DIRECT TEACHING -- General Nutrition

Depression Era Cooking…

• 08.19.09… Western Ave.

Clutter in Your Life…

• 09.01.09… Downs Home and Community Education
• 09.04.09… Eastsiders Home and Community Education

Microwave Safety…

• 09.09.09… Normal Seniors

Technique of Homemade Noodles…

• 11.18.09… Western Ave. Seniors

Healthy Holiday Eating…

• 12.07.09… Normal seniors
• 12.16.09… … Western Ave. seniors

DIRECT TEACHING -- Food Safety

Does Your Kitchen Pass the Food Safety Test?

• 10.21.09… Western Ave. Community Center

• 10.26.09…. Normal Activity Center

• 11.10.09… College Park Christian Church

Poisons in the Home

• 11.11.09… Normal Activity Center…

DIRECT TEACHING -- Caregiving Relationships

We are Family…. Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

• 11.13.09… About 20… Parenting Again

COORDINATION ---Food Safety

Sampling of consumer questions in food safety….

1) Q: I was canning stewed tomatoes and the jars sealed before I got them in the canner. Is that okay? I went ahead and processed them. A: Yes… that's ok… they will seal soon after that anyway.

2) Q: I am in leukemia remission. I drink fat free/skim millk … a lot of it. I'm concerned about milk additives, hormones. Which brand is best to not have the hormones added.

3) Q: Concerning washing fruits and vegetables… I've heard you shouldn't use soap but what's the best way to wash the dirt that farm hands have touched? A: just running water & scrub brush for fruits and vegetables that can tolerate it.

4) Q: We had a lot of potatoes and laid them out in the sun to dry. They turned green! Are we able to eat them? A: Just cut off the green before you eat them.

5) Q: My home canned tomato juice separated and is now clear & then red at the top. Is that ok or did I do something wrong? A: You need to get them into boiling water as soon as you can after you cut them. This inactivates the enzymes that cause breakdown & separation.

6) Q: food safety for a freezer left open question. A: answer is on our web site under FAQ… Power Outages.

7) Q: How much can I expect to be able to sell canning jars for A: .05-.10 each

8) Q: Do I need to add salt to home canned stewed tomatoes? A: only if you wish

9) Q: On freezing zucchini

10) Q: On canning with lemon juice, vinegar or citric acid

11) Q: On canning juice

12) Q: On canning salsa

13) Q: If the vine died on my tomatoes can I still use them. A: NO

14) Q: Cabbage… I have some small heads coming up. Can I use them or replant them. A: referred them to master gardener

15) Q: On freezing tomatoes…. A: yes you can 1) just freeze them whole with skins on 2) freeze them after you have slipped the skins off 3) can cut in quarters and freeze

16) Q: Pressure canner leaking… pressure not high enough….. where get a new gasket.

17) Q: On freezing corn

18) Q: Many callers canning for first time. Told them about adding acid to tomatoes and how much.

19) Q: Several questions about blanching vegetables before freezing.

20) Q: On soaking beans for ham and beans.

21) Q: about improperly home canned foods… Can't you boil home canned goods for 10-15 minutes and not have to worry about if they were improperly canned or not? A: No, boiling for 10-15 minutes just helps safe guard… it's not a guarantee you will kill everything.

22) Q: my home canned pumpkin ended up with more headspace than when I started and I can tell ALL the jars leaked into the canner. What went wrong? A: Fluctuation in pressure during canning. Reprocess or refrigerate.

23) Q: can you give me directions on canning elderberry jelly? A: Yes.

24) Q: Apple pie slices. I have Fruit Fresh. Can I freeze them with it? A: yes

25) Q: I discovered I had left the Chicken & Biscuits with cream sauce out on the countertop last night. I discovered it at 8 a.m. Is it ok to eat? A: No, not with the "2 hour rule" : ) Leftovers can't be left out at room temperatures for more than 2 hours and expected to be safe to eat.

26) Q: How do I freeze rhubarb pies with a double crust? A: you may freeze the rhubarb separately from the crust to help avoid a soggy crust or freeze it whole unbaked or whole baked.

27) Q: Canner testing in Sparta, IL

28) Q: My turkey is one year old and has been in the freezer. Is it okay to use. A: Yes, but quality had diminished. Don't keep it any longer.

29) Q: WE are preparing turkey for a church dinner and will slice it off bone. Is this okay? A: Yes, don't keep it out at room temp. more than 2 hours total. Spread out in shallow pan 2" and refrigerate.

30) Q: How long can you keep beef in the deep freeze? A: 6-12 months for best quality.

31) Q: Is it safe to freeze a casserole with raw eggs in it or should you cook it first. A: Your choice. Raw yolks become gummy. Whites can become rubbery.

32) Q: What is the shelf life of home canned chili sauce A: we only recommend keeping for one year.

33) Q: Is it safe to bake meringue cookies at 225 F for 1 ½ hours? A: I suggested American Egg Board.

34) Q: Can you refreeze phyllo dough? A: yes

35) Q: Can I prepare a casserole with raw eggs in it today to be baked and served 2 days from now? A: Yes… but not any longer.

36) Q: Yesterday when we bought the turkey it was kind of frozen. Now it is thawed. Is it ok for the next 2 days? A: Yes but no longer.

37) Q: How long can I keep meringue shells?

38) Q: I have hand-decorated sugar candies that are quite old. There is some discoloration. Are they safe to use? They have never been removed from the sealed plastic.

COORDINATION---General Nutrition

Blooomington Housing Authority Working Agreement

• .08.21.09… Bloomington Housing Authority working agreement letter for next 3 years grant.

Midwest Food Bank

• 10.22.09… contacted Marjorie LaFont in Peoria about Midwest Food Bank recipes for food donated. Also contacted Beth Hewing at local Midwest Food Bank.

Heartland Headstart

• 10.27.09… connecting Heartland HeadStart with our Spanish nutrition materials. They are delighted!

Walk Program

• 11.03.09.. Helping HCE with materials for a Walk Program. I launched the Living Well program in 2007… there is also a Walk Around Illinois program.
• Helping HCE walk program… provided handouts from a Living Well walk program I developed several years ago 1) Wellness Log to log daily exercise on 2) How much support do you have in your life right now for what you are trying to accomplish? 3) Walk Around McLean County promotion 4) Walking by AARP 5)Reasons to Exercise---just what it does for your body and your mind 6) Wellness According to Dogs!

My Food Column… Homemade Noodles

• Dozens of requests for the homemade noodles directions!

Healthy Cells Magazine

• Healthy Cells Monthly magazine will be using my Healthy Holiday Cooking column for their next issue!

