Strawberry Santas I am a big fan of easy snacks that the kids can help make—both to get them engaging with their food in a low pressure way and also because it’s a fun activity to do together. (I have a whole cookbook called Food Play about this exact thing!) This fresh fruit snack is made with just 2 or 3 simple ingredients, it can be done by toddlers, and it’s both simple and fun....

Breakfast Meal Prep I love having easy pantry staples on hand for toddler breakfasts, including cereal and toast, but I also love to make one or two recipes each week to give us easy options to grab for breakfast. Because whether you were up overnight with the kids, never have enough time to make breakfast, or you just want more of a shot of drinking your coffee or tea while it’s warm, these ideas are for you....

Truffles are always a hit during the holiday season, but they’re perfect for any occasion. They are simple to make, look fancy, and can be filled with all kinds of deliciousness! These no-bake cheesecake truffles are one of our newest favorites to add to our truffle collection! Try my Chocolate Truffles, Gingerbread Truffles, Oreo Truffles (Oreo Balls), German Chocolate Cake Truffles, and my White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Ice Cream for even more amazing homemade truffle treats!...

Easy Healthy Snacks While I love to have at least one homemade snack on hand for the kids most weeks, it can be helpful to have a list of go-to easy snack ideas that I can put together in minutes to refer to when it seems like I’m out of ideas OR when we have limited options in the house. This list is easy to follow and should spark some ideas from items you already have on hand....

My girls are totally obsessed with mango, and I love how naturally creamy it is. Which means that when you blend it up into mango popsicles, it has seriously delicious results—with hardly anything else added to the mix. These are one of my baby popsicles and toddler snacks for warmer weather, though we’ve been known to make a batch whenever we just need some brightness in our day. They’re an easy way to soothe a sore throat, are packed with vitamin C and probiotics for kids, and work as a dessert for kids or snack....

If you love the classic flavor of cookies and cream ice cream like we do, then this dip is for you! Also, you might want to consider trying our cookies and cream macarons and Oreo cookies and cream cake as well. Oreo dip is so fast and easy to whip up for any type of gathering you’re hosting, to take to a party as a dessert, or even for the family to enjoy....

There are hundreds (thousands?) of ways to make pizza dough, but this recipe is a favorite of mine. It has just 4 ingredients, and maybe 5 minutes of hands on time. It needs only 1 minute of kneading and can accommodate a relatively flexible schedule. The only real downside to making this recipe (and your own pizza dough in general) is that it’s not great for instant gratification. If you want to make last minute pizza, you can get dough from grocery stores or some pizza shops....

Hydrating Foods Did you know that most produce is over 90% water content? I didn’t either! But it’s so reassuring to know this because it can greatly reduce the pressure we feel to push cups of water. Our bodies do need water to function well—and I definitely recommend making it available so the kids can easily access it when they’re thirsty and while they’re eating. But honestly, I don’t think that we need to be counting cups unless we’re noticing issues (particularly on hot days) such as sluggishness or very dark colored urine....

Plus, is its super quick and easy too. Make this sweet and savory gourmet flatbread today, and get amazed with the simple, yet elegant flavors. We love Flatbread Dinners here at the Beisers’. Have you checked out our Steak Gorgonzola Flatbread and Smoked Salmon Flatbread? They not only look pretty, but are loaded with amazingly delicious flavors. Todays flatbread is just an extension of the flatbread series… this stunning Fig and Prosciutto Flatbread!...

We’re a family of 4, so when I make regular batches of desserts we’re often sharing them with friends, neighbors, or sending them to the office with my husband to pawn off on coworkers. But when it’s just us on a Friday night wanting a treat, I’ll do a small batch so we aren’t staring down dozens of treats. My small batch brownies recipe is just right for 2 or 4 people, and then you don’t have to resist temptation for the rest of the weekend!...

