How to keep kids hydrated and safe: 6 easy and important tips to help beat the summer heat
One of the big parenting challenges of summer is keeping our kids hydrated. It may sound like a small thing but it can actually be harder than you think, and dehydration is no joke. Even kids who aren’t playing center halfback in 95-degree heat can get dehydrated in...
Web coolness: Cake decorating hacks, a stand against fancy lunches for kids, best store-bought hot dogs, and more.
Here are our favorite links from around the web this week. We hope that you like them, too. 5 easy cake decorating ideas with fruit snacks. Cocktail garnish ideas for summer soirees. How to cook corn perfectly every time, and some other tips on how to select,...
6 no-cook dinner recipes for easy no-cook nights.
Summer is hitting its stride, with temperatures running high well into the evening. During these dog days of summer, dinner can only mean one thing: no-cook dinner recipes. With a little help from your pantry and a lot of help from the bounty of seasonal produce...
They’re back! 5 Minions treat recipes to celebrate the release of the Minions movie.
I've waited a long time—8 years, to be exact—to have a kid old enough to get excited about a new movie the way that I do. Going to the movies is one of my favorite pastimes and, for once, both me and my kids are eagerly waiting a new release: the Minions...
Weekend Toast: Arnold Palmer cocktail and mocktail recipes to cool down in these dog days of summer.
Summer is in full swing. This is it: The heart of the season and height of the fun. As much as I love cocktails that use seasonal fruit, there is no more pure a summer sip than an Arnold Palmer. Half ice tea and half lemonade, this drink pairs the best with the best....
15 of the best camping recipes that make camping worth it. Yes, really.
I have a love-hate relationship with camping. There’s something really wonderful about it: The kids have an unimaginably good time, we sleep cozy together in a tent (air mattresses are a must), and we spend the whole day outdoors. The downsides? Dirty bathrooms, bugs,...
Still life with cherries: Summer boredom buster trick.
Summer's barely started and already we're hearing about all the "bored children" our readers are grappling with. This morning I caught this terrific boredom buster from our friend Marie at Make and Takes: Using fruit and veggies as drawing prompts for kids. This is so...
How to make perfect pesto, and 4 mouthwatering, basic recipes to help you use it all up.
As much as I love grilling in the summer, it can be easy to get into a meat-and-three rut if I'm not careful. But seeing the rows of basil plants at my neighborhood grocery has inspired me to incorporate this delicious pesto recipe into more meals, and it's adding all...
Our picks for the best YouTube cooking shows for kids—for screen time that just might help mealtime.
It never ceases to amaze me how much kids love watching cooking shows—even picky eaters. Though baking shows seem to be the most popular with kid viewers (go figure), my kids have, on occasion, watched a cooking show that prepared some healthy dish that they...
Fast and fresh: 7 sweet corn salad recipes that celebrate the best of summer.
Fresh corn is one of those summer vegetables that we wait for all year long and, once it arrives, it makes an appearance on plenty of family tables at least a couple of nights a week. (Right?) If you're anything like me, you mostly serve simple, buttery cobs and with...
How to boil corn on the cob perfectly: The world’s best, easiest recipe is not what you might think.
Hey, you there! Yes you with the timer set to 12 minutes and the canister of sugar out on the counter next to that big pot? You're not boiling your corn right. Wait...I know we all have methods we swear by but I'm telling you, after years of experimentation and...
Web Coolness: No peas in guac, wines perfect for BBQs, the cutest birthday cakes ever (really), and more.
Here are our favorite links from around the web this week. We hope that you like them, too. The outrage heard around the world (or at least on Twitter) over peas in guacamole. 6 things every kids should know how to cook before leaving home. Essential tips for...
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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...
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...
7 essential tips to be sure your vacation home rental kitchen is stocked and ready for cooking! (Or at least drinking coffee, right?)
Summer has arrived and I'm ready for a week at the beach, or in the mountains, or anywhere but here! In an ideal world, every vacation home renter would stock the kitchen with everything you need, but many of us have arrived for a week of vacation to find dull...
How to sign up for a CSA box this summer (and why you should)
With inflation and supply chain-related shortages upon us, I know a lot of us are considering CSAs for practical reasons as well as ethical ones. Plus, that fresh chard and those vine-ripened strawberries. Yum! When I first wrote about community supported...
10 tips for a more sustainable kitchen in honor of Earth Day
With Earth Day's 52nd anniversary this week, it's a great time to reflect on ways we might do even more to lessen our negative impact on this place we call home. But where to start? If your family spends as much time as my family of five does thinking about,...
Recipes
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...
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...
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...
My favorite family-friendly recipes using July’s fresh produce. Great way to save money!
July is such a perfect time for fresh produce -- and the delicious family recipes that make use of them. My backyard garden is starting to produce some radishes and cabbage right about now, and I'm seeing the most delicious peaches and tomatoes at local roadside...