4-H Food Demo Alumni

• A 4-H club was asking for a 4-H food demo alumni to present for their club.

Nutrition Programs in Schools

• 12.08.09… Brigham Elementary… observed program assistant present programs on nutrition. Took photos.

Luther Oaks Nutrition Program Series

• 12.14.09…Spoke with Laura Baue, a resident and retired nurse at Luther Oaks about coordinating a food and fitness program for residents wanting to lose weight. We will meet in January.
• 01.05.09… met with Laura Baue, a retired nurse at Luther Oaks about a series of classes for residents in Nutrition and Fitness.

Sampling of consumer questions….

1) Q: I have an e-mail here about reading the bar codes on food labels to tell which country they came from. Here's what it says…… Is this true? A: www.snoopes.com is a great place to look. Your e-mail is not entirely true.

2) Q: I lost my records from the Nutrition in-services 2006. Can you tell me the topics? And the registration sign-in sheets.

3) Q: I used to be able to make puffy chocolate chip cookies. What am I doing wrong? A: I e-mailed her directions for chewy, puffy, and thin cookies.

4) Q: The label on Walmart Great Value thinly sliced roast beef says "may contain 15% of a solution." WHAT does that mean? A: Tom Carr, U of I Meats specialist, said "the product has been pumped up to 15% of its original weight with a liquid solution that probably included sodium phosphate that helped bind the pieces together. It may be done to improve the slicing quality of the product, to enhance flavor, or improve food safety.

5) Q: I have some walnuts that are soggy. What can I do to change that? Do I need to roast them? A: there is nothing you can do. They will not be good to eat. Throw them out.

6) Q: How do you roast chestnuts? A: I sent her a fact sheet.

7) Q: What size is a no. 2 can? A: 20 ounces or 2 ½ cups.

8) Q: Great response to the Thanksgiving Dinner for Bachelor Cooks column!

9) Q: about a recipe (not ours) published in the Pantagraph for sour cream biscuits… no leavening… what makes it rise.

10) Q: Walmart has a Value Pack brand. The thinly sliced beef said… "could contain 15% of a solution" but didn't say what it was. A: U of I Meat Specialist, Tom Carr said it was most likely sodium phosphate to aid in cutting the meat.

11) Q: How can I substitute oil for margarine in Banana Bread? A: 7/8 cup oil + 1 tsp. salt for each 1 cup of margarine requested since oil is 100% fat and margarine isn't.

12) Q: Dozens of people called wanting the homemade noodles recipe I mentioned in the Pantagraph but didn't have room to print.

13) Q: I need lots of recipes for pumpkin. I have a lot of it!

14) Q: I'm cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving for the 1^st time & using a roaster. How do I do that? Do I need to add liquid? What temperature do I use? Do I use a cooking bag? A: You don't need to add liquid. It is tight quarters and not much will evaporate. No need for a cooking bag. It will bake with very moist heat. 15 minutes/ pound. For a 15# bird… between 3-4 hours to bake.

15) Q: I saw your column in the paper. Do you have substitute recipes for sour cream and buttermilk for when you don't have them in the house? … Here are the choices for sour cream substitutes…

For each cup of sour cream, substitute:
1 cup plain yogurt
OR
1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough cream to make 1 cup
OR
3/4 cup buttermilk mixed with 1/3 cup butter

Q: How do you make Buttermilk at home?

1 c sweet milk
2 T white vinegar
1 tsp baking soda

Mix milk and vinegar together; add baking soda and mix again.

16) Q: When you mix substitutes… do you have to use a fresh lemon or can you use Realemon? A: If you have a fresh lemon on hand… I would use that but I keep the ---- Re-Al-A-Mon on hand because I use it so much in marinades etc.

17) Q: When you mix substitutes… does the type of vinegar matter? A: Whether you use white vinegar or cider vinegar is your choice. I now keep the white vinegar on hand.

18) Q: Does T mean Tablespoon? A: yes… T = Tablespoon Tsp. or t = teaspoon

19) Q: I have oat-bran flour blend. Is it just for bread or can I use it in cookies? A: some resources say yes, some say no. (note: she tried it & it is just fine)

20) Q: (referred from another county)--- Can I freeze meringue shells?

21) Q: I've had a fresh ham in the freezer for a few months. I wanted to cook it for Christmas but now I see it says to use it by October. Is it ok to eat? A: She froze it and it will be okay.

COORDINATION--- Healthy Family Relationships

Aging Diversity Project coordination

• Started heavy Aging Diversity program coordination for spring retreat
• 10.05.09… Telenet with educators for Aging Diversity project
• Contacting more educators & brainstorming funding for them.
• 12.14.09… Met with Jeff Swartz about the Aging Diversity Project.
• 01.04.10… prep work on bio, photo, aspiration for Aging Diversity Project.
• 01.12.10… Telenet with educators Amy Griswold and Rachel Schwarzendruber about planning for Aging Diversity Project.

Misc.

• Home and Community Education coordination
• Q: Help…. I need an appraiser for old quilts.
• Q: Could you send the handouts from the "De-Clutter Your Life" program?
• 11.05.09… Work on Parenting Again display
• Q: Mildew smell from used furniture. I went through my 3 pages of fact sheet information with her.

News Releases— Food Safety

1. SUMMER SQUASH
2. Rhubarb…Freezing Rhubarb

3. Safe Canning… Question from an Old College Friend

1. Sent to Pantagraph 12.21.09… Attached are the following columns for January
2. Car Leftovers
3. Listeria

News Releases— General Nutrition

1. Fall season tips for feeding young children
2. Peaches
3. Zucchini Bread…chocolate zucchini bundt cake
4. Nutrition and Family programs in McLean County
5. Diabetes Lifelines article and recipes
6. Thanksgiving Dinner for Bachelor Cooks
7. Roasting Seeds and Nuts
8. Meringue
9. Pumpkins…no shortage in Illinois
10. Apples and More web site promotion
11. Nutrition & Family programs in McLean County
12. For November 2009
13. Thanksgiving Dinner for Bachelor Cooks
14. Budgeting Holiday Meals
15. Cranberries for the Holidays…400
16. Turkey Selection for the Holidays
17. Baking Q & A Sweetened Condensed Milk etc.
18. History of Gingerbread
19. Diabetes and the Holidays
20. Stay Healthy this Winter
21. January… National Soup Month
22. Nutrition Programs Update
23. Diabetic web links

1. Sent to Pantagraph Sent 12.21.09… Attached are the following columns for January
2. Food Displays
3. Work Now Serve Later
4. Thickeners and Starches

News Releases— Healthy Family Relationships

1. Clutter in Your Life programs

2. Spring Aging Diversity Retreat for Scholars.

3. Making Family Memories

4. Give Toys that Stimulate Creativity

5. Update on Spring Aging Diversity Retreat

6. Grandparents Again---Parenting Again Topics

PDO--- General Nutrition

• 10.01.09… McLean County Childhood Overweight & Obesity Summit
• 10.12.09… Obesity Summit follow up
• 12.11.09… ADM test kitchen talk and tour

PDO--- Healthy Relationships

• .09.21.09…Senior Wellness Coalition
• 12.17.09… Advanced Colors Personality Training

PDO--- Food Safety

• Sept 22 & 23, 2009… Food Safety Symposium

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.

