Your Healthiest U

5 CUCUMBER FACTS

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, one contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

4. Looking to fight off a snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

5. Just finish your lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemicals will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

Let this sink in for a moment...

Harvard did a study in 2016 determining that the 3rd leading cause of death is modern medicine (medical error) the study was then also repeated by Johns Hopkins... with the same results.

It's the 3rd LEADING CAUSE of death in the industry that's designed to PREVENT death...

Just remember doctor's are your learned health partner. You need to do your part also... Lord knows I do to!!

I'm jumping on the wagon... 1/9/2023 gotta get loosing side...

Here's to a healthy New Year! Gonna put together a private group... (women only)

Who's interested? Comment below, send me a dm...

With it getting cooler out and now with all the Christmas trees, lights, & decorations going up, I'm sending you a reminder... close your & your family's bedroom door...

WHY!?!

So glad you asked! A picture is worth a thousand words. Even those cheap six panel hollow core doors will buy you time in a fire. Look at how no smoke or heat made it into the bedroom. Now look in the hallway! Also look where the most damage is… Up high. This is why we preach to get down low if you have smoke or fire in your home.

Remember... Close Before You Doze!!!!

Who is ready for Thanksgiving!?!

THIS or THAT

A ~ Chunky Cranberry Relish
B ~ Jelly Cranberry Sauce

what is your favorite?

Happy National Pumpkin Day

National Pumpkin Day recognizes a highly favored autumn decoration. But not only do they make great fall decorations, but pumpkin is also tasty in recipes. Just visit any of the many fall festivals featuring these beautiful gourds. You will see the beautiful decorations & taste all the delicious treats!

By now we’re all in a frenzy of pumpkin obsession. We cannot wait for Thanksgiving to get our hands on the sweet deliciousness that is... pumpkin pie. No siree, we need pumpkin everything! Bars, cookies, coffee, cheesecake, pasta, and oatmeal.

Pumpkins are packed with nutrients, but they’re not only good for humans. Did you know that pumpkin may be recommended by veterinarians as a dietary supplement for dogs and cats? Since pumpkin is easy to digest, if your pet is experiencing certain digestive ailments, don’t be surprised if your vet says to give them pumpkin puree. Poultry also benefits from eating raw pumpkin as a supplement to their regular feed during the winter months to help maintain egg production. As a seasonal food, it sure comes at the right time of year. Since it’s packed with vitamin C, it can boost your immune system to fight off those nasty colds, too.

Then there's Pumpkin Chunkin’, pumpkin patches, festivals, bake-offs, and television specials. YES, I'm a Charlie Brown fan! Let’s not forget jack-o-lantern carving, too! This fruit grabs ALL the attention.

As it should! This squash is native to North America. The oldest evidence of pumpkin-related seeds dates back to somewhere between 7000 and 5500 BC, Wow... thats old!

The word pumpkin originates from the word pepon, which means “large melon” in Greek. Within recent years, white pumpkins have become more popular. The U.S. produces 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins, with Illinois producing more than any other state.

So to conclude this episode of things you didn't know ya didn't need to know... I'm asking...

What is your pumpkin pleasure...

A. Pumpkin Decor
B. Savory Pumpkin Dishes
C. Sweet Pumpkin Treats

Happy National Greasy Food Day

Wow... that's a thing... Anyways... on this episode of things you didn't know ya didn't need to know... we are talkin bout Greasy Food.

Is anyone thinking.....Awwwkwarrrrd...

I mean seriously... we aren't supposed to say yummm, Greasy Food!! But let's put the judgement down & get down to the brass tacks here.

Greasy Food = Delicious Food

Burgers, fries, pizza, fried chicken, mozzarella sticks, not to mention fried oysters, shrimp, fish, hushpuppies.. seriously, I can go on, like... fried oreos, snickers, fried ice cream. You name it! It is all greasy & delicious! Well, except for the oysters, I'll give those a hard pass... pass them right onto my husband. He LOVES them!

