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Detroit Free Press (MCT) DETROIT — Few people save money like Susan Samtur. Nationally known as the Coupon Queen, Samtur estimates that she receives about $2,500 yearly in checks from product manufacturers. Add to that the 50 percent, on average, she saves on groceries using store sales, and discount and free product coupons. For more than 35 years, Samtur, 65, of Scarsdale, N.Y., has honed her coupon-clipping strategies and says that you can save big, too. "I think coupon savings is easy, it's rewarding and sometimes I like to call it my coupon therapy," Samtur says. "When I am shopping, I don't think about anything else but how much money I am going to save." Samtur, whose latest book, "Supershop Like the Coupon Queen: How to Save 50 percent or More Every Time You Shop" (Berkley, $15), will be out next month, has been featured on talk shows and in national magazines. She also has three Web sites: And on a recent visit to Michigan,...
The Orlando Sentinel (MCT) ORLANDO, Fla. — Tracey Scurrah of Apopka, Fla., wants to feed her 4-year-old son Nicholas healthy meals. But with her busy schedule, she occasionally gives in to the convenience of prepackaged Lunchables. "Sometimes it's easier just to throw it in the lunchbox," said Scurrah, 36, of Apopka. "I feel guilty. I'm totally aware they're not healthy. I'd prefer to make fresh lunches for him." Now, time-stressed moms such as Scurrah are getting other options. Starting July 29, Lakeland, Fla-based Publix will begin selling healthy, ready-to-eat kids' lunches at its delis, joining other supermarkets and stores already offering or planning to sell similar meals. Not sitting idly by as competitors move in, Lunchables has introduced a new line with less fat, salt and calories. Lunchables also ditched its Maxed Out products, two of which topped a list last year of the unhealthiest packaged children's lunches. Kids' nutrition has risen to the forefront in America because many... 
Chicago Tribune (MCT) Kelly Donlea bumped into a wee little problem not long after she had a baby and discovered the "meltdown hour." Soon as that babe was too big for Pablum in jars, Donlea realized that come 4 in the afternoon, she needed to figure out how to get dinner on the table. She did what any smart mama might do: She pummeled with questions anyone she ever bumped into. "OK, you've had to feed your children," she would begin. "How do you do it?" The answers were, um, hardly encouraging. "No one had a good answer," says Donlea, who grew up with a mom who put fresh-from-the-garden food on the table, night after night. "The whole meal-in-a-box. No, that's not gonna work for me. Nothing added up." So Donlea, once a financial writer and now the mother of three in Barrington, Ill., went on to solve the dinnertime problem. In fact, she wrote a book about it, "70 Meals, One Trip to the Store," self-publishing the skinny spiral-bound volume ($16, on her Web site, organizingdinner.com).... 
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) Backyard grilling usually means meat — and possibly a few vegetables for good measure. For some reason, fruit hardly ever gets grill marks, yet the high heat can add a delicious caramelized sweetness to a meal. Take The Star's Grilled and Glazed Pork With Apricots. Lean pork tenderloin is made more succulent and nutritious with the simple addition of this small, velvety, peach-colored fruit with a slightly musky flavor. Fresh apricots are available mostly in the summer months. Ninety-five percent of the crop comes from 300 growers in California's San Joaquin Valley. Apricots are high in vitamin A and offer a moderate amount of vitamin C. They're also a good source of fiber and potassium. Shopping tip: For the most antioxidants, choose plump, reasonably firm apricots with even color. If fresh apricots are not available, substitute four fresh, firm but ripe nectarines. Proceed as recipe directs, grilling 3 to 5 minutes or until grilled and hot. GRILLED AND... 