Direct Teaching

• Presented Train the Trainer on Food and Fitness to be later presented to 350 program participants.

Marketing

• Food Safety Display for ISU students and staff on the quad.... Luckily prepared everything to be water proof. We got rained out just as it was to begin!

News releases sent to media

1. Unsafe Canning Methods
2. Canning, Acidifying Tomatoes, Recommendations for Green Beans
3. Extension nutrition ed. Programs planned for fall
4. Food Preservation Industry Contacts
5. Pears
6. Pumpkin Blossoms
7. Healthy Halloween Treats
8. Cranberries...Year Round
9. Pumpkin Delights
10. Promo. for Dec. 4 program on Brighten Your Holidays
11. Cranberries Year Round
12. Web links promo. for Turkey for the Holidays
13. Teens Can Handle Their Emotions
14. Promo for Nov. 9 Caregivers Day OUT!
15. Serving Safe Holiday Food

Interviewed by newspaper

• Interviewed by Sun Times about the "We Should Eat Cranberries Year Round" article I put on our web site.
• Bob Holliday from the Pantagraph interviewed me about the FDA working on a possible mandated food packaging label for the "front" of packages. I shared with him about the 5 star system that one supermarket tried and succeeded. Article appeared on the Front page of the Pantagraph on 09/11/07!

added to the Web site

1. Homemade Noodles
2. Diabetes: Dealing with the Holidays
3. Kids as Helpers in the Kitchen

Coordination in General Nutrition

1. Prep for Food and Fitness Community Education Workshop
2. Many additions to FAQ on county web site in Nutrition & Food Safety.
3. 3. I was contacted by Hope Danielson, new Health and Wellness Advisor for Niemann Foods (County Market, Cubs, etc.) in central Illinois. She met with Carrie Edgar at the U of I extension office in Quincy and was told me to introduce herself to me. She indicated she would be interested in any group meetings we might have in regards to health and wellness.
4. Met with Dr. Jim Painter from EIU about nutrition program in general.
5. Made contact with internship director at EIU, Dr. Mary Lou Hubbard, about sending EIU nutrition interns to our office.
6. Prepared online job recommendation for former intern to Michigan State University Extension.
7. Coordinating with ISU for spring semester intern.
8. Helping Vermillion county secretary access the Healthy Desserts program materials for H.C.E.
9. Sampling of Questions......
10. Q: Gluten-free flour leaves my baked product flat. How can I make it puff up more and stay that way. A: I referred them to a Gluten-Free Expert.
11. Q: I have a vacuum sealer for my green beans. Do I still have to blanch them before I prepare them for the freezer?
12. Q: "I want to substitute applesauce for oil in a cake recipe. How do I do that?"

Coordination in Food Safety

1. Added 30+ FAQ in Food Safety and Nutrition to county web site in a new area of the site. Easier to find for me than the Blog.
2. Worked on creating and updating Food Safety Handouts for ISU Wellness Fair.
3. Sampling of typical canning questions on tomatoes..."How much lemon juice do I put in?" ---"Can I pour the hot liquid into the jars and just let them seal?"--- "I've been using my own recipes for canning & I saw somewhere that isn't recommended."
4. Q: "I just put the hot liquid in the jars and let them seal. It just seemed too easy. So I called you. The sad thing is...everyone I know cans like this!"
5. Q: "I have lots of green peppers. How do I freeze them, such as stuffed green peppers?"
6. Q: "I can spaghetti sauce with meat, then I heard you shouldn't use your own recipes. Is that right?"
7. Q: "As far as you know, do all Chinese Restaurants use MSG in their food? Is that approved by the FDA? Have you heard of people who have bad reactions to it?"
8. Q: 'Who do I contact to get a food handlers certification?"

Coordination in Healthy Family Relationships Programs

1. Consumer question on how to make your laundry smell fresher when you already have allergies to dyes and perfumes. Referred to Kathy Sweedler.
2. After fair / pre-planning next year for Young at Heart Day.
3. Belinda Kennedy called from FCRC ...inquiring about the Home Management Instruction/ Parenting Instruction Seminar. I forwarded to Pat.
4. Cammy Seguin presented "Stories From Your Past--Legacies For The Future" to 18 member of the McLean County Genealogical Society at the courthouse museum in downtown Bloomington.
5. Searching and discussing speaker possibilities for Caregivers Day OUT.
6. Consumer Question: "All these toy items made in China have been recalled. How about the dishes that we buy that are made in China?"

Coordination in Caregiving Relationships Programs

• Caregivers Day Out...Caregivers Day Out meeting and coordination.

Working with Volunteers

1. Coordinating dates, location & directions to Young at Heart Committee meeting at the new Luther Oaks senior living.

Professional Development

1. Elizabeth Andress, specialist Univ. of Georgia Extension, gave in depth update on preservation for the Nutrition Team. Excellent!
2. Teen Brain...NEAFCS pre-conference intensive all day... Excellent!
3. Boomer Educators and Net Gen clients... Technology past, present and future...also Excellent.
4. Creating Effective Boards and Committees ... pretty good... speaker had driven through a tornado to get there late and was a little flustered. Came home with a great manual to read.
5. Toured the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis. They served lunch and gave us several sit-down presentations. Very well done.
6. Our state hosted the Friendship Event with Wisconsin and Minnesota at the Science Museum.
7. I attended several General Sessions, State's Night Out, and helped at our Illinois National President's, Carol Schlitt, reception before the Awards banquet.
8. McLean County FCS dept. meeting w/ Don, Pat, and Judy.
9. State Nutrition Team meeting
10. IEAFCS PDO on workplace violence and a visit from the Attorney General's office.
11. IEAFCS spring meeting
12. Staff meeting...1 hour affirmative action

National Committees

• I was on a National Committee for Tri-State Hosting of National Conference in Minnesota in Sept... I'm gathering volunteers from Illinois for various positions prior and during the Friendship Event.

