DIRECT TEACHING -- Western Avenue Community Center...Consumer Nutrition

• 05.20.09… Soy Foods on the Market… great response and interaction!
• 06.17.09… Dating Game/ Food Storage
• 07.15.09… Poisons in the Home

Parkinson's Support Group… St. John's Lutheran

• 06.16.09… Caregiving Relationships

COORDINATION ---Food Safety

• Preparation for Dating Game/ Food Safety program for Western Avenue Seniors
• Continuous Canner Testing!
• People calling needing canner parts
• Coordination of upcoming Microwave Safety programs
• Coordination of upcoming "Does Your Kitchen Pass the Food Safety Test" program
• Selling canning books…. Reordered!
• Calls about getting canning parts.

Sampling of consumer questions in food safety….

• Q: A rhubarb and strawberry jam question.
• Q: I am to take Chicken Teriyaki to a special dinner and I live a couple of hours away… how should I do that and serve safe food?
• Q: I've looked all over for instructions on how to home can beets… just plain beets, not pickled. Can you help me? A: gave him a copied page from So Easy to Preserve.
• Q: What is the All American Canning Company contact number? A: we have that
• Q: Do I need a special canner for peaches or can I just use a stock pot? A: if you use a rack in the bottom and the pot doesn't extend over 4" on either side of the burner on the stove.
• Q: I've canned for years. Now my jars seem to loose liquid. What am I doing wrong? A: We went through all 7 reasons this could happen.
• Q: I have these great Vidalia onions. Used part of one… how do I store it until I use it? A: Press n Seal works well… store in vegetable drawer in refrigerator.
• Q: Along with some other meat freshly packaged, my son dropped off a frozen pork roast dated 2007. Is it safe to eat? A: It is safe. Not recommended to use for good quality, though.
• Q: Via our web site…. " I blanched greens beans for 3 min and then packed in jars. For some reason, I processed in a pressure cooker, at 15lbs pressure for 4 minutes. Thinking later this is not right, I looked through canning book to see that it should have been 20 min at 10 lbs pressure. Can these beans be reprocessed safely? A: yes, if within 24 hours of the 1^st processing time.
• Q: How long do you blanch green beans before you freeze them? A: 3 minutes
• Q: (from Fairbury)… Safety of brine of vinegar & spices for refrigerator pickles. How long can be kept in refrigerator when no processing was done. A: up to a month.
• Q: If a ham is hickory smoked and says ready to cook, does that mean I need to cook it more? A: yes
• Q: I'm freezing zucchini to later make a chocolate/ zucchini cake. Will that work? A: yes
• Q: I want to know about spaghetti squash… canning and freezing.
• Q: Are these commercially canned foods ok? Sweet Sue Broth from July of '08? A: Yes.
• Q: Freezer door left open about 5 hours. I saw a light downstairs and went down to look. Are the hash browns ok? Peas? Everything was still pretty frozen… it's ok.
• Q: I'm freezing corn. I usually cut it off the cob, then blanch it. Is that ok? A: blanch it on the cob, dip in very cold water, then cut it off cob…
• Q: How much citric acid do you put in peaches to can them? A: 1 tsp. powdered/ gallon of water. 6 (500 mg tablets) / gallon of water.
• Q: Is there a web site I can go to about freezing and canning? A: http://www.uga.edu/setp/
• Do you know if the information I have on deciphering bar codes on food is a hoax or not? Including figuring out country of origin etc. A: It's a hoax… go to http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/barcodes.asp

COORDINATION---General Nutrition

• 06.04.09…drafted a letter of support as a co-sponsor for Heartland Headstart to obtain a grant. We agreed to provide educational in-services for staff and programs for families of children aged 0-3 and pregnant moms. Food Safety Glo Germ; Nutritious Snacks; Letters from Baby (prenatal care); MyPyramid activities and tasting stations; Dangers in the Kitchen; Food Budgeting; Meal Planning; Food Storage; Kids Can Help in the Kitchen; Food and Fitness.
• 06.09.09… Spoke with a Center for Human Services counselor and 17 year old client about eating nutritiously. The CHS client and counselor say no one in her household eats correctly. The ones who try she doesn't agree with and would like to just take charge of her own nutrition. I referred her to our website which has links to many good sources including MyPyramid.gov.
• Preparation for Soy Foods on the Market program
• Coordination for Program Review 06.24.09
• 07.06.09… DCFS nutrition class
• Coordination of upcoming Food Budgeting programs and viewing the "Depression Cooking with Clara" series.

Sampling of consumer questions….

1. Q: How many minutes on each side for grilling a filet mignon?

2. Q: What is the difference in the calcium in soy milk and calcium in 2 % cows milk? A: soy milk has 80-90 mg in 8 oz. and 2 % cows milk has 306 mg.

3. Q: Can you help me with this recipe? 1 box angelfood cake mix, 1 can crushed pineapple. Bake in 9 x 14 pan until done.

4. Q: I will soon be cooking dinners at my church for about 75 people at a time and wanted to see if you had a flyer on how to freeze leftovers/ what foods freeze well and what foods don't. A: We have that and I mailed it. I also told her she might want to get a copy of the book… "Food for 50".

