Milford got started in her cooking venture after she set out to live on her own.

“I never use a recipe. The biggest part of writing these recipes was trying to figure out how much I put in, because I just put it in. The only time I measure is when I bake, because you have to measure for baking.”

“I get ideas from cookbooks, but it depends on what I have on hand, what I throw in,” she says. “These recipes are the things I make a lot. They’re the easy kind of go-to that we all like. I tend to go easy with a few ingredients and low carbohydrates.”

Milford enjoys using the produce she grows in her four 4’x 12′ raised garden beds, making pasta sauce from the tomatoes and canning vinegar-based pickles from the cucumbers.

Jeri and Nate Milford, office manager and vice president of Southern Tier Professional Pest Control Incorporated, now offer natural alternatives to pest control.

“Because we like lasagna, I switched zucchini for the pasta in the Zucchini Lasagna,” she says. “You can use one or two cups of cheese in the Cheese-Stuffed Turkey Loaf, depending on how much cheese you like. I don’t measure (the ketchup). Just squirt until it feels right.”

Although she does most of the cooking, her husband, Nate Milford, likes to prepare an occasional breakfast.

“I used to cook, but I only do breakfast (now),” he says.

“I even do the grilling,” his wife pipes in. “I’m the grill master.”

Mrs. Milford is the office manager of Southern Tier Professional Pest Control Inc, a company her father-in-law and the company’s president, Kim Milford, started in 1999. Her husband serves as the vice president.

Along with eating healthier, the couple has made other healthy lifestyle changes.

“After having kids, it brought to our attention to be more aware of reading the labels of over the counter chemicals,” Nate says.

“Most chemicals are not even regulated or tested by the FDA,” says Jeri. “There are 80,000 chemicals on the market and approximately 200 have been tested for their impact on humans. You can’t assume because it’s on the shelf it is safe.”

The Milfords have cut back their usage of household cleaners and have sought alternative cleaning methods. The desire to use safer products has carried over to their business and they now offer their customers the option of using natural ingredients for their homes, businesses and boats.

“Several people around the lake have requested pest control for their boats, therefore we had to find something safe to use near the water,” says Nate.

The Milfords came to realize the importance of pest control for boats late last summer when they had an opportunity to use their pontoon boat.

“The spiders started coming out as the sun went down,” says Jeri.

Over the course of the last few years they have been working with a gentleman to develop a computer program for pest control companies.

“It just recently launched,” says Milford. “It started because we could no longer upgrade our old program. This program is the least expensive program of this nature and offers more options. We have two separate servers to preserve the system if one should crash.”

The couple likes to hunt and fish and lists boating as one of their interests. They try to vacation two or three times each year “to get away from stress and to recenter ourselves with our family.” They especially enjoy Myrtle Beach in South Carolina and the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. He is a Navy Veteran who served four years active duty on USS John C. Stennis, an aircraft carrier and is a member of the Randolph Rod and Gun Club. They met at Alford State College when he was studying to be an electrician and she was taking nursing classes.

They have two children. Maverick is four and Lily is three. Bailey, a yellow Lab and Cash, a black Lab, as well as two cats, named Jasmine and Jasper, complete the family. That is, they complete the family that lives in their house. Outside they have 15 chickens and a rooster.

“They’re like our little family members. We feed them all of our fruit and vegetable scraps, so really we waste nothing,” the mother says with a smile.

Southern Tier Professional Pest Control services Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany, southern Erie and southern Wyoming counties as well as northern Pennsylvania. They can be reached at 358-2207 or visit www.InsectGone.com.

Cheese-Stuffed Turkey Loaf

1 lb ground turkey

1-2 cups mozzarella cheese

1 small chopped onion

1 tsp seasoned salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup ketchup

1 cup bread crumbs or crushed crackers (I usually use this time to use up crackers etc)

Mix meat, onion, season salt, breadcrumbs and egg together in large bowl. You may add some ketchup if you would like. Press half of mixture into a loaf pan, add layer of cheese and put the rest of mixture on cheese layer. Top with ketchup. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Zucchini Lasagna

1 lb ground turkey

4 c mozzarella

11/2 cups ricotta

1 T Italian seasoning

Approximately 3 zucchini

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Pasta sauce

Brown meat and garlic powder together. Drain fat. Add sauce to meat. Slice zucchini thin (1/8 inch) long way. Lightly salt and set aside for 10 minutes. (The salt removes extra moisture.) After 10 minutes blot with paper towel. Layer zucchini, ricotta, meat sauce and mozzarella. Top with mozzarella and Italian seasoning. Bake about 40 min. at 375 degrees. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Cauliflower Garlic Bread

1 large head cauliflower

3 c mozzarella or 4 cheese blend

4 eggs

3 tsp oregano

1 tsp garlic salt

Dash pepper

Put cauliflower florets in food processor, pulse until rice size. Put in a glass container with glass or silicone lid or any microwave safe container. (I prefer not to use plastics.) Microwave about 10 minutes. Add eggs, 2 cups cheese, oregano, garlic salt and pepper. Combine. Prepare baking sheets so they are non stick, may use parchment paper. Press and shape into sheets. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden. Add remaining cheese (1 cup) and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Slice and serve.

Healthy “Mac N Cheese”

1 head cauliflower cut into florets

1 1/2 c cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1 T butter

3/4 c milk (add as needed)

Steam cauliflower until done. Heat cheese, butter, milk, salt and pepper in pot over medium heat, stirring until melted. Pour over cauliflower mixture. Stir to combine.

Grilled Cabbage Steaks

1 Head cabbage

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Balsamic vinegar (optional)

Cut cabbage into 1-inch thick slabs. Drizzle with olive oil or a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Grill until tender. Serve and enjoy.

Grilled Garlic Asparagus

Asparagus

Garlic olive oil

Salt

Cut off bottom 1/2 inch or the tough part of asparagus. Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt. Grill until slightly charred and tender.

Bacon Brussel Sprouts

Brussels sprouts

1/4 – 1/2 package bacon (depending on how many Brussels sprouts used)

Pepper

Cut bottoms from Brussels sprouts and then cut each in half. Cut larger ones into quarters. Place on baking sheet. Sprinkle chopped bacon over top. Bake at 350 degrees, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crisp and Brussels sprouts are slightly charred and tender.

Energy Balls

1 c oats

1/3 c honey

1/4 c flax seed

1/2 c peanut butter

1/2 c dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/4 c sunflower seeds

Combine ingredients. Form into 1-inch balls. Place on tray and refrigerate for one hour. Serve.