Update for October

The theme for October was "What is a serving?". I took several examples of single servings vs. multiple servings to my programs and we talked about what a serving is. Examples of what I took included a 20 oz. bottle of pop, a 12 oz. can of pop and an 8 oz. glass that I poured pop into so the kids could see the difference; a 99 cent bag of chips you find at the checkout and a 30 cent individual bag; and a huge apple and a medium apple. I took about a dozen items total. One of the things I also touched on was instead of eating just pizza, eat a serving of pizza and have a salad or veggies and dip with it.

I took this program to my school, after school and senior programs.

I think the most surprising item for the kids was the larger bag of chips and that it served 2.5 people. One kindergartener wondered where you find a half person. I suggested he find a whole person and the three of them could share the bag of chips. He thought that sounded like a good idea.

September brought an increase in activities!

Because Parent Expo was getting closer, we stepped up our meetings to work on final details. I also had additional work outside the meetings to confirm and gather information from the speakers.

I got started on another year with the Pepper Ridge students in K – 2. For 1^st and 2^nd grades I am expanding on what I taught last year. For the kindergartners, I am starting this month with information on what the Food Pyramid is. I did also review with 1^st and 2^nd graders this month the things we talked about last year. We also talked about the challenges I gave them at the end of school in May. . . which were get activity into your day every day and drink water. Students shared how they did with those challenges.

Another program that started back up is the BHA Afterschool program on Hinshaw. We also did a review and introduced the idea of taking home newsletters to the parents. We are challenging the kids to take the newsletters home, show them to the adult in their home and have the adult sign a slip saying they have seen the newsletter. The kids can then earn points for bringing the slip back. At the end of the semester they can shop for prizes with their points.

Miller Park Seniors are continuing but the group has been dwindling, so I am waiting to see what next month brings.

Finally, BHA is starting a new program for families and it deals with learning money management. I was scheduled to be a guest for this program with a consumerism lesson. Unfortunately, it got canceled due to low RSVP numbers. We have another program scheduled for October.

I enjoyed starting the month off with YAH Day at the McLean County fair. It seemed to be well attended! Although I did not give away as many samples as I had hoped (stiff competition with popcorn next door!), I was able to share a lot of information and recipes.

This has been a big meeting month. I attended staff on the 14^th, FCS departmental meeting on the 21 and had a couple of meetings with the Parent Enrichment Committee preparing for the Parent Expo.

I also attended a training in Champaign with Judy. The lesson was on consumerism and we came away with some great materials!

Additionally, I had some program meetings. I met with Stacey Wiggins and her associate from BHA and we scheduled the fall semester at Holten. Because they have received new grant money, Stacey was able to hire an additional person and is going to be offering additional programming. We scheduled a couple of events that will be for families.

I also met with Vicky Hightower of the YWCA and we successfully scheduled an inservice event in December, then I will also be doing an event in the beginning of 2008. Additionally, we talked about offering programming for their summer camps at three different locations! I am looking forward to the new opportunities that exist here.

I have been in contact with Pepper Ridge and will get them scheduled for this year soon. Teri needed a few days to get things rolling.

Coming up!

September will bring:

The start of the BHA after school program

Continuation of the senior program at Miller Park

The start of Pepper Ridge school program

Training in Champaign

New programming for BHA families

Direct Teaching

1. Judged a Cooking/Baking contest for Miller Park Seniors...Some really great cooks!
2. Nutrition and It's Effect on the Sense of Well Being in the Elderly...presentation for the Aging Coalition. This is a great group I really enjoy being involved with.

Coordination in Healthy Family Relationships Programs

1. Young at Heart Day --- went great. 620 in attendance. We again had our Healthy Foods booth but can't seem to compete with the donuts and pastries! A new entertainment group...Pop 'n' I did very well. Seniors were singing along and dancing. A visit from the King and Queen followed by the Dynamics duo. New added this year was the opportunity for seniors to display their hobby collections. Prior coordination---Exhibitor display organization mailing converted to e-mail distribution list; calls and coordination directly to additional organizations.

Coordination in Caregiving Relationships Programs

1. Caregivers Day Out...Our planning committee had their first meeting on July 12. Looking for motivational/ inspirational speakers. Event will be November 9, 2007. Site has been secured.
2. We discussed location; date; duration; motivational speakers; pampering businesses (chair massage, manicures, hot wax hand dips etc)
3. Grandparents Raising Grandchildren run through at St. Pat's church was June 27; set up June 29; actual conference June 30. Session one-- "Legal Issues Grandparents Face Raising a New Generation of Children" by Stacey Tutt, Prairie State Legal Services; Session Two--"Love & Logic" by Bess Desch, Partners in Parenting; Lunch with Keynote speaker and inspirational singer, Evelyn Young. Evelyn is director of local Boys and Girls Club. She spoke on "Grand Love"; after noon features were a Caring and Sharing Panel Discussion with grandparents and other professionals in the community. Heart-wrenching personal stories and sharing of resources were very well guided by our "panel mediator", Mike O'Donnel, with the ECIAAA--(East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging).
4. Site for next year's GRG conference may be in Macon County. Theresa Adams, Macon County Extension Community Worker, has already agreed to work with the ECIAAA on that event if it is held there.

Coordination in General Nutrition & Food Safety

1. Developed 4 Fact Sheets complete with clip art and recipes for Food Pantries. Topic: Vegetables people need help with---Turnips, Zucchini, Eggplant, and Cabbage.
2. It's canning time! Many consumers questions on canning and freezing especially in the past month.
3. Children's Discovery Museum...Local committee met July 13 for updates on revisions. I am the liaison from the community for the revising of the nutrition portion of the museum exhibit. There is also a paid consultant for the entire museum revisions.
4. H.C.E. (Home and Community Education) annual meeting and program...July 10... Ewing Scholarship and Esposito Scholarships were presented.
5. Healthy Kids program planned for a group of Family Child Care Providers scheduled in Feb.. Did some pre-planning afterward scheduling. They would like it centered on topic of childhood obesity and presented in terms of what they as child care providers can do, not necessarily what they can take back to the parents.
6. Assisted University of Alabama Extension in accessing our materials on Healthy Moves for Healthy Kids.

National Committees

• I'm on a National Committee for Tri-State Hosting of National Conference in Minnesota in Sept... I'm gathering volunteers from Illinois for various positions prior and during the Friendship Event.

Sampling of inquiries---

Q: I have a recipe that calls for 1/2 Kg of Mango. How much is that? It also calls for 250 mg ginger. The rest of the ingredients are in ounces. Why is that?

A: 1/2 kg= 1.1 lb and 250 mg = 8.8 oz. The recipe must have been written by someone not born in the U.S. is my guess.

