5 cookbooks for kids who actually want to learn how to cook — or are willing to try.
We started a new tradition in my house: Once a week (on most weeks), my boys, who are 6 1/2 and 9 1/2 years old, cook dinner for the whole family. They set a dinner menu, choose the recipes, tell me what I need to buy at the market, and execute their meal—cutting with...
How to survive the Whole30 diet on vacation.
I didn't take my own advice about when to start the Whole30 diet and went on vacation during my third week. Granted, I decided to do the Whole30 after I had scheduled my trip, but I thought that two weeks would give me a good enough start to be able to stick with the...
$5 coffee? Save money with these 9 Starbucks copycat recipes that you can make at home.
For coffee lovers—and, really, for almost everyone—dropping $5 on a speciality coffee or tea drink is a not-so-unusual occurrence. Maybe even an everyday occurrence. But if you're like me and these little indulgences start to put a strain on your food budget, don't...
The one (and only) trick for making restaurant-style steak at home.
Most of us have experienced that post-steakhouse glow that comes from eating a perfectly cooked, perfectly juicy, perfectly pink-all-the-way-through steak. But no matter how hard I’ve tried to replicate this restaurant-style steak at home, it’s always been a challenge...
Web Coolness: An ombre 4th of July cake, foods for PMS, and the truth about expiration dates on food.
Here are our favorite food links from around the web this week. We hope that you enjoy them too, and have a wonderful 4th of July weekend! An awesome red, white, and blue ombre cake for your July 4th festivities. Move over, Kindle. Amazon is making and selling...
The best mess-free way to cut corn off the cob.
I love corn on the cob, but other than slathering it with butter, keeping it on the cob is kind of limiting, especially when fresh corn is in season and I want to eat it every single day. Cutting it off the cob is such a pain, though, and can be so messy, especially...
Next week’s meal plan: 5 easy recipes for the week ahead, from the perfect July 4th burger to a sanity-saving one pot pasta.
It’s time to get a head start on your meal plan for next week. From the perfect burger for your July 4th cookout to a sanity-saving one pot pasta, we’ve got 5 easy weeknight meals that will get you through the short work week. So grab a pen, make your shopping list,...
How to make Chocolate Dipped Ice Cream Cones for a festive 4th of July (or anytime) summer treat.
Chocolate Dipped Ice Cream Cones are the ultimate summer treat—and not just because they're tasty. These are easy to make—or even to have the kids make—ahead of time or, if you're having a party, set out all the ingredients and turn this into a party craft for the...
11 brilliant food and drink summer party hacks for easy weekend entertaining.
When it comes to summer soirées, you have to consider the elements—heat, bugs, feeding a crowd— and anything that makes entertaining easier is a must. To keep from breaking a sweat when hosting this summer, you’ll need a few tricks, like these must-try summer party...
The 9 best store-bought snacks for healthy, on-the-go summer snacking.
Finding healthy store-bought snacks is a big back-to-school focus, but having had my kids home on summer break for nearly two weeks now, I realize that I'm in need of easy, on-the-go snacks now. With our summer schedule taking us out and about most days, I've had to...
How to poach eggs with a trick from the kitchen goddess herself, Julia Child.
The silky, creamy texture of a poached egg on buttery toast is a breakfast lover's dream. If you are one of the many people—including me—who loves the sound of poached eggs but are intimidated by the process, I've got a trick from the ultimate kitchen queen, Julia...
Web Coolness: July 4th ice cream cup wrappers, blue wine, and why you should let your kids eat what they want.
Here are our favorite food links from around the web this week. We hope that you enjoy them too! Blue wine? What will they think of next? Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Beer. Umm... maybe? Interesting take from a nutritionist mom about why she...
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
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...
A week’s worth of family-friendly spring recipes | Weekly Meal Plan
It's finally spring around here with daffodils popping up and flowering trees, which means it's time to start planning some spring dinners and easing out of all those heavy winter dishes. These are the spring dinner recipes that feel a bit lighter and brighter to...
These 11 light spring recipes help you shake off winter at the dinner table
When warm, spring weather hits I immediately lose all appetite for the heavy dinners like chili or pot roast that I craved during winter, and instead, I'm finding myself adding light spring recipes to our dinner roatation, like light pasta salads, cold, fresh...