How Trader Joe’s is helping me DIY an easier Thanksgiving this year
For the first time in my adult life, I will be in charge of an entire Thanksgiving dinner for my family of five thanks to COVID-19 restrictions on indoor gatherings. That means that instead of just making a few side dishes and showing up at my sister's home to partake...
Hands down, the best wassail recipe for fall ever: The one passed down to my mom
When the weather turns cold, one of the first drinks I whip up is wassail. (No, not pumpkin spice latte.) Ā Never tried a wassail recipe? I can help, because I make batches of it each winter. In fact, this-cider based hot drink has come to be the flavor and scent of...
The best food Advent calendars of 2020: From truffles to jerky to wine, over a dozen of the most delicious ways to countdown to Christmas
The best food Advent calendars of 2020 do not include the one in the drugstore with the waxy chocolate behind thin cardboard doors -- but no surprise there. So before you end up with that as your only option, Ā let me stop you and share some food Advent calendar...
Authentic Philly cheesesteak recipes from Geno’s and Pat’s. (Hey, make both then fight about it.)
For some unknown reason, my social media feeds are filled with people craving Philly cheesesteaks right now. Because, yay Philly! Good things happen in Philadelphia, as I like to say. And not just because the Philly area is where my mom's family comes from, and where...
A week of dinners that are easy on prep, big on flavor | Weekly meal plan 229
This coming week (and maybe a few weeks after that), I need meal planning to be a bit easier. In fact, I need every one of my responsibilities to be a little easier -- don't we all? So I'm putting together a meal plan of five super easy recipes that are also big on...
Taste the Nation teaches kids about real American food. Hint: It’s not hot dogs.
If you're looking for something to get your mind off of current events right now, but wouldn't mind an educational tour of America in some way, this is a perfect week to add Taste the NationĀ to your Hulu queue. I've watched more than my fair share of cooking shows, so...
A meal plan filled with immune-boosting dinners. Stay healthy out there! | Weekly meal plan 228
There's a lot of chatter about immune-boosting foods in my social feeds this week, and I get it. Between the time change, the stress of Election week, the colder weather coming in, and (of course) COVID-19 being an ever-present concern, I wouldn't mind incorporating...
7 spooktacular last-minute Halloween dinner ideas
We've always been fans of fun, last-minute Halloween dinner ideasĀ for the kids, and this year more than ever, I think a lot of us need last-minute ideas. ( I've gotten a little used to putting things off in 2020, that's for sure). So if you need some last-minute...
8 spectacular Halloween dinner theme ideas for a fun, safe night at home
With lots of families looking for trick-or-treating alternatives this year, one of Liz's suggestions was to host a fun Halloween themed dinner with the kids. Which, by the way, is a great idea for teens who may have outgrown trick-or-treating too, or a fun option to...
5 recipes for a week full of food hugs | Weekly Meal Plan 227
I believe that good food is like a warm hug from the inside out. And we can all use more hugs right now, since we are not all getting as many of the actual physical hugs. Leading up to Halloween and election day (VOTE VOTE VOTE) I have designed next week's meal plan...
I have found the best frozen cookie dough on the planet. (Not just because it’s saving democracy but that helps.)
Are you ready for the best frozen cookie dough? Truly, the absolutely 100% best, better than all the rest (sung Tina Turner style), magical, worth-busting-through-my-WW-points, eyes-roll-back-in-your-head cookie dough? Because, my friends, I have found it. Now when a...
Upgrading 6 kids’ menu favorites for the whole family. In case they’re missing their favorite restaurant.
So many of us miss eating out our favorite local restaurantsĀ these days, unless they've got heat lamps outside these days and a good social distancing table plan. As for our kids, well, they mostly miss eating out so they can make us spend good cash on the most basic...
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What to make for a smaller Thanksgiving this year: 8 ideas to help you see it as an opportunity
So many of our readers and friends are asking about what to make for a smaller Thanksgiving this year. While this may be the prudent choice, I know it still comes with a lot of feelings. So many of us are skipping travels plans and raucous gatherings with...
12 of your favorite tips to save money on groceries: We’re stealing all of them!
We always want to save money on groceries, but now more than ever. In fact, on a recent Cool Mom Eats Instagram post, Terre N. mentioned that her grocery bills have seemingly doubled since Covid struck. And, boy, can we relate. One side effect of all this...
8 spectacular Halloween dinner theme ideas for a fun, safe night at home
With lots of families looking for trick-or-treating alternatives this year, one of Liz's suggestions was to host a fun Halloween themed dinner with the kids. Which, by the way, is a great idea for teens who may have outgrown trick-or-treating too, or a fun option...
DIY haunted gingerbread houses for Halloween: Our favorite tips to make yours extra fun
I've always wanted to make a DIY haunted gingerbread house for Halloween, and this seems like the year I finally do it. Let's be honest, Halloween isn't going to be the same this year.Ā In lots of ways. And that kind of sucks. But on the other hand, sometimes the...
5 simple kitchen experiments for kids that count as homeschool science class. You already have the ingredients!
Lately, my homeschooled children been having fun with these simple kitchen experiments for kids that absolutely count as science class time. And as we get into our second month of school, I really need this in my back pocket! Honestly, some days, my kids complete...
Recipes
One sugar cookie dough recipe, ten easy Christmas cookies.
During a year that so many of us want to make homemade food gifts for friends and family -- and are home enough to do it, it feels like the right time to re-up a favorite sugar cookie dough recipe that was first shared here a while back. This recipe can only be...
Easy family dinners for the week because the burnout is real | Weekly Meal Plan 231
Welp, as of this week, we'll have made it to December. Wow. That's 48 weeks of family dinners under your belt, most likely at home, all during an extremely stressful and uh, unusual 2020. If you are human, which I can presume you are, Ā the burnout is getting real....
Thanksgiving Margaritas: The Pinterest trend we didn’t know we needed.
When I logged on to Pinterest recently to search for some yummy Thanksgiving recipes for my family, I was a little surprised by an apparent new trend: The Thanksgiving margarita. Is this a thing? Do people really drink margaritas on Thanksgiving? Being the...
Easy family-friendly dinners for Thanksgiving week | Meal Plan 230
It's Thanksgiving week, parents! I'm thinking ahead to Thursday (smaller though it may be), but also realizing that my family needs to eat on the other days this week too. And since it also happens to be a week where strict quarantines and crowd limits have been...
The ultimate Sidesgiving menu, for a year when turkey just isn’t on your menu
So let's talk that Sidesgiving menu, shall we? You know, a Thanksgiving dinner that's made entirely of our favorite side dishes? We're definitely not the only family who has had some really. hard discussions around Thanksgiving this year, and by that I mean whether...
