There is nothing like a summer salad! Refreshing and light, it’s the perfect meal after a long day outside. Have you ever tried dressing made with apple juice? Check out this refreshing recipe and keep it around for those hot days when no one wants to cook!

APPLE VINAIGRETTE
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Mott’s ® apple juice
2 whole fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon honey
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 tsp course ground pepper

Combine vinegar, olive oil, apple juice, basil, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor.
Process until it is smooth. Serve chilled over mixed greens and veggies.

Have a variation or recipe of your own? We’d love to hear about it!

Your kids are under foot all day long.  And so are their messes.  Keeping up with the mess can be a full time job.  What works for one family may not work for another.  But keeping these simple tips in mind can ease the frustration and keep the chaos at bay.

Identify what is important – Ability to walk without tripping and a clean / sanitary environment may be your priority.  Figure out what is critical and focus on that first.  Ask the kids what is important too.  If they have some input they will see the value in maintaining the home as well.

Purge on a regular basis – Examples of good times to purge are after holidays, birthdays, spring, before school starts.  Get the kids involved as well, particularly when it comes to donating to church or charities.

Leave room for more stuff – After a purge, it’s a good idea to leave room in cabinets, dresser drawers and storage boxes for more.  That way as items accumulate, you can keep the clutter off the tables, counters and floors.

Organize in a logical way – More frustration comes when items are not easily accessible or in the wrong place.  Take the time to diagram where things should go and how much space is needed.  Plan for the immediate future such as back to school and holiday stuff.  Make sure that stuff the kids need to access is at their level.  If they can put it away without your help they are more likely to do it!

Clean as you go – The best tip for keeping it clutter free is to clean up your mess.  Just like your mother taught you, right?  Teach your kids to do the same.  We are so hurried these days that often we leave it to come back later.  Avoid frustration by keeping up as you move through the day.

Do you have a particular frustration with keeping everything clean?  Or are you a rockstar who has some advice to share?  We’d love to hear!

What are you making for dessert on Christmas?

Yes, it seems a little early … but this holiday season seems to be flying by fast. It’s only about a week and a half away and it’s something you should definitely be thinking about. Heck, it’s something you might even need to make once to make sure it’s the dessert for you.

For our Christmas, we try something different — usually chocolate based — every year. One year, it was a peppermint and chocolate cake roll. Another year it was vanilla mousse and strawberry fools.

This year, by request, it’s Chocolate Peppermint Pie. We had it for Sunday dinner at the end of November and it was a raving hit.

Not sure what you are making yet? Here are some fantastic recipes from around the web to help you get thinking and planning:

- Ginger Pear Tarts (vegan) at Vegan Visitor

- Pumpkin Torte at Canary Girl

- Devil’s Food Cake with Peppermint Frosting at Dinner & Dessert

- Grandma’s Coconut Cake at Andrea’s Recipes

- Yule Log at Too Many Chefs

- Banana Cream Pie (gluten free) at Gluten Free Girl and The Chef

The first time I made these cookies, it was completely by accident. I wanted to make something uber-chocolatey for a friend when I was visiting her family. However, I was out of a lot of common baking goods. With a little ingeniuity, and some adjustments, I ended up with these. 

They are rich and moist, with a hearty bit of saltiness from the salt/sugar sprinkle. It’s everything that a good chocolate cookie should be.

Now, if you want to get your cookies perfectly round like these, invest in a cookie scoop. The inexpensive mini-ice cream scoop is perfect for measuring out cookie dough in perfectly formed balls. It’s practically a guarrantee for perfect cookies every time. Yes, it’s one more thing to have in the drawer, but considering how this can really eliminate some of the mess of baking (who hasn’t dropped a cookie dough coated spoon before?), it’s worthwhile of a little drawer real estate.

Coincidentally, my friend liked these so much that she went home and made them herself from my recipe. She and her hubby ranked these among their favorite cookies ever.

What’s your favorite cookie? Share in the comments!

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Thanksgiving is barely over, but already the stores are playing Christmas music and my kids’ thoughts have turned to dreams of red-and-green wrapped candy and presents under the tree.

No matter what your religious beliefs, the winter seems to bring about plenty of opportunities to celebrate something. Here are some ideas from around the blogosphere to help you and your kids kick off the winter holidays–whichever ones you celebrate–with a kid-friendly craft:

Christmas:

Make your own advent calendar. Check our Dollar Store Crafts for instructions on how to make a fantastic–and decidedly green–advent calendar from a recycled cereal box. Or try making this Countdown to Christmas wreath from FaveCrafts.

