more... > Parishes > St. Charles > Family & Consumer Sciences > Cook your turkey properly to avoid illness (Distributed 11/12/09) Turkey is the traditional choice for most Thanksgiving celebrations. There is no quality difference between a fresh or frozen turkey although fresh turkeys have shorter shelf lives, according to LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames. Certain Pies Dangerous At Room Temperature The holidays are time to enjoy special desserts you may only make once a year. To prevent getting foodborne illness, refrigerate pies containing eggs and milk, such as pumpkin, custard and cream pies. Thanksgiving Dinner Costs Less This Year When Louisiana cooks shop for their Thanksgiving meal, they’ll find the cost of the basic dinner items will average $36.31 for 10 people, according to an LSU AgCenter survey of Baton Rouge-area prices. That’s down by $3.50 from last year’s average of $39.81 – a 9 percent drop. Only 1 Cooking Temperature to Remember If you’ve been confused in the past about the temperature you needed to cook your holiday turkey, you now need to remember only one temperature, 165 degrees.  more articles... Fried Turkey Gets Nutrition Nod When frying a turkey, it is imperative that the bird be completely thawed, or the oil will "boil" when the bird touches it – possibly causing injury or fire. To thaw a turkey in the refrigerator safely, leave it in the original wrapping, place it on a tray and refrigerate. Allow five hours thawing time per pound. Enrich holiday meals with Louisiana yams (Distributed 11/06/09) Thanksgiving is a perfect time to enjoy Louisiana yams. The Louisiana yam is an exceptional type of sweet potato – sweet and flavorful, with a soft, moist flesh, says LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames . Diabetes month is reminder about healthful eating (Distributed 10/29/09) Every November during American Diabetes Month, LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames reminds people healthful eating is important for managing diabetes. Calm back-to-school chaos through organization (Distributed 07/14/09) Decades ago, hectic lives were the trademark of business people. Today, that condition applies to almost every family in America where your family is your business, according to LSU AgCenter Certified Family Life Educator Dr. Diane D. Sasser. Back-to-school starts with attitude adjustment (Distributed 07/14/09) Move over, summer – a new school year is upon us! LSU AgCenter Certified Family Life Educator Dr. Diane D. Sasser shares her joy of anticipation with six steps on preparing for the event. Make Food Safety Part of Summer Meal Planning Families across Louisiana are now making their grocery lists in preparation for those summer outdoor meals. Food safety should be high on the list while those preparations are being made. Great ingredients and recipes are some of the concerns in planning for your BBQ menus, but food safety should be equally important. Some of the biggest concerns are keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold, avoiding "cross contamination" of raw and cooked foods and storing food appropriately. Blueberries Are Tasty Disease Fighters Enjoy Louisiana blueberries. They can help protect against diseases, including certain cancers and heart disease. Rural tourism summit set for Aug. 11-15 in Marksville (Distributed 06/03/09) A regional conference focusing on enhancing current tourism resources and creating new ones in rural areas will be held Aug. 11-13 at the Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville, La. Chinese Drywall Alert Sulfur compounds, including sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and carbon disulfide, can form and be released into the air from some imported wallboard installed across the humid south between 2004 and 2008, causing corrosion of copper, silver and other metals in home components such as air conditioners, exposed wiring, plumbing and electronics, thus raising serious safety, economic and health issues. Easter eggs not to ‘dye’ for (Distributed 04/02/09) Although dyed Easter eggs may look like decorations, they are a food, and they are perishable. In fact, hard-cooked eggs spoil faster than fresh eggs because their protective coating is washed away in the cooking process, according to LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames.