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Smith: Food donations | Food and Cooking
Jenna Smith There are many things to be thankful for this time of year, and one of them is having enough food to nourish our bodies and fill our appetites. However, the harsh reality is that nearly 20 million U.S. adults reported that in the last seven days, their household sometimes or often didn’t have enough to eat, and for those with children, nearly one in eight adults lacked sufficient food to feed their household. (Household Pulse Survey, September-October 2021). Many rely on food pantries to provide safe and healthy food, but these food pantries and food banks must rely
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Smith: Many names, flavors for dumplings across globe | Food and Cooking
Jenna Smith Dumplings are interestingly found in many world cuisines, each serving them in their own unique fashion. In a broad definition, dumplings are pieces of dough, which may be wrapped around a filling of meat, vegetables or fruits. Dumplings are generally made with flour or potatoes. Here in America, we typically know dumplings in the classic “chicken and dumplings” dish. Six simple ingredients, including flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, margarine and milk, are mixed to form a soft dough and dropped by spoonfuls into boiling soup or stew. Head to Poland and you’ll find pierogis, dumplings made with unleavened
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Smith: Black walnuts | Food and Cooking
Jenna Smith When I was growing up, we had an old black walnut tree next to our driveway that would drop walnuts causing me to trip over them while chasing my brother. I loathed this tree, especially when it was my turn to mow the grass, as I had to first rake the walnuts, wasting more of my precious time. Little did I know that we could have used these annoying nuts for delicious food. However, they’re a hard nut to crack. If you’re determined enough to remove the husk (hop in your vehicle and drive over them a few
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Smith: How much caffeine is too much? | Food and Cooking
Do you start your day with a cup of joe? My children now ask me if I’ve remembered my coffee as we pile into the car to drive to school and work. They know how important this cup of goodness is and how it can send me into a frenzy when I don’t have it. But is this everyday caffeine intake good for us or should we drop the habit? Caffeine is a stimulant naturally found in some plants, such as those used to make coffee, tea or chocolate. While most people can safely enjoy their morning cup of caffeine,
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Smith: Foil, iron skillet expand campfire cooking options | Food and Cooking
Jenna Smith I recently took my family on a weekend camping trip, where we experienced the great outdoors. We enjoyed the beautiful nature, the company of family and of course, the food. While we had the typical hot dog and hamburger meals, with two young children, I still got the request of “pizza.” No oven? No problem! There are a lot of meals that can be made over a campfire or grill. Foil packs are an easy no-mess solution to cooking over a campfire or on a grill. Use aluminum foil to wrap individual servings of nachos by topping tortilla
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Smith: Use ghee, like any saturated fat, in moderation | Food and Cooking
Jenna Smith You may have heard about a type of fat, often used in Indian and Asian cuisine, called ghee. It’s been touted as having many health benefits, including decreased inflammation and improved digestion. However, is there any evidence to support these claims? Ghee is clarified butter made by slowly melting butter, skimming off the milk solids and allowing water to evaporate. What’s left is ghee, a golden fat that is richer in taste than regular butter. It also has a higher smoke point, which makes it a great medium for high heat cooking. Since ghee is more concentrated than
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Smith: Lost the joy of cooking? These tips may help | Food and Cooking
The dietary guidelines represent the most current science-based advice on what and how to eat and drink for our best health. Terrence Antonio James, Chicago Tribune Jenna Smith I recently had a few conversations with friends and coworkers that all talked about how they are tired of cooking. I, myself, joined in or even started the discussion of feeling burned out. More time at home over the past year has evolved into more meals being prepared at home, but the enthusiasm and creativity has run its course. How can we get energized for planning and making meals again without sacrificing
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Smith: Keep gut microbiome well fed | Food and Cooking
The dietary guidelines represent the most current science-based advice on what and how to eat and drink for our best health. Terrence Antonio James, Chicago Tribune Jenna Smith Your gut microbiome is a complex ecosystem of microbes, such as bacteria and viruses, living in your gastrointestinal tract. While you may not even know this community of living things is inside your body, it has a tremendous effect on your health. In fact, keeping this microbiome healthy can help keep you healthy. Therefore, we must feed it what it wants: prebiotics and probiotics. Prebiotics are nondigestible food components found naturally in
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Smith: Things to know when buying eggs | Food and Cooking
The dietary guidelines represent the most current science-based advice on what and how to eat and drink for our best health. Terrence Antonio James, Chicago Tribune Jenna Smith There are so many things to think about when buying eggs, including the different grades, different colors, different ways the chicken is raised and the date on the carton. Here are a few answers to your questions. • Grades – USDA Grade A eggs are the most common eggs sold in stores. Grade A eggs have characteristics of Grade AA eggs except that the whites are “reasonably” firm. Grade B eggs have
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Smith: Time to dispel five food myths | Food and Cooking
The dietary guidelines represent the most current science-based advice on what and how to eat and drink for our best health. Terrence Antonio James, Chicago Tribune Jenna Smith Like in most subject areas, there will always be myths, particularly when it comes to food and health. Here are five nutrition myths I am happy to debunk. 1. Carbs are bad for you. Carbohydrates serve as your body’s preferred source of energy for daily tasks and they provide fuel for the brain. Healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and dairy provide carbohydrate. Choose these carbs more often than
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