We're delighted to share our Aunt Nettie with you. She's agreed to answer any questions you might ask about food, its preparation, and even clean-up tips. But we have to prepare you. She just might want to come right over to your house and help you fix dinner.

To send any questions to Ask Aunt Nettie, .

Dear Aunt Nettie,

I tend to be hooked on junk foods but I made an important New Year's resolution to eat healthier. I'm really determined to stick with it this year because I've gained so much weight. What can I eat for breakfast that's not fattening?

Your Friend, Deanna

Howdy-do there, Deanna,

Well, darlin', jes takin' that first step--the decision ta eat healthier is the best resolution possible. Now I'm gonna give y'all a dandy li'l recipe that my family loves fer breakfast. It's made from scratch with millet that's got plenty o' roughage--well, that's what we used ta call it when I was knee high, but today they say "fiber."

If'n ya look at the recipe, you kin see it takes 15 minutes cookin' time. Now don't let that scare ya from tryin' it. It's really easy as pie. Here's whatcha do:

Put yer water, millet, and salt together an' follow the first step. Now, here's the part that makes it easy. Soon's the mixture starts boilin', yer pot lid starts jigglin' an' hootin' up a storm.

That's when ya turn the heat down to low, put yer timer on 15 minutes an' take it with ya while ya go take yer shower. Now when that timer goes off, dash to yer kitchen an' turn off the heat altogether, but don't open the pot. Then when yer all dressed an' ready fer breakfast, why it's ready fer you, too.

FRUITED MILLET

1. Combine water, millet, and salt in a 2-quart (2 liter) saucepan. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. To avoid a messy boil-over, stand by to turn heat down to low as soon as cereal begins to boil.
2. Steam, covered for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes without lifting lid.
3. While cereal is cooking, put banana, dates, dried peach, pine nuts and water into the food processor. Puree to desired consistency. Transfer to a serving bowl.
4. Distribute millet cereal into serving bowls and put a generous dollop of fruit topping in the center. Bring remaining fruit topping to the table to add as desired. Cereal makes 2 servings. Fruit topping makes 1 cup (240 ml).

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If You Haven't Met Aunt Nettie. . .

Our Aunt Nettie has a head like a hard disk. It's filled with gigabytes of information about food and cooking. And she's just itchin' to share her learnin' with city folk who live in mortal fear of the stovetop.

Aunt Nettie grew up on the farm. She did not eat out of a can or reach into the freezer. There was no microwave to pop her food into. Everything she made was from scratch. All the food she ate was natural, without pesticides. It was grown right there on the family farm, and she had to cook to survive. At eighty-three years young she still leaps and bounds around the kitchen and can shake, rattle, and roll those pots and pans with the best of them.

Nowadays, Aunt Nettie just shakes her head and complains, "Nobody cooks anymore. They have no idea about puttin' a meal together." She's on a mission. She wants to help those younguns eat better so they can grow up healthy like her own eight kids.

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