The government shutdown will start to have a direct impact on Madera County families who receive CalFresh benefits. CalFresh is a federally funded program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The November CalFresh benefits distributed monthly to 16,621 households or 33,832 people in Madera County will be delayed. It’s unclear how soon the benefits will be restored to EBT cards once the government reopens. CalFresh benefits are issued through

Wildfeuer, Wikimedia Commons Fresh chestnuts are now available in many stores. You can also find processed ones that are precooked and peeled. I always look forward to Fall, partly for the holidays, the weather, the colors of nature and of course, the meals. Chestnuts are a must at my house, and I am very happy that chestnuts are now available already cooked and peeled, ready to eat or use in recipes. I can eat a whole bag of them. I wish I knew how the processors can get the

Whitney, Wikimedia Commons Banana breads fresh from the oven are a wonderful treat on a Fall day. When my youngest son was very small, he went through a period during which he refused to eat vegetables. I resorted to baking quick breads, using all the spices that usually go along with them, such as cinnamon, allspice, etc. I bought strained, pureed vegetables in the baby food section of the grocery stores, including yams or sweet potatoes, spinach, green beans, carrots and ot

Polonist, Wikimedia Commons Roasted pumpkin is a delicious side dish for Fall dining. I have never had any luck growing pumpkins, and for...

Famartin, Wikimedia Commons Three layers of delicious chocolate cake will put a smile on most faces. Fall festivals often include a cake...

Benoit Prieur, Wikimedia Commons Gnocchi is good with pesto sauce, marinara or even just butter and grated cheese. There was a time, back...

Several years ago, I wrote about the Four Tigers of Asia: Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea. They were the countries that...

People who have their own fig trees (or even just one) could very well disagree when I say there is no such thing as having too many...