Family Recipe Central Blog

I encounter stories everyday about the special way families all over the world remember their loved ones through the family cookbook. There is something universally special about the family recipes and the love and nurturing we receive by way of mom's home cooking.

Broccoli is a super nutritious vegetable

Here are some interesting broccoli tips of the information variety. Of course, the kind of broccoli tips you can eat are often called florets. Fresh broccoli is available year round, but the best season is from October to May. Look for broccoli with more slender stalks. Overly thick stalks may indicate older broccoli. Wilted leaves and yellowish buds also indicate older broccoli that's not as fresh.

The broccoli clusters should be firm and a rich green color. Best to prepare your broccoli as soon as you purchase, but refrigeration will help to retain the vitamin A and vitamin C content.

Broccoli is full of healthful nutrients. One cup of chopped broccoli contains 90% of the RDA of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, 6% of niacin, 10% of calcium, 10% of thiamine, 10% of phosphorous and 8% of iron. It also provides 25% of your daily fiber needs. And in addition to all of the vitamins and minerals, a one cup serving of broccoli provides 5 grams of protein.

If you're not a voracious milk consumer, but like to have a some milk on hand for occasional bowls of cereal, cooking and perhaps a coffee creamer, sometimes those half gallon containers of milk sit in the refrigerator longer than we intend. As a rule of thumb, milk can retain its freshness for up to one week after the expiration date on the carton.

Most people think that buttermilk is high in fat content. To the contrary, buttermilk only contains about 1% milk fat.

Do you keep your special family recipes a secret?

We're all about sharing the family recipes here at Family Recipe Central. But that doesn't necessarily mean you have to share your special recipes with the entire world. A lot of people would like to share their family recipes with other family members, but still keep the recipes within the family.

That's why we provide "family groups" at Family Recipe Central.

You can create a group for your family, and only members that you invite to join your group can view and share the recipes and other content that you keep safe and secure within your group. It's a great way for families to collaborate online, but still maintain some family privacy.

But what happens when Grandma doesn't want to share her secret recipe, even with other family members?

It happens more often than you might think ...

Do you enjoy red meat and beef, but want to keep a healthful balance and try to stick to the leaner cuts of of beef? Here's the low down on the leanest cuts of beef.

Government Meat Grading - U.S.D.A
Be aware that the U.S.D.A grading scale emphasizes tenderness and flavor at the highest grades (Prime). More flavor and more tender means higher levels of fat content.

• U.S.D.A Prime - Most tender cut, highest fat content
• U.S.D.A Choice - Very tender cut, less fat content than Prime, most common grade sold

Did you know that foodborne illness strikes as many as 80 million Americans each year? Most of the incidents are mild cases. However, 9,000 cases of foodborne illness are fatal. Most of the worse cases are caused from meat and poultry contamination.

Here are a few tips you can follow to protect yourself from common food contamination.

E. coli bacteria may be responsible for over 20,000 cases of food poisoning each year. For your protection, cook all meat and poultry to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

A study performed sometime ago determined that cutting boards may be a source of frequent contamination in the kitchen. Especially wooden cutting boards which can form cracks, crevices, nicks and gouges over time from use. And the porous wooden fibers can be a breeding ground for bacteria.

More people everywhere are discovering one of the best ways to preserve the family history is with a family cookbook.

Our cherished family experience bridges the generations. For many of us, it would be nice if we could find more ways to establish more permanent and lasting connections. Better ways to document the family history, to preserve the family tradition. And to pass on the family experience, lessons and knowledge from one generation to the next.

Along with family scrapbooks and family photo albums, have you thought about a family cookbook? How often do you wish you would have paid more attention to capturing and preserving your mother's, grandmother's or favorite aunt's special recipes?