Q: "I have a recipe for Molasses Cookies that calls for unsulfered molasses. What is the difference?

A: Sulfur is used as a preservative in molasses. Sometimes people prefer to use unsulfered molasses instead of sulfured in cookies and breads because the flavor is stronger. Unsulfered is more difficult to find--- may have to go to a specialty store.

Q: "Do I have to blanch rhubarb before I freeze?"

A: It is recommended to do so to help preserve the flavor and color.

Q: "Looking for a replacement gasket for my canner. Where can I find one?"

Q: "Can you can grape tomatoes?"

A: You can, some people don't like to deal with all the seeds and skins. Some actually dry them. Others don't mind the seeds or the skins and put them in a food processor and can or freeze them.

Q: How do you microwave corn on the cob?

Q: Can you slice larger cucumbers for dill pickles?

Q: I have an old crock that is pitted & some glazing is gone. Can I use that for pickling?

Q: We took salsa to the fair as a project, brought it home, opened it, ate some but left it out on the counter. In the meantime several of my family has eaten some too. I found it still out this a.m. (Mon.) My family won't get botulism will they?

A: If it was processed properly, probably not. But if anyone gets any of the common symptoms of eating spoiled food, diarrhea, vomiting, aching, see your doctor.

Q: I bake cookies for church. How long can they be kept in the freezer before they are too old?

A: 3 months is the recommended maximum.

Q: I'm seeing here that it is recommended to use Lemon Juice or citric acid to can tomatoes. I've never done that and I don't have either one way out here in rural McLean County.

A: To prevent botulism we need to can tomatoes with acid. There are so many varieties of tomatoes we want to be sure they are all acid enough to can. You may use vinegar if you don't have lemon juice or citric acid. 2T per pint or 4 T per quart.

Q: Does the steam have to visible while you are exhausting your canner?

Q: "I'm looking for locally grown Tilapia fish. Can you help me locate any?"

A: Our country director directed us to a business in Flanagan IL... AquaRanch.com

Q: I have a recipe I've used before for Eggplant and can't remember whether I need to peel the eggplant or not.

The summer months have been much slower paced than during the spring. Without the kids' programs, things have slowed down considerably. I still faithfully visit the BHA seniors, the Western Avenue seniors, and the seniors at BroMenn Adult Day Service. I'm excited that Normal Parks has also added me to their list. We have covered such topics as food safety, cool summer cooking, and serving sizes.

Earlier in the summer, I participated in the Health Fair at BHA. My focus was on how to pack a safe picnic meal for your family. My picnic basket included many items that would not spoil quickly if left out of the cooler. It held such things as crackers, peanut butter, juice boxes, carrots, celery, and fresh fruits.

I enjoyed and benefited from the Outlook and Excel classes and the MyExtension training we had during the last couple months. These classes are always helpful.

School will be starting very soon, so I will be contacting Bent and Ridgeview Schools to see if they are interested in continuing the nutrition education classes we started last year. I expect to get a positive response from both of them.

DIRECT TEACHING---

1/2 day COLORS Personality Program for students referred by Bloomington Housing Authority, Bloomington Township and/or those seeking a G.E.D. Great group. They worked hard to put what they learned to use... June 6

NEWSLETTERS--- average monthly 2,614 total mailed and e-mailed

1. Food for Thought Newsletter...healthy ideas for preschoolers
2. Wellness Ways Newsletter... feeding your family on a budget
3. Your Health and You Newsletter...for seniors
4. Parenting Again Newsletter...Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Upcoming .....

Nutrition's Effect on the Sense of Well Being in the Elderly...June 18

Nutrition Team Telenet...June 19

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren conference ...June 30

Society for Nutrition Education Training...Chicago... July 27

Food And Fitness Community Workshop...August 20

Illinois is one of 3 host states for NEAFCS (National Extension Association for Family & Consumer Sciences)...Sept. 17-20

IEAFCS PDO...here...Topic TBA...Oct. 4

Recent Programs

• Trans Fats...Expanding Your Horizons in Math, Science, and Technology Conference...ISU
• Barbeque Safety (Picnics & Outdoor Grilling)...For Delta Kappa Gamma Teacher's Sorority
• Food and Fitness...for State Farm's 50 Million Pound Challenge Walk-a-Thon
• Speakers Bureau Panel on Parenting...at Little Jewels Day Care... "How to talk so kids will listen/ Positive Parenting/ Discipline.

Upcoming Programs

• Nutrition and It's Relationship to a Sense of Well-Being in the Elderly...for the Mental Health and Aging Coalition.... June 18
• Health Literacy ...Future Aging Coalition Program
• Food and Fitness...Community Workshops

Update for week of May 7 and May 14, 2007

Tuesday -

This was my BIG FINISH with Pepper Ridge elementary! We did a nutrition walk and finished with a quick discussion on bacteria (jelly bean jars) and how we should refrigerate unfinished food and drinks. Not sure the littlest ones got it as they were hoping that I would 'share' my "bacteria" (jelly beans) with them. I didn't take a food snack that day . . . .

The teachers were great about working with us and changing their schedules so we could have each group for 40 minutes. We had parent volunteers and that was a great help! Will have pics to show soon.

One note I wanted to make . . .

I had a lot of time into the posters we used for the walk but felt it was worth it because we will be able to use them over and over.

In the afternoon I had the Miller Seniors. We also talked about water and physical activity. Specifically, we talked about the fact the physical activity doesn't just mean going for a run or that it's only for those who are young or in shape. Any activity will help and they can start small and build up.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were the PDO "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" (so now I'm trying to be highly effective and bring my updates up to date!). It was a very good PDO. I am trying to implement some of the things that I have learned but it will take some time as I have to think about things differently than the way I've habitually done them (paradigm shift : ). I'm trying!

Week of May 14, 2007

I had a Parent Expo meeting this week and we had our staff retreat (very fun!).

Update for week of April 23 and April 30, 2007

Tuesday was a busy day! I started with Pepper Ridge in the morning where we discussed the importance of water and physical activity. I had the kids brainstorm about activities they could do over the summer that would help them meet the '60 minutes of activity a day' guideline given in My Pyramid. We also talked about poor beverage and snack choices and what would be some better choices. Included in suggestions were adding a little lemon, lime or orange to the water to give it flavor or eating snacks high in water content such as watermelon or cantaloupe.

Tuesday's activities continued with a luncheon with Dean Easter. It was an interesting conversation and a great meal!

Wednesday was staff meeting.

Friday was the Health Fair out at Ridgeview Elementary school. I did the prep and the 1-3pm shift. Judy came in to do the 3 – 5pm shift and did the booth tear down. I thought we had a good crowd for the first year. I believe the school was also happy with the turnout as it exceeded their attendance expectations.

