Author: Marcia Steed

I graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Home Economics Education. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and traveling.

Bread Omelet

Marcia Steed 1 Comment
Half of a bread omelet sandwich on a plate

Bread Omelets are a common and popular street food in India. There are as many way to prepare them as people who make them–recipes abound. Similar to French toast, bread is dipped in eggs and then cook with an egg omelet filling. In India, it is usually served with chutney.

Sometimes it is just plain fun to try something new. A bread omelet is just that! It makes a great, quick and easy, breakfast sandwich. The filling may be any combination of ingredients–eggs, cheese, veggies, meat, spices, and butter. Add a side salad and breakfast sandwich becomes lunch or dinner. Like other egg and cheese recipes, bread omelets should be consumed within 2 hours of preparation or refrigerated.

The Food Network website has a how-to video showing how easy it is to make a bread omelet. This one-pan method makes clean up a breeze. Not only is a bread omelet incredibly fun and easy to make, but it’s also incredibly tasty and nutritious!

Marcia Steed

I graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Home Economics Education. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and traveling.

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Freezing Blueberries for Year-Round Blue

Marcia Steed 6 Comments
Cartons of blueberries

Stock your freezer with blue–blueberries, that is! Blueberries may be preserved by canning, freezing, and drying. Freezing is, by far, the easiest means of preserving for future use. Frozen blueberries are also super simple to use–rinse and thaw for a delicious snack or addition to whatever is being whipped up. They promise a burst of flavor and nutrition as frozen blueberries retain their flavor, color, texture, and nutrition benefits. Blueberries are a good source of fiber and Vitamin C, rich in various vitamins and minerals and just 80 calories per cup.

Freezing blueberries is as simple as the berries themselves using the Tray Pack method. Remove any stems or leaves and place them on a baking tray without washing. Pop them into the freezer. Once frozen, transfer them to freezer containers or resealable plastic bags for freezing.  Label and freeze. Frozen blueberries will keep indefinitely in the freezer but are at best quality when used within 10 months.

Spend Smart Eat Smart offers some great recipes for using blueberries–Blueberry Pancakes or a Smoothie. Or check out, Blueberries.org for more freezer-to-table recipe ideas.

Marcia Steed

I graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Home Economics Education. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and traveling.

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6 Comments on Freezing Blueberries for Year-Round Blue

Canning Meat

Marcia Steed 2 Comments

Whether it is a surplus of meat from farm-raised livestock, wild game from the hunt, or a “deal” at the market, canning meat is an easy way to preserve any abundance for future use. Besides preserving a surplus, canning meat has other advantages as well–saves freezer space, ready in an emergency, convenient, nutrient dense, and taste good.

Meat is a low acid food and must be processed in a pressure canner (dial or weighted gauge)–no exceptions. A water bath canner, steam canner, multicooker or any other devised method cannot provide sufficient heat to make meat in a jar safe for pantry storage. As with other low acid foods, the food safety concern is botulism. If using a pressure canner is a new experience, check out this quick tutorial on how to use a pressure canner.

List of meat canning recipes and instructions available on the National Center for Home Food Preservation website

The National Center for Home Food Preservation is the best resource for preparing and canning poultry, red meats, and seafood. Other resources include: The USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning and So Easy to Preserve, 6th Edition. Meat can be pressure canned in strips, cubes, chunks, ground or chopped. Meat can safely be canned by either the raw or hot pack methods. While both methods are safe, many consumers find that the raw pack leaves less liquid in the jar surrounding the meat. It takes approximately one pound of meat to fill a pint jar or two pounds for a quart jar.

K-State Research and Extension has a series of videos that show canning meat step-by-step with a pressure canner:
Canning Meat – Raw Pack
Canning Meat – Hot Pack
Canning Meat Using a Pressure Canner
Canning Meat – Achieving and Maintaining Pressure
Cool Down After Processing
Removing Jars from the Canner

Canning Seafood by the Pacific Northwest Extension group, offers detailed information to guarantee safety.

