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5 Essential Tools for Packing a Week of School Lunches on Sunday

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This year my youngest started full-time preschool and I went from packing his sister’s five lunches a week to packing 10 lunches a week for both of them. I realized I could save time each morning (not to mention my sanity and some dishwashing) if I packed all 10 of those lunches at once. I started slowly, by packing three days at a time and working my way up to a full week of lunches packed in about an hour on Sunday. Here’s what I learned and how I pack a week’s worth of school lunches on Sunday.

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Golden Milkshake

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This week Pinterest released their Flavor Report for 2016. For this report, Pinterest analyzed billions of food and drink pins to see what recipes and ingredients have been trending since 2015. They were able to categorize these findings into five major trends. Have you found yourself using these ingredients and recipes in your own kitchen?

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Slice a lemon in half to squeeze it, and all too often you’re left with barely a trickle of juice. If you need some assistance, look to the microwave to cut you a break.

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Magic 3-Layer Custard Cake from RecipeTin Eats

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Magic cake has been around for the last couple years, but it’s recently been picking up more steam on Pinterest and Instagram. While the idea might seem like something out of Harry Potter as Mashable has noted, it’s actually something we mere humans have created.

So, what’s the deal with magic cake, and why is it so, well, magical?

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All too often you don’t want to be bothered with assembling separate elements of a meal. For those times, there are all-in-one dinners like this. Tender Broccolini, spicy chicken sausage, and orzo pasta come together in one skillet to make a creamy, satisfying dinner that only requires a bowl and a fork.

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From Apartment Therapy → Affordable Quality: 9 Top-Rated Blenders Under $200

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When it comes to chef’s knives, you can pay basically anything you want, from $10 to $1,000 (or more) — and there are cases to be made for both ends of the spectrum. Budget knives can get the job done and they’re basically worry-free. On the other hand, spending more will get you one that will last forever and is probably a work of art, too.

Still, our cutting board experts agree that the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle, around $50 to $100.

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Sized midway between a chef’s knife and a paring knife, this handy general-purpose tool is a jack of all trades that excels at tackling everyday tasks. Here are five smart ways to put this knife to work.

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Penne alla Vodka

(Image credit: Nealey Dozier)

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Dinner nirvana is what happens when you walk in the door, all tired from work, and just a few minutes later you’re snuggled up at the dinner table with a hot, saucy plate of pasta and a glass of red wine. With a little foresight and the help of your freezer, this weeknight heaven can be enjoyed any time you like.

All it takes is a double batch of pasta sauce, next time you cook one up. Eat half now and freeze the other half for later. Here are 10 recipes for delicious, freezable pasta sauces to help you achieve this weeknight heaven in a bowl.

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(Image credit: Christine Han)

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Rice seems to flummox so many home cooks, and even more so when we want our rice in a rush. Stovetop rice, rice cookers, rice in the oven — many methods promise perfect rice, but few offer rice that is ready almost as soon as we want it. An electric pressure cooker is the key to perfect rice in a rush.

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