Extension
It Starts With Us
Author: Patsy Smith
Major Program: Food Preparation
During the winter of 2017, in collaboration with Mckee Elementary School, Save the Children Foundation and the Jackson County Cooperative Extension Service SNAP-Ed program a 6 week Cooking with Kids after school program was taught to twenty 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students. Ninety percent of these students were low income, latch-key youth. During the six week program the SNAP-Ed Assistant taught the youth the following life skills: Food Safety, Proper Hand Washing, Knife Safety, Basic Measu
Author: Sheila Fawbush
Major Program: Food Preparation
Working with young people in the kitchen is a great way to develop their self-confidence and build skills such as reading, math, and following instructions while also teaching about nutrition, hand washing and safety. The Kids in the Kitchen program combines all these elements in a fun, two hour event for Shelby County youth. The Shelby County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent and program assistants coordinated two sessions of “Kids in the Kitchen.” Two Family Resource Center Coordi
Author: Gwenda Johnson
Major Program: Food Preparation
Elliott County FCS has been hosting an annual cooking school for eleven years. The agent often gets questions such as "Why are people vegetarian" or what does "Vegan" mean? Participants at Diabetes and other nutrition programs often ask about protein in vegetarian diets. One of Elliott County FCS's most active volunteers became a vegetarian because of health issues. She got lots of questions. For these reasons the Partnership for a Healthy Elliott County chose "Eatin
Author: Natalie Taul
Major Program: Food Preparation
Being a savvy food consumer can benefit an individual or family in many ways. Knowing what to look for and how to shop for a certain product to ensure that you are getting the most bang for your buck, can afford a family a little wiggle room in their monthly budget as well as make their food go farther. Seeing a need for consumer education regarding meats education, the Family and Consumer Sciences Educator teamed up with the Agriculture Educator to provide a series of classes focused on consume
Author: Brad Stone
Major Program: Food Preparation
Young adult who happens to be newly independent, since participating in the Healthy Choices for Everybody lessons with a group in Lewis County, unlocked some undiscovered cooking skills and became rather handy in the kitchen. Prior to participation in the program, basic knife skills were absent, the ability to measure correctly certainly needed some work and safe food handling practices were questionable at best. After going through the program, a deeper understanding of how to safel
Author: Lynnette Allen
Major Program: Food Preparation
~~•Through ongoing community needs discussions with local leadership, the lack of accessibility to healthy food continues to be identified in Breckinridge County. With limited resources, transportation to grocery stores and funds for purchasing food is difficult at times for many families. To help address this need, the Extension Service is offering basic food preparation workshops. Basic Cooking 101 began in 2017 and is continuing on in the 2018 program year with monthly
Author: Nicole Gwishiri
Major Program: Food Preparation
According to Pew Research, 37 percent of Americans reside in their hometown and have never moved. The same research study says the percentage is much higher for individuals who have a mental, social, or physical disability. Because 26.4 percent of Bath County citizens live at or below the poverty line, along with only 23 percent of the citizens intaking the daily recommendation of fruits and vegetables, the Family and Consumer Sciences Agent decided to host this Cooking Around the World program.
Author: Whitney Morrow
Major Program: Food Preparation
Kentucky Youth rank among the 10 highest for obesity in the US. In fact, in 2010 21.1% of children ages 2-4 were identified as obese in Carter County. Involving children in food preparation has been proven to successfully increase the consumption of nutritious food in children. The Carter County Extension Family and Consumer Sciences and 4H Agents had multiple requests for cooking classes for children. To address this need they developed “Kids Can Cook Camp” for you
Author: Nellie Buchanan
Major Program: Food Preparation
Recent research indicates children who eat meals at home have improved grades, social skills and less health issues. The Morgan County FCS Advisory Council suggested increased social media be utilized to increase involvement in foods programs. In collaboration with ANR agent, local family resource center, members of the advisory council, programs were offered including: Tuesday Toolbox series, Veggie Bucks, food preservation, Farmers Market, Field Day, Quick
Author: Lora Howard
Major Program: Food Preparation
About 1.7 million toaster ovens are sold in the United States each year. Twenty-seven percent of households use it only for toasting foods (Energy Star Market Industry Scoping Report: Toaster Ovens, November 2011). Today’s toaster ovens have capability beyond toasting and use one-half to one-third less energy than conventional ovens. Additionally, smaller yield recipes may be more efficiently prepared in a toaster oven. Individuals who understand the advantages of toaster ovens may find th
Author: Julia Wilson
Major Program: Food Preparation
According the the CEDIK Edmonson County Workforce Profile report of employed Edmonson County residents, 80% are out-commuters, leaving Edmonson County. This leaves many families looking for meal options that can quickly be prepared. The electric programmable pressure cooker has become popular nationwide due to its ability to quickly prepare meals. However, many people feel nervous using this new device since pressure is used.The Edmonson County FCS Agent presented a program on the electric progr
Author: Linda Combs
Major Program: Food Preparation
Recently small electric counter top appliances have become the rage. Especially the electric pressure cooker and the air fryer. To answer the many questions owners or want to be owners have about these appliances the Knott County Family and Consumer Science agent offered “Small Appliances: What do You Want to Know?”. Eighteen participants attended the program. Pros and cons of both appliances were discussed and demonstrated. Participants shared their per