I believe we all love these greasy & delicious foods!

Although not the healthiest of choices, it is okay to enjoy SOME greasy food. From fried chicken, pizza, nachos, & french fries to bacon, we all like a treat in our regular diet.

Greasy foods can be made healthier when prepared with healthier oils & much less oil, making them healthier choices.

Let's not forget the air frier!! That is a huge game changer that we will go into at a much later date!

The healthier oils I like are:
Olive oil - used cold
Avocado oil - used hot & cold

The healthier solid oils I like are:
Coconut oil - use hot or cold
Beef tallow - use hot
Butter - use hot or cold

Plus, oils may be flavored with aromatic flavorings such as herbs, chilies, or garlic.

Now, let's go and enjoy those French Fries, Burgers & Pizza! What are you reaching for first?

Happy National Nut Day!

On this episode of things you didn't know ya didn't need to know we're talkin NUTS!!!

This day is NOT about the neighbor that lives down the street or the co-worker who sings super loud with their headphones on. It is a day celebrating a healthy and nutritious snack.

Nuts are a highly prized food and energy source & are a primary source of nutrients for both humans & wildlife. Many of them are used in cooking, eaten "raw", sprouted, or roasted as a snack food. Some are even pressed for oil that is used in cooking and cosmetics. The fats found in nuts, for the most part, are unsaturated fats, including monounsaturated fats.

Many nuts are excellent sources of vitamins E and B2. They are also rich in protein, folate fiber, and essential minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and selenium.

Nuts are essential to animals, especially those in temperate climates, as they store acorns & other nuts during the autumn months to keep from starving during late fall, all winter, and early spring.

Several studies have shown that those who consume nuts regularly are less likely to suffer from coronary heart disease (CHD). It was in 1993 that nuts were first linked to protection against CHD. Since that time, many clinical trials have found that the consumption of various nuts, such as almonds and walnuts, can lower serum LDL cholesterol concentrations.

One study has shown that people who ate nuts lived two to three years longer than those who did not. Those who were consuming nuts may have been eating less junk food leading to a longer lifespan.

Nuts in their "raw" form retain the most nutritional benefit, too. But the question is, are the really RAW? Aren't they to dangerous to be eaten raw? Yes, some are.

Almonds are one of those that are, so they are steamed; then dry roasted to get the water back out, and the law allows them to say they are still RAW! Hello... Steamed and dry roasted is not raw!

At the present time Almonds and Hazelnuts are the only nuts REQUIRED to be pasteurized by that steaming & dry roasting process.

Brazil nuts, cashews, macadamias, pecans, pistachios & walnuts at present, are not required to be pasteurized. BUT be warned! Some organic nut processors are pasteurizing organic nuts and labeling them as raw even without the law requiring it! So watch out!!

What is your favorite nut?

Happy National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day

On this episode of things you didn't know ya didn't need to know we're talkin cheesecake....

Pumpkin Cheesecake to be exact... and did you know cheesecake isn't really a cake at all... 🤯 I never thought about it really... but it ain't... What cheesecake lacks are some of the basic ingredients that make a cake... well, a cake. For example, there's no flour in the main pudding or custard mix. Not to mention there's no baking powder or soda either.

Cheesecake may be decadent and rich, but it's far from what is defined as a cake.

Many myths and stories have been spun around the creation of this popular dessert. Some say it's Greek while others say Roman... but wherever its origin, we're glad its here...

And now there are TONS of different flavors! Not to mention the US has several different styles of cheesecakes:

*New York-style
*Pennsylvania Dutch-style
*Philadelphia-style
*Farmer cheese
*Country-style
*Lactose-free
*Cheesecake Kludys
*Chicago Style

AND... what I'm not sure is even fair to say is cheesecake... is the
*Savory cheesecake which to me is more like a quiche than a cheesecake... but has more eggs & not quite as much cheese... soooo 🤷‍♀️ IDK

What is your favorite cheesecake?

