There is an abundance of zucchini available right now in my neck of the woods. Good thing, too - it's one of my favorite vegetables. The kids enjoy it as well and when it's combined with a few of their other favorites, the result is a dish that everyone eats and everyone loves. What kid doesn't love their veggies smothered in ranch dressing? I know my own will eat almost any vegetable as long as they can dip it in… Read More

Leftovers are boring, blah and take up too much refrigerator space - right? I don't think so. I often make extras just for the sake of having leftovers for other dishes. Rice is one of those leftovers I look forward to morphing into a whole new dish. Leftover rice is a great and frugal filler, delicious with gravy, yummy under chili and perfect in my very favorite leftover rice dish: fried rice.

While there are versions of fried rice made with… Read More

Tabbouleh is one of those dishes that incites passionate views as to its preparation (and views on the spelling are just as well debated). My mother's Syrian friend, Ishy (short for Ishmael) insists his is the best, while Lebanese friends shake their heads and roll their eyes at his preferred ingredients. I'm sort of a middle of the road kind of gal and use what I like and what the kids like. I mean, for a mom the bottom line… Read More

As of this week it has become glaringly apparent that it's summer. The kids are showing it, too. The higher the mercury goes, the more often they ask for cool or frozen treats. Popsicles are the perfect answer to their pleas, but store-bought varieties can be full of sugar, artificial colors and flat-out expensive sometimes.

The solution to that problem is to create your own. Homemade popsicles are one of the easiest things to make. If you have your own popsicle… Read More

The days are so hot lately that even for someone who loves to cook, like me, it's hard to find the inspiration to get into the kitchen and create. After a full day of chasing little ones, gardening (a.k.a. weeding) and running errands, just the thought of having to get dinner on the table is enough to send me to a chair with a tall iced tea.

Antipasto is cool from start to finish. Every ingredient is refrigerated and the prep… Read More

Cupcakes have been known as 'Fairy Cakes' for as long as I can recall, but we still use the plain old 'cupcake' name for them for some reason. I don't know anyone who doesn't adore cupcakes and for kids, calling them 'Fairy Cakes' just makes them all the more desirable.

For me, a Fairy Cake would be light in color and bright in flavor, and if it were topped with what looked like little fairies that had alighted there for… Read More