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 […]

Packet of instant oatmeal and packet of peanut butter.

Travel Hack: Healthy Oatmeal on the Go

Eating healthy while traveling can be tough. Whether it’s for one night or one week, being away from home can mean more eating out at restaurants – sometimes for every meal! To eliminate eating out for every meal, I have started bringing my own breakfast every time we travel. It has been a simple change […]

Ingredients cooking in a skillet.

Quick Weeknight Dinner – Mexican Quesadillas

Mexican Quesadillas with Vegetables and Black Beans Serves 8 Ingredients: Directions: Note: The same filling can be used to make soft tacos or burritos. Also, other vegetables such as mushrooms, sweet corn, onions, etc. can be added or substituted according to taste preference and availability. Serving Size – 1 Quesadilla Nutrition Information per Serving (excludes […]

Eggplant Stacks with Homemade Pesto.

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 […]

Persimmons on plant branch.

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 […]

overnight oats

How to Make Overnight Oats: Meal Prep for a Healthy Breakfast

Why Overnight Oats? Recipe for Overnight Oats Use this as a ratio and scale up or down as needed. Combine ingredients and divide into individual jars or containers if desired. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. This will store well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Top with fruit and nuts […]

Split picture showing slow cooker with ingredients and finished recipe.

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 […]

Plated Korean turkey lettuce wraps.

Quick Weeknight Meal: Korean Turkey Lettuce Wraps

My criteria for a weeknight meal: Quick. Easy. Healthy. How can I get a plate on the table in a short amount of time, cook while keeping an eye on my busy infant, and make sure it’s a dish I feel good about eating? I have a few recipes that fit the criteria and that […]