Happy Chicken and Waffles Day

Chicken and waffles is an American dish combining chicken with waffles. It is part of a variety of culinary traditions, including Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine and soul food.
However, the exact origins of this dish are unknown.

Waffles served with chicken and gravy were noted as a common Sunday dish among the Pennsylvania Dutch by the 1860s, and by the end of the 19th century, the dish was a symbol of Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

A traditional story about the origin of the dish in soul food states that because African Americans in the South rarely had the opportunity to eat chicken and were more familiar with flapjacks or pancakes than with waffles, they considered the dish a delicacy. For decades, it remained "a special-occasion meal in African American families."

Other historians, however, cite a scarcity of early evidence of the dish's existence in the South. They place the origin later, after the post-Civil War migration of Southern African-Americans to the North during the Reconstruction Era.

The combination of chicken and waffles does not appear in early Southern cookbooks such as Mrs. Porter’s Southern Cookery Book, published in 1871, or in What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking, published in 1881 by former slave Abby Fisher. Fisher's cookbook is generally considered the first cookbook written by an African American. The lack of a recipe for the combination of chicken and waffles in Southern cookbooks from the era may suggest the former Dutch origin for the dish.

Popular culture may have associated the dish with the South by 1917, when Edna Ferber's F***y Herself mentioned a Chicago restaurant falsely advertising "Southern chicken dinner with waffles and real maple syrup, 35 cents each."

Fried chicken and waffles came to Los Angeles by 1931, when they were served at The Maryland, a restaurant that marketed the dish as a Southern specialty.

James M. Cain's 1941 novel Mildred Pierce concerns a woman who finds success serving "chicken-and-waffle dinner" at her Glendale restaurant.

In New York, the dish was served in the African-American community in Harlem as early as the 1930s in such locations as Tillie's Chicken Shack, Richard Wells' jazz nightclub, and particularly the Wells Supper Club. In 1935 Bunny Berigan composed a jazz instrumental titled "Chicken and Waffles".

Since the 1970s, chicken and waffles have gained popularity due to the restaurant Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles, which has become known as a favorite of some Hollywood celebrities. It has even been referenced in several movies, and spun off several more into a small chain.

Speaking of Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles... that is who is responsible for this episode of things you didn't know ya didn't need to know! They celebrated the first National Chicken & Waffles Day, in 2021.

Thank you Roscoe's!!

Happy National Seafood Bisque Day

Seafood bisque is a smooth, creamy, and highly-seasoned soup of French origin, specifically, the Bay of Biscay.

Bisque was first mentioned as a shellfish soup in the 17th century, leading food historians to suggest that it was originally a fisherman’s dish that was designed to get the most flavor out of whatever ingredients were available.

Recipes call for a strained broth of crustaceans. Use seafood such as lobster, crab, shrimp, or crawdads.

That's all of this episode of things you didn't know ya didn't need to know...

Do you like a bisque or a chowder?

Happy National Chocolate Cupcake Day

Cupcakes can be traced back to 1796 when a recipe notation of “a cake to be baked in small cups” was written in American Cookery, by Amelia Simmons.

However, The actual term "CUPCAKE" was originally used in the late 19th century for cakes made from ingredients measured by the cupful like 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 eggs.

The early cupcakes were baked in teacups or ramekins (small clay pots) before the invention of the multi-cup pans we use today. Hence, a cup of cake!

Cupcakes have also been called:

* Fairy Cakes ~ Britain
* Patty Cakes ~ Australia

On August 15, 2009, GourmetGiftBaskets. com broke the world record for the largest cupcake ever made. The cupcake was 1,224 pounds, 4 feet tall by 10 feet, and had 2 million calories. BUT... was it really a cupcake... or was it a cake in shape of a cupcake? 🤷‍♀️

Hostess Cupcakes, arguably the world’s most famous cupcake, were originally made in the 1950s. Instead of making full-sized cakes, the company decided to make cupcakes because they take less time to bake than cakes. Less time baking (17 minutes) means more cupcakes can be made in a single day! The Hostess conveyor oven can turn out 11,000 cupcakes an hour! 😳🤯 Hostess sells over 600 million Cupcakes each year!

