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Wine can be so confusing. Whether you spend $8 or $80, you could get a good or a bad bottle if you aren’t sure what you are looking for.

Don’t worry! Real Mom’s Guide to the rescue on this one with advice from a reknowned wine expert. Click here to find what bottles are great for under $20.

With the holidays around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about Thanksgiving … and especially desserts for Thanksgiving. In our house, we typically have two pies — a pumpkin and an apple. Honestly, I could eat the entire pumpkin pie by myself, though I am not sure that the family would approve.

For the apple, my favorite is a homemade version that I’ve been making for several years. It has a delightful sweet and crumbly top that goes so well with the sweet-tart apples inside.

It’s always a hit with kids and adults around my Thanksgiving table.

What pies are traditional in your house for Thanksgiving? Share in the comments below! Continue reading…

The cool weather of late Autumn is finally settling in and nothing says Autumn like delicious recipes to warm your house and your stomach. Eat up!

Our own Sarah Cucina Bella’s – Easy Roasted Acorn Squash Mash

Smitten Kitchen – Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Gratin

Kalyn’s Kitchen – Roasted Carrots and Mushrooms with Thyme

Cooking with Amy- Parmesan Flatbread

Real Simple – Macaroni and Cheese with Cauliflower

City Mama – Penne with Sweet Onion Sauce

We’ve all heard it a billion times: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But when it comes down to it, how many of us skip breakfast because it’s just too early or we aren’t hungry or because the effort to make breakfast is outweighed by the desire to sleep just a little longer? I bet more of us than we care to admit.

When you have kids, breakfast becomes nonnegotiable—for them at least. They need that fuel to jumpstart their bodies and minds for the day. A fruit, some whole grains, a bit of protein … these are all components of a good breakfast.

Are you groaning? Breakfast is a hard meal for me too — and certainly not my favorite. When it comes down to it,  needing to give the kids breakfast isn’t the same as wanting to cook it. So, how can you provide a healthy breakfast without having to start the day slaving over the stove?

Here are a few easy ideas for no-cook or barely-cook breakfasts:

- English muffin spread with peanut butter and topped with banana slices

- kid’s sized yogurt, toast with butter, banana

- applesauce, cheese (such as cheddar or mozzarella) cut into dipping rods, whole wheat english muffin

- whole grain cereal, berries or grapes, cup of milk (to drink)

- whole wheat cinnamon toast, apple wedges, yogurt smoothie

- yogurt parfait: nonfat vanilla yogurt layered with fruit and crumbled graham crackers

What’s your kid’s favorite easy breakfast? Share in the comments.

Read more food and recipe ideas from Sarah W. Caron at Sarah’s Cucina Bella.

In the summer, eating is all about the freshest farmers’ market finds. Fresh raw vegetables get chopped into salads and smothered in light, flavorful dressings. The grill is fired up to make a protein – maybe hamburgers or a chicken breast.

When the temperatures begin their inevitable decline, then thoughts turn to comfort foods – the foods that will wrap you in warmth at the end of a chilly day. Cooking moves indoors and the oven gets heated up again.

Potatoes? They make a fabulous fall and winter food. Not only are they fresh right now, but they are also filling and toasty – perfect for the end of the day. But baked potatoes can get so dull. Punch up your potato routine with these tasty steak fries. They go fabulously with a good steak.

Continue reading…

It’s not everyday that a celebrity cooking show host makes your lunch, but for children in the New York City public school system, it may become a regular thing. In fact, just last week, about 400,000 students enjoyed a Rachael Ray-created chicken taco lunch. The initiative was launched by Ray’s nonprofit Yum-o!, which contacted the Department of Education to work together in serving up healthier fare.

Getting kids to eat healthy is becoming more of a priority these days, but I can tell you from experience, it’s a challenge when you have a picky eater on your hands. Programs like this that introduce fun, healthy foods are a great step toward getting children to eat things other than fat-laden chicken nuggets and french fries. We try to apply the same ideas at home, trying approaches like cutting the food in  fun shapes or offering dipping sauces to get them to eat their veggies, but for school, it’s a tad more challenging.

Because my son is only in kindergartenI have to pack lunch, and there’s not much he’ll eat. For the last two weeks it’s been bagels with butter. I know, I know… not the best choice, but at least it’s something. He just won’t do sandwiches, and the teachers don’t want us sending in “complicated” lunches so things like soup are out. We tried rolled up turkey, diced cheese, and crackers for a while, but he left 90 percent of it. The only thing healthy I can sneak in occasionally is sliced apples, applesauce cups, or when he’s in the mood, carrot sticks.

