Would you consider eating something called Funky Monkey, even if you’re over age 10? You should. This stuff is neither funky, nor are there monkeys around.

"Good beer doesn't come in a can." At least that's what Rob Leonard, owner/brewer of Connecticut's New England Brewing Company, was always told.

Food takes center stage in Thanksgiving celebrations all around the country, but there is something else that has a deeper potential for nourishment than just food. It is thequality of the food and the family gathering together that holds the potential for each member to experience a deep level of nourishment.

Nearly synonymous with traditional Thanksgiving for New Englanders, Bell's Seasoning has remained unchanged for 142 years, its ingredients carefully guarded.

Thanksgiving is upon us as it ushers in a holiday season laden with my biggest challenge – baked goods. Already I can hear my doctor saying: “At first, I thought I was looking at a Mercator-projection map of Alaska, but discovered it actually is an x-ray of your pancreas. You must cut down on the sugar, man.”

Food rail for Nov. 24, with cookie-baking tips, an easy recipe for roasted squash with potatoes and garlic, a review of Fannie May cheesecake, and more.

Hong Ji came to Peoria two years ago and was surprised to learn that Americans drink tea made from leaves so old they have lost much of their nutritional value. Ji grew up in Harbin in the northeast region of China. Her family operates a tea business there, and she grew up believing in the medicinal value of tea. Now in the U.S., Ji teaches classes on Chinese tea tasting at the Peoria RiverPlex, where she is an exercise specialist for OSF Saint Francis Medical Center's medical and arthritis program.

For nearly 20 years, Mary Ann Esposito has been the major promoter of Italian cooking in the USA, just as Julia Child was to French cooking. Although Mary Ann stands about a foot shorter, like Julia she’s a born educator, always willing to share knowledge and expertise.

Every nation boasts of at least one culinary masterpiece. To the French, a beef bourguignon or a coq-au-vin is perhaps the crowning jewel of their cuisine. curried lamb Madras sits at the heart of Indian gastronomy. A goulash is as precious to the Hungarian as a tagine is to the Moroccan.

As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s time to think about how you will prepare your bird. Preparing a whole turkey is a complicated endeavor. A whole bird involves at least 10 pounds of meat, skin and bone. Something has to be done with that cavity. A meat thermometer must be procured.

Can citrus be zestful? You bet it can. The outermost skin of lemons, limes and oranges contains the strongest flavor of the fruit, the zest. It is pared off with a knife or citrus zester.

Modernizing the T-Day menu is fraught with land mines, not the least of which allegedly cause deceased relatives to roll over in their graves. There’s a good reason we always have exactly the same main course as years past.

Instead of the usual hiding my beans under a dinner roll, I tore into them and asked for more. You had to move fast as the dish was the most popular on the table this side of the turkey and dressing.

To those of us expecting something good out of the Oreo, this odd-tasting Cakester is going nowhere but the trash can.

Getting your turkey or ham from roaster to platter offers holiday excitement you’d rather not experience. One neat solution is a turkey-lifter utensil.