So that's where we are ending this episode of things you didn't know ya didn't need to know...

600,000,000 cupcakes... WOWZERS...

Happy National Pasta Day

In this episode of things you didn't know that ya didn't need to know... yes... there is a smidgen of controversy & 1 shocker (at least for me it was) so read on my friend...

The first reference of "pasta" noodles dates back to 1154 in Sicily and was first attested to in English in 1874.

While we find noodles all over the world, pasta is a TYPE of noodle of traditional Italian cuisine.

Typically, pasta is made from an unleavened dough of durum wheat flour. The flour is mixed with water or eggs and formed into sheets or various shapes. It can then be served fresh or dried to be stored for later use.

Look for pasta in both savory and dessert dishes. Since it’s so versatile, pasta lends itself to sweet and every other dish on the table. Cooks feature pasta as a main dish, but they also serve up delicious hot and cold side dishes as well. And then, of course, those special desserts we can’t resist making our mouths water. That was my shocker... sweet pasta who'd a thunk it... 🤔

* Check below, I will leave a dessert recipe just for you!

Originally, pasta was made fresh by hand. However, today, most varieties of fresh pasta are commercially made. Large-scale machines bring many choices to the market in abundance! Smaller pasta machines on the market make having the freshest pasta at home pretty easy.
Dried and fresh pasta come in several shapes and varieties.

According to the Encyclopedia of Pasta by Oretta Zanini De Vita, 310 specific kinds of pasta identified by over 1300 names have been documented. Who knew there are so many kinds of pasta! 🤯🤤

The size and shape of pasta may determine the best sauce to pair with it, too. For example, serve linguine with lighter, thinner sauces to avoid breaking the noodles. A similarly shaped noodle, fettuccine, is less delicate. That’s why it carries heavier sauces like alfredo. (My fave)

Americans eat 26 pounds of pasta annually. While Italians eat 60 pounds.

The typical portion is only 100 grams. Compare that to a 700 gram portion of pasta at Olive Garden. Now it's clear why Italians can get away with having so much of it.

Now, lets talk about cooking said pasta. It is helpful to know al dente pasta not only tastes better, it keeps you fuller longer. This is because it takes longer to digest al dente pasta than it does overcooked pasta ― thus making you feel fuller longer.

Even in pasta, there is controversy... People were once fooled into thinking spaghetti grew on trees. 🤨 On April 1, 1957, BBC aired a spoof documentary about spaghetti crops in Switzerland that showed farmers harvesting spaghetti from bushes. The humorous video was met with confusion including a portion of viewers wondering where they could buy their own spaghetti bush. 🤦‍♀️

The three most popular shapes of pasta are spaghetti, macaroni, and penne. Spaghetti is so popular that it accounts for two-thirds of all pasta production. These 3 don't surprise me at all. As we are having spaghetti for supper tonight & yesterday I had probably the BEST macaroni salad I ever tasted!!

❤️ Thanks Gia I need to get your recipe!! ❤️

https://theartofimprovisation.com/sweet-cinnamon-brown-sugar-dessert-pasta/

Happy National Cheese Curd Day

National Cheese Curd Day celebrates the velvety goodness of the cheese curd..

On this episode of things you didn't know ya didn't need to know we're talkin curds... Cheese curds...

In full disclosure, my children have often said they are going to hold an intervention for me because of my LOVE for Cheese. 😏 So... again... this may be my favorite of the days.... sigh... are you seeing a pattern here? I wonder when the National day of I love food is!?! That's my day... hahaha

Cheese Curds are unique, funky, snackable little pieces of delicious cheese. Many restaurants coat and deep-fry them to a golden brown. When you bite into one, first expect a warm buttery crunch on the outside. The next delicious taste will be an ooey-gooey burst of dairyland delicacy on the inside.

