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Food and Fun

  • Love at first bite; Impress sweetheart with home-cooked meal

    It's less than 24 hours to V-Day and the pressure is on.

    If you're tired of standing in a last-minute line to fight for picked-over flower bouquets, cards, syrupy stuffed animals and boxes of candy, take heart.

    Nothing goes further than a homecooked meal for your sweetheart on Valentine's Day.

    Men, the findings of a recent Cosmopolitan magazine survey should pique your curiosity.

    That survey showed that 70 percent of women prefer a dinner cooked by a man than one from a five-star restaurant.

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  • Think outside the oatmeal box

    While oatmeal is one of the healthiest breakfast foods around, it's looked on with disdain by many.

    A co-worker recently told me "the best thing you can do with oatmeal is to give it to someone else," commenting on her dislike of it.

    "I can't stand the texture of it," she said. "It's just yucky."

    Her hatred of oatmeal doesn't diminish its body-boosting properties. A half-cup of rolled oats has more than a high fiber content, says weight loss expert Elaine Magee.

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  • Folic acid can give babies a healthier start

    It does take a little extra effort for a mother-to-be to eat healthy, but it has its benefits for her and the baby she's carrying. After all, she is eating for two.

    One of the most important nutrients pregnant women need is folic acid, a B-vitamin that is needed to ensure proper cell growth. It helps the neural tube (the part of the developing baby that becomes the brain and spinal cord) develop properly.

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  • Hoppin' John famous for bringing New Year's pot luck

    Most food historians agree that hoppin' John has its roots in Lowcountry South Carolina cuisine. But just how did this rich-tasting, luck-bringing, poor-man's New Year's dish get it's name?

    Made of peas, rice, pork and simple spices, hoppin' John is closely related to African and West Indian dishes with similar ingredients and was introduced to America by African slaves who toiled on rice plantations.

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  • Christmas breakfast: Let slow cooker do all the work

    Growing up on Erwin Farm, Christmas breakfast at our house meant fresh sausage and country-sliced bacon from the "freezer locker" (Lancaster Frozen Foods) and tons of Daddy's pancakes loaded with strawberries and blueberries.

    Folks, we're talking about platters full enough to feed Granny and Granddaddy Williams and Granny Summers, along with every neighbor and young'un within shouting distance, which usually happened. Our house was filled with the aroma of maple syrup, hot coffee and pancakes.

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  • Easy-to-make ornaments provide holiday joy

    Some of the best Christmas gifts ever received and given bear the touch of a child.

    Here are two low-cost ornaments that you can make with the help of your children that require little fuss and effort.

    Kids will have a jolly good time crafting non-edible Cinnamon Ornaments and Candy Trains for the Christmas tree and for their friends and family members.

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  • Kitchen shortcuts

    You're about to panic.

    If work, marriage, young'uns, homework and school projects and ball practice wasn't enough, you just found out that the office Christmas party is tomorrow.

    Somehow, you have to find the time to make a holiday treat that wows everyone. Yeah, right.

    So what do you do when time isn't on your side and you know that everyone is looking forward to seeing what you can come up with?

    First, take a deep breath, and start with a little planning.

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  • 'Easy as Tater Pie'

    'Easy as Tater Pie'

    Ingredients

    2 cups of sweet potato (not yams)

    4 teaspoons unsalted butter

    3 eggs

    3/4cup of whole milk

    1 cup granulated sugar

    1 teaspoon cinnamon

    1/4teaspoon nutmeg

    1 teaspoon vanilla

    1 9-inch pie shell (baked)

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  • McDonald Green students share can't miss Thanksgiving turkey recipe

    By GREGORY A. SUMMERS

    Features Editor

    A quality turkey net is half the battle to catching a good gobbler, said Justice Haynes.

    Justice is the second generation of the Haynes' family who has bought into the "get a turkey with a net" hunting method.

    "My daddy did that," Justice said, nodding his head with authority. "He caught one with a net. It took him about an hour."

    Justice and his 18 classmates are in Midenna Anderson's (aka Chief Runnin' Water) and Pam Craig's kindergarten class at McDonald Green Elementary School.

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  • Carving tips can make meal a big success

    Kraft Foods

    The hardest part of making a turkey dinner isn't the cooking; it's the carving.

    But it doesn't have to be that way.

    If you follow these six helpful hints, you can carve a turkey with the best of them using a knife and carving fork.

    -Let the turkey settle for at least 20 minutes after it has finished cooking. This allows the juices to settle. If the turkey was stuffed, remove the stuffing and place it in a serving dish.

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