The week of April 30^th:

Tuesday was my last visit to BHA's tutoring program for the semester. We did a review and a craft. The kids really have retained the information they were given and I was excited to hear them elaborate on answers!

Wednesday was the last visit for the Wood Street BHA program. Although Judy usually does this program, I did the wrap-up since she was on her way to California! Since I wasn't familiar with the kids I can't evaluate retention but we reviewed and talked about some ideas for physical activity this summer and healthy snack and beverage choices.

Update for Week of April 9 and April 16, 2007

I had Miller Park Seniors on Tuesday. We talked about calcium (especially the importance for menopausal women), played the Calcium Hi/Low game and enjoyed the snack of cheese sticks and calcium enriched orange juice. We then took our new information and talked about how to incorporate more calcium into our diet by making good snack and meal choices.

Most of the rest of my time this week has been spent preparing for upcoming programs.

Direct Teaching

1... March 24...Trans Fats...Expanding Your Horizons, through Math Science & Technology Conference. Prepared a display on Trans Fats with examples of good choices.

The conference at ISU is designed for grades 5-10, with an emphasis on girls to seek careers in math, science and technology. Parents and educators also attend.

2... April 9...Picnic Safety Program... here at the extension office for a teacher's sorority

News Releases

Cholesterol Numbers.../Community News/

Fiesta of Flavors Diabetes Web Site.../Community News/ County Newsletter/ Web site

Buying Hams for Spring Dinners.../web

Figuring Out the Holiday Ham.../web

Easter...All About Eggs.../Community News/ Web

E-Coli for Consumers.../Community News/ Web

Food Safety When the Power Out.../web

Barbeque Food Safety...Marinating Meat.../web

Newsletters

Many people subscribe to several newsletters...Continue to encourage e-newsletters

These numbers doesn't include newsletters used by program assistants in their programming!

Food for Thought Newsletter... = 664

Wellness Ways Newsletter... = 1080 Your Health and You Newsletter... = 440

Parenting Again Newsletter... = 68

Coordination

1. Coordinating with ISU FCS intern, Lauren Rusk; Pat and Judy, nutrition program assistants
2. Sampling of inquiries---

Q: Do you have a list of foods high in Vitamin K?

Q: How do you roast pecans? I have a recipe that says they need to be roasted for this coffee cake.

Q: Stinky refrigerator after power out.

Q: What type of wax one can put on citrus fruit to extend the fruits usefulness. I would also like to know where the wax can be purchased. I winter in AZ. and would like to take fruit with me when I return to my home

Q: Where to find sealing rings for pressure cookers

Q: Where can I go to enroll one of my food service workers in the food

sanitation certification program?

Q: Does vinegar expire? The date on my bottle says 2000.

Q: Our Girl Scouts use a Hobo Stove for outdoor cooking with cardboard and paraffin. It smokes a lot and I heard paraffin is toxic. Can you tell me more?

1. H.C.E. program planning/ Lessons for Living
2. Host site for telenet in service on Nutrition and Dementia Preparation...Registration forms, certificates, copies of power point
3. Nutrition & It's Relationship to a Sense of Well Being in the Elderly...Sara Wilham...at ECIAAA... requested a nutrition speaker for Aging Coalition.
4. Health Literacy... I also ordered Health Literacy DVD from the AMA...so will do a couple of programs for the Aging Coalition !
5. Babies and Butterflies... organized in an effort to get mothers in their first trimester of pregnancy to get prenatal care.
6. Food and Fitness...Mike Harrison @ 735-9835 called from State Farm to coordinate speakers in conjunction with a Walk-a-Thon. It will be held at State Farm Park. I will speak May 5 about Health & Nutrition. Plan to use the Fitness and Food program I will be delivering in August as a community leaders workshop.

7. Grandparents Raising Grandchildren conference meeting ...conference to be held June 30.

8. Young at Heart Day (also in volunteer & committee sections)

9. Little Jewels Day Care... Speakers Bureau Panel on Parenting. "How to talk so kids will listen/ Positive Parenting/ Discipline/ Q & A. Coordinated with Cammy Seguin, family life educator, to present on a speakers bureau panel. Cammy may pull in Gigi Grumbaugh. Will probably be May 22. They hope to do a panel about 3 times a year. Contact info. Angela Puloosy (?) H- 661-3424 and W- 662-0303. I also connected Angela with Sheila Diaz and Bess Desch, Partners in Parenting; and Mendy Smith, Children's Foundation. She thanked me profusely for my great connections in the community ! Nice.

Professional Development

1. Apr. 3...U of I Global Extension Initiative via telenet
2. Mar. 19...Public Forum on Self Neglect...Aging Coalition...
3. Mar. 16... Northern Cluster Meeting

Update for Week of March 26 and April 2, 2007

I supposed to have my last Heartland Headstart presentation but it was canceled. Because this is the third cancel, I didn't work to reschedule but told her she could call and if I was available, I would reschedule with her.

Worked on final programs for this semester as well as some collaboration with Judy.

Week of April 2, 2007

I had no programs this week.

I attended staff on Tuesday and worked in the office on Tuesday and Thursday.

Update for Week of March 19

Monday started with the Meats and Beans Group at Pepper Ridge! Before I introduced the Meat and Beans Group, I reviewed the groups we'd already learned about by placing food pictures on the wall and having the kids tell me which group each food item belonged to.

At the Bloomington Housing Authority Tutor program, the Milk Group was introduced with a game called Calcium Hi/Low. The group broke down into teams and worked together to place several food items in order of their %DV of calcium. They had fun and thought they had learned a lot!

I also had the Parent Enrichment meeting this week. We are primarily working getting the Parent Expo planned for this year.

Upcoming .....

Expanding Your Horizons...Mar 24

H.C.E. program planning...Mar 26

Towanda 4-H...Fun & Fitness...Apr 2

Summertime Grilling Safety... Apr 9

Nutrition Telenet... Apr 19

Nutrition Telenet... May 17

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren conference ...June 30

One of 3 host states for NEAFCS (National Extension Association for Family & Consumer Sciences)...Sept. 17-20

Update for Week of March 12

I went to the Food Network for inspiration this week!

The program I presented to the Miller Park Seniors was Semi-Homemade Cooking for 1 or 2 in the Microwave. I demonstrated how to make Quick Chicken Enchilada Supper and everyone got the chance to try a sample.

I also attended the staff meeting and the Northern Cluster meeting in Champaign.

Update week of February 5-9, 2007

Met with Wendy Corbly, 3^rd grade teacher at Heyworth Elementary and will be providing materials to teach unit on nutrition and the My Pyramid food / activity guidelines. We connected as a referral from Randy Lloyd and she is very excited for the help.