What are they? Well, cheesemaking naturally creates cheese curds. Fresh ones squeak when you bite into them. Cheesemakers create different flavors to appease the growing number of people enjoying cheese curds.

Serve cheese curds in a variety of ways to reap the flavor benefits! Of course, you can always eat them fresh. Another includes the all-time favorite, deep-fried. Add dipping sauces for tasting options, too!! Choose from ranch, more cheese sauce, spicy siracha, tangy dill, barbeque, and more. Cheese curds find their way into recipes, also. Like poutine... poutine has been popular for decades. And calls for Cheese Curds on top of french fries with gravy.

I mean seriously... it's cheese... you can't go wrong with cheese!

Happy National Dessert Day

In this episode of things you didn't know ya didn't need to know we're talkin DESSERTS!! Another one of my favorite topics!!

First, comment below what's your favorite dessert?

Now... The word “dessert” actually originated from the French word desservir, meaning “to clear the table.” This refers to the fact that desserts are served after the other dishes are cleared off the table.

BUT... Dessert was originally served in between main courses. Then, it slowly evolved to being served at the end of a meal. This transition towards sweet desserts during this time period was partly due to the cultivation of New World plantations, which lowered the price of sugar.

So not sure how I feel about the whole end of the meal/middle of the meal stuff... here we go with the controversies... 🥴

One of the first appreciated "desserts" was fruit. However, dessert as we know it today, has likely only existed since the seventeenth century. This is when the idea of having a separate course for SWEETS first arrived. Prior to that, sweet and savory foods were all seated at the same time.

But remember before the 17th century, "sweet" wasn't a big thing as sugar was thought of as medicine. (More on that another day) so the "sweet" was usually something made with fruit.

Here are some randomly chosen sweet or dessert facts:

* German chocolate cake isn’t German. It’s actually named after Samuel German, an American baker who worked at Baker’s Chocolate Company. He actually created a new type of baking chocolate that incorporated more sugar than typical semisweet chocolate.

* Each year, seven billion chocolate chips are consumed in the United States. This equates to over 19.2 million cookies eaten a day. About 50% of those cookies are homemade, while the others are store-bought.

* Ice cream testers use gold spoons for tasting the product instead of regular spoons. Gold eliminates even the slightest “after-taste” that can be caused by the metal or plastic from regular spoons.

* According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Armenia holds the title for the world’s biggest chocolate bar. The giant plain chocolate bar, made by the Grand Candy Company, weighed over 9,000 pounds and was created in 2010.

BONUS since we're getting close to the holidays...

* Legend says that the candy cane was invented to keep children quiet in church. In 1670, a choirmaster in Germany handed out sugar sticks among the young singers to keep them quiet during a Christmas ceremony and bent the candies into shepherds’ crooks for the occasion.

* The largest gingerbread house was built in Texas. It covered an area of more than 2,500 feet and contained more than 35,000,000 calories. It was large enough that an entire family of five could live inside.

Happy National Gumbo Day

This may be my favorite episode of things you didn't know ya didn't need to know buy now your glad ya know...

🤤 GUMBO!! 🤤 Need I say anything else!?! 🤤

Originating in southern Louisiana during the 18th century, Gumbo typically consists of strongly-flavored stock with meat or shellfish, a thickener, and seasoned vegetables. The seasoned vegetables may include celery, bell peppers, and onions. In Cajun cuisine, the trio is known as the “holy trinity.” Most people serve Gumbo over rice. Gumbo also falls into different categories based on the following types of thickener used:

* African vegetable okra

* Choctaw spice filé powder (dried and ground sassafras leaves)

* Roux (the French base made of flour and fat)

Gumbo arose from a West African word for okra. Many believe this word association is how the soup and the ingredient became intertwined.