Hanukkah:

Create a bag to hold coins (chocolate, of course) using these easy instructions from Education.com or embroider this pretty bag from Purlbee.com. Or try making an edible marshmallow Dreidel like this one on EdibleCrafts.craftgossip.com.

Kwanzaa:

It’s still a little early for the blogosphere to be hopping with Kwanzaa crafts, but Kaboose.com has a nice list with easy-to-use instructions.

Which winter holidays do you celebrate? Do you have a great resource for crafts and activities to help you kick off the season?

The turkey and sweet potato leftovers are still lingering but all I could think about this past weekend was shopping! I didn’t get up at 4 a.m. to venture out on Black Friday, but I sure did consider it. I added products to several websites’ shopping carts, but didn’t follow through on any. I put together a spreadsheet of gifts I need to get, but haven’t checked any off as of yet. Still, I can’t stop thinking about all that needs to be done.

What to get for this or that person, how to cut back on spending, where to find the best discounts, and should I or shouldn’t I take a chance buying gifts that aren’t found on someone’s wishlist. When did this all get so complicated? Maybe when I had kids, although I must say, buying for my own boys is the only fun part of the season lately. Besides them, I feel like I’m on the losing end of a deadline to buy meaningless gifts.

In moments of clarity, I remember back a few years ago when I never started shopping anytime before Christmas week. Now I start stressing once the Halloween candy is gone. Perhaps it’s because I have to worry about remembering to ask for gift receipts or end up reading too many online customer reviews before making a purchase. Maybe I’m trying to keep up with those friends and relatives who already have their shopping done and gifts wrapped (who are these people?!). Continue reading…

There is just something about a freshly baked cookie, one that’s been measured  by hand and dropped carefully onto a cookie sheet, that is just spectactular. The very idea wraps its arms around you like a cozy favorite blanket, enveloping you in bliss (well, until you eat too many and gain a few). It’s no secret around my family that I absolutely adore cookies. Chocolate chip cookies, Deconstructed Peppermint Bark Cookies, Iced Pumpkin Cookies … I love ‘em all.

With Thanksgiving now behind us and Christmas slowly creeping up, it’s time for many a home cook to start thinking about Christmas cookies. Me? I’ve been baking Christmas cookies since I was old enough to turn on the stove. Some years, I would gift the cookies. Other years, I would bake with friends. These days, I often bake with my kids — and that is a great tradition to have.

And frankly, in a year where so many of us are struggling, cookies are an inexpensive way to say you care in a meaningful way. After all, what isn’t spent moneywise is made-up-for with hard labor baking.

These peanut butter cookies are crisp and peanut butter-y, just like a good peanut butter cookie should be. If you want to gift these though, just make sure that the recipient isn’t allergic to nuts.

Turn in next week for another cookie recipe, ready for gifting.

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Football, turkey, family, laughs … these are the things that Thanksgiving is made of. From all of us here at the More to the Core blog, to all of you: Have a wonderful, safe, happy and joyous Thanksgiving Day!

In the 12 years since I became a mom, I’ve logged countless hours in the car with kids. And now that I’ve got five–including two long-legged big boys, two easily-bored younger boys, and a baby–a successful car trip requires forethought, planning, and patience. If you’ll be hitting the road with your kids this Thanksgiving, follow some of my tried-and-true tips for surviving–and even enjoying–the ride.

1. Consider seating carefully. During the average week, I’ve got my kids’ car seats set up to give me easy access to the little ones, since they still need to be buckled in. But on longer trips, this arrangement isn’t as logical. Putting the two littlest kids in the bucket seats wastes all the leg room on those that need it least, and also means the three biggest–and most bicker-prone–kids are squashed together in the back bench seat. Try playing with seating a bit: put a big sibling next to the baby (older kids can find a dropped sippy cup or amuse little ones) or a toddler next to the sibling he gets along with best. Or play musical seats at each potty stop, letting each child have a chance at the most coveted spot.

2. Pack Snacks. After our car needed to be completely detailed to remove a funky smell emanating from the back seat, we outlawed eating on the go. But we relax those rules on road trips, when snacks aren’t just a distraction, but a parental sanity-saver. Coolers work, but they add an element of hassle to the trip, so we opt instead for items that don’t have to be chilled: juice boxes, peanut-butter crackers, and fruit, for example. Continue reading…