Author: Cecelia Hostilo
Major Program: Food Preparation
According to www.KyHealthFacts.org 23% of Trigg Countians report less than good health. 11% of Trigg Countians have diabetes and 30"% report high blood pressure. Though there are many contributing factors, a big contributor is a lack of food preparation skills which leads to buying more expensive, processed foods that lack nutrient density and contain more fats, sugar, and sodium than recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. To encourage more food preparat
Author: Angie York
Major Program: Food Preparation
When working with clientele who have busy schedules, an often heard cry is that of too little time to cook for their families. According to Consumer Reports in 2016 more than $720 billion were spent at restaurants across the United States. A recent Forbes poll shows that millennials spend more than 44% of their food budget eating outside of the home. With obesity rates for adults at 39.7%, we can easily confer the direct correlation between fast food/eating out and being overweight. In order to
Author: Catherine Jansen
Major Program: Food Preparation
Food security is an important topic that spans an entire community, and thus all areas of the Cooperative Extension Service. The United States Department of Agriculture defines food security as access to enough food by all people, at all times, for an active, healthy life. “Feeding America,” an organization that focuses on domestic hunger relief and food banks, defines food insecurity as the lack of access, at times, to enough food. According to Feeding America&rsqu
Author: Melanie Bealmear
Major Program: Food Preparation
The mission of the Super Star Chef series is to provide a fun and educational environment for youth to gain knowledge and learn skills which will lead to success in the kitchen. This hands-on cooking school is the third in the series and covers safety in the kitchen; reading a recipe; cooking techniques; baking Refrigerator Rolls, Buttermilk Biscuits, and Pie Crusts. Fifteen Union County youth participated in this 3-day program held at the Union County Extension Service Office, June 26-28, 2018.
Author: Judith Hetterman
Major Program: Food Preparation
The “Recipes for Life” program is an educational experience, which provides a hands-on learning experience for175 fifth grade youth in Owen County annually, where they learn food preparation skills, kitchen and food safety, mealtime etiquette, and nutritional knowledge/healthy eating. The program goes along with the Kentucky Core Curriculum Math and Science skills which are innately a part of cooking as well as reading. Students are encouraged to share their student booklet, recipe b
Author: Garrard Coffey
Major Program: Food Preparation
Iron is a mineral in our body that is vital to health and wellness. It helps our blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body. One simple way to get iron in your body is through your diet. Most people do not realize that using cast iron cookware can help your intake of this essential mineral.Whitley County Cooperative Extension Agents for Agriculture and Natural Resources and Family and Consumer Sciences Education partnered together to do a program using cast iron cookware over an open fire to p
Author: Crystal Osborne
Major Program: Food Preparation
The FCS and 4-H Advisory Councils both identified the need to teach youth basic cooking and practical living skills as a priority. Making meal preparation a family affair not only teaches youth about cooking, it equips them with valuable skills, promoting lifelong health and self-sufficiency.The Owsley County Extension Service Family & Consumer Sciences Agent, SNAP Assistant and EFNEP assistant presented an afterschool Super Star Chef Camp. This was our 5th Annual Youth
Author: Christy Ramey
Major Program: Food Preparation
Beef provides essential nutrients that support a heart-healthy lifestyle including protein, zinc, iron and Vitamin B. However, beef costs continue to increase making traditional muscle cuts cost prohibitive for many families. Knowing the best cut for the desired recipe or how to buy larger cuts that can be divided and saved or the preferred cooking techniques for tougher, less expensive cuts are all stategies that can be used to help consumers contain costs and stay within their budg
Author: Mary Beth Riley
Major Program: Food Preparation
It has been stated before that a child is more likely to have a healthier lifestyle the more that they are present and cooking in the kitchen. In today’s society, most families are so busy that teaching their children to be comfortable in a kitchen and teaching them how to cook is not a priority. Teaching children basic skills such as cooking and baking is important because that is a skilled that will be carried on to their adult life. The Muhlenberg County Cooperative Extension Services r
Author: Tamera Magee
Major Program: Food Preparation
Look at any infomercial and you will see marketing for small appliances that make meal preparation quick and easy for today's' busy families. One such appliance that is currently trending is the electric pressure cooker/multicooker. The Franklin Co. Extension Service responded to a request from the local library to partner. Forty-four people registered for the class. The participants were given handouts, recipes and sampled food prepared during the class. The topics cov
Author: Elizabeth Kingsland
Major Program: Food Preparation
As the local food movement continues to grow, Fayette county residents want to know what is in their food and how it is prepared. They also want to learn techniques and how to cook from scratch for the taste or for economical reasons. The Fayette County Family and Consumer Science program presented a series of six baking programs in the first half of 2018. During each session participants discussed the science of baking (i.e. leavening, ingredients). Participants were a varied group men and wome
Author: Melissa Goodman
Major Program: Food Preparation
When working with clientele who have busy schedules, an often heard cry is that of too little time to cook for their families. According to Consumer Reports in 2016 more than $720 billion were spent at restaurants across the United States. A recent Forbes poll shows that millennials spend more than 44% of their food budget eating outside of the home. With obesity rates for adults at 39.7%, we can easily confer the direct correlation between fast food/eating out and being overweight. In order to