Gumbo is thought to have been first documented in 1802 and was listed in various cookbooks in the latter 19th century. It gained widespread popularity in the 1970s when the United States Senate cafeteria added Gumbo to the menu in honor of Louisiana Senator Allen Ellender. Gumbo is also the official cuisine of the state of Louisiana.

Since 1989, New Iberia, Louisiana hosts The World Championship Gumbo Cook-Off.

Happy Sausage Pizza Day

This is one tasty episode of things you didn't know ya didn't need to know!!

Whether served on a thin or thick crust, sausage pizza is AMAZING!! Totally delish!! Plus it goes well with other toppings, too. Don’t hesitate to add mushrooms and a variety of cheeses. What’s even better about sausage pizza are the different kinds of sausage to choose from.

While Italian sausage may be the preferred sausage but try experimenting. Add more garlic or try additional spice. Try smoky sausages such as chorizo or even a kielbasa! You could even visit with your local butcher for sausage suggestions. They’ve probably been smoking up the latest experiment just for you to try.

Sautéd onions add amazing flavor to sausage pizza. While cooking up the onions add a few portabella mushrooms to the pan. Once you’ve added them to your pizza, sprinkle the top with feta cheese and fresh basil. You won’t regret it.

Pizza Facts...

In ancient Greece, the Greeks covered their bread with oils, herbs, and cheese, which some attribute to the beginning of the pizza.

In Byzantine Greek, the word was spelled “πίτα,” pita, meaning pie.

The Romans developed a pastry with a sheet of dough topped with cheese and honey, then flavored with bay leaves.

The modern pizza had its beginning in Italy as the Neapolitan flatbread.

The original pizza used only mozzarella cheese, mainly the highest quality buffalo mozzarella variant. It was produced in the surroundings of Naples.
An estimated 2 billion pounds of pizza cheese was produced in the United States in 1997.

The first United States pizza establishment opened in New York’s Little Italy in 1905.

What is your favorite pizza topping?!?

Happy National Pierogi Day

In this episode of things you didn't know ya didn't need to know... The Pierogi...

Pierogi is the plural form of the rarely used Polish word pierog. In English, we spell pierogi several ways, including perogi and pierogy.

Any way you spell it a Pierogi is a pillow of yummy goodness wrapped in a unleavened dough. Like a dumpling. Boiled then fried or baked.

Now for some fun facts...

The Pittsburgh Pirates hold a pierogi race at every home game. Six pierogi costume-wearing runners (Potato Pete, Jalapeño Hannah, Cheese Chester, Sauerkraut Saul, Oliver Onion, and Bacon Burt) race to the finish line between innings.

Glendon, Alberta, Canada, is home to a 6000-pound pierogi standing 25 feet tall and is made of sturdy fiberglass and steel. Piercing the giant pierogi, built-in 1991, is an equally giant fork.

Whiting, Indiana celebrates an annual Pierogi Fest each July.

Happy National Frappé Day

In this episode of things you didn't know you didn't need to know... & today very well may be what you do not want to know....

When I say frapé what do you think... McDonalds... or Starbucks of course.

The McDonald's McCafé Frappé began as an affordable version of a classic. It's menu was an enticing assortment of coffee, coffee drinks, and smoothies which began in Australia in 1993, but it didn't make its way over to the United States' menu until 2009.

As for the birth of the Starbucks Frappuccino...
In the summer of 1995, Starbucks brought Frappuccino across all of its stores in the United States and Canada. The only two flavors were Coffee and Mocha. There wasn't even whipped cream!?!

Needless to say they're a far cry from what they are today.

Frappes typically are blended drinks made with either coffee or espresso and topped with whipped cream.

However, there is a more savory "frappé" drink. Hold onto your taste buds for these...

