Asian Chicken Lettuce Cups

By Zoe McLaughlin
A new video for Video Friday

This Asian restaurant favorite couldn't be easier to make! The combination of the crunchy iceberg lettuce, fragrance of ginger and garlic, and sweetness from the hoisin sauce makes these wraps a perfect bite. This recipe can be turned into wonderful appetizers by simply spooning the chicken into smaller lettuce cups – they’re sure to be a crowd pleaser.

The simplicity of this dish is what makes it memorable and something you will make again and again. To streamline the recipe even further, instead of diced chicken you could use ground chicken; even ground pork would work nicely in this recipe.

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Meatloaf in Half the Time

By Joanne Lamb Hayes
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

Meatloaf has always been one of my family’s favorites, but as our schedule got busier and busier, the one-hour baking time made it scarce on the menu. When I discovered this easy trick, everyone was delighted to have meatloaf back on our table and looking a lot cuter.

I can’t take credit for the idea of baking meatloaf in cupcake pans; I must have seen it in a magazine somewhere. But I added another touch: pre-cooking the onion and carrots and then heating them with the salsa. Once I added the vegetables and salsa hot to the meat mixture, these little loaves cooked in 5 to 7 minutes less time than when everything was mixed in cold. And that made it a lot easier to have dinner on the table on time.

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Seafood – a Family Tradition

By Debbie Goldsmith
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

Ever since my son Brandon was very little, he had an affinity for seafood. I remember how surprised we were one evening in a New York City restaurant when, at the age of 10, he checked out the menu and ordered a dozen oysters on the half shell. We tried to explain to him what he had just chosen but he held his ground…and ate the whole thing (minus the two that my husband and I stole).

So, needless to say, we have some sort of seafood on the home menu at least once a week. And, this fish stew allows me to change up the seafood combination each time I prepare it.

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Make your own Mayo

By Jennifer Knapp
A new video for Video Friday

Mayonnaise is the condiment that most of us have at any given time in the fridge. What would that tuna salad sandwich be without it?

But what many people don't know, is that if you have a food processor (or even if you don't!), it’s easy to make own creamy homemade mayonnaise. While you may want to reach for the commercial jar for everyday use, homemade mayonnaise does taste different and there’s nothing like it for a sauce or dip.

By adding a little minced garlic to your mayonnaise, you can turn it into a flavorful aioli. You can also add just about any kind of chopped herb, such as parsley, chives, tarragon or basil, to customize the flavor.

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Superstar Kale Salad

By Linda Anusasananan
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

I love the farmers' market. Today I found three bunches of kale for $5.

Bunches of curly green, Red Russian, and laciniato kale beckoned with their freshness. Since I wanted to use the kale raw, I tasted the leaves and chose the most tender and mild: the dark green laciniato with long, narrow leaves and a pebbly texture.

Once shunned, kale is the new superstar of greens, noted for its high concentration of antioxidant vitamins A, C and K. Often used for soups and long-cooked preparations, people are discovering creative ways to use this healthy green.

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