Christmas and other holidays often boil down to just a few ingredients that give them their trademark flavor, like peppermint and pumpkin. Therefore, when you are in a pinch for time or funds, it's fun to think of ways such signature add-ins can, in fact, make the meal. More >>

Menus can be much more than the inspiration for just that one restaurant meal you might be pondering. Taking a peek online ahead of time or just perusing before ordering can be a lightning fast way to snatch a few meal ideas. Most menus give dish descriptions, including ingredient combinations. Let that be your invitation to try ones that catch your fancy at home. More >>

Cooler weather often brings on cravings for warm beverages. Old, good habits die hard, though, and that may mean never venturing beyond a cup of coffee or plain hot chocolate. It's easy, though, to prepare both innovative and inexpensive treats... More >>

Sometimes seasonal specialties are saved for noteworthy occasions, like hearty dinners or festive suppers that entertain a crowd of friends and family. You deserve the treats, which can be fresh or products associated with this type of year, at every meal. More >>

Hearty soup is one of the most economical, easy and tasty treats of autumn. The contents of soup pots, however, don't have to be either homemade or store-bought. Halfway homemade can equal some super spoonfuls that start with a foundation of canned soup... More >>

The pumpkin is well deserving of its title as ambassador of Halloween season. Besides creating attractive decor, it's one of the healthiest foods available. A member of the gourd family, like watermelon and squash, it's high in vitamin A, as well as lots of antioxidants, phytonutrients and fiber. It's a shame just to carve it for display or think of it only as an ingredient in sugary pies. More >>

Stuffed food is often seen as an elegant and sophisticated treat, but it actually can be a surprisingly easy and economical way to perk up just about anything: a spicy bran muffin, for instance, filled with gourmet oatmeal or meatloaf brimming with jazzed up chili. More >>

Summer cooking - whether it's a quick grill or just tossing together fresh cold ingredients - is marked by ease and speed. That alone, is enough to make some folks dread the transition to more complex autumn dishes, no matter how tasty they are. During these next weeks of seasonal transition, though, it's a wonderful time to synergistically blend the best of both times of year. More >>

Some of the best discoveries in the kitchen are accidents. When they are time-savers that's even more for the better. Recently, I decided to up the protein content of frozen multigrain waffles... More >>

Perking up your cooking is easy, fast - and fun. Including a mystery ingredient can be responsible for all three of those desirable results. Currently, a major sugar-free gum company even has joined the escapades and has a mystery flavor on the market. More >>