Category: Recipes

Well summer is over, but that doesn’t mean we have to leave the tastes of summer behind right? I love the flavors of paradise – tropical fruits like mangoes and pineapples and some coconut too!

This might not be low fat, but it sure is delicious. If you close your eyes and sip this Paradise Milkshake, you might imagine you’re lounging beside the pool.

Last month I shared with you about my inept knife skills and how as a Chicago Cutlery Mom Ambassador I wanted to, at the very least, not be scared to use large sharp knives in my kitchen.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve confronted that fear, and have been using my Chicago Cutlery DesignPro 8” Chef Knife in the kitchen when prepping our food.

You may have noticed that here on Three Different Directions we like to feature easy, family friendly recipes. Just recently I had the opportunity to head to Walmart to do some shopping for Del Monte Fruit Cups and come up with some healthy lunch or snack options with them.

I brought the whole family along shopping and you can see our entire shopping trip in the Google+ Album, by clicking the picture below.

I believe in the nut•rition-al power of peanut butter. In my home there is no rationing of peanut butter, everyone can have as much as they like whenever they like.

I got some GOOD peanut butter the other day, new Planters NUT•rition Energy Mix, which features flavors like Banana Granola Nut, Berry Nut and Cinnamon Raisin Granola Nut.

A lot of cookbooks aren’t really made for kids’ palates or picky eaters. If you’re a mom like me, with a family that has less than varied tastes, you have a repertoire of meals that are the same old, same old that you make all.the.time.

Food Family Style by Leigh Oliver Vickery, has a lot of recipes that will be crowd pleasers with all ages.

Every singe recipe I made, my family was happy with. I think a few of them were inhaled without really even chewing.

I totally see the appeal of fresh veggies at a farmers’ market for foodies. You can go in there and pick up whatever you find, and then decide what to make for dinner.

I however need a plan, and a recipe as a backbone, I’m not good at taking something and just creating on the fly, but with the determination to be flexible I headed to the farmers’ market that is set up one day a week in our neighborhood. But by the time I got their last week, the pickings were pretty slim 🙁

Ahhh, summer time—always the best time of the year. But, it can also be one of the most hectic for anyone answering to the name of M-O-M. With summer break from school work and long sunny days, sometimes it’s a struggle to keep meal options creative and entertaining without spending hours of prep time in the kitchen. Oh and with school soon on the horizon, there will be a whole host of other things keeping you out of the kitchen!

With all the fresh greens and hot weather, Fisher Nuts knows that you are eating salads this summer! Everyone has a favorite salad dressing in the bottled variety, and many more of you I’m sure, have family recipes or your own go to mix to drizzle on lettuce, pastas or rice that makes your salads famous at BBQs and potlucks.

This is a really tasty way to change up your popcorn.

I am by no means a cake decorator. I’ve used character cake pans in the past, and some of the fancy icing tips, but really in all honesty I much prefer something a bit simpler. I totally am in awe of the women and men who spend there time making those cakes that look too good to eat, but that’s my problem…I don’t think I could spend so much time making one and then watch it being cut up and eaten!!

Here is an easy cake to make that is still really cute, doesn’t require any special skills, like working with fondants or decorating sugars. It’s appropriate for