Whether you began your holiday shopping in July or will wait until the last minute, whether you enjoy the festive fun of shopping in a crowded store or the solitude of shopping online, this year’s gifting trends aren’t about spending a lot of money. Instead, it’s a matter of being clever and creative with some practical pizazz.
Cooler weather brings on cravings for hearty, delicious meals featuring the flavors of the fall harvest. One of these traditional autumn flavors is so versatile that it is used in breakfast, entree, dessert and snack recipes: cranberries. This season, take the time to explore the many different ways cranberries can go beyond your traditional cranberry sauce to add zing to your plate and natural beauty to your table.
With the holidays drawing close, your home will soon be the center of attention when entertaining guests from near and far. From creating a festive atmosphere to feeding friends and family, it’s important to plan ahead for a hassle-free holiday season everyone will enjoy. Make this season’s party planning less stressful and costly with these simple tips.
With football and basketball season in full swing, it’s the perfect time to invite family and friends over to root on the home team. Hosting a crowd-pleasing party can be simple with a little preparation. Score big with these simple game day entertaining tips.
Whether you’re snacking through the biggest football kick-off of the year or an epic college basketball match-up – score big with lower-calorie, game-day snacks that won’t crush your passion, but will keep you fueled up for the game-winning play. Consider including these game-time snacking rituals next time you’re getting ready for the big game.
If you are like most Americans, you will likely spend an average of $764 on gifts alone this holiday season, according to a Gallup survey. When totaling up the cost of gifts with extra trips to the grocery store, dinners out to toast the season and travel costs to visit loved ones, you’re looking at quite a holiday spending spree. While we all recognize that we spend a little extra during the holiday season, there are ways to give yourself a present this season and have your money working for you.
When the weather cools, do your cravings turn toward peppermint? Or perhaps the approaching holidays are priming your palate for pumpkin and gingerbread. Some flavors and ingredients just seem to go naturally with the season. While time-honored culinary traditions will always have a place in our seasonal celebrations, mix things up this year by using familiar ingredients in non-traditional ways.
Rather than sitting down to a wholesome meal, do you spend your lunch break running errands, catching up on bills or organizing your kid’s next big activity? Too often busy parents and working professionals have to choose between eating well and doing important tasks during the lunch hour. With the start of the new year, it’s time to take back lunch with a few healthy ideas that will makeover your meals in just minutes.
At this busy time of year, it’s often difficult to get a meal on the table, especially if you’re multitasking between other priorities around the home. Consider including turkey burgers in your dinner menus – it’s a great way to add protein and create a delicious and convenient meal without having to be tied to your kitchen for hours.
Planning a large celebration can be challenging. From setting a date that works for everyone to creating a fun party atmosphere, there is a lot of work that goes into planning the perfect event. Regardless of who the party is for, there are some ways to ensure your big party comes off without a hitch.
Even with the best intentions, many of us who resolve to live a healthier lifestyle in 2013 will fall back into old, familiar habits much sooner than we would like. To maintain motivation and create a routine that is both sustainable and effective, it’s important to invest in the right tools for every room in your house.
While pumpkins are most often associated with pies, don’t underestimate this favorite of the squash and gourd family. Not only is the mighty pumpkin delicious, but it is also quite the multi-tasker.
From the Oscars to the Grammys, it doesn’t matter if you’re a music buff, movie mogul or somewhere in between, there’s an awards show for everyone to watch from home. With so many red carpets rolling out, make the most of the season, and have some fun along the way.
When you’re scanning a restaurant menu or walking the grocery store aisles, do you know what many of the food terms really mean? What designates “local,” and what is the difference between organic and non-organic? Here is a helpful guide for staying in the know when it comes to what you eat.
This time of year, homes across the country are bustling with friends and family celebrating the holidays with festive foods and drinks. Dairy products like butter, milk, cheese and cream are standard ingredients in celebratory dishes, but one area where dairy can play a starring role is often overlooked – the cocktail glass.