Meat Canning Tips:
– Can only good quality meat, poultry, or game.
– Keep all meat clean and sanitary.
– Use lean cuts OR remove as much fat as possible. Fat can go rancid in the jar over time. Fat also contributes to seal failure. Remove gristle and bruised spots.
– Cut meat into uniform pieces suitable for cooking or canning. Slice meat across the grain.
– Soak strong-flavored game in salt water before canning in a brine made of 1 tablespoon salt for each quart of water for 1 hour or as stated in a recipe.
– Chill poultry pieces in the refrigerator 6 to 12 hours before canning.
– Use the jar size specified by the recipe. Seafood should be processed in half-pint or pint jars only to ensure there is sufficient heat penetration throughout the jar. This is particularly important as seafoods have little natural acid to inhibit the growth of bacteria and bacterial spores that produce toxins.
– Frozen meat may be canned.
– Always adjust processing time and pressures for altitude.
– Salt is optional and only added for flavor, not for any preservation benefits.

Updated 4/2024, mg.

Marcia Steed

I graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Home Economics Education. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and traveling.

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Portable Induction Burners

Marcia Steed 5 Comments
Portable induction burner

Induction cooktops and portable burners are becoming quite popular.  What is induction and how does it differ from a standard electric burner?

Portable induction burners may have appeal to those who want to add an extra burner to their cooking area, need a light weight, portable unit for cooking classes or demonstrations, or want a precision burner for specific tasks.

A portable induction unit does not require any special electrical outlet; they plug into a standard outlet so can be used anywhere there is an outlet.  An electromagnetic field below the glass surface provides instant magnetic energy when it comes in contact with a pan containing iron.  The cookware is considered the transformer so instead of passing heat along from the surface to cookware to food, induction heats the cookware directly. Only the pan,and what’s in it gets hot. The surface around it stays cool.  

Because the cookware is the transformer not all cookware can be used on an induction cooktop.  Aluminum, glass and ceramic will not work. The cookware must contain ferrous iron in order for it to work with the magnetic field to send heat and energy directly into the cooking vessel.  It may not be necessary to purchase new cookware. A magnet can be used to test cookware; if it sticks to the cookware, the pan will work on an induction cooktop.  Further, the cookware must also have a flat bottom.

Using magnetic induction heats pans up more quickly than either gas or electric. This saves energy and time. Induction burners also respond immediately to temperature adjustments. If you raise or lower the heat you will see results right away.  Many induction burners can also sense if there is nothing in the pot and will turn off after 60 seconds.

Though induction is a relatively new way to cook, manufacturers have given consumers many options at various price points.  As a result, not all induction burners are created equally.  Before purchasing a portable unit, consider use, counter and storage space, portability if needed, how much power is needed, add on features, and affordability for what it may be used for.  Also, be sure to test cookware to determine if it will work with the induction unit.

Induction cooking has the power to change the way we cook.   For more information on induction cooktops, pros and cons, see Induction Cooking–What You Need to Know.

Reviewed and update 4/2024, mg.

Marcia Steed

I graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Home Economics Education. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and traveling.

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Apple Desserts Defined

Marcia Steed 3 Comments

A trip to a local apple orchard is a fun fall activity.  Part of the fun is deciding on which varieties to pick for the intended use.  Apples fall into two categories–eating or dessert apples OR cooking or culinary apples.  A cooking or culinary apple is an apple that is used primarily for cooking, as opposed to a dessert apple, which is eaten raw.  Cooking apples differ from dessert varieties; they are more tart in flavor and have a firmer flesh that holds its shape better when cooked. Apples and Their Uses offers a guide to a broad selection of apple varieties and their best uses.   Individual tastes and preferences vary, so the list should not be construed as definitive.

Apple crisp

Besides fresh eating, apples are used for a wide variety of desserts with apple pie being king.  As one looks for a recipe, words like betty, buckle, cobbler, crumble, crisp or pan dowdy may be encountered.  All use apples.  How are these desserts different?

Brown Betty:  apples are placed atop sweetened bread crumbs.  Video recipe.

