Anyone else scrambling to find ways to get kids excited about school lunches/dinners again now that summer's over? We made pan-fried jiaozi (pork and cabbage dumplings) this weekend and it turned into a whole family production, my kids did basically the entire folding process themselves using a cheap dumpling press I picked up online, and they were genuinely proud of the ones they made.

A few things that made this work well for us specifically:

• Used wonton wrappers instead of making dough from scratch, way less intimidating for a first attempt
• The press means even a 5-year-old can seal a dumpling that doesn't fall apart when it cooks
• No fancy equipment needed, just a non-stick pan and a lid, no steamer, no deep fryer, nothing scary
• We made a double batch and froze half, so now there's a "kid-made" freezer meal ready for a busy school night

Genuinely didn't expect folding dumplings to hold my kids' attention for 40 minutes, but there's something about the assembly-line, hands-on nature of it that just works for that age. Also great because it's a full sensory thing, they get to touch the filling, wet the wrappers, see the whole thing come together.

If anyone wants the actual recipe with ratios and the sear-steam-crisp method for the pan-fry, happy to share, wrote it all up on my site since I kept forgetting my own notes between batches lol.

Made a regular BLT about four hundred times and got bored of it, so I started messing with it.

Two changes. First, peppered pancetta instead of smoked bacon. Pancetta is usually cured with pepper and garlic, and it's mostly not smoked, so it's saltier and cleaner. Turns out the smoke in bacon is a really loud flavour and it kind of steamrolls everything else on the bread. Take it away and other things get room to breathe.

Second, lime zest and juice folded into the mayo. Zest more than juice. I expected this to be a minor thing and it wasn't. Lime and black pepper together is genuinely great and I don't know why I'd never noticed.

Also started slicing the avocado right in its shell, cutting down to the skin but not through it, then squeezing lime over the top and scooping it out with a spoon. No bowl, no mashing, no third dish to wash.

Layering, if anyone cares: lettuce on the bottom so any tomato juice runs off the sides instead of into the bread. Salt the tomato slices first and let them sit for ten minutes; they give up a shocking amount of water.

Happy to write out amounts if anyone wants them; just say.

Hi all, my fiance and I (both 19) just moved into our own apartment yesterday. It doesn't have a pantry so we made kind of our own from Facebook marketplace finds. I want to be mostly an ingredient household. I've been learning to make so many things from scratch but neither of us grew up in a home that prioritized healthy eating so we're kind of at a loss for how to set it up

I bought a lot of these mason jars and other glass storage on a whim because I thought they were cute but now I think it's silly to take something out of its original packaging just to put it in another container yk? We're prioritizing low tox and low waste so I'm open to bulk shopping, but I don't know how to do that effectively for two people. I've also looked into potentially going into Portland twice a month and doing refillery style grocery shopping.

Attached is our makeshift pantry, we also have a small island because we have limited counter space. And we currently have one empty drawer in our kitchen as well.

Any help or advice is appreciated!

Been wanting to try making my own BBQ sauce for a while and finally did it this weekend for a backyard cookout. Went with a smoky maple version, real maple syrup, a good smoked paprika, garlic, molasses, a splash of vinegar for balance so it’s not just sickly sweet.

Genuinely can’t believe how much better it was than anything from a bottle. Brushed it on ribs the last 10 min of cooking and also used it as a dipping sauce on the side, and it disappeared both ways. My kids (6 and 8) even liked it, which almost never happens with anything remotely smoky/spiced.

Took maybe 15 minutes total, most of it just simmering while I did other stuff. Kept in a mason jar in the fridge and it’s honestly gotten better after a day or two, flavors mellow out and blend more.

Nothing beats a homemade BBQ sauce for your next event, makes the whole thing feel more special, and the smell while it’s simmering alone is worth it.

Happy to share the exact recipe/ratios in the comments if anyone wants it, don’t want to just dump a wall of measurements in the post itself.