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

This past weekend we went camping. The kids love setting up the tents and sleeping out under the stars, especially when it's only 20 feet from our back door. Yep, we set up tents in our backyard and had a blast. With gas prices as high as they are and daddy still not feeling 100%, we decided to stay home and have as much fun as possible.

We set up tents, picked up a small grill and made the most of… Read More

My kids are probably like every other kid on the planet; they want cookies year-round regardless of the weather. I'm not a 'cookie mom'. I really dislike making cookies, yet I do it often because the kids love them. I like cookies too, but baking them seems to drive me completely batty. I don't mind the unbaked kind so much because there's no waiting at the oven door for 8-10 minutes before heading back to the counter to drop or… Read More

The 4th of July is just around the corner and I can't wait to get started on all manner of tri-colored treats. One 4th Party we held that I particularly liked was one where each food was theme-related. We had it later in the evening, desserts only, and then we gathered for the fireworks.

Everyone had a terrific time. The women asked how each dish was made, the men ate like animals (as usual) and the kids kept going… Read More