COORDINATION--- Healthy Family Relationships

• Working on extension council nominees to represent seniors.
• Scheduled a COLORS personality program for CDV Neville House staff… June 26
• Young at Heart Day work.
• Working on details of Young at Heart Day.
• Working with Peoria Catholic Charities on long term Bloomington client needing to finish her nutrition classes.
• Diversity Retreat Project planning meeting with Jeff and Sandy McGhee
• 07.07.09…HCE annual meeting, program, luncheon
• 07.14.09… Staff and FCS meetings
• Coordinating plans for big Diversity Retreat in April
• Young at Heart… much time spent!
• 07.30.09… Young at Heart Day…. 450
• 07.16.09… McLean County Diversity Project… extended welcome to Family Life Educators.
• 07.22.09… Q: What is the formula for cleaning drains? A: Ã??Ã?½ c. baking soda & Ã??Ã?½ c. vinegar. Cover. Let sit for 15 minutes. Followed by boiling water.
• Coordinating 2 HCE… De-Cluttering lessons to cover for Charlotte being gone.

• Q: Consumer with Blood stain on mattress A: referred to Extension's Stain website… easy to use!

COORDINATION--- Care giving Relationships

• Preparation for Caregiving Relationships program for Parkinson's Support Group…. June 16.

News Releases 1) Weekly Pantagraph/ Community News/ and area newspapers "In the Kitchen" columns 2) County Extension Newsletter articles—Food Safety

News Releases—Food Safety

1. Canning… Safe Summer Food Preservation…
2. Summertime Q & A… Eggs on the Sidewalk
3. Dial Gauge Canner Testing
4. September is National Food Safety Education Month
5. Canning Green Beans and Dial Gauge Pressure Canner Testing
6. So Easy to Preserve
7. Canning Tomatoes Safely…. Updated

07.10.09… Interviewed by Bob Holiday at the Pantagraph Newspaper about Summer Hot dogs… nutrition

1. Mold in the Home

News Releases—General Nutrition

1. Nutrition and Family Programs
2. June is Dairy Month…
3. Beef…How much to buy
4. Pizza with Vegetables
5. Nutrition and Family Programs
6. Summertime… Grilled Chicken Breast
7. Farmers Markets…What's in Season?
8. Summer Grilling… Filet Mignon
9. Budgeting Food…Handout #1… portion 1

News Releases—Healthy Family Relationships

Is it better to grow up later?

Newsletters –

NUTRITION & FOOD SAFETY ; FAMILY & CAREGIVING RELATIONSHIPS

Due to budget cuts newsletters continue on e-subscription only with the exception of 128 Diabetes Lifelines monthly & 30 e-subscriptions

Food for Thought Newsletter e-newsletters = 33

Wellness Ways Newsletter e-newsletters= 42

Your Health and You Newsletter e-newsletters = 24

Connecting with Kids = 37 e-newsletters

Nibbles = 30 e-newsletters

Parenting Again = 16 e-newsletters

PDO--- General Nutrition

1. 05.19.09…Team Telenet and PDO on Food Safety from U of G
2. 05.21.09…Nut. inservice telenet

June… Nutrition inservice for professionals… Mediterranean Diets and Metabolic Syndrone

PDO--- Healthy Relationships

• 06.02.09… Retreat at Unity Center… Teamwork
• 07.13.09… Where service providers will try to capture the new map of services as it relates to budget cuts in state funding.
• 06.23.09…Staff meeting
• 06.23.09… FCS meeting

PDO--- Caregiving Relationships

• 05.18.09… Senior Wellness Coalition …shared organizational programs and economic strife.

COMMITTEES--- Healthy Family Relationships

…05.28.09… Young at Heart committee meeting

DIRECT TEACHING

• 03.25.09…Food and Fitness training for families of CCRRN
• 04.08.09… Food and Fitness… Heartland Community College… Project Rise
• 04.15.09… Western Ave. Seniors Consumer Nutrition on Shopper Psychology

1) Our state nutrition team is getting requests for a " storage chart available for use by food pantries". They have also requested info in regards to the freshness and sell by dates and if they should/should not distribute this food. They are worried about liability. Do the food banks offer guidelines to the pantries? Kristy Gilmore, Mgr of Food and Agency Resources, Central Illinois Food Bank offered us a specific chart to distribute. www.centralilfoodbank.org

Sampling of consumer questions in food safety….

1) Q: Are potatoes safe to eat after they start to sprout? I know not to eat
the sprouted part itself, but the sprouts are very small and don't cover
the entire potato, so if I cut that part away, along with a generous
margin around it, would that be okay? Also, how can I prevent potatoes
from sprouting in the future?.... A: Potatoes should be stored in a dark location with a temperature of 38 to 40° F . Potatoes will sprout if temperatures are too warm, while they will taste sweet if temperatures are too cool. Do not allow potatoes to freeze. I included a storage fact sheet I put together with more information on the storage of potatoes.

2) Q: I had a ham for Easter. Can I freeze that for two weeks? … A: That would be fine. Some sources say don't freeze smoked and cured foods but on the short term should be fine.

3) Q: I want to avoid the self clean mode on my oven. It smokes and gives me a headache. What can I do to spot clean? A: I gave her earth friendly oven cleaning options.

4) Q: I canned green beans last summer and 1 jar is cloudy. Is it safe?

COORDINATION---General Nutrition

1) Prep for Food and Fitness programs

2) Prep for Consumer Nutrition at Western Ave. Seniors

Sampling of consumer questions….

3) Q: I'm going to a potluck and usually take a meat-type dish. I'd like to try stuffed green peppers this time. Do you have a recipe for that? A: I did & it's one of my favorites.