Buckle: a single-layer moist cake with fruit folded into the batter with a sweet crumb topping; a bukle exhibits an indented or buckled top when baked.  Buckles are similar to fruit-filled coffee cakes and have a higher batter-to-fruit ratio than other fruit desserts.  Recipe.

Cobbler: fruit filling on the bottom covered with batter OR pastry or biscuit dough spooned or dolloped atop the fruit.  Recipe.

Crumble: baked fruit with a crisp streusel topping that does not contain oats; baking powder is sometimes added to the streusel to make the crumble more tender.  Recipe.

Crisp: fruit mixture with a cumbly topping that includes oats and brown sugar.  Recipe.

Pan Dowdy: fruit dessert topped with a crust that is “dowdied” or broken and pushed down into the fruit and bubbling juices after baking.  Recipe.

Regardless of how an apple dessert is made, the outcome will be DELICIOUS!

Reviewed and updated, 4-24, mg.

Marcia Steed

I graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Home Economics Education. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and traveling.

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Disposal Clog from Potato Peels

Marcia Steed 24 Comments

assorted potatoes with skins onPotato peels are one of the foods you should never put down your garbage disposal. Yet, it happens, usually by accident as one forgets or a helper in the kitchen is not familiar with foods that should not be disposed of in the garbage disposal. The high starch content of the peels creates a thick, glue-like paste when mixed with water.  The paste causes the disposal to sieze up as the paste prevents the disposal blades from turning.  The result is a disposal that stalls and a clog results.  What does one do?

Sometimes it is possible to clear the pasty mess without calling a plummer.  Below are some tips that may work.  Before doing anything, besure that the garbage disposal is completely turned off by unplugging.   Or, if the unit is hardwired and has no outlet, make sure the switch controlling the disposal is in the OFF position or turn off the disposal’s circuit breaker in the service panel/breaker box.

Baking Soda and Vinegar.  Pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain. Add 1/2 cup white vinegar and cover the drain if possible. Let set for a few minutes, then pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain to flush it. The combination of baking soda and vinegar can break down a clog and wash it down the drain. DO NOT use this method after any commercial drain opener has been used or is still present in the standing water.

Salt and Baking Soda.  Pour 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain. Follow with 6 cups boiling water. Let sit overnight and then flush with water. The hot water should help dissolve the clog and the baking soda and salt serve as an abrasive to break through the clog.

After the paste has been dissolved.  Restore power to the disposal, run cold water and turn on the disposal. If the disposal will not start or only hum, turn the disposal off and use the disposal wrench to free the jam.  Insert the wrench into the hex socket centered on the underside of the unit.  Move the wrench back and forth to free the jam.  If the unit has a reset button (red button on the lower unit), it may also need to be pushed to reset the unit.  Repeat if necessary.  If the motor does not come on, likely the disposal has burned out and a replacement is needed.

To keep kitchen drains running smoothly, pour boiling water down them on a weekly basis to melt fat that may be building up or put some vinegar and baking soda down the drain to break up fat and keep it smelling fresh.

Reviewed and updated 2/2025, mg.

Marcia Steed

I graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Home Economics Education. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and traveling.

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Food Allergies

Marcia Steed

Shelled nutsThe Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has deemed May National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. In addition, the third week in May is designated Food Allergy Awareness Week. Allergies have become really important and can mean life or death to the nearly 15 million people in the US who are affected by food allergies. The Centers for Disease Control estimate four to six percent of children and four percent of adults are affected by food allergies.

A food allergy occurs when the body’s immune system perceives a certain food as dangerous or harmful. The body reacts by causing symptoms. Those symptoms are an allergic reaction and can range from mild to severe. The foods that cause the allergic reactions are called allergens. More than 170 foods have been reported to cause allergic reactions, according to Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), but the vast majority are caused by the “Big Nine”: milk, eggs, nuts, fish, crustaceans, shellfish, wheat, soy and sesame. There is currently no cure for food allergies so avoiding the food with the allergen is the most effective way to not suffer a reaction. Food allergies are most common in young children but can appear at any age. Some of the allergies are occasionally outgrown but not always. The most common ones that are occasionally outgrown are milk, egg, wheat and soy. Children with food allergies are two to four times more likely to have asthma or other allergic diseases.

