Eggs

After a day filled with hunting Easter eggs, many people ask about the nutritional value of eggs. The USDA recently reviewed standard large eggs from across the country and found that in the past decade the average nutrient content of eggs has changed. Cholesterol levels have gone down, and vitamin D levels have gone up. What caused this change? The USDA estimates that the diet of hens has changed over the years and altered nutrients within the egg as a result. This is a very important finding because eggs are very nutrient dense — meaning that they provide lots of vitamins and minerals in a relatively small amount of calories.

The hunt for the egg is on! Saturday and Sunday will be filled with Easter egg hunting. Maybe this will have people asking about the nutritional value of eggs too. Last year the USDA reviewed standard large eggs from across the country and found that in the past decade, the average nutrient content of eggs has changed. Cholesterol levels have gone down, and the vitamin D levels have gone up. So why the change? The USDA estimates that the diet of the laying hens has changed over the years and this has resulted in the altered nutrients within the egg. This is great news because eggs provide lots of vitamins and minerals and only 70 calories.

MCKINNEY - It's hard for Nellie Reed to keep her ducks in a row, especially as they seem to be a bit confused themselves. Her flock of Pekin ducks laid eggs in the winter. She rescued about a half dozen and put them in an incubator, but the eggs weren't fertilized and didn't hatch. Some of the eggs froze before she could find them in the frostbitten grass around the pond. Reed said this is the first time she has seen her ducks lay eggs in the winter. Most domesticated ducks only lay eggs in the early spring or fall, but can lay at other times if the sunshine and temperature cooperate, according to Metzer Farms, a California hatchery.

A lot of people enjoy homemade ice cream, especially in the summer. Hand-cranked ice cream was a treat to treasure on sunny days before air conditioning. Memories include wrapping blocks of ice in a towel and using the hammer to break them into chunks for the barreled ice cream freezer. Although our memories of this favorite treat are good, our recipes may not be safe. A lot of homemade ice cream recipes call for eggs — raw eggs. Not good.  Uncooked eggs contain germs that can make us sick.

Fannie Bush Elementary School fourth-grader Shandra Skinner, right, reaches into an incubator to remove one of the two-day old chicks that had hatched during a life cycle class project. Watching were, from left, fourth-grade teacher Misty Lynch, Chris Mastin and Mary Kroldart. The project, sponsored by a $750 Kentucky 4-H Foundation County Enhancement grant, is also being held in Karen Dietrich's third-grade class and Gail Kirk's second-grade class at the school. Courtney Rose, left photo, gently holds one of the baby chicks while Adam Mohammad watches.

J.K.'s Chess Squares Ingredients: 1 box butter recipe cake mix 1 stick butter (Blue Bonnet) 3 eggs 1 box confectioner's sugar 1 eight oz. package cream cheese Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, butter and one egg. Use a fork or pastry cutter to mix in butter. After these ingredients are combined, press into a 13X9 metal cake pan. Do not use a glass pan - it will burn the bottom of the squares. In another bowl, mix sugar and two eggs with an electric mixer until smooth.

After being underground for 17 years, the cicadas have returned with a loud buzz as they gather on trees and other objects throughout Winchester. Several of the red-eyed creatures crawl up a post at College Park Thursday afternoon. The buzz, which can be very loud, is the male's mating song. Young trees can be harmed by the female cicada when she cuts slits in twigs about half an inch in diameter to deposit her eggs. Once the eggs hatch, the cicada nymphs fall to the ground and burrow into the soil for another 17 years.

Football fundraiser this Saturday The pancake breakfast, scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, will feature more than pancakes. Sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy, and beverage will be on the menu in addition to pancakes and syrup. Tickets are $5 for adults and teenagers; $3 for children 4 through 12. Children under 3 will be admitted free. The event is sponsored by the George Rogers Clark High School football team and is open to the public.

Tea canceled The Chautauqua Tea, set for June 11, is canceled. The event is a Great American Brass Band Festival activity. Tickets still are available for the luncheon Friday at the Great American Dollhouse Museum. Cost is $15. For tickets to that luncheon, call (859) 583-8000. Meeting Casey County Board of Education - 7 p.m. Monday in the central officce. Agenda includes staff reports, an Americorps presentation and several other items. Corrections Micah Price's name was inadvertently omitted by the school from Toliver Elementary's honor roll for students receiving all A's all year, which was published Thursday.

Bagworm egg hatch usually occurs in late May in central Kentucky but, as with most things, is well ahead of schedule this year. Eggs survive the winter in the bags that contained last year's females. Hatch occurs following the accumulation of 65 to 75  degree days. That target was reached in central Kentucky between May 1 and     May 5 this year, about three weeks ahead of schedule. Eggs hatch over a four to five week period, which means the insect will be active for some time and one control measure may not be enough.