...Pat

Update for week of February 12-16, 2007

I had programming scheduled for Miller Seniors but it got canceled due to snow storm. I have mostly been doing Contact Reporting (smile . . . . .) Did I mention I LOVE our new system?!?!?

Next week I will have Pepper Ridge and Heartland Headstart programs, council meeting, staff meeting and Parent Enrichment meeting.

...Pat

Update for the week of February 12-16, 2007

This was our snowstorm week so not too much progress at the office. The office was closed Tuesday all day and Wednesday until noon.

I was supposed to be at Miller Park seniors on Tuesday but they closed their programs.

I did spend time working on contact reporting

...Pat

Update for the week of February 19-23, 2007

This week much of my programming was revised due to last week's snowstorm.

I had staff and the Parent Enrichment committee meeting.

I was supposed to be at Pepper Ridge all morning on Wednesday and at Heartland Headstart on Wednesday night. Both of these programs were rescheduled.

I participated in the Council meeting on Thursday evening.

...Pat

Update week of February 26-March 2, 2007

Monday was a prep day for the week's programs. I also worked on contact reports

Tuesday was Pepper Ridge, the Grain Group, and a Grain Education Fitness course. We started with a Spaghetti Swing and changed activity with each check point. Children learned that the Grains Group keeps your body's energy going strong all day long so you can cross the finish line (of your day's activities)!

In the afternoon, I participated as a Poverty Simulation helper.

Wednesday I had a training in Champaign where we tested recipes from the website for accuracy. We prepared and tasted 16 recipes. We made recommendations for adjustments on several of the recipes and the corrections have already been made.

Thursday I attended (along with Judy) a "Yes, Illinois Can!" workshop, a workshop helping to provide resources to those involved with education of wellness lifestyles and the new food pyramid, as well as those planning and executing school lunch program choices. This workshop was full of information and ideas that Judy and I feel we can use. We were really excited about all the information and resources we received!

Whew! It was a busy week!

...Pat

Web work...Lots!

Check out the Nutrition Page for.....

o Letters from Your Unborn Baby. I posted this in response to an expectant mom's questions about folic acid food sources.

o New news releases...1)Winter Warmers; 2) Pizza with Veggies; 3) Using Herbs; 4) Healthy Eating

o "Major New Food Ways Exhibit Planned at the McLean County Museum of History"

o New FAQ's in Food and Nutrition

o Program updates for Pat and Judy's programs

Check out the Children, Families and Seniors Page for...

o Strengthening Families and Connecting with Kids articles

o Save the Date Feature for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren conference

o KIOSK ...Calendar of Events for Families with Young Children

o Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Save the Date in Several places on our site.

Check out the Front page...Today's Features for...

o Developing Emotionally Skilled Children

o interactive game for Food Labeling

o Posted a Today's Feature for WebEx in-service for dietitians.

Newsletters for February...Rosemarie sent out these FCS newsletters (2,614 copies ) to subscribing customers.

• Connecting with Kids...Topic: Developing Emotionally Skilled Children; Diabetes Lifelines; Parenting Again...Grandparents Raising Grandchildren; Strengthening Families; Wellness Ways... Healthy Meal Ideas on a Budget; Your Health and You... newsletter for senior citizens

Professional Development

• Feb. 1...Pardon, Expungement & Sealed Seminar...at Mt. Pisgah...assistant Defender, Christie Fischer spoke on options for clearing a criminal record, petitioning for clemency, and understanding the standards for sealed records.
• Feb 15... WebEx Nutrition in service Telenet on "the Role of the Food Industry in Overweight Obesity Issues"

Volunteer Development

Intern Lauren Rusk...

o Wrote an article on her Skill-a-thon teaching experience.

o She has also been instructed to contact Judy Rollins to shadow a program and teach one as well.

o She will also work on a Summer Picnic Safety program

Committee Meetings...

1. Feb. 13...Baby Steps Steering Committee... going to a clearing house idea
2. Jan. 26 and Feb. 9...GRG–Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Coordinating...

• Judy going to Chicago for training (by train) in July.
• Programs, schedules and meetings!
• Working on long range planning sheet for council.
• Seems as though the fact sheets, "Connecting with Kids Developing Emotionally Skilled Kids", I promoted are a hot topic... People keep calling about them.
• Starting to coordinate Young at Heart 2007
• Coordinating the set up for Feb 15... WebEx Nutrition in service Telenet on "the Role of the Food Industry in Overweight Obesity Issues"

Web work...Lots! Check out the Nutrition Page for.....

• Posted the Kiosk...Calendar of Events for Families with Young Children
• Letters from Your Unborn Baby. I posted this in response to an expectant mom's questions about folic acid food sources.
• New news releases...1)Winter Warmers; 2) Pizza with Veggies; 3) Using Herbs; 4) Healthy Eating
• "Major New Food Ways Exhibit Planned at the McLean County Museum of History"
• New FAQ's in Food and Nutrition
• Program updates for Pat and Judy's programs

Check out the Children, Families and Seniors Page for...

• Strengthening Families and Connecting with Kids articles
• Save the Date Feature for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren conference
• KIOSK ...Calendar of Events for Families with Young Children
• Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Save the Date in Several places on our site.
• Parenting in the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd year

Check out the Front page...Today's Features for...

• Developing Emotionally Skilled Children
• Interactive game for Food Labeling
• Posted a Today's Feature for WebEx in-service for dietitians.
• Didn't reach a caller in person about a food safety/ power outage issue...left message that I had moved the FAQ on our web page to the top listing so it would be easy for her to find! Good way to get people to our site, aye?

Inquiries

• Q: What to you think of the silicone bake ware?
• Q: How do I melt Butterscotch Chips? Is it different than Chocolate Chips?
• Q: How do I fix chocolate that has seized or hardened while trying to melt it?
• Q: Do you know a contact for the FHA in schools?
• Q: Do you know of any shuttle tatting teachers? I want to learn.
• Q: Is it safe to use Olive Oil to cook popcorn?

Newsletters for February...Rosemarie sent out these FCS newsletters (2,614 copies )to subscribing customers. I have started distribution lists for e-mail as well.