Most food related symptoms occur within two hours of ingesting the food. Sometimes the reaction can happen within minutes. An initial reaction may produce mild symptoms but that does not guarantee all reactions will be similar. The most severe allergic reaction is anaphylaxis. It is life-threatening and can effect breathing, blood pressure and heart rate. Because it can be fatal it must be treated promptly with an injection of epinephrine. An EPIPEN® or Epinephrine autoinjector is the hand-held device carried by those who have severe allergies; the epinephrine delivered by the device is an emergency treatment when anaphylaxis is suspected.

If you suspect you or someone you know has a food allergy it is important to have testing done by a board-certified allergist.

Reviewed and updated 2/2025, mg.

Marcia Steed

I graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Home Economics Education. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and traveling.

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Ham Tips

Marcia Steed

Packaged ham at the market Ham is meat from the hind leg of pork. It can be fresh, cured, or cured-and-smoked. Hams are either ready to eat or not. Ready to eat hams include cooked hams and prosciutto. Hams that must be cooked will have cooking instructions and safe handling instructions right on the label and they MUST be cooked. Typically, ham is cooked at 325 degrees for 10 minutes per pound or to an internal temperature of 145 degrees followed by a 3 minute rest time. To help keep ham moist and juicy during cooking, place cut side down and tent with foil.

Fresh refers to uncured leg of pork. It will have the flavor of a fresh pork loin roast or pork chops. “Fresh” will be part of the product name on the label. The color will be pale pink or beige as opposed to cured ham having a deep rose or pink color and country or dry cured ham being pink to mahogany in color.

Hams can be wet-cured, which is very common, in a brine solution containing water, salt, sugar and spices. During this process the solution is injected into the meat before cooking. There are three varieties of wet-brined ham:

  • “Ham with natural juices” has little water added during the curing process and results in an attractive appearance with a velvety type texture.
  • “Ham with water added” retains more water during the process and is good for steaks, thin slicing and shaving.
  • “Ham and water product” has the most water added to it and is most often found at the deli counter. It is a good choice if the ham is going to be served cold.

Hams can be dry-cured by rubbing salt and spices into the meat’s surface. They are known as “country-style” hams. Prosciutto is also made using a dry cure.

After curing some hams are smoked. This is a process involving hanging or heating the ham in a smokehouse to allow it to absorb smoke from either smoldering fires or generated smoke which gives added flavor and color.

When purchasing ham allow 1/4 -1/3 pound per serving if it is boneless and 1/3 -1/2 pound per serving if it is bone-in. If more ham is prepared than can be used, leftovers will keep 3-4 days refrigerated or should be frozen.   you end up with enough leftover ham you won’t be able to consume it within 3 or 4 days consider freezing the leftovers.  The length of time ham can be kept in the freezer for best quality depends on the type of ham:

  • Uncooked, cut country ham: One month
  • Cooked country ham: One month
  • Fully cooked, unopened ham: One to two months
  • Cooked, whole ham: One to two months
  • Cooked slices, half, or spiral ham: One to two months
  • Cured, cook-before-eating ham (sliced or whole): Three to four months

FoodSafety.gov has excellent information on ham storage and ham cooking.

Reviewed and updated, 5/2024, mg.

Marcia Steed

I graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Home Economics Education. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and traveling.

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Decorating Eggs with Natural Dyes

Marcia Steed 4 Comments

Six different colored Easter eggsDecorating eggs for Easter or other spring holidays is a tradition loved by many.  There are many commercial products available for decorating eggs.  Using natural dyes made from plant parts and other natural materials is a fun way to teach “the kids” a little science at the same time. More than likely, those eco-friendly dye ingredients are already in your pantry or refrigerator.  However, they may also exist in the landscape.* Using natural dyes allows for lots of experimenting!

