How to make whipped cream. And some not-so-basic, but totally easy upgrades.
You don't need to wait for a holiday or special occasion to make whipped cream. Whipped cream is just that happy little thing that makes everything better - from your morning coffee to topping fruit for an after-school snack, to dressing up your hot chocolate...
5 creative ways to make family dinner work for your family. No judgment (or guilt) here!
By now, you have probably heard many times over about the importance of family dinner. And because of the pandemic lockdown, you may laugh to yourself and think, "we have had enough family dinners to last a lifetime." But as things are returning to "normal," family...
7 globally-inspired burger recipes that level up your burger game
By the time Labor Day rolls around, many of us are ready to stay close to home and reset. But this doesn't mean we are ready to pack up the grill! So rather than just throwing the same old burgers on the grill, we have been scouring our favorite food bloggers and...
4 simple meal plan approaches that might just help you get the hang of meal planning
It's back to school at my house, which means back to meal planning, but with grocery prices rising, I've been thinking about taking a different approach to "find something that looks good and just make it." I honestly can't afford to spend money on a meal that my kids...
Helpful tips to get your kids packing their own lunches at any age
If you're looking to lighten your load this school year, look to the kids. With these tips, you'll have your kids making lunch in no time at all! I'm not a morning person. If your personality also improves throughout the day, you'll understand why my life's goal as a...
5 DIY Lunchables ideas that look (and taste) just like the store bought ones | Back to School Guide
The convenience of Lunchables is undeniably alluring, but the ingredients, cost, and waste can be a little hard to swallow given how incredibly easy it is to make DIY Lunchables. With a handful of ingredients and a few reusable compartmentalized lunch containers...
My completely honest review of Sakara Life: Is it worth the money?
A few months ago I had my annual physical, where I discovered that my cholesterol was a little high. It just so happened to be right before my birthday, and after doing a little research, I decided to treat myself to a month's worth of meals from Sakara Life. Their...
12 easy, healthy, and affordable breakfasts your teens can make for themselves.
Whether your teens are up at dawn to get to their summer job, or stumble into the kitchen around noon because, well, they're teenagers, we still want them to eat a good breakfast to get their day started off right. But, we are lonnnnng past needing to wait on them in...
8 fresh summer pasta salads to help you get creative when you’re tired of pasta salads
I've been on the hunt for some fresh new summer pasta salads to make, ever since last summer, when I took a pasta salad to a friend’s annual summer barbecue and no one ate it. I admit I was hurt. I mean, didn’t anyone appreciate how long it had taken me to mix some...
7 fabulous kitchen finds at Nordstrom Anniversary Sale
While you may be familiar with the amazing deals you can snag on shoes, bags, and clothing during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, you may not be as familiar with the kitchen and home products Nordstrom now carries. At my last in-person visit to Nordstrom, I discovered...
Up your burger game with these 5 must-have grilling tools. They make all the difference!
It's officially summer! Yay! Hopefully your grill is all cleaned up and ready to go for the Fourth of July celebrations that are right around the corner. Whether or not you are planning to grill up burgers on the Fourth of July, odds are they will be on the menu...
18 delicious Father’s Day food gifts supporting Black-owned businesses
The team at Cool Mom Picks has always dedicated ourselves to amplifying small businesses of all kinds, and to showcase diversity in the brands, books, advice, and even recipes we feature. And with Father's Day right around the corner, we think it's the perfect...
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...