4) Q: At what temperature do you bake meringue cookies ? A: 200 F

COORDINATION--- Healthy Family Relationships

1) 03.30.09… Cammy Seguin presented "Building A Better Memory" at the Library in Gridley for 12 people (5 males, 7 females). Laurie Kinsella is contact person. They had a grant and paid her $100 Cammy sent her a list of Family Life programs that might be appropriate for that audience.

2) 04.06.09… I directed American Concierge magazine to Cammy Seguin, family life educator, to talk about the importance of family doing things together. Sounds like she is going to also include things about family doing things together to save money in these trying economic times as well. I told her if she has specific questions about Bloomington/Normal after she is done talking with you she's free to talk with me again. (that may have confused her.. but I'm good at confusing people, aren't I? )

COORDINATION--- Care giving Relationships

1) 04.02.09… Caregivers Meeting

News Releases

1. Potato…storage
2. Kitchen psychology...Shopper Psychology and Marketing. It works!
3. Kitchen psychology...Why Do We Buy Products WE Don't Use?
4. Food and Fitness
5. Media...Wax on Vegetables
6. Shopper Psychology… are you a Dipper, Weaver or Perimeter Shopper?
7. Nutrition Inservices
8. Upcoming Programs
9. oung at Heart Hobby Displays
10. 10 Tips for Raising Kids on the Cheap
11. Nutrition and Family Newsletters promotion

DIRECT TEACHING

• 02.07.09…Cooking for One or Two… Parkinson's Support Group… St. John's Lutheran Church, Bloomington.

COORDINATION ---Food Safety

1) Still working to have a class on History of Food Preservation for McLean County Museum of History in the fall of 2009

Sampling of consumer questions in food safety….

1) Q: I left eggs out for 8 hours in a cook place are they ok? A: we can't tell you they are safe if you left them out for 2 or more hours at room temperature (anything below 40 degrees is not acceptable. )

2) Q: I am looking for a new electric element stove. Which ones have a coil element built to hold a canner? A: No matter what electric element stove you get you need a special canning element to use on it or you will kill your stove. It sets up higher off the top of the stove and the brackets are stronger to hold up to the weight of a canner.

3) Q: Where can I get sealing rings for pressure canners? A: Kirks Appliance… I have the contact info.

4) Q: Do you have the sanitizing solution guidelines for kitchen cleaning? A: 1 T bleach per gallon of water. You can also go on www.clorox.come

5) Q: What are the guidelines for storing pizza dough in your refrigerator? Also the freezer? We've kept it almost 2 weeks before. We are still alive but would still like to know the guidelines. My son gets 6 pizza balls out of one recipe. It is the best crispy dough and he makes his own sauce. We are saving SO much money! A: guidelines would be only 3-5 days in the refrigerator and use within a month in the freezer for best quality.

6) Q: I have a bunch of Crocus and was wondering if I pulled the stamen out, dried it & made a saffron spice out of it, would it be safe to use? A: I went to SearchExtension.org and found information from North Carolina Extension. .. Saffron is the most precious and expensive spice in the world. It comes from the dried stigmas of the saffron flower, Crocus sativus Linneaus. Each flower contains only three stigmas. These filaments must be picked from each flower by hand, and more than 75,000 of these flowers are needed to produce just 1 pound of Saffron.

1) Pantagraph Nutrition Column… Chuck Blystone notified us that 400 words max. for columns from now on. That's about 24 lines in Word or 1 page 1 ½ spaced I figured out.

2) Coordination dietitians to present for Westminster Village's All Resident Assembly.

3) I'm working with Lisa Thompson at Child Care Resource & Referral Network (CCRRN) planning a training for families. CCRRN has a special grant to offer Parent Education Trainings to child care centers for their families to attend. They are interested in a Nutrition & Fitness workshop.

4) Rock Island Arsenal Child Development Center has an In-Service Day coming up for their staff on May 22. They were looking for someone to do a training with staff who work with a wide age range of children 6 weeks to 18 years. One Training in the lines of Cooking with Children in the Classroom and teaching nutrition. Recipes that would require teacher supervision and recipes children can mix and make on their own in the cooking area. Their second training would be on Food Handling and sanitation for the kitchen staff and for the teachers in the classroom serving family style dining. I copied a reply back giving them the Rock Island Unit information with Cheryl Reidenourer's name and county director Michael Woods.

5) Children's Discovery Museum visit in preparation for upcoming programs.

Sampling of consumer questions…..

6) Q: The cantalopes I buy always seem underipe. Is there a technique I can use, after bringing the cantalopes home, that will maximize their flavor and sweetness? A: Smell the stem end and if it smells like a sweet cantaloupe you have a good one. I sent him my article on choosing cantaloupes.

7) Q: The doctor says I have crossed over the threshold into the age of diabetes. Are there any cookbooks you could recommend? A: I told him that the American Diabetes Assoc. has cookbooks that would be excellent & offered to put him on our list for Diabetes Lifelines.

COORDINATION--- Healthy Family Relationships

1) 02.27.09… Family Life Extension educator, Cammy Seguin, presented the Local Leaders training on "Violence Across the Lifespan". Margery Ruch from the CIDA-Central Illinois Dietetic Assoc. volunteered to come in to speak for a few minutes about National Nutrition Month RACE/ WALK DAY that CIDA is sponsoring. Part of the proceeds go to support Nutrition programs in McLean County!

COORDINATION--- Care giving Relationships

1) Invited Caregiver Advisor from PATH to co- teach a program on Caregiving for Parkinson's Support Group June 16. We will be coordinating more such programs in the future.