Here’s a step-by-step guide to coloring eggs with natural dyes:

  1. Begin by hard boiling eggs, cooling, and refrigerating ahead of time.
  2. Bring 1 quart of water to a boil and add your dye ingredients for the egg color desired (listed below). Lower the heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.  If it’s a vegetable or flower, a general guide is ½ to 1 cup of roughly chopped vegetable/petals per cup of water more or less; it’s not an exact science.  Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  For powdered spices, add 1-2 teaspoons of the spice and 1 teaspoon white vinegar to a cup of hot water and mix.
  3. Strain the dye to remove any food fragments.  Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar for each cup of dye.  Let cool.  Colors should be refrigerated if not used right away after cooling.
  4. Wipe eggs with vinegar to remove the egg’s cuticle to help the color adhere to the shell.**
  5. Add the eggs to the strained dye and let soak for at least 30 minutes or until the desired depth of color is reached.  Refrigerating eggs overnight in the dye usually results in deeper coloring. When the desired color is achieved, remove the egg with tongs and pat it dry with paper towels.  Rubbing the egg with a little vegetable oil will add a polished sheen to the egg.
  6. Refrigerate the eggs until ready to use. Hard-boiled eggs, which have been quickly cooled and placed in the refrigerator in their shells, may be consumed up to 7 days as long as they have not been left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

There are many natural ingredients that can be used for coloring.  The color achieved by each ingredient is not always intuitive.

RED, PINK.  Beets, cranberries, raspberries, red onion skins, hibiscus flowers (dried tea), or pomegranate or cranberry juice (use juice straight), pickled beet juice (no need to add vinegar), red wine (use straight and no need to add vinegar).

YELLOW, ORANGE, GOLD.  Orange or lemon peels, carrot tops, celery seed, ground cumin, ground turmeric, ground yellow mustard, saffron, curry powder, goldenrod, dandelion blossoms, daffodil blossoms. 

BLUE. PURPLE.  Red cabbage, blueberries, purple pansies, violets, grape juice (use straight), blue berry juice from canned blueberries (use straight).

GREEN.  Leaves from various plants are used to produce green colors.

Let your creativity continue with tie-dyed eggs and other exotic patterns using other materials and techniques.  Have fun egg-perimenting!  

*Use only untreated (no chemical pesticides or fertilizer treatments) plants and flowers from a lawn or landscape.

**The shell is protected by a thin layer of protein molecules called the cuticle. This cuticle has a neutral charge so not much is attracted to it. The vinegar contains acetic acid, which reacts to make the cuticle positively charged. The dye typically has a negative charge. The dye to adheres to the egg when the positive charge on the cuticle attracts the negative charge of the dye.

Sources:
Dyeing Eggs the Natural Way.  University of Florida Extension Blogs.
Coloring Eggs with Natural Dyes.  UNL Extension.

Reviewed and updated, 5/2024, mg.

Marcia Steed

I graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Home Economics Education. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and traveling.

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Hand Dryers vs Paper Towels

Marcia Steed 5 Comments

Germs spread more easily when hands are wet according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).  Drying your hands thoroughly is essential to prevent transferring germs.  Is there a best method for drying hands?

Hand drying graphic

A best method for drying hands depends upon who you talk to.  Paper towels, cloth towels, and hot air dryers are commonly used to dry washed hands. Hands can also dry by evaporation. Some experts prefer paper and others prefer hand dryers.  Both have valid reasons for what they prefer.  The CDC says that there is not enough scientific evidence to support one method as more effective at reducing germs on your hands.  A review of studies done can found in the Mayo Proceedings, The Hygienic Efficacy of Different Hand-Drying Methods:  A Review of the Evidence.  All agree that the amount of moisture left on hands after washing is the biggest factor in how many microorganisms can be spread by touching things.  Therefore, hand drying by evaporation is only good if nothing is touched during the evaporation period.

The bottom line is to wash your hands effectively and dry them completely with whatever method is available. Don’t let your hands drip dry and don’t dry them on your clothes.   If your clothing is dirty, your hands will be re-contaminated and the benefits of washing your hands reduced.

Reviewed 6/2024, mg.

Marcia Steed

I graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Home Economics Education. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and traveling.

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