Clamato - tomato juice wiiith... clam juce - think clamato by Motts 😵‍💫

Bloody Caesar - think Bloody Mary wiiiith.... dried clam juice & hot sauce... 🤢

Dirty Caesar - think Bloody Caesar wiiith... Worcestershire sauce. 🤮

That's are a big NO from me. Thanks... I'll stick with the sweet flavors!

What is your go to flavor?

Happy National Noodle Day

Well in this episode of things you didn't know, you didn't need to know we're talkin oodles of noodles...

Oddly, the origional use for the word "noodle" meant "a dummy" or "the head" & it came before the culinary sense in English. Some believe it was a wink & a nudge to an earlier word, "noddle," which meant about the same thing. It's like using "do**us" or "ding-dong," that practically begs to be made a mild insult. 🤷‍♀️

The word comes to English from the German Nudel. But Nudel itself most likely comes from Knodel or Nutel, an old German word meaning "dumpling," or, more literally, a "turd" or "small knot." Yummm... lol

Starting around the 1400s, Nudels popped up in German cookbooks as an ingredient in casseroles with cabbage, dried fruit, ham, and dumplings, and by the late 1500s the word was all over the place.

Fun fact... noodles are used in every style of cooking.

English - Noodle
Spanish - Fideo
French - Nouille
Russian- Lapham
Italian - Spaghetto
Chinese - Miàntiáo
Greek - Manéstra

What is your favorite "noodle" dish?

Happy Pumpkin Seed Day

On this episode of things you didn't know, you didn't need to know, were getting to know, you guessed it... Pumpkin Seeds!!

According to archeologists, pumpkin seeds have been traced back as far as 7000 BC. That, I think, makes them officially OLD!!

The Aztecs & Mayans were believed to revere pumpkin seeds as an essential & powerful source of food & nutrition. Shocker!! They were on to something – In comparison to other nuts and seeds, Pumpkin Seeds are one of the most nutritious plant-based foods.

A ¼ cup serving has 17% of an adult’s daily allowance of zinc & 15% of the iron needed. That's pretty amazing! Zinc is good for your immune system & iron is good for the oxygenation of your blood.

In addition to zinc & iron, check out the protein in these puppies... an ounce has 8.5 grams!! Ounce for ounce, that’s 2.5 times more protein than a hard-boiled egg. 🤯

Not to mention these little buggers have over 40% of the RDI of magnesium, phosphorus, & manganese. These are essential nutrients that aid in overall body function!

Pumpkin seeds make great additions to salads, oatmeal, and even ice cream.

Pumpkin seeds without shells are also known as pepitas.

So whether you have them shelled or un-shelled, sweet or savory, enjoy some today.

My friend asked if butter should be left out or kept in the refrigerator... so I'm gonna ask you the same thing.

Butter... refrigerate or no!?!

Happy National Taco Day

This episode of things you didn't know, you didn't need to know we're discussing fun things TACOS!!!

The first thing you need to know is that tacos are Really, REALLY Old!!! Experts say they go all the way back to between 1,000 & 500 B.C. At the time, the taco was more about having an edible spoon. The first mention of the actual word TACO in the United States didn’t come around until 1905.

Americans Eat a TON of Tacos

According to NationalTacoDay. com, Americans eat billions of tacos every year, 4.5 billion to be more specific. Americans love tacos & they love Taco Bell… around half of the U.S. population visits a Taco Bell once every 11 days. 🥴

Taco Means “Light Lunch”

Roughly translated, the word taco means “light lunch” there are other translations, but we'll stick with the “light lunch” translation. 😉 Which is weird because most people can’t resist tacos enough to keep it light.

There is a Right Time of Day to Eat Tacos

For most people, all the time is the right time to eat tacos. However, there is actually a specific “taco time.” According to Mexican tradition, seafood tacos are meant to be eaten at lunch, while antojitos (snacks) are to be eaten at dinner time. That is because the most important meal of the day is lunch (comida) and normally served between 1 and 3 p.m. Supper (cena) is served late, usually after 8 p.m. and is, as mentioned above, a light snack (antojitos).