News Releases

1) National Nutrition Month…2009

2) Easter…Eggs

3) Diabetes and Food… Vitamin D

4) High Fructose Corn Syrup

5) Figuring out the Holiday Ham

6) Nutrition Inservices

7) Recent & Upcoming Programs

8) Young at Heart Committee requesting Hobby Displays

9) Newsletter Subscription Form

10) Getting through Tough Financial Times added to Home & Families page as primary link.

11) Posted news release on Don Layman's nutrition telenet for April 16

Newsletters –

Due to budget cuts newsletters continue on e-subscription only with the exception of 128 Diabetes Lifelines monthly & 30 e-subscriptions

Food for Thought Newsletter e-newsletters = 33

Wellness Ways Newsletter e-newsletters= 42

Your Health and You Newsletter e-newsletters = 24

Connecting with Kids = 37 e-newsletters

Nibbles = 30 e-newsletters

Parenting Again = 16 e-newsletters

COORDINATION ---Food Safety

1) Still working to have a class on History of Food Preservation for McLean County Museum of History

2) Working with Heartland Headstart on a program a parent training on Safe Food Preparation.

Sampling of consumer questions in food safety….

1) Q: With the peanut butter recall… are peanuts safe to eat? And is my peanut butter safe as well? A: our web site had the latest findings.

2) Q: I'm having problems with cooking oils having a rubbery residue on my skillet after I cooked a soybean hamburger. I used a spray on oil. Should I use maybe olive oil? A: The rubbery residue is from the spray on cooking oil. It doesn't work on some utensils… aluminum is one. Try a good oil such as corn oil or canola oil. You also need to properly season your cast iron skillet.

3) Q: Young woman with new weighted gauge canner processed the water out of the canner and has a few questions. How did this happen? A: 1) Heat too high and too much steam escaped? 2) didn't put enough water in canner to begin with?

4) Q: I have 2 cans of sardines and there is no expiration date on them. I need to know if they are good or bad.

5) Q: I have little bugs in my oats. How do I get rid of them?

6) Q: What are the most recent updates in canning? A: in 1989 they established recommendations for acidifying all tomatoes with either vinegar, lemon juice or citric acid.

7) Q: My daughter in-law is thinking of starting to preserve by canning. I just wanted to know if there have been any changes lately in the guidelines. A: We talked awhile… I sold her the canning book we carry, So Easy to Preserve.

COORDINATION---General Nutrition

1) 01.16.09…Judy from Headstart called for a Feb 24 program on Nutrition for the parent & child connection meeting… We will supply a variety of menus for a week… balanced and cheap!

2) 01.15.09… Julie Short called from Western Avenue Seniors wanting to put us on schedule for 1x / month for programming.

3) 01.15.09… Children's Discovery Museum wants programming during March, Nat. Nut. Month. Pat Backsmeier will be doing that. CDM celebrates the Year of Science this year. Nutrition month in March will be part Ag Week activities or on a separate day devoted just to nutrition. CDM has a fabulous new exhibit, Healthy Kids, Healthy Future on the first floor and would love to have some hands-on activities for that area. Ag Week is 3/17-3/21 and NanoDays from 3/28-April 5. They also have some fieldtrips on Fridays as well as it being spring break 3/23-3/27…very busy time and people always like free activities. They ask us to keep them in mind for any future collaborations we can work on to promote Health and Nutrition in our community.

4) A student, Danny Burke, from IWU called to talk about the Food Stamp Program (SNAP) being introduced in Bloomington Farmer's Market using the Link card. Iowa has 103 Food Stamp Farmers Markets and Illinois only has 1 and that is in Logan Square in Chicago.

5) 02.03.09…Nikki Wynn from Heartland Community College, Faye Freeman-Smith's coordinator needs a Living a Healthy Lifestyle program on April 8. Thought I would do U of I program… Food & Fitness.

Sampling of consumer questions….

1) Q: Some fresh eggs from the store got hidden in my car and have been in there a week. Will they be ok? A: with the varying temperatures, dipping close to 0 every night, sunshine in the days, and the fact that the shells are cracked not a good idea to use them for anything.

2) Q: Should there be a concern about high fructose corn syrup? A: It is a less expensive sweetener found in soda pop and processed foods.

3) Q: My friend makes banana bread from over-ripe bananas that are so ripe they are leaking. She said that's the recipe she has always worked from. Have you ever heard of this and is this necessary?

COORDINATION--- Healthy Family Relationships

1) Gridley Public Library will host a program given by Cammy Seguin on Building a Better Memory.

2) They also are looking for a knitting teacher for an evening children's program. I think I found 3 teachers!

3) Heartland Community College's Kym Ammons-Scott has requested a COLORS Personality Program teacher. I sent a notice out to Patti Faughn and Cammy Seguin.

News Releases (nutrition & food safety)

…Baking…. Chocolate Valentines Day and Baker's Chocolate

... Freezing Foods that Don't Freeze Well

…Cholesterol Numbers

… Honey Adds Health Benefits… U of I study

… All About Eggs (for Easter)

… Peanut Butter recall

… Professional Inservices

… Wellness article

… Diabetes article

…Is Cooking from Scratch Really Less Expensive?

… Peanut Butter updates each day.