I think he will do better with hot lunch options (which he’ll get next year). I can’t wait! And how cool will it be if he gets to try out recipes from Rachael Ray?

Lunch packers, how do you get your kids to eat healthy at school (or eat at all!)?

My first year out of college, I was working at a small newspaper in northwestern Connecticut where there is a fabulous and freeky haunted house every Halloween. In covering it for the newspaper, I was asked to work the night there to really experience the fun and the horror. Hundreds of people traipsed through as I hid in the shadows and grabbed at their ankles. It was a blast — especially when they screamed bloody murder.

I really love Halloween.

When I was a child, I almost always chose a creepy costume. Before big costume stores with hundreds of variations on every idea popped up, I was dressing as a vampire princess with blood dripping down my whitened chin and doing all sorts of variations on witch costumes.  Heck, I still dress up most years.

Unfortunately, I can’t yet indulge my son’s fascination with scary costumes (yay! he likes them too!) since his school expressedly prohibits scary attire. (Seriously? … it’s Halloween!). But, what I can do is whip up some very tasty and freakish snacks.

Creepy Carrot Fingers
serves 2

2 carrots, peeled
cream cheese or peanut butter
raisins

Cut the carrots in half, lengthwise. Then cut each in half. Place a dab of cream cheese on the skinnier end of each carrot (on the rounded side). Press one raisin into the cream cheese on each carrot. Use a knife to cut three shallow slits (knuckles) in the center of each carrot.

Serve.

Ghostly Cheese Snacks
make one per guest

1 block mozzarella cheese
sliced black olives
cream cheese

Slice the mozzarella cheese into 1/4 inch thick slices. Using a knife, cut the slice into a ghost form. Attach three sliced black olives (two for eyes, one for mouth) to the slice with a dab of cream cheese.

Earlier this year, my son and I raked down a part of a hill on our property, clearing the area and tilling the soil. Then we planted a little packet of seeds. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I am really not one to attempt to grow from seed. And pumpkins? The last time I attempted that nothing happened. At all.

So, when the leaves began to appear a few weeks later, I was psyched, but cautious. Now, months later, those small leaves have grown into large, long vines that creep across our lawn. And near the ends of the vines? Pumpkins. About six of them. I was in shock when I saw the first one. And now, there are so many and they are so big … it’s amazing to watch. The plants seem to grow by leaps and bounds nightly.

But watching pumpkins grow isn’t the only wonderful thing that comes from these lovely orange globes. There is something awesome about cooking with a puree of pumpkin. It adds a warmth and richness to so many dishes – both sweet and savory. Don’t worry if you don’t want to roast your own pumpkin. Canned puree is inexpensive and perfect for recipes.

Here are some of the awesome pumpkin recipes from around the web:

- Pumpkin Pancakes at Sarah’s Cucina Bella

- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes at Sarah’s Cucina Bella

- Pumpkin Cupcakes with Dreamy Cream Cheese Frosting at Sarah’s Cucina Bella

- Iced Pumpkin Cookies at Sarah’s Cucina Bella

- Pumpkin Coconut Muffins at Sarah’s Cucina Bella

- Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes at Pinch My Salt

- Chiffon Pumpkin Pie at Simply Recipes

- Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Butter at Whistlestop Cafe

- Pumpkin Samosas at Kirby Von Scrumptious
Photo credit: bekahboo42 from morguefile.com

Do you have a busy night? I do. It’s Wednesdays. My son has preschool, which inevitably lets out 10 minutes late, followed just 20 minutes later by soccer practice. And on alternating weeks, my daughter also has preschool in the mornings. It makes for a lot of running around.

I’ve made a few modifications to make the day go easier. Instead of running home to change clothes after school, my son changes either at school (in the bathroom) or in the car. That small change means that we are on time — or even early — for soccer practice, and that is always a good thing.

But the part of the day that stresses me the most isn’t the running around; it’s the dinner. After being so busy (I should add that I also work at home … and have to work on Wednesdays), I just don’t want to cook. So dinner needs to be simple and quick. I don’t have it in me to do anything else.

The easiest thing I could do would be to order take out. But I try to avoid that — Take out can be so calorie-filled and that doesn’t jive with my healthy lifestyle and the work I am putting into dropping the baby weight.

So, homemade and quick? What could possibly fit that bill?

Some of my favorites:

- tacos with rice on the side

- homemade cheeseburger with French fries and salad

- carbonara pasta with bread and a salad

- broiled sirloin steak with green beans and rice

So, if you happen to be caught in one of those I’m-So-Busy nights, slow down and breathe. Making a fast dinner can be easy … and whatever you decide, you aren’t alone. Moms all over are facing similar situations.

What do you make when you are short on time? Share in the comments below!