Whaddya Think, Doctor Fink?

  It’s cold outside. Get rid of the chill with a cup of chicken soup. Maybe you have a cold? Cure it with a cup of chicken soup. Or maybe it’s a holiday, dinner with friends, or a craving for comfort food? Nothing beats chicken soup. How can something so simple have such a colorful history? Picture this. You’re a Neanderthal. It’s a frigid winter. Everyone huddles around the fire in the family cave. You shiver beneath heavy animal-skin blankets.

  *According to Real Simple, spaghetti squash is loaded with vitamin C – an “antioxidant, which means it boosts your immune system and protects your memory as you age.” *A spaghetti squash can vary in color from ivory to yellow to orange. Orange has the highest amount of beta-carotene. *Cooking turns the solid inside flesh (when raw) into strands that can be easily removed with a fork. *Spaghetti squash has many different names, including spaghetti di zucca (Italy), somen nankin

There’s angel hair, elbows, and fettucine. There’s also gold string melon, squaghetti, and spaghetti squash. As William Shakespeare wrote, “a [rose] by any other name would smell as sweet.” Huh? We all know pasta is delicious, high carb, and lots of calories. What about its look-alike, spaghetti squash? Take a deep breath. You can have your cake and eat it too – minus 300 calories. Ask chefs Martha Stewart, Rachel Ray, and Ina Garten. Check out The Happy Cook or

*North Dakota is the top honey producing state in the U.S. with over 31 million pounds a year. *A single bee creates 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey during her lifetime. *U.S. imports honey from India, Argentina, Brazil, New Zealand, and Mexico. *One-third of the U.S. diet comes from insect-pollinated plants. *Honey lacks moisture and is acidic so bacteria can’t live in it. *The late Queen Elizabeth II gave Pope Francis a jar of honey as an official gift in

  It’s magical. Once upon a time, millions of years ago, lived tiny critters. Their colonies were large – as many as 60,000 residents. It was a powerful monarchy led by a Queen. Everyone worked for her. Each critter had its job; teamwork was essential. The Queen lived much longer than her subjects. If you were a worker – the largest population in the colony – your main job was to forage for food. Scouts located the best source of

*The average American eats about ten pounds of cereal a year. *In the mid-1800s a high protein diet was blamed for fueling “lust and laziness” – two of the seven deadly sins. *Grape-nuts today is probably the closest you’ll get to the original granula. *Nostalgia is one reason why adults love cold cereal and milk – it reminds them of their childhood. *Milk contributes to a cold cereal breakfast – it adds protein, calcium, and vitamins. *Lactose-free people often replace

  Meat, eggs, fried potatoes, sausage, hot biscuits, butter, jam, and coffee. Up until the mid-1800s that was a “healthy” breakfast. No one worried about upset tummies or cholesterol. Enter James Caleb Jackson. He was a reformer, abolitionist, and doctor who had strong beliefs on how to maintain good health. As a vegan, Jackson advocated simple food, clean air and water, sunshine, solid sleep, exercise, and hydropathy.   Compliments of J.C. Buttre, Wikimedia Commons   In 1858 Jackson bought a

*Indiana turkeys, Peanut Butter & Jelly, were chosen because of their “temperament, appearance, and I suspect their vaccination status,” President Biden joked in 2021 during the pandemic. “Instead of getting basted, they’re getting boosted.”  *Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird. He lost out to the bald eagle. *Turkey eggs are tan with brown specks and larger than chicken eggs. *A baby turkey is called a poult and is tan and brown. *The Presidential Flock is well

Compliments of Wikimedia Commons From commanders-in-chief to broad-breasted turkeys, it’s the annual duty of every U.S. President. As President Obama said in 2010, “I am sworn to uphold, as the leader of the most powerful nation on Earth . . . the awesome responsibility of granting a Presidential pardon to a pair of turkeys.” A pardon is an official act of forgiveness. Whether it’s for a lawbreaker who wants to avoid jail or a turkey who wants to avoid the

*Many believe that Hershey Kisses got their name from the machine that makes a “smooching” sound when it produces the tear-shaped chocolate. *Kiss was a generic turn-of-the-century term for a bite-sized piece of candy. *Kissables or candy-coated kisses were introduced in 2005 to compete with M&Ms. They failed. In 2009 they were pulled off the market. *Peanut blossoms are kisses baked into peanut dough. They were a finalist in the 1957 Pillsbury Bakeoff. They’re still popular today.     *One