By Matt Campbell McClatchy Newspapers Messing with the hot dog is like messing with the American summer. We'll consume an estimated 7 billion dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Call them weenies, call them franks or call them red hots. But should we call them dangerous? The American Academy of Pediatrics says so, because children can choke on them. Now an inventor says he has come up with a revolutionary idea for an improved hot dog design: Make incisions down the sides so that, as it heats, the dog will open into a floral-type design that will more easily break apart if stuck in the throat. "What we're trying to do is make a safer hot dog," said idea man Gene Gagliardi Jr. of Creativators LLC in Pennsylvania. Cindy Fauntz of Fairway, Kan., said she could see the benefit of the design not only for children but for older people. "It looks kind of weird, and I usually go for looks," Fauntz said upon being a shown a photo of the product while shopping at her neighborhood Hen House store. "I would probably... 
(MS) — On St. Patrick's Day, have a little fun in with a traditional Irish twist. Whether you're Irish or not, enjoy the festivities with some entertainment and food. * Tint milk green, whether in a glass or in a bowl of cereal. (Serve with "Lucky Charms" perhaps?) * Channel your inner Dr. Seuss by turning scrambled eggs into "green eggs and ham." * Make a green smoothie with yogurt, juice and a banana, with a few drops of coloring added. * Butter toast with green-tinted butter. * Make pizza or pasta with a green pesto sauce. * Serve olive loaf instead of bologna in a sandwich. It has circles of green olives throughout. * Make sure kids' juice boxes are a green-colored variety. * Create a fruit salad with mostly green fruits, such as green grapes, kiwis, honeydew melon, and green apples. * Baked potatoes topped with green-tinted sour cream and chives will be a winner. * A vegetable medley of green veggies, like spinach, broccoli, asparagus, and more can be served as a side dish or mixed as a casserole. * While... 
TERRY TANG, the Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — There's no hiking, canoeing or singing by a fire. But there might be marshmallows.
At CupcakeCamp, the focus is on sweet eats.
Devotees of the classic — and oh-so-hip — dessert have found a new way to congregate and consume dozens of cupcakes. The gist? Get lots of people and cupcakes together in one spot. Do a bit of swapping and a lot of eating. That's as complicated as it gets.
Ariel Waldman, a San Francisco digital anthropologist, first tossed around the idea as a joke. She and her friends love cupcakes and love enjoying them together. So, why not get organized about it?
That was in 2008, when Waldman and a few friends launched the first CupcakeCamp in rented office space. The only rules — bring cupcakes, share cupcakes, eat cupcakes. All for free. They expected about 40 people.
About 300 showed up.
A camp they held six months later was even more packed.
"Everyone reached in and grabbed them before they touched the table," said Mia Armas, who...
RYAN KING, For The Associated Press
If you're looking to feed a Super Bowl crowd fast and cheap, giant subs are the way to go. Depending on how much other food you plan to serve, one 24-inch sub can make as many as 12 servings. And it takes just minutes to assemble.
Alternatively, and for even less effort, set up a sub buffet — a variety of rolls, deli sliced meats and cheeses, roasted and fresh vegetables, and a bunch of condiments — then let your guests assemble their own. You even could turn on the oven for guests who want their subs heated.
Consider these easy recipes for giant Italian and pastrami subs just a jumping off point. Head to the deli, buy whatever meats and cheeses inspire, then head home and create.
If you have a little extra time, you also could marinate and roast some vegetables the night before. These make a great addition to warm or cold subs. For an easy marinade, use a bottle of balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing.
___
WARM ITALIAN PARTY SUB
Start to finish: 20 minutes
Servings:... 
J.M. HIRSCH,AP Food Editor
Great things can come from letting children play in the kitchen.
This recipe for brown sugar and spice rubbed pork tenderloin is a great example. It came about after I let my 5-year-old son play with whatever he could reach from the spice cabinet one afternoon.
He got a bowl and a whisk and started mixing. The result was an amazing dry rub that on scent alone got the attention of everyone in the test kitchen. We all agreed the mix was perfect for a pork rub.
