how to cook

5 Essential Rules of Cooking

Now that we have our new Dinah E. Gore Teaching and Research Kitchens on NC State Campus, I have been doing more culinary training including our Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes Cooking School. Working to help others be better cooks always makes me a better cook and helps me analyze what is important in […]

Is there anything to eat on the highway that is healthy?

Traveling and eating healthy is not always a winning combination. How can you stick to your healthy goals and still travel to see friends and family? When you are driving to your destination, it is a bit easier as you can pack a cooler or bag lunch for your trip. Bring along yogurt, peanut butter […]

Cook More, Waste Less

Last summer, I challenged myself and my husband to add more fruits and vegetables to ALL our meals, not just dinner. This summer I challenged myself and my husband to try to not waste any of the vegetables or fruit we bought. This came after finding a particularly slimy cucumber in the back of our […]

The Fall and Winter Fruit: Easy Persimmon Recipes

Persimmons are not as common in the US as other parts of the world, but we have been seeing more of them – which is great! Persimmons ripen in late fall to early winter here, so you’re probably seeing them on the grocery store shelves now. We recently got some in our produce box, so […]

An Instant Pot on a counter

Why the Instant Pot is My Favorite Kitchen Appliance

For many of us, Black Friday shopping is as much a part of our Thanksgiving tradition as the turkey is. Whether you are out at 5 AM shopping on Black Friday, or online shopping from home on Cyber Monday, take advantage of the sales and buy an Instant Pot! You may have heard of the […]

Slow Cooker Chicken and Butternut Squash

With the holidays fast approaching, it usually means that schedules become busier with less time to make meals at home. Around this time of year, I turn to my trusty slow cooker-both as a time saver and for a warm, comforting meal. For me, it doesn’t quite feel like fall until I bring out my […]

Prepared air-fried squash

How to Make Spaghetti Squash in the Air Fryer

Fall has certainly hit North Carolina which means it is a great time to experiment with spaghetti squash. One of my favorite ways to cook spaghetti squash is in the air fryer. What is Spaghetti Squash? Although in the squash family, spaghetti squash is not as starchy as other varieties. At only 42 calories per […]

Pomegranate Kale Salad

Servings: 6 to 8 Ingredients: 1 bunch of kale, stemmed and leaves julienned 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds 1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped Garnish with Parmesan cheese Dressing: 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon honey Salt and pepper to taste Directions: Place washed and stemmed kale in […]

What We Can Learn From the Longest Living People in the World

There are several places in the world where living to be over 100, with a healthy body and mind is the norm. Deemed, the Blue Zones, these rare longevity hotspots around the world are located specifically in Okinawa (Japan), Sardinia (Italy), Nicoya (Costa Rica), Icaria (Greece), and Loma Linda, CA (US). National geographic journalist, Dan […]