Valentine's Day Recipes
Show your love and your culinary talents with these romantic recipes and menus.
Click here to see recipes and get some fun ideas for your favorite Valentines!
Create any beautiful table decoration for the holidays using ideas from this website.
Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays!
In
general, fruit is better when it's in season. When in doubt, ask your
produce manager. In a hurry? A store will often promote the best fruit
with a large and prominent display.
Making these holiday cookies with the family is a fun activity that promotes creativity and family closeness. Click here to see these recipes, and more!
Turkey Day Crafts for Kids
Because you have your hands full in the kitchen, we asked crafters to find entertaining ways to keep your kids busy until Thanksgiving dinner. It's a veritable Turkey Day Tournament of crafts, games, and fun.
Click on this link to see 10 turkey-rific ways to keep the little ones busy at the table while you whip up your Thanksgiving feast.
Because you have your hands full in the kitchen, we asked crafters to find entertaining ways to keep your kids busy until Thanksgiving dinner. It's a veritable Turkey Day Tournament of crafts, games, and fun.
Click on this link to see 10 turkey-rific ways to keep the little ones busy at the table while you whip up your Thanksgiving feast.
15 Dinners Under $1.50
Looking for dinner recipes that won't break the
bank? At $1.50 or less per serving, these 15 dishes are cheap, quick and
easy -- but most of all, delicious.
Click here!
Transition your Kitchen from Summer to Fall
Open your refrigerator and clear out old condiments. Check expiration dates on dressings and prepared foods. Revamp your grocery list to include "snack size" foods that are perfect for lunch boxes. Hearty granola bars, baby carrots with dip, single serve push-ups are good foods to keep on hand.
School lunches need to not only look good and taste good, but should provide about one-third of the calories and nutrients a child needs for the day.
meat or protein: 2-3 ozs
bread or grain: 1-2 slices or 1/2-3/4 cup
fruit and vegetable: at least 2 different choices
milk of dairy: 1 cup
Most children have trouble getting enough fruits and vegetables each day. Topping a sandwich with lettuce and tomato or grated carrots and sprouts adds one vegetable serving.
Add some fun to lunch. Use different breads for sandwiches: muffins, tortillas, mini bagels, pocket bread or whole grain crackers. It's OK to sneak in a little treat occasionally, like a chocolate kiss or hard candy.
Most importantly, pack foods so that they stay safe. Use cold pieces of fruit or a small frozen juice box to help keep lunch items cold. Small containers of yogurt can be frozen and will safely thaw in time for lunch. You can improve the keeping temperature of a thermos by filling it with hot or cold water a few minutes before packing foods or drinks. Buy one or two small ice packs and warm packs to keep foods safe that won't fit into a thermos.
Offering children appealing choices at lunchtime is just part of the back to school routine. Start each day with a nourishing breakfast. Even gifted students don't do well on an empty stomach. Studies show that children do better in school and on tests when they eat breakfast. And good eating doesn't end when the last school bell rings. Be sure to stock the cupboards with plenty of after-school snacks that are nutritious, good tasting, and fun to eat.
Need some fresh ideas for lunch? Try this Pillsbury website.
Open your refrigerator and clear out old condiments. Check expiration dates on dressings and prepared foods. Revamp your grocery list to include "snack size" foods that are perfect for lunch boxes. Hearty granola bars, baby carrots with dip, single serve push-ups are good foods to keep on hand.
School lunches need to not only look good and taste good, but should provide about one-third of the calories and nutrients a child needs for the day.
meat or protein: 2-3 ozs
bread or grain: 1-2 slices or 1/2-3/4 cup
fruit and vegetable: at least 2 different choices
milk of dairy: 1 cup
Most children have trouble getting enough fruits and vegetables each day. Topping a sandwich with lettuce and tomato or grated carrots and sprouts adds one vegetable serving.
Add some fun to lunch. Use different breads for sandwiches: muffins, tortillas, mini bagels, pocket bread or whole grain crackers. It's OK to sneak in a little treat occasionally, like a chocolate kiss or hard candy.
Most importantly, pack foods so that they stay safe. Use cold pieces of fruit or a small frozen juice box to help keep lunch items cold. Small containers of yogurt can be frozen and will safely thaw in time for lunch. You can improve the keeping temperature of a thermos by filling it with hot or cold water a few minutes before packing foods or drinks. Buy one or two small ice packs and warm packs to keep foods safe that won't fit into a thermos.
Offering children appealing choices at lunchtime is just part of the back to school routine. Start each day with a nourishing breakfast. Even gifted students don't do well on an empty stomach. Studies show that children do better in school and on tests when they eat breakfast. And good eating doesn't end when the last school bell rings. Be sure to stock the cupboards with plenty of after-school snacks that are nutritious, good tasting, and fun to eat.
Need some fresh ideas for lunch? Try this Pillsbury website.
Haagen Dazs, Ben &
Jerry’s and Target Archer Farms Top in Ice Cream Test
There is nothing better than indulging in ice cream on a hot, summer day! And although there are fancy flavors to fill your freezer, the two top sellers are still chocolate and vanilla.
Consumer Reports trained testers tried 13 vanilla and 11 chocolate, with varying amounts of fat, and found 7 excellent choices. Six of the seven rated by Consumer Reports rated Haagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s “excellent.” The seventh is from Archer Farms (Target) which offers a tasty alternative at about a third the cost.
All are dense and creamy with strong high-quality flavors. Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean topped the list of vanillas at $1.13 per 1/2 cup serving. Ben & Jerry’s Vanilla ($.97 per serving) and Haagen-Dazs Five Vanilla Bean ($1.13 per serving) took other top vanilla spots.