So test kitchen cook Ryan King set to work putting my son's mixture to good use. This intensely savory pork is the result. Thinly sliced and served with the onions it is roasted over, this dish is perfect for a holiday buffet.
If you'd rather skip the brining, feel free (though it does result in wonderfully moist meat). Just jump ahead to the rubbing step and use half of the spice mixture.
If you do skip the brining, consider serving the pork drizzled with a simple vinaigrette to get that extra moisture.
BROWN SUGAR AND...
Making dinner easier is the goal here. We can't fix the economy or cure global warming, but we can help make your weeknights a little less stressful and your eating throughout the week a little more healthful. (Consider it our contribution to health-care reform.)
Call this move toward meal simplification the Sunday Strategy. On Sunday, you make two slower-cooking but decidedly uncomplicated dishes, which you then use as the basis of your meals during the week. We take you as far as Thursday on the assumption that Friday and Saturday are cook's nights out. You don't have to spend a lot or resort to using highly processed foods. At times, we use frozen vegetables, which can be just as nutritious — sometimes more so — than fresh, but never if it means sacrificing flavor or texture. The same is true for the other "shortcut" products, such as quick-cooking rice or pre-chopped garlic: We use them only after determining there is no loss of nutrients or flavor. Our Sunday Strategy in a nutshell: Cook a little extra... 
Hurrah! Autumn has arrived. It is officially time to begin baking. Think of it as a dress rehearsal for the holidays. Our 30th Annual Homer Pie Party is coming up in November, so I must be at the top of my game. This month I want to share two very easy crust recipes and some fillings that are always favorites at our house. Just a note: These recipes can all be done by one person, but, in the spirit of family and the season, the more hands, the merrier. Let’s get baking!
Basic Crust Yield: Two 9-inch crusts -2 ½ cups flour -1 teaspoon salt -1 teaspoon sugar -1 cup butter (2 sticks, cut in pats) -¼ to ½ cup ice water Mix dry ingredients. Cut in pieces of butter with a pastry blender until pieces are the size of small peas. Add water a little at a time, mixing with a fork until dough barely sticks together. Divide in two; form into balls. Handle the dough as little as possible. Refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling out on a floured surface. Sweet Crust Yield: Two 9-inch crusts -2 ½ cups flour<... 
RALEIGH, N.C. — Your children have gone off to college. We know, you miss them already. So why not send them a care package?
Cindy Rose, 58, of Chapel Hill, N.C., put it best when she talked about sending care packages to her daughter, Jenny, now a senior at University of North Carolina-Asheville. "The care package is like sending them a big kiss, so you want it to be sweet," Rose says. While Rose confesses to sending Dove chocolates and candy to her daughter and son, who has since graduated from college, we'd like to suggest a healthier approach to the care package and sought suggestions from local dietitians and nutritionists. The key, says Meagan Myers, registered dietitian at Rex Healthcare in Raleigh, N.C., is to "focus on nutrient-dense foods (that have) not just carbs but carbs and protein." Look for energy bars with protein, such as Luna, Clif and Larabars. Choose soy crisps, which are high in protein, instead of rice cakes, which aren't. Easy homemade nutritious treats include granola, energy bars...
Firecracker Cupcakes
Makes: 2 doz. or 24 servings, one cupcake each 1-1/2 cups BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut, divided 4 drops each: blue and red food colorings 24 yellow cupcakes 2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping 24 red string licorice pieces (4 inch) PLACE 1/2 cup of the coconut in each of two separate resealable plastic bags; set remaining 1/2 cup coconut aside. Add blue food coloring to coconut in one bag and red food coloring to coconut in second bag. Seal bags; shake until coconut is evenly tinted. SPREAD tops of cupcakes with whipped topping ot icing. Sprinkle with red, white (uncolored) and blue coconut as desired; press coconut gently into whipped topping to secure. INSERT licorice piece into top of each cupcake for the firecracker's fuse. Store in refrigerator. |