President Barack Obama might have some fancy digs at which to host the annual Easter egg roll on the White House lawn, but Tasha Key puts on a pretty egg-cellent Easter shindig herself. About 75 kids descended on the backyard of Key's Greenview Drive home Saturday afternoon, where some 4,500 eggs lay in wait. Eggs that Keys and her family had been filling since February - 4,100 with candy and 400 with cash - all of them scooped up within minutes. “The whole yard was covered.

It was a great moment for me. I was thrilled with the opportunity given to me and excited with the possibility of making something out of it. For the first time in my life, I was given the opportunity to walk around Hegira Ridge to the country store, about a mile from our house, alone. My mother needed something from the store, and there was no one available to go get it for her. After reminding me that she was confident that I could do it, she placed six eggs in a cloth bag, showed me how to carry them, and told me to be careful.

Egg-cited for Eggplant Season Chef Heather Hunsaker,  www.foodonthetable.com Eggplant, valued for its taste and sponge like texture, is a late summer vegetable with a deep rooted history. Originating as a wild plant in India, the Chinese were the first to cultivate eggplant for consumption. The plant later spread to Europe and was originally grown purely for decorative purposes, due to its bitter, sour taste. Later, in the 18 th  century, new varieties of eggplant were developed, causing this vegetable to gain culinary appeal.

Bagworm egg hatch usually occurs in late May in central Kentucky but, as with most things, is well ahead of schedule this year. Eggs survive the winter in the bags that contained last year's females. Hatch occurs following the accumulation of 65 to 75  degree days. That target was reached in central Kentucky between May 1 and     May 5 this year, about three weeks ahead of schedule. Eggs hatch over a four to five week period, which means the insect will be active for some time and one control measure may not be enough.

There could not have been a more beautiful day for Wilmore's annual Easter-egg hunt at Centennial Park on Saturday, parks and recreation director Amy Fitch said. Dozens of children, from infants to 10-year-olds, convened at the park located behind the Ichthus grounds to meet the Easter Bunny and search for hidden treasure in the grass. “I'm just out here with my granddaughter,” Wilmore Mayor Harold Rainwater said. “I try to come out here every year; it really is a nice event, beautiful day, and Amy just does an amazing job.“ With only a few white puffy clouds in the sky, Fitch and Rainwater both agreed conditions could not be better but that there were fewer children than in year's past.

This weekend, I was on standby to take care of two very sweet little boys. One was my grandson, Hayden, and the other one was his friend, Henry. By Friday night, I began to think my services were not going to be needed, since I had not heard from my daughter Shanda. However, Saturday morning I was informed that I would be needed as a babysitter for the evening. I told my daughter I would be happy to do so, but that they would have to understand while the UK¿game was on, the boys would have to entertain themselves.

The hunt for the egg is on! Saturday and Sunday will be filled with Easter egg hunting. Maybe this will have people asking about the nutritional value of eggs too. Last year the USDA reviewed standard large eggs from across the country and found that in the past decade, the average nutrient content of eggs has changed. Cholesterol levels have gone down, and the vitamin D levels have gone up. So why the change? The USDA estimates that the diet of the laying hens has changed over the years and this has resulted in the altered nutrients within the egg. This is great news because eggs provide lots of vitamins and minerals and only 70 calories.

There will be prizes, plenty of eggs and, of course, the Easter bunny at Saturday's annual community egg hunt. The event, which will be from 10 a.m. to noon, is jointly hosted by the Civitan Club and Winchester/Clark County Parks and Recreation and is free to all children in the community. First year Parks and Rec Director Jeff Lewis said the event will go on, rain or shine. In case of inclement weather, the egg hunt will be moved from College Park to the College Park gym. “Hopefully, it's outside.

University of Kentucky experts report that eastern tent caterpillar eggs have begun hatching well ahead of last year and expect the egg hatch to be completed in central Kentucky by the first full week of March. According to Dr. Lee Townsend, UK College of Agriculture entomologist, populations have been sporadic during the last few years, with pockets of increased populations in some areas. He estimated that central Kentucky is seven to 10 days away from being able to see distinct tents in trees with live larvae.

“Don't do anything I wouldn't do!” Ruby Sims Bugg calls out as a goodbye. This may be a tall order because as of Sunday she is 103 years old. She was born Feb. 26, 1909, as Ruby Sims in Boyle County. “Perryville Road, sure,” she said. “And, yes, I did live by the battlefield but also different places. We rented farms, too, all around, so just say 'Boyle County' to make it easy.” She is a slight woman, sitting straight in a comfy chair in her shared room at Charleston Health Center on Bruce Road.