Despite good intentions to prepare a nutritious breakfast, it’s often tempting to grab something on the run, only to fall flat when it comes to nutrition and energy. Eggs and bacon are popular ways to incorporate needed protein into a breakfast.
Thanksgiving and Christmas meals often incorporate a lot of traditional foods and flavors, which as a host, may become a bit boring. But when you have friends and family visiting for several days, there are plenty of opportunities to shine with new flavors and interesting meals.
Dumping kibble into a bowl and walking away has become less and less the norm. Feeding the family dog has evolved into new territory. For example, have you ever warmed your dog’s food in the microwave before serving it to him? You wouldn’t be alone if you have. Maybe you and your dog have a mealtime ritual? Here are a few quick tips that can help you make mealtime for your dog just as special as your own.
Families everywhere anticipate the holiday season months in advance. If you have visions of delicious dishes and happy guests dancing in your head, you’re certainly in the right spirit, but is your home ready to make that holiday daydream a reality? By prepping your home – and especially your kitchen – for the celebration, you’ll be better able to focus on the joy of your get-together.
If you think you’re busy this time of year, imagine how busy the first lady of holiday cheer can be. For a holiday season filled with joy and laughter, Mrs. Claus shared her top five ways to make lasting memories with your little ones.
This year, hosts across the country will look for simple ways to make this Thanksgiving an event their loved ones will enjoy. But, there’s a lot of work that comes with holiday entertaining – shopping on a budget, cleaning the house, cooking a feast, and caring for friends and family – and sometimes the fun that should fill the day can begin to slip away.
The holidays are just around the corner, which means family and friends will soon get together at your home to celebrate. Whether you’re hosting large or intimate gatherings, having a game plan in place well in advance of your event is essential. With a few simple steps, you can jumpstart holiday entertaining – and increase your own enjoyment at the event.
The holidays are a busy season. From cooking and baking for family and friends to holiday shopping and preparing for time-honored traditions, the season will pass in a blur. Regardless, it’s also the time of year when everyone has holiday cookies and extra-special meals on their minds.
The holiday cookie season – and baking season – has arrived, and home bakers are in a flurry finding favorite recipes, purchasing necessary ingredients and planning for the big baking day. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or a beginner in the kitchen, everyone can achieve baking bliss with a little help from the experts. Hershey’s Cookie Headquarters offers step-by-step recipes, professional tips and exclusive access to a team of experts ready to answer your toughest baking questions.
Whether you’re roasting them over an open fire or cooking them into your holiday favorites, nuts can be used to enhance almost any recipe. You’d be hard-pressed to find an ingredient with more versatility, as nuts can be used to create a flavor accent or to provide some extra crunch and texture while keeping dishes fresh and light. Whether you’re using almonds, pecans or roasted peanuts, the possibilities are limitless. Learn how ingredients like nuts can easily create a chef-caliber dish.
For many, the holiday period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s means family get-togethers, rich food and good times. But it can also mean heartburn.
Entertaining at home with friends and family can be both exciting and stressful. With big games, awards shows and book clubs filling your early spring social calendar, prepare your home by kicking off your spring cleaning routine a little early. Instead of just cleaning the kitchen counters, tossing a few extra towels in the guest bathroom and ignoring the rest of the house, try taking a few extra steps, which will leave you feeling ready to host at any time.
For sports fans, the months of February and March are busy – filled with catching football and basketball championship games happening in the professional and collegiate leagues. Then before we know it, spring sports season is upon us.
A kitchen without baked goodies would be like a movie without popcorn, burgers without fries or a sundae sans cherry: good but not quite perfect. If you enjoy baking traditional favorites, you may also like trying new recipes. Experimenting with new recipes is easier if you start out with a well-stocked pantry.
Grab your fork and knife. Amateur and professional foodies alike highly anticipate the newest food trends, and 2013 will not disappoint. Throughout the country, restaurants and home cooks are utilizing their creativity to make food that satisfies the palate and leaves a lasting impression.
