped. College? Already? My neighbour was surprised, too. “Are you going to be a senior in high school?” she asked my daughter. My daughter nodded, and I started feeling very sentimental. My brain did a “flash forward.” Before long, we will

cooked turkey on a plate with vegetables

Food safety tips

Keep these tips in mind as you celebrate the holidays

Food is an important part of many celebrations. However, many of the foods found at holiday parties, such as baked goods, eggnog, cider, seafood and turkey, can carry viruses, bacteria or parasites that could cause foodborne illness. Health Canada would like to remind all Canadians of some basic steps they can take to help reduce


 photos: thinkstock

One good thing about rain

RecipeSwap: Garden Fresh Potato Salad, Cheese Baked Zucchini, Cucumber Cream Soup, and more!

Was your garden slow to start this spring? Mine limped along too. Then we had that little sprinkle over the July long weekend. Outside inspecting it the first dry evening afterward, I found masses of squeaky pea vines, huge frilly lettuces, bouquets of basil and parsley, zucchini plants that may take over the planet, dill

Teachers see a much different dynamic in their classroom compared to 25 years ago, says Alison Delf-Timmerman, Treherne-based home economics teacher in the Prairie Spirit School Division and board member of Manitoba Association of Home Economists (MAHE).

Province promises long-overdue update of home economics curriculum

Curricula used to teach classes such as family studies and foods and nutrition in 
Manitoba schools has remained unchanged since the late 1980s

Manitoba home economists are applauding a provincial plan to give the home economics curriculum a long-overdue update. The current one is 25 years old, said Alison Delf-Timmerman, a board member of the Manitoba Association of Home Economists, which has been asking the province to freshen up the curriculum. “It definitely needs updating,” she said.“We’re very


Report cites concerns related to the “normalization” of processed and packaged foods” and concerns that the next generation’s food choices will be limited because they lack confidence to prepare food.  photo: thinkstock

New report says improved food literacy key to a healthier life

Conference Board of Canada says too many people can’t understand nutrition labels, 
make a meal in their kitchen, or stick to a food budget to reduce waste

Improved food literacy would improve the health of Canadian adults and children, says a new report from the Conference Board of Canada. The number of books, television programs and websites dedicated to food — not to mention diets — continue to multiply, but our understanding of food isn’t necessarily getting better, says the 46-page report.

Annual food safety reminder

Many of us have fond memories of family picnics and outdoor cooking from childhood. All you needed was a blanket and some food and you could set up a picnic on your lawn, at a park or even in the living room in the winter. Today, grills are prominent features on most patios and decks.


Keep The Learning Going

Mom, what exciting things are we going to do this summer?” my seven-year-old daughter asked. “I thought we would relax and read,” I replied. I was tired from the week’s activities. “Relaxing and reading doesn’t sound very exciting,” she said. She told me all about her upcoming school activities. To mark the last week of

Time Influences Meal Preparation

If you were to draw a circle and break it into a wheel with 24 segments representing hours in the day, how would you spend your time? I’ll get you started. On an average weekday, you might spend eight hours sleeping and nine hours working. If that’s the case, you have used up about 70