… All About Eggs (for Easter)

... Baby's Sleep States

... Stop Itching…Pets and Fleas

... Light Boxes are a Thing of the Past: X-Ray Goes Digital

Newsletters --NUTRITION & FOOD SAFETY

The following newsletters mailed or e-mailed to subscribers.... Total = 257

Diabetes Lifelines 128 mailed + 30 e-newsletters = 158

Food for Thought Newsletter e-newsletters = 33

Wellness Ways Newsletter e-newsletters= 42

Your Health and You Newsletter e-newsletters = 24

Newsletters—CAREGIVING RELATIONSHIPS

�§ The following newsletters mailed or e-mailed to subscribers....

Parenting Again 16 e-newsletters = 16

COORDINATION ---Food Safety

Candace Summers, Director of Education at the McLean County Museum of History called about the new exhibit opening in March 2009 entitled "Come and Get It! Eating and Drinking Habits in McLean County." They are starting to come up with ideas for programs to do during this exhibit and thought a great one would be a Canning workshop, where we could teach participants basic canning techniques and talk about the history and process of canning, maybe even can something simple as well. The only hitch is where to hold the workshop… they do not have the facilities to do something like this. They were thinking to do this perhaps late summer or early fall. I contacted U of I educators Jananne Finck and Shirley Camp. Vrooman Mansion is starting cooking classes maybe they would let us use their facility and publicize the partnership with Extension and McLean County Museum.

Consumer calls in food safety…. A few are listed below…

...Q: Canned goods were frozen in storage on a screen porch. Canned salmon etc. Are they safe to use even if I see no damage to the cans?

...Q: I mailed some oranges home with a special note to NOT to let them freeze but they arrived frozen. Now what? A: Don't let them thaw until you are ready to eat them, then only partially thaw them. OR… make fruit smoothies.

...Q: Can you freeze fresh mushrooms? I'm talking about the plain, white sliced msuhrooms you can buy in the produce department, not the fancy, expensive ones. They are on sale this week and it made me wonder if I could buy some, freeze them, and then have them on hand to put in soup or salad. A: You can freeze the mushrooms and they would probably be fine for soups and casseroles. Some people would not recommend it, though. I say try it and see what you think. Don't expect to be able to use them in salads, though, but you can see what you think. It's kind of like when you freeze a tomato… great in chili's, soups, and casseroles but don't expect to be able to make a great BLT sandwich with it!

COORDINATION---General Nutrition

1) Dec. 16… Met with Newspaper Features Editor, Chuck Blystone, and Linda Smith.

2) Request for program on Cooking for One or Two from Parkinson's Support Group.

3) Coordinating with Charlotte on Money Smart week.

4) Q: Have you heard of a cut of meat called the Flat Iron Steak? She paid $4.00/ lb A: we checked the web for ratings and ways to cook. Upscale restaurants are beginning to serve it. A: The Flat Iron Steak (also know as a Top Blade Steak), now appearing in grocery stores and on restaurant menus was developed by teams at the University of Nebraska and the University of Florida. The problem that presented these researchers of the cow was what to do with a waste cut of beef from the shoulder of the cow. Though a flavorful and relatively tender cut of meat, the top blade roast has a serious flaw in the middle of it; an impossibly tough piece of connective tissue running through the middle. cutting and presenting this steak, these friendly scientists have presented to us an amazing cut of beef. More than that, they have developed a nearly perfect steak for the grill. The Flat Iron (supposedly named because it looks like an old fashioned metal flat iron) is uniform in thickness and rectangular in shape. The only variation is the cut into the middle of the steak where the connective tissues have been removed.

COORDINATION--- Healthy Family Relationships

1) YAH… Young at Heart day solicitation for hobby displays has begun

2) YAH… New committee members?

3) Promoting Living Single in a Couples World seminar for Jan. 26

News Releases (nutrition & food safety)

4 Pantagraph newspaper/ Community News "In the Kitchen" columns for January-----

… Obesity… more thoughts

… Mold…Good And Bad Mold On Food

… Frozen Canned Goods

… Raisin Sauce… Country of Origin…2

… Gallon...What is in a Gallon

Mid Central Community Action

Spoke with clients in lobby and passed out Food Budgeting materials.

News Releases

5 News Releases (nutrition & food safety) submitted to Pantgraph/ Community News "In the Kitchen" columns for December-----

• Cookbook is more than Just a Cookbook
• Meal Planning & Time Management for Holidays
• Making Sense of Portion Sizes
• Fat Substitutes for Baking
• How to Experiment with Recipes

County Extension Newsletter articles--

• How to Experiment with Recipes
• Nutrition Telenet Inservices
• To Reduce the Fat in a Recipe
• Procrastinating…. "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow".
• Five Minute Couple Stimulant

Newsletters --NUTRITION & FOOD SAFETY

The following newsletters mailed or e-mailed to subscribers....

Diabetes Lifelines

Food for Thought Newsletter e-newsletters

Wellness Ways Newsletter e-newsletters

Your Health and You Newsletter e-newsletters

Parenting Again e-newsletters

COORDINATION ---Food Safety

Q: How many days can you keep a fresh turkey in your refrigerator? A: 3 days at most

Q: If I make a Pecan Pie on Tuesday can I leave it out of the refrig. until Thursday? A: yes

Q: How long can you keep pumpkin pie in the freezer? Is a month ok? A: yes… some people don't like pumpkin pie kept in the freezer but it gives you some for later, doesn't it.

Q: Shelf life of Peanut oil? We've had it two years in the barn. A: I advised not with the temperature fluctuation. One year at most is the recommendation for storage of peanut oil anyway.

