Quick Cook Kid Pleasing Summer Vegetable Soup Recipes

In summer heat, our appetites and cooking styles naturally turn to cold or grilled foods. I don't know about you, but sometimes, even in the blistering heat, I get a hankering for a hot (not char-broiled) meal. When that craving hits, I tout out these tried-and-tasty summer stove-top soups. These recipes feature pared-down (pardon the pun) cooking time frames that won't over-tax the air-conditioning or overheat the house. Best of all, these yummy soups incorporate summer's vegetable bounty and are easy on the diet. Kids love them too. Read more at Summer Soup Recipes

50 Foods from Around the World--for Kids' Groups, Camp Lessons VBS, Scouts

Are you planning an 'Around the World' theme for your school, church, VBS, scout troop, camp, library, 4H or community group? Need some quick, easy inexpensive food ideas that you can easily make or better yet, pull off the shelf of your local grocery store? Most all of these foods are available where you would normally shop. You will not need to make a special trip to an ethnic deli. Read more at  Lesson Plans for School, Scouts, Camp, Library or VBS : 50 Foods from Around the World 

Beer History, Meadery, Brewery Tours in Detroit

Looking for a fun pub crawl? Detroit is becoming a pilgrimage site for beer lovers, especially craft brew aficionados. The area has a long, rich tradition of beer-making, from breweries (large-scale producers) to microbreweries (limited production, non-dining establishments) to brewpubs (dining establishments serving microbrew). If you're a beer enthusiast, why not consider a beer tour of Detroit breweries? Motor City Brew Tours offers bike, bus, and walking packages and events. These are adults-only events. Here are details. Beer History, Meadery, Brewery Tours in Detroit

Ballooning Restaurant Portion Sizes Should Scare Us All

When I first started dieting, I was shocked at the difference between recommended portion sizes and the amount I was calling a portion. So I'm not surprised to learn that portion sizes in restaurants have quadrupled since the 1950s. I am alarmed, however. We all should be.

A new infographic from Making Health Easier (a resource of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) shows just how portion sizes at restaurants are expanding. It also shows that it's time to get serious about this over-eating epidemic. Portion sizes that used to feed a family now feed one person. And with escalating portion sizes, come astronomical sodium and fat counts. Quantity does not mean quality when it comes to most of the food we consume, either. No wonder obesity is the new leading killer. Ballooning Restaurant Portion Sizes Should Scare Us All 

4th of July Cocktails, Alcoholic Drink Recipes

Written for Labor Day, these cocktail recipes work great for 4th of July BBQs, picnics and parties. They'll put some red-white-and-blue zest in your holiday festivities. Recipes focus more on fun flavors rather than intense alcohol overload. The goal isn't to get hammered, but to enjoy a social bevvie with friends and family. The nice thing about these drinks is that they taste just as good non-alcoholic as with the booze. Instead of schnapps, for example, you can use Odwalla, Bolthouse Farms, Northland, Ocean Spray or V8 100 % fruit drinks.


My husband worked as a bartender at a private club. He also tended bar for private parties. While at the club, he learned to make dozens of drinks and invented some of his own. These recipes are for drinks that we have either learned to make or invented ourselves.  Patriotic Labor Day Cocktails and Fun Alcoholic Beverage Recipes 

New York Mayor's Supersized Soda Ban is Shortsighted

 Any gardener knows that in order to weed out dandelions, you have to attack the root. Simply removing the flower won't do it. This analogy shows the problem with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's idea to ban supersized beverages. AFP says the mayor's plan would restrict servings of soda beverages to no more than 16 ounces. New York Mayor's Supersized Soda Ban is Shortsighted 

Unseasonable Michigan Weather Means Imported Cherries

Michigan is the leading grower of cherries in the United States. It won't be this year, however. Unseasonably high temperatures coupled with late, heavy frosts have damaged much of the state's cherry crop. Michigan retailers are importing cherries from other countries, says Michigan Radio. Anyone who's ever tasted a delicious Michigan sweet cherry knows how devastating this loss will be for consumers, growers and retailers. Here are details.  Unseasonable Michigan Weather Means Imported Cherries