'Whiskey on Ice' is global

A first-ever whiskey event takes place April 12 at the Depot in downtown Minneapolis, bringing together close to 100 distilleries from around the world. "Whiskey on Ice" features four Whiskey Masterclass tasting seminars, a grand tasting, a cigar lounge, complimentary food and beers from Surly Brewing Co. For details about presenters, distilleries and price packages, visit whiskeyonicemn.com. For $750, you can even buy a distillery. Tickets are sold only in advance online. No tickets will be sold at the door.

Tune up your kitchen

Spring cleaning also means taking stock of the kitchen. Taste of Home magazine offers some tips for cleaning cluttered pantries, refrigerators and freezers.

• Bottled and canned goods are OK even after their expiration date, as long as the can is intact and not damaged. But when in doubt, throw it out.

• Open boxes or packages of dried pasta, grains or rice stay fresher longer if placed in food-grade airtight containers.

• Baking soda past its expiration date lacks baking power, but still can be used for removing burned food from the bottom of a pan. Sprinkle it in the pan, add enough water to cover the blackened portion and simmer for a few minutes. You can use it as a drain freshener by using a tablespoon or two of baking soda along with ¼ cup of vinegar.

• Any nut oils that smell a bit off could be rancid and should be tossed.

• Freeze nuts and remove only what you need for each recipe.

• Write the purchase date on the bottom of new spice bottles and keep them no longer than 18 months.

• In both your pantry and the fridge, follow the FIFO rule (First In, First Out), placing newer items behind older foods so that you use the older food first.

More from 'Blue Zones'

Dan Buettner, the Minneapolis author who brought the world the concept of Blue Zones — places where many people live to 100 without the usual diseases we associate with aging — has come out with a third book about how this happens. The message of "The Blue Zones Solution" is told in its subtitle: "Eating and Living Like the World's Healthiest People" (National Geographic Books). Chapter 7 recounts "The Minnesota Experience," in which Albert Lea became a petri dish of sorts, giving its residents a diet and lifestyle makeover. As Buettner writes: "The truly amazing thing was that nothing we did in Albert Lea was huge. Nothing took a ton of effort. It was the sum of little changes that moved the dial so dramatically." STAFF REPORTS