Q: How long can things made with cream cheese frosting and milk set out?

Q: My daughter makes Oreo Balls which include cream cheese filling that isn't baked. Is it safe to leave those out for days? A: If it's a filling and not baked. No.

Q: I make my own salsa using commercially canned tomatoes. Usually I make a large batch and freeze in smaller containers. Is it safe to water-bath can the salsa even though the tomatoes have already been canned once? I assume I need to use acid in the salsa as I would for canning fresh tomatoes.

Q: When making homemade applesauce, my Ball Blue Book says to select top-quality fruit. How much apple damage is acceptable? Bruises? Insect damage? Small gashes? Is it OK to cut out small areas of damage and still use the fruit? The applesauce boils thoroughly during cooking.

COORDINATION---General Nutrition

11.25.08… worked on Fact Find Feeling Fine in 2009… HCE didn't know who was committed to doing it. Donna nor Cammy didn't know so I did it.

12.09.08… EC FNP Planning… WIC cooking schools… telenet with Kathy Reiser, Phyllis Herring, Bev Combs.

Q: How much turkey do I need to buy per person? A: 1 pound per person or 1 ½ if want hearty proportions.

Q: I am a FCS agent in KS. You had an article on friendship bread and included a starter. I did not save your article and am needing it to share with a local client. Can you email it to me please?

Q: I'm making mashed potatoes with sour cream, garlic, cream cheese etc. for Thanksgiving. Would it be ok to mix it up and refrigerate it on Sunday until then? A: Might want to keep potatoes separate until then… they may settle into the rest and become more compact.

Q: I'm preparing a pie for a family member who has just found out they are allergic to yeast & wheat. Can I make a pie with rice flour? A: I referred her to Marsha Bishoff with the Central Illinois Celiacs Assoc.

Q: I'd like to see if I could make a pumpkin pie without it weeping! Can you help me? A: try preparing the custard ahead of time and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. This allows the ingredients to blend thoroughly & may help prevent "weeping" or the release of extra moisture, once the pie has been chilled.

Q: What is so great about Balsamic vinegar? I have a recipe that calls for it. Can't I just use regular vinegar? A: just the flavor… yes you can use regular vinegar if you wish.

Q: I attended your Slow Cooker class and have since obtained a pressure cooker. I would like help with cooking a bee roast in it. A: You are talking to the right person! That's the only way I do beef roast!

Q: What is the fresh onion equivalent to dried? A: 1 small onion = 1 T dried onion flakes.

Q: I'm trying to figure out oven space for Thanksgiving. I've never used a Roaster before but I have one. Can I put a casserole dish in there without having to put it in the bottom of the roaster? A: we decided to do the ham in the roaster.

Q: How do you substitute Honey for sugar in a recipe? A: 7/8 c honey per 1 cup sugar and omit 3 T liquid from the recipe.

Q: What time should I count on cooking in a slow cooker if I cut the recipe in half? A: We found the number for Rival Corp.

Q: how would I substitute Olive Oil for shortening? A: Not recommended for cookies.

Q: I have a recipe for brining a Turkey. How long do you leave it in the brine? A: I wasn't here on Wed. but they referred her to our Turkey for the Holidays website.

Q: If my eggs say "sell by Nov. 29" can I bake cookies for Christmas? A: Most certainly can! You can go another month or two.

Q: I am working with an elderly gentleman who is searching for a recipe for Fiddle Faddle. Can you help us? A: Yes, it has a basic caramel corn glaze and uses mixed nuts.

COORDINATION--- Healthy Family Relationships

11.24… working with INCCRRA to provide a Stress Management speaker for a breakout on Dec. 9. Short notice but Cammy Seguin will be presenting .

Consumer Questions

Q: Cleaning out mom's house and need to know who to contact about disposing of dried paint. A: since the mom is in Knox County I gave her a couple of numbers in that area for recycling and conservation programs.

Food Preservation

Preservation calls…. A few are listed below…

Q: I have tomatillos and want to can salsa? How many minutes do I water bath?

Q: I am canning green tomatoes for slicing and eventually frying. Do you have any special instructions for that? I have a lot of tomatoes and is willing to give this a try! A: I suggested boiling water bath instead of pressure canning. She already knew about adding acid and salt (optional)

Q: How can I freeze apples to be used later in a pie?

Q: How long do I need to bake a frozen stuffed pepper?

General Nutrition Coordination

• McLean County Museum is doing an Apple Tasting Fest in November. Needed help finding local makers of apple cider and growers of Heirloom variety apples.
• Diabetes Grocery Tour is a go! Nov. 19, Wed. Scheduled three dates for 2009 as well.
• I secured "Gourmet by Grandma" to talk about her businesses in Fairbury and Bloomington.
• Coordination for host site of IEAFCS annual meeting and board meeting Oct. 10
• Coordination for host site of IEAFCS PDO Oct. 9
• Slow cooker train the trainer program planning
• $ Food Budgeting program planning for Town of Normal
• Caregivers Day OUT! Nov. 7 Second Presbyterian Church, Grace Hall
• 1. Chair Massage, foot/hand care, Wi Interactive games, Master Gardeners, Music
• 2. Successful Aging Center will facilitate "Laugh Yoga"
• 3. Inspirational message by Rev. Peggy Vogelsinger & pianist Julie McClary
• 4. Lunch provided by Luther Oaks.
• 5. Panel Discussion includes legal and caregiver resources, YWCA, and Pharmacist

Professional Development

1. State Nutrition Team Telenet

2. "Portion Size Me!"--- by Dr. Jim Painter---EIU Family & Consumer Sciences Chairperson.