• Connecting with Kids...Topic: Developing Emotionally Skilled Children
• Diabetes Lifelines
• Parenting Again...Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
• Strengthening Families
• Wellness Ways... Healthy Meal Ideas on a Budget
• Your Health and You... newsletter for senior citizens

Professional Development

• Jan. 18...Health Literacy...Nutrition Telenet for professionals
• Jan. 16....Nutrition Team Telenet
• Jan. 18 ...Brittany...ISU dietetics intern on rotation.
• Jan. 29...4-H Leader picked up fat tubes, fat glob and muscle for a program
• Feb. 1...FCRC...Pardon, Expungement & Sealed Seminar...at Mt. Pisgah...assistant Defender, Christie Fischer spoke on options for clearing a criminal record, petitioning for clemency, and understanding the standards for sealed records.
• Jan. 30...Staff meeting with Kathy Reiser, Amy Zilco, and Rick Atterbery
• Feb. 7...NFCS dept. meeting... worked on "Council Futuring"
• Feb 15... WebEx Nutrition in service Telenet on "the Role of the Food Industry in Overweight Obesity Issues"

Volunteer Development...Intern Lauren Rusk...

• Will write an article on her Skill-a-thon Teaching experience.
• She has also been instructed to contact Judy Rollins to shadow a program and teach one as well. I invited her to attend a program at Mt. Pisgah.
• She will also work on a Summer Picnic Safety program

Council Develoment...

• NFCS... met to plan Council Development for 02/22

Committees...

• Jan. 17...Children's Discovery Museum... Revising Children's Supermarket and Pizza Café.
• Jan. 19...NEAFCS... Welcome Event Telenet
• Jan. 26...Grandparents Raising Grandchildren planning committee
• Feb. 13...Baby Steps Steering Committee... going to a clearing house idea
• Jan. 26 and Feb. 9...GRG.

Upcoming .....

• Nutrition Telenet... Feb 15
• Nutrition Team Telenet...Feb 20
• Meet with Brianne, dietetics rotation graduate student...Feb. 27
• School Wellness Policy update...Springfield...Feb. 28
• Pat & Judy at School Wellness Policy update...Mar 1
• CHD (IPLAN...Heart Disease Task Force) meets...Mar 2
• Insight TV taping...Mar 6
• Nutrition Telenet... Mar 15
• State Nutrition Team meets...Mar 20 & 21
• Expanding Your Horizons...Mar 24
• Summertime Grilling Safety... Apr 9
• Nutrition Telenet... Apr 19
• Nutrition Telenet... May 17
• Grandparents Raising Grandchildren conference ...June 30
• One of 3 host states for NEAFCS (National Extension Association for Family & Consumer Sciences)...Sept. 17-20

"Let's Stir Things Up" is an introductory cooking class for a 4-H project titled Skill-a-Thon. During a recent workshop U of I Extension's spring dietetics intern, Lauren Rusk, taught children between the ages eight and ten to practice basic cooking skills, learn how to use basic kitchen tools, and review some cooking vocabulary while making no-bake chocolate cookies.

The cookies were made without eggs so that no baking was involved and most importantly, the 4-Her's could safely lick the cookie dough off their spoons! With this activity they learned the importance of a clean work space, how to read a recipe, and how to measure using dry and liquid measuring cups. Another activity was Lingo and it incorporated kitchen terminology. Lingo stemmed off the word bingo. Instead of having numbers we had kitchen terms on the Lingo sheets. A definition was read and the participants had to put a marker on the term that corresponded to the definition. It became a group activity with this particular game. The children worked as a team to figure out the definitions which proved to be enjoyable and exciting for them. The final activity was Jeopardy which had a kitchen safety twist. This involved principle knowledge about knife safety, food poisoning prevention, stove top protocol, and other kitchen safety trivia. Two teams of ten were formed and a "captain" was designated for each team who was responsible for saying their teams answer after consulting with their fellow members. This activity incorporated team work as well as kitchen safety knowledge. The question that proved to be the most difficult was, "How long is it okay to leave food out on a table after cooking?" Two hours is the maximum time food should be left out because of bacterial growth. When food sits at room temperature bacteria is at optimal growth potential. Keep food out of the temperature danger zone, 40°F-140°F.

At the end of the workshop the 4-Hers walked out with a kitchen education foundation that will help prepare them for future workshops and skill-a-thons as well as cooking at home. Leaving with chocolate cookies sure helped too!

There are five skill-a-thon station competitions at the 4-H fair.

1. Let's Start cooking
2. Learn to Bake
3. Dairy Foods
4. Meat & Other Protein Sources
5. Preservation of Foods

Living Well Walk Program---Working on certificates, cards, log sheets, encouragement.

Children's Discovery Museum--- Appointed to the team to create the nutrition center at the museum!

1-12... Dietetics Intern Rotation...

Lining up two interns from the Cancer Center to do their dietetics rotation. One will come in to talk about extension and attend the Nutrition PDO telenet on Jan. 18 !County Web Page...

Web Page work

Added Food Pantry Question to the FAQ...Food and Nutrition Blog

Updated Welcome Column

Added FAQ...Can I Leave my Leftovers from Lunch in the Car?

Added to the Nutrition Education Page...program updates

Added a feature the news release for upcoming Health Literacy Telenet

Sampling of inquiries---

1-12...Responded to a materials request...to use materials for program for 3 year olds. Past several years has borrowed pyramid, handouts, food models and shared any innovative ideas.

Q: I have a recipe for a pie that calls for heavy cream in the bottom portion and whipping cream on the top. I have looked in the store and located heavy cream...but, the whipping cream container says "heavy whipping cream"..are these the same thing?? Or is there a difference?? I can't find a container that just says whipping cream. Also, can half and half be whipped??

A: Refer to FAQ Blog to find the answer I gave this caller

1-12...Handled mailings to dietitians forupcoming Nutrition Telenets

Q: Starting a Food Bank and need guidelines for shelf life of canned goods.

A: I checked with the state nutrition team and researched food pantry guidelines on the web. Check our FAQ blog for the answer.

Q: New in town and looking for parenting classes

A: Shared what we have and also shared FCRC (Family Community Resource Center), WIC at the Health Dept., Partners in Parenting, Project oz

Chocolate Fantasy Event...12-4

Check our nutrition web site news releases for details!

Seasonal Inquiries

Q: I am making soup and it calls for 1 T minced onion. How much is that in fresh onion

Q: Power Outages galore and food safety questions!

Program

How to Make Your Holidays Run Smoothly and Happily...11.28...for Head Start Parent Advisory Council

December newsletters were sent out to subscribing members

Diabetes Lifelines

Wellness Ways...(feeding your family on less) Topic: Dry & Liquid Measures

Your Health and You...(for seniors)

Topic: Fruits and Vegetables for the Holidays

Area Newspaper columns sent

Christmas... Mailing Food Gifts

Cranberries for the Holidays

FFT...Holiday Baking with Preschoolers

Home made Noodles...Media version (4^th week in Dec. after Christmas)