How to roast pumpkin seeds: One simple method, plus four irresistible recipes.
At the center of my pumpkin carving memories is a heaping pile of slimy pumpkin guts tangled with smooth-skinned seeds, which, unfortunately, were always thrown into the trash. But last year I learned how to roast pumpkin seeds (without a recipe!) and it was so easy...
Next week’s meal plan: 5 easy recipes for the week ahead, from a skinny slow cooker keeper to your new favorite stir fry.
It’s time to get a head start on your meal plan for next week. From a skinny slow cooker keeper to your new favorite stir fry (mmm... bacon), we’ve got five weeknight dinners that will get you through the week. So grab a pen, make your shopping list, and stock up...
The BB-8 Waffle Maker: These are the carbs you’ve been looking for.
You know how excited we get about breakfast around here. And Star Wars. But we never thought we'd put the two together in quite this way, until we discovered the genius BB-8 Waffle Maker at Think Geek. Should the Death Star Waffle Maker be a little too dark side for...
Two ways to make trick-or-treating safer (and more fun) for kids with food allergies.
Costumes, decorations, and parties are all part of the Halloween fun, but let's face it: The real reason that Halloween is candy. However if you're a kid with food allergies, that's also the reason that Halloween can be a big letdown. Most years, my daughter who...
Kitchen hack: 5 tricks you need to make box cake mix taste like homemade.
Let's be honest: Everyone buys box cake mix on occasion, especially busy parents with commitments to PTO, Girl Scouts, and bake sales. Lots of bake sales. Oh, and birthday parties that hit at the busiest times too. (Why does it always work out that way?!) Hey, I'm all...
5 easy dinner recipes that make delicious leftovers for lunch the next day.
I like to prep my kids' lunches the night before school so that we're not rushed like crazy in the morning. (Full disclosure: I am so not a morning person.) That said, after I've just cooked a meal for my family and cleaned up the kitchen afterward, I don't love...
Web Coolness: pumpkin chocolate fries, a kids’ menu that nails it, two big food recalls and more.
Here are our favorite food links from around the web this week. We hope that you enjoy them too. Oh good grief: McDonald's in Japan are serving pumpkin chocolate drizzled fries. We're loving this brilliant tool that makes butter instantly spreadable. It turns...
They’re baaaaaack! All the pumpkin spice recipes that you actually want to eat.
The season is here. The onslaught of pumpkin spice recipes can either be seen as a frightful epidemic (Pumpkin Spice Clorox?!) or the best time of year (Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes!). Either way, it can be overwhelming, especially if you're looking to cook up...
Next week’s meal plan: 5 easy recipes for the week ahead, from a 10-minute healthy fish dinner to cheesy baked gnocchi.
It’s time to get a head start on your meal plan for next week. From a 10-minute healthy fish dinner to cheesy baked gnocchi, we’ve got five weeknight dinners that will get you through the week. So grab a pen, make your shopping list, and stock up before the weekend’s...
The ultimate guide to fall drinks at Starbucks: Your gift on National Coffee Day.
We love encouraging you to make your own coffee goodness, whether it's cold brew, the perfect cup of French Press coffee, a coffee milkshake, or even coffee cocktails. But we also know that you love a good seasonal Starbucks coffee drink. And who are we kidding: We're...
11 smart, easy ways to use salt and become a better cook.
Hands down, the reason restaurant food is better than home cooking is that chefs know how to properly use salt. It is the essential ingredient in every meal–in every bite, really–that knocks your socks off. Chefs aren’t afraid to let it rain down on top of steak; they...
5 things that happened when I made my kids pack their own school lunches.
With four kids—ages 12, 9, 7, and 5—in school all day, four school lunches need to be made every night. (Or once I get past the first few weeks of being prepared, every morning.) Given that my kids can make their own snacks and even some meals at home, I decided to...
Our favorite tips, tricks, and kitchen hacks
Non-toxic spring cleaning with salt: 8 unexpected uses in the kitchen beyond cooking.
Springtime means spring cleaning in my house and that means cleaning with salt. Yes, really. While there are some great natural cleaning products out there that are worth every dime (we love Better Life around here, and even housecleaning services use it), the...
Create a more sustainable kitchen with these 10 easy, eco-friendly ideas
With Earth Day coming up in April and spring cleaning season here, it's a great time to reflect on ways we can create a more eco-friendly home and a more sustainable kitchen. If your family spends as much time as my family of five does thinking about, preparing,...
Kitchen spring cleaning checklist: 7 kitchen tasks everyone forgets
With spring having sprung (and the words of Marie Kondo echoing in my head all these years later), I've been doing my best to kick-start kitchen spring cleaning before summer arrives. But one thing I've learned after all these years is it's so easy to miss certain...
Healthy comfort food recipes to get us through the winter without the extra pounds
Healthy comfort food recipes can be hard to come by. I mean I totally get the desire to start new diets in the new year, what with fresh beginnings and all. But when it's winter, I just want to cuddle up on the couch with a blanket and a big bowl of cheesy soup or...
How to tell if food is fresh: Tips for 7 of your top pantry staples
It's good to have some tricks for how tell if food is fresh and still good to eat -- as you know if you've ever opened a jar of half-used tomato sauce that seemed fairly new...only to find furry white spots of mold floating on top. While some spoiled food is quite...
Latest Recipes
Change your margaritas with 10 delicious margarita variations
While we all love a classic margarita, these delicious margarita variations let you celebrate Cinco De Mayo, National Margarita Day, or just a well-earned weekend night in style. Pair them with one of the recipes from our favorite authentic Mexican food blogs and...
The best authentic Mexican food blogs: 6 favorites for Cinco de Mayo and every other day of the year.
I've had the best time seeking out the best Mexican food blogs serving up authentic Mexican cuisine in honor of Cinco de Mayo. I've always loved this holiday; in my hometown of New York City, May 5th marks a point in early spring when we're absolutely sure there's...
5 easy, delicious dinner ideas for those weeks that get unexpectedly busy | Weekly Meal Plan
This time of year always gets busier than we anticipate, and I always want to have easy weeknight dinner ideas on hand for those kinds of weeks. As the end-of-school commitments start ramping up, with hectic evenings driving everyone around -- let alone a quick...
7 spectacular macaroon variations for a big finish at Passover
We've explained many times that macarons are not to be confused with macaroons, the latter being a flour-free, gluten-free, generally chewy coconut cookie that's a favorite treat to finish off your Seder. This being Passover season, it's a perfect opportunity to...
5 easy spring recipes for the week ahead, from 35-minute lemony chicken cutlets to a fresh take on quesadillas | Weekly Meal Plan
It’s time to start thinking about your meal plan for next week. From 35-minute lemony chicken cutlets to sheet pan quesadillas, we’ve got five dinners that make good use of spring produce and lighter nights (yay!) to help get you through the busy week ahead. So...