3. Two day Food Safety Symposium in Champaign hosted by Illinois Dept. of Public Health… Excellent… 14 seminars on current food safety information. We even had someone speak from Homeland Security.

4. I hosted two day face to face State Nutrition Team meeting at our office.

1) Fit Kids Recipes

1) and 1 hour interview w/ Paul Swiech about "FIT KIDS…Eating Out"

2) offered at Theresa's request…. 4-H… GET UP & MOVE

2) Hunger Awareness in McLean County Event April 14-19

1) Sunday, April 13….Churches begin to promote Hunger Awareness Week

2) Monday, April 14… Employers begin to promote Hunger Awareness Week among employees and customers. Set up time for booths is 12pm-5pm

3) Tuesday, April 15…Open House at Midwest Food Bank…morning sessions 7:30am-12:00pm. Afternoon sessions---open to public---1:30-6:00p.m. Skip lunch to Fight Hunger

4) Thursday, April 17… Dine Out to Fight Hunger….Supporting Restaurants will donate 10% of proceeds on this night to Midwest Food Bank.

5) Friday, April 18…Caring Together: Center of Hope 7:00-9:00p.m.

6) Saturday, April 19… Volunteer Appreciation Night… Praize Celebration: Celebrating past, present, and future MFB volunteers! Special performance by : ReZound

3) Intern. ISU Nutrition Student

a. This past month she has…

b. Attended a professional inservice …. on Broccoli & Tomatoes…Eat Them Together Life will be Better.

c. She led an activity at Healthy Kids night for McLean County Family Child Care Providers.

d. She prepared an interactive display on the Mediterranean Food Pyramid for Catholic Charities parents and children who attended the ISU International Family Fest at ISU Bone Student Center Circus Room.

e. She attended our office Family and Consumer Sciences team meeting.

f. As well as the Hunger Awareness Event planning.

g. She will do a demo in April for the Normal Public Library.

4) Column in paper

a. Promoting Money Smart Week

b. & Hunger Awareness Week

5) Blues, Blahs, and Bouncing Back

a. Presented to Parkinsons Support group

b. Presented to Alzheimers Early On-Set group.

Direct Teaching

1. Picky Eaters for Children's Foundation parents

2. Month of January...Blues, Blahs and Bouncing Back programs. Well received.

Pantagraph/ Community News "In the Kitchen" columns

1. January ... New Year Food and Exercise Promises
2. Car...Leftovers and Car Temperatures
3. Kitchen Psychology and Marketing. It Works.
4. Cast Iron Cooking
5. Fasting
6. Chocolate Thoughts to Savor Valentines Day
7. Citrus Fruits All Year
8. Work Now...Eat Later
9. Food Science and Yeast Dough

Web work

1. Updated the Nutrition In-service Telenet announcement as information came in...also a home page feature
2. Added FAQ...Frozen Canned Goods
3. New Year– What are Your Food and Exercise Promises to Yourself? (In the Kitchen Column update)
4. Updated the Welcome to the Kitchen teaser and column.
5. Fasting Does Not Promote Good Health
6. Updated Nutrition Page features.
7. Added Front Page Feature... Diet Resolve Fading? Science Supports Making Small Changes.
8. Your Guide to Diet and Diabetes link posted as a feature on home page.
9. Happiness...Researchers Seek Routes to Happier Life
10. Blues, Blahs and Bouncing Back Feature on home page.

Coordination in General Nutrition and Food Safety

Coordination

1. Chuck Blystone from the Pantagraph newspaper called about putting my column in the Pantagraph. The first column was on Dec. 19, my birthday! This is a big increase in exposure. I'm excited! For the past 13 years I have had a column in the Community News with a shrinking circulation.
2. Coordinated the set up of the Jan. Nutrition for Professionals inservice.
3. Jan 29 & Feb 7...Attended planning meetings for the first Hungar Awareness Day in McLean County in April 2008.
4. Interviewed by Mary Ann Ford from the Pantagraph for their year long endeavor on "Fit Kids"
   1. They will feature U of I Extension Healthy Snacks with Nutrient Analysis with each recipe.
   2. They are also featuring Healthy Meals for Kids. I sent her information on my Picky Eaters program
   3. I also sent her information on how to get to the MyPyramid Blast off Game from our web site.
   4. During the interview we spoke of "peer influence" and how to control "out of control" portion sizes. 5) The recipes will be posted on Pantagraph.com