Among the excellent chocolates is Archer Farms Belgian ($.33 per serving) which has an intense, chocolate flavor enhanced by bits of dark chocolate.
Lower rated ice creams are less creamy and less flavorful with flaws such as gumminess and artificial taste. According to Consumer Reports testers, it seems to be harder to make a high quality vanilla than a high quality chocolate. The chocolate may help mask mistakes.
Most top rated ice creams are a bit pricey - $.97 to $1.16 per serving. For a less expensive alternative, try Archer Farms Belgian Chocolate or Walmart’s Great Value Chocolate ($.23 per serving). Both are Consumer Reports best buys and offer excellent quality at a great price!
There is nothing better than indulging in ice cream on a hot, summer day! And although there are fancy flavors to fill your freezer, the two top sellers are still chocolate and vanilla.
Consumer Reports trained testers tried 13 vanilla and 11 chocolate, with varying amounts of fat, and found 7 excellent choices. Six of the seven rated by Consumer Reports rated Haagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s “excellent.” The seventh is from Archer Farms (Target) which offers a tasty alternative at about a third the cost.
All are dense and creamy with strong high-quality flavors. Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean topped the list of vanillas at $1.13 per 1/2 cup serving. Ben & Jerry’s Vanilla ($.97 per serving) and Haagen-Dazs Five Vanilla Bean ($1.13 per serving) took other top vanilla spots.
Among the excellent chocolates is Archer Farms Belgian ($.33 per serving) which has an intense, chocolate flavor enhanced by bits of dark chocolate.
Lower rated ice creams are less creamy and less flavorful with flaws such as gumminess and artificial taste. According to Consumer Reports testers, it seems to be harder to make a high quality vanilla than a high quality chocolate. The chocolate may help mask mistakes.
Most top rated ice creams are a bit pricey - $.97 to $1.16 per serving. For a less expensive alternative, try Archer Farms Belgian Chocolate or Walmart’s Great Value Chocolate ($.23 per serving). Both are Consumer Reports best buys and offer excellent quality at a great price!
P&G and Dawn Dish Soap Rush to the Rescue
With the BP Oil Spill continuing to gush into the Gulf, P&G is rushing to the rescue of birds and wildlife in that region. They are sending the best product for the job, Dawn Dish Soap, to help. In a 2003 document by the "Best Practices" Document in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, they tell how to clean birds caught in oil slicks:
"The only bird-cleaning agent that is recommended at this time is Dawn® dishwashing liquid (regular, not antibacterial formula) because it removes oil from feathers; is non-toxic; and does not leave a residue. Other methods or products are not recommended for use or testing during an oil spill at this time."
Wildlife rescuers have used Dawn for three decades.
P&G is shipping 2,000 bottles of Dawn to the Gulf region where the oil is expected to hit. P&G is expected to ship more Dawn as needed.
If you go to Dawn's website and register the code from your Dawn bottle, $1 will be donated to save wildlife.
To support Dawn and wildlife, see if its on sale at your favorite store by going to shoppingsmart.com. Also, there is a $.25 off coupon for Dawn in the P&G coupon booklet which came in the Newspaper on May 2, 2010.
http://www.dawn-dish.com/en_US/savingwildlife/home.do - Donate $1 to help the cleanup with a bottle.
http://www.dawn-dish.com/en_US/savingwildlife/specialedition.do -
http://www.facebook.com/dawnsaveswildlife?ref=ts - Facebook
With the BP Oil Spill continuing to gush into the Gulf, P&G is rushing to the rescue of birds and wildlife in that region. They are sending the best product for the job, Dawn Dish Soap, to help. In a 2003 document by the "Best Practices" Document in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, they tell how to clean birds caught in oil slicks:
"The only bird-cleaning agent that is recommended at this time is Dawn® dishwashing liquid (regular, not antibacterial formula) because it removes oil from feathers; is non-toxic; and does not leave a residue. Other methods or products are not recommended for use or testing during an oil spill at this time."
Wildlife rescuers have used Dawn for three decades.
P&G is shipping 2,000 bottles of Dawn to the Gulf region where the oil is expected to hit. P&G is expected to ship more Dawn as needed.
If you go to Dawn's website and register the code from your Dawn bottle, $1 will be donated to save wildlife.
To support Dawn and wildlife, see if its on sale at your favorite store by going to shoppingsmart.com. Also, there is a $.25 off coupon for Dawn in the P&G coupon booklet which came in the Newspaper on May 2, 2010.
http://www.dawn-dish.com/en_US/savingwildlife/home.do - Donate $1 to help the cleanup with a bottle.
http://www.dawn-dish.com/en_US/savingwildlife/specialedition.do -
http://www.facebook.com/dawnsaveswildlife?ref=ts - Facebook
WinCo Foods
If you haven't visited a WinCo Foods yet, you have shop there. It is always an experience! They are clean and big. Their bulk section is practically where I live. Their seafood and deli areas are full of selections and great prices hard to find other places.
Last but certainly not least, it is heavenly in the produce area. There is so many fruits and vegetables to choose from. The variety of salad mixes and dressings is also a treat!
Try them out! Everything in their ad rated 4* except one item (and that was a 3*).
If you haven't visited a WinCo Foods yet, you have shop there. It is always an experience! They are clean and big. Their bulk section is practically where I live. Their seafood and deli areas are full of selections and great prices hard to find other places.
Last but certainly not least, it is heavenly in the produce area. There is so many fruits and vegetables to choose from. The variety of salad mixes and dressings is also a treat!
Try them out! Everything in their ad rated 4* except one item (and that was a 3*).
