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More to Know

Winter still lingers in Michigan. Today we have a few desperate snow flakes attempting to land on the still-frozen ground, and scattered snow mounds huddle in the shadows in houses and trees. It can only mean that spring is right around the corner! Now is the right time to be thinking and planning for the garden, and a great time to learn from other gardeners. We’ve been enjoying gardening information sent via email by the Park Seed Company. When nothing’s growing outside, it’s fun to be reminded that that will change in just a few weeks or months, as the case may be.
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By 20 Minute Jan – March 1, 2009

Perfect Nearly Fat-Free Cornbread

Change is hard.

For many years, I’ve made the same favorite cornbread recipe from a cookbook that’s been highly influential on our understanding of food, the More with Less Cookbook by Helen Janzen Longacre. (This cookbook is so significant that it deserves a post or two all its own.) Cornbread is the perfect accompaniment for so many of our favorite winter meals, like chili or soups. Everyone in our family likes it and it’s easy to prepare. Why mess with a good thing?

Two ideas I encountered challenged my status quo (but well-loved) cornbread philosophy. One came from Everyday Cooking with Dr. Dean Ornish. What if we could make delicious cornbread with a lower fat content? I’m not sure where I first came across the second simple change: what if using a cast iron pan really did make a crisp crust? It doesn’t hurt to try something new, and surprisingly enough, I’ve ended up adopting some new cornbread habits.
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By 20 Minute Jan – February 4, 2009

6 Secret Pancake Ingredients

Pancakes are a breakfast staple at our house, especially on the weekends, when we have time to whip some up and and sit down together to enjoy them. Mixes for pancakes are sometimes considered a “big time saver” or a “short-cut”, but making pancakes from scratch hardly requires much more effort. When you mix up your own batter, you can avoid unnecessary ingredients (high fructose corn syrup), limit others (sugar) and add some secret ingredients that will surreptisiously (see below) boost the nutritional value of your pancakes without frightening off children or picky eaters. Over the years, we’ve developed a few strategies to make healthier, meal-worthy pancakes that are more filling and nutritious than the fluffy, white side-dish pancakes of old.
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By 20 Minute Jan – January 26, 2009

Birthday Wishes Come True!

How wonderful that someone I love reads our blog! How clever of her to pay attention to the little details that occupy my mind! How kind of her to send a birthday box with the following enclosed:

Birthday Note

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By 20 Minute Jan – January 19, 2009

The Ten Best Foods You Maybe Aren’t Growing and Eating… Yet

Today I came across an article from the New York Times entitled “The Eleven Best Foods You Aren’t Eating.” I love articles like this– the direct, precise advice about the important things you are somehow overlooking in your daily busyness– and apparently so do a lot of people because this article recently appeared on their list of most-viewed stories for 2008. Continued…

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By 20 Minute Jan – January 15, 2009