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A plate of PBJ Nachos

These simple five-minute peanut butter and jelly apple nachos are the perfect treat!


fruit salad with whipped topping in a clear glass bowl

The Food Factor: Red, White, and Blue Salad

June 30, 2020

Fresh, cold fruit and creamy, fat-free topping make this Red, White, & Blue Salad the perfect treat to beat the heat at your next summer gathering. A little bit of lime juice will keep the bananas from browning and adds that zesty citrus flavor I love so much!

Water poured over brown eggs in an electric pressure cooker.

The Food Factor: How to Boil Eggs in an Electric Pressure Cooker

June 26, 2020

Hard-boiled eggs are a quick, affordable, and protein-filled snack. They are the foundation for egg salad and deviled eggs and are tasty in a variety of salads. So use your electric pressure cooker to make easy-to-peel hard-boiled eggs!

Watering colorful flowers with a blue watering can.

Gardening Tips for July

June 23, 2020

And just like that, we’re over halfway through the year. How is that possible? I have spent more time at my home over the past few months than I have in a long time!

A poison ivy vine.

Poison Ivy vs. Virginia Creeper

June 19, 2020

With many summer attractions closed or limited due to COVID-19, people are heading into the great outdoors. As you’re exploring nature, you don’t want to have a run-in with the dreaded poison ivy.  

A mixture of spices and salt in a clear glass bowl

The Food Factor: Italian Dressing Mix

June 16, 2020

Making your own mixes is a favorite topic here on The Food Factor. We’ve shared recipes for Ranch Dressing Mix, Taco Seasoning Mix, and Magic Meat Mixes. Today we’ve got a recipe for Italian Dressing Mix!

True confession: I don’t usually make this dressing mix for salads. I put it in the slow cooker with roast beef, onions, and peppers for a delicious alternative to traditional pot roast.

A close-up of a white-tail deer's face.

Top Deer Resistant Plants

June 12, 2020

Oh, deer! White-tailed deer can be quite the nuisance in the garden. It’s disheartening to see deer ate the flowers in your back yard for a snack. 

A person off-camera pours water into a glass.

How to Get More Water in Your Diet

June 9, 2020

Staying hydrated plays a key role in keeping our body systems working. How much water should you drink daily?

A baby smiling.

A Lead-Free Home is a Healthy Home

June 5, 2020

June is National Healthy Homes month! To celebrate, we’ve created a blog post to focus on an important health concern that could happen in and around your home. 

Frozen yogurt-dipped grapes sit on a baking sheet.

Quick and Healthy Snacks

June 2, 2020

Do you need some quick and healthy snack ideas for the office or to pack the pantry and fridge for the kids this summer?

A cluster of blackberries on a bush.

Gardening Tasks for June

May 29, 2020

It’s starting to get hot out there, y’all! Don’t let the Mississippi heat deter you from taking good care of your garden and landscape.

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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