Sampling of Questions on Nutrition and Food Safety

1. Q: I have a recipe that calls for a food processor but I was wondering if the functions of the food processor and a blender are interchangable. Would it work if I used the blender as a food processor? A: The blender is for liquids & the food processor is used for solid foods. They work best when used for the purpose intended.
2. Q: Once a year elderly regular visited with canning questions. Rhubarb, pears etc. He's looking forward to the 3 digit birthday in a number of years.
3. Q: I was trying to find out what the name of the wax used on rutabagas. I was just wondering if you could what kind and where you could buy it?
4. Q: I have a turkey I didn't use last year at Thanksgiving. It's been frozen all this time. Is it safe to use? A: Yes, but you don't want to keep it any longer for quality reasons.
5. Q: When I buy eggs on sale sometimes the expiration date is within just a few days. Are they safe to use after that date? A: Yes, the packer allows 4-5 weeks beyond the date for maximum freshness and you may keep them longer if you wish. Just keep them refrigerated.
6. Q: Do you have a good illustration picturing the proper and improper temperature taking for food service? I need it to train my workers in one region of my organization. A: I e-mailed the nutrition team while checking my files. I also left a message at the Health Department and contacted Food Talk newsletter. None of them had such an illustration.
7. Q: I've had my peanut oil for a year stored in the basement. We used it last Thanksgiving. Is it ok to use it this year? A: BASICS....Strain it with cheesecloth. Do not mix it with other oils. Combining different types of oils also lowers the smoke point. Store it in a cool dark place. Smell for rancidity. Use a thermometer to get it to 375F. If it smokes before it reaches 375... it has lost it's quality beyond what you should use.
8. Q: (Tuesday)... How long will it take to thaw a 17 lb. turkey? A: about 4 days. Are you planning on serving it for Thanksgiving? If so you can use the cool running water the day you serve to finish the thawing. (she is serving it on Sunday so she will have ample time to thaw it afterall.)
9. Q: Do you have the recipe for sanitizing solution with bleach? My basement flooded and I want to treat it before mold & mildew set in. I've gone through this before but lost the recipe proportions of bleach to water.
10. Q: I want to use bleach in limited amounts and have questions about laundry, refrigerators, and septic tanks.
11. Q: I found a smoked fully cooked ham that had been in my freezer for 6 years. Is it safe to eat?
12. Q: I left a roast to thaw and decided not to use it. Can I refreeze it? A: If it still has ice crystals. Some of the quality will be lost but it will be safe.
13. Q: I have sugar cookie dough in my refrigerator since before Christmas. Is it still ok to use? A: No, it has raw eggs in it and should only be kept in the refrigerator for a few days.
14. Q: I have canned Salmon I left in the car for two days. Is it ok to use? A: No, it has frozen and can seams are not stable as foods freeze and thaw. Don't use it.
15. Q: I have a Kitchen Aid Mixer and need to find which screw to turn to adjust the beaters. They are too high. A: Fortunately I just bought one about a year ago and also needed to adjust mine so I could tell her.
16. Q: How do I prepare spaghetti squash? A: I referred them to our Solutions web site and put a search in for our fact sheet. Also went over boiling, baking, preparing like spaghetti with tomato sauce.
17. Q: Kudos for Cast Iron Cooking article in Pantagraph. Further questions on preparing OLD cast iron cookware. Also a question on avoiding stringy beef in a cast iron dutch oven. I had Lodge Mfg. send her an e-mail as well as an acquaintance who does classes using cast iron cookware.
18. Q: Can you freeze cottage cheese? A: no, the liquid separates from the cheese... not recommended.
19. Q: What is the shelf life of home canned foods? A: About 12 months is longest recommendation. For commercially canned foods... 2-3 years.

Coordination in Caregiving Relationships Programs

1. Wrap up meeting for CDO, Caregivers Day OUT.
2. Request... "I work part time for the YWCA Homebased services, have a mother and brother-in-law with Huntington's Disease and have working with others who are caregivers. Would you send me a set of Caregiving Relationships so I may make copies to have on hand?"
3. Arranged Blues, Blahs, and Bouncing Back program for Parkinson's Support Group with Sondra Knobloch for March 18.

Coordination in Healthy Family Relationships programs

1. Assisting a mother with parenting classes for her daughter. A judge ordered she attend classes before Jan. 31. I also suggested Children's Foundation, Health Dept., and Partners in Parenting.
2. Assisted a financial office with obtaining a replacement copy of Grandma's Yellow Pie Plate. Their original had worn out!
3. Attended training for "Blue's, Blahs, and Bouncing Back"
4. Attended training for "Finding Your Get Up and Go!"
5. H.C.E. coordination with meetings, 90th Anniversary Celebration plans, and their big Brighten Your Holidays program.

Working with Volunteers...ISU Nutrition intern

Stephanie attended...

1. FCS meeting
2. Staff meeting
3. Nutrition Telenet in-service
4. 2 Hunger Awareness meetings

She helped with a Healthy Kids programs for Child Care Providers.

Professional Development

Nutrition Team Meeting face to face in Galena. Each team member took 3 examples to share of what other teams are doing. Bob Reber talked on Metabolic Syndrome. Cheryl Reidenauer talked on the Arthritis, Nutrition and Wellness program. We spoke on Jennifer's survey for all Nutrition audiences to start in the spring. Powerpoint on Consumer handling of fresh produce: Are we placing ourselves at risk? (from Rutgers University Dept. of Food Science.) Another Powerpoint on Food: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Outbreaks in Illinois. Brenda Derrick spoke on locally grown food.

Nutrition and Aging Conference at Decatur Conference Center.

Teen Diabetes Telenet in-service

Developing Local Food Systems...Supporting Locally Grown Foods

Update for November

The theme for November was "What Should your Plate Look like?".

We drew a place setting including the dinner plate, a small plate for fruit and a glass. Then, step by step we broke down how this meal should look. I had the kids share their favorites in each food group and wrote them on the "dinner plate". Then I showed them how they had planned a menu and encouraged them to go home and share their ideas with the main grocery shopper in the family.

I also did a consumerism lesson for a BHA evening group. I did the Peach taste/price lesson where participants taste peach samples to try to determine which brand is which. We talk about cost vs. taste.

We also had staff and FCS meetings, and a training in Champaign.