Articles

Prairie Fare: Gardening promotes health, connections

The other day, my 15-year-old daughter and I were pruning some decades-old geranium plants. The ancestors of these plants belonged to her great-grandmother, who died before World War II. Although I never knew my grandmother, I feel I have a connection to her through these plants.

Prairie Fare: Keep up with milk breaks this summer

“I’ll have chocolate milk,” my 9-year-old daughter said the other night at a restaurant as we celebrated her sister’s birthday and the end of the school year.

Prairie Fare: Plan ahead when packing up for a picnic

As a kid, packing for a picnic was the start of an exciting adventure on our way to a state park or lake setting. We loaded the old camp stove and coolers filled with a variety of foods and left early in the morning “before the heat.”

Prairie Fare: Son’s graduation prompts food for thought

“They grow up in a blink of an eye,” our friends with grown kids would remark a bit wistfully when we arrived with a stroller carrying our bright-eyed baby boy.

Prairie Fare: Grow your own salad

As I wandered around our (finally) snow-free backyard, I had the urge to get my hands dirty. Our three dogs already had accomplished getting their paws muddy in our soggy backyard as they scampered playfully, nipping at each other’s heels. We all needed a little time outdoors to romp in the sunlight.

Prairie Fare: Food additives serve unique purposes

“I have been reading the long ingredient lists on food packages. I’d like to consume fewer food additives, so can you send me a list of all of them and what they do?” the person asked me.

Freezer meals take heat off daily cooking

In the Midwest, most of us have been looking out our windows at a giant walk-in deep freeze since late fall. I think most would agree that we are ready for the outdoors to go through a “defrost cycle.”

Can you guess the budget-friendly food?

Here are a few hints about a food that could stretch your budget. Do you know what it is?

Seven steps to creating a delicious soup

“I made the wild rice soup mix, but I added a few things,” my husband commented one day on our way home. “That sounds good,” I responded.

Are artificial sweeteners really that bad?

Every now and then, someone emails me a story that is circulating on the Internet or Facebook. One day, the information was about artificial sweeteners. I happened to have a can of diet soda next to me.

Columns

Does eating comfort food reduce stress?

“I hadn’t heard of ‘hot dish’ until I moved here! We called it casserole,” one of the college students remarked.

Pasta an economical, easy meal base

Boil. Drain. Serve. Even after a long day, most of us can manage the cooking directions for pasta.

Try to moderate salt intake in your diet

“If I don’t get a glass of water, will I survive until morning?” I asked myself sleepily. Despite being incredibly thirsty, I took my chances. Besides, I was too tired to crawl out of a warm bed at 2:30 a.m.