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A person stirs a skillet of turkey gravy cooking on the stove.

This traditional holiday gravy recipe is easy and fast.


Water dripping from faucet

Tips to Winterize Your Home

November 15, 2024

Colder weather is just around the corner! Do you have a plan to winterize your home for when freezing temperatures arrive? Preparing your home for the cold not only ensures comfort, but also helps protect your home from damage. 

A woman stands in a kitchen

4 Tips to Maintain Healthy Blood Sugar

November 12, 2024

Incorporating healthier eating habits into your daily routine can help prevent and manage diabetes by helping you maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Check out these tips to help you get started.

Thanksgiving food on a table.

Holiday Food Safety Tips

November 8, 2024

The holiday season is a time for social gatherings and sharing meals together! If you’re like me, you enjoy hosting events at your home. I host an annual Thanksgiving dinner for my friends, and it’s always one of the highlights of my year! 

A closeup of sweet potato and apple casserole

The Food Factor: Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole

November 5, 2024

Sweet potato and apple casserole is delicious, easy to make, and perfect for the holiday season.

Ginkgo yellow leaves in the fall

Tree of the Month: Ginkgo

November 4, 2024

The ginkgo tree, scientifically known as Ginkgo biloba, is an incredible species that stands out because of its unique characteristics and beauty.

Black Widow spider

Brown Recluse vs. Black Widow Spiders

October 25, 2024

It’s spooky season, and there’s nothing as spooky to some people as a creepy-crawly spider! Many people have arachnophobia, or the fear of spiders.

Homemade pumpkin, bat, monster Halloween decor with a toilet paper roll, tin can, and water bottle.

5 Tips for a Sustainable Halloween

October 18, 2024

Halloween spending is expected to reach $11.6 billion this year, and many of those purchases will become waste. Check out these tips for ways to have a more sustainable holiday.

A woman stirs cranberry turkey meatballs cooking on the stove.

The Food Factor: Cranberry Turkey Meatball Appetizers

October 15, 2024

The Food Factor crew loved these Cranberry Turkey Meatballs! Try them out for yourself. We think you'll love them too!

A woman stands in a kitchen with an electric pressure cooker.

How to Use an Electric Pressure Cooker

October 14, 2024

Check out these facts about electric pressure cookers and get some tips on how to use these popular countertop appliances.

Seafood boil.

Happy National Seafood Month!

October 11, 2024

October is National Seafood Month! Mississippi is proud to have a vibrant costal community supported by the seafood industry. 

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About Extension for Real Life

Extension for Real Life is a product of the MSU Extension Service’s Office of Agricultural Communications.

That’s a long way of saying we are professional communicators who get to talk about food, families, 4-H, flowers, and farming for a living.

Blog content is created by a core team of communicators, including Susan Collins-Smith, Ellen Graves, Natasha Haynes, Qula Madkin, Michaela Parker, and Jonathan Parrish. But we get by with a lot of help from our friends in Ag Comm and Extension!

You can reach us at 662-325-2262 or extreallife@msstate.edu