This trio of not-too-spooky hocus pocus cupcakes are delightfully fun for all you witches out there obsessed with Winifred (Winnie), Sarah, and Mary and their exploits on Halloween night. Hocus Pocus is one of our all-time favorite movies and one of the most quotable films ever made! You’ll also love our Hocus Pocus Marshmallow Pops! We are thrilled that a sequel is in the works and when we saw that the Grand Floridian at Disney World was offering these Hocus Pocus cupcakes filled with “peanut boo-tter” filling, we thought it would be fun to recreate a copycat version of them here for those of us who can’t make the trip to enjoy them in person this season!...

If you are looking for refreshing summer drinks, be sure to also check out our Easy Brazilian Lemonade (Limeade), Horchata Mexican Drink Recipe, Strawberry Lemonade, and Homemade Hawaiian Punch Recipe! One of our favorite restaurants is Prospect in San Francisco. Paul gets to eat there often because he works downtown and goes out with clients all the time to fancy places. So when he came home from a lunch at Prospect raving about their blackberry lemonade, I knew it was something I needed to make for our family....

Earlier this year I was able to take our oldest daughter, Clara, to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Florida with my sister and two oldest nieces. It was indeed a magical trip and the girls LOVED the butterbeer there from the Three Broomsticks and the butterbeer cart in Hogsmeade. (UPDATE: We just went back with the whole family and I wrote about visiting Harry Potter World with all my best tips!...

This variety of compound butter is great for flavoring meats or as a spread for your slice of bread. If you are looking for something similar but on the sweeter side, be sure to check out this amazing Rasberry Butter and Whipped Cinnamon Honey Butter. Whether you are a seasoned chef or a beginner in the kitchen, you cannot mess this up. You pretty much add in whatever flavors you like and then add it to whatever foods you are cooking....

Why we love this Recipe for Red Pepper Sauce This roasted pepper cream sauce is loaded with fresh ingredients like red bell peppers, minced garlic, Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil for maximum flavor. It tastes approximately 1,000x better than any jar of sauce you might pick up from the grocery store. You can adjust the flavor to taste. If you prefer a spicier sauce, just add more crushed red pepper. If you like it creamier, increase the amount of cream in the recipe!...

This stew is a national dish of Hungary, and a personal favorite of mine for good reason. It’s a warm and hearty soup with fork-tender beef and root vegetables, all slow-cooked for hours in a broth laced with sweet paprika. The result is a flavor like nothing you’ve ever tasted before. Hungarian Goulash truly celebrates the quintessential Hungarian ingredient: sweet paprika! I fell in love with the flavors that can be created with Hungarian sweet paprika after trying another of their classics, Chicken Paprikash....

Having something special to sip makes any occasion more memorable. Some of our other favorite and family friendly options are Homemade Eggnog, European-Style Hot Chocolate, and Pumpkin Juice. It’s so satisfying to take fresh pears and apples and turn them into a delicious sipping cider to keep you warm on cool winter nights. Pears are in season all winter long and they add a deliciously sweet and unique dimension to a more classic apple cider....

Are you a morning person? You will be once you try these light and bright Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes. Full of citrus flavor and a delicate crunch you can’t resist. They are extra lemony with a simple glaze drizzled over the top in place of maple syrup. If you love pancakes, you might also like our Toasted Coconut Pancakes. Or for something on the savory side, try another of our favorite breakfasts: Homemade Biscuits & Gravy!...

Eggplant seems to be a bit of a polarizing vegetable, which I sort of understand, as I’ve had some pretty mediocre and well, less than good, eggplant before. But when it’s cooked well, it is the perfect vehicle for flavor, and one of my favorite vegetables. It acts as a sponge, soaking up marinades and oil (because, let’s be real here, fats carry a lot of flavor). It can be roasted whole and mashed for soft and buttery texture, such as in mediterranean baba ganoush or an Indian baingan bharta....

Rice is seriously my weak point, and any meal with a heap of it is pure comfort for me. I enjoy cooking rice dishes from all over the world, like Arroz con Pollo, Jambalaya, Hashweh and Jollof Rice. Today’s Mediterranean Rice is a bit like Greek Lemon Rice, but it stands out with its bold spices and the crunchy nuts and sweet raisins on top. I love serving it with my kebab dishes like Shish Tawook, Kofta Kebabs, Souvlaki, Tikka and Keftedes....