Alice Knisley Matthias

Alice Knisley Matthias writes about food, garden, family and education. Her work appears in The New York Times, Allrecipes, Taste of Home, Food Network, Washington Post, EatingWell, The Kitchn, Delish, Birds and Blooms, Woman's Day, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, an America's Test Kitchen cookbook, Kids Discover, Boys' Life and Parade. Her book, "Tasty Snacks in a Snap!" is published by Scholastic for young readers. She is a regular contributor for publications covering food trends, product roundups, recipes, profiles and celebrity chef profiles. Her work includes subjects like a Master Chef Junior finalist, music and theatre kids at work, how to make food from kitchen scraps, the arts in education, the science of yeast and the birds of NYC.

Author Interview with Katherine Schulten: Coming of Age in 2020

“Coming of age” is a phrase that represents a young person becoming an adult. It can be marked with milestones like personal, academic and professional achievements. Along the way there are events like theater and music presentations, sports, art and film exhibitions, newspaper and yearbook work, volunteer opportunities, academic honors and community service.

We know what coming of age in America looks like. Then came 2020. School and social interactions moved from classrooms, auditoriums, labs

Is It Safe to Microwave Food in Styrofoam Containers?

Suppose last night's dinner was take-out from your favorite local food place, delivered right to your door in a handy Styrofoam package after a busy day. The leftovers went into the fridge and now it's the next day, and you're looking for lunch. That chicken from dinner last night sounds like a good idea, but can you microwave the Styrofoam container the food is in for another meal?

There's no easier meal than taking leftovers straight from the refrigerator to the microwave for a quick nuking.

Keep Chips Fresh for Months With This Hack

Do you find yourself with leftover bags of chips in the cabinet that are stale and bland? Movie nights, friend get-togethers, and band rehearsals with teens can mean that these expired snack bags start to add up in the dark corners of the kitchen. The bags get opened, poured into a bowl for movie night, and shoved back into the cabinet. But the next person to find the sort-of closed bag and think it is a score for snacktime will dive in and find chips that are past their prime.

Many of us find

TikTok Taught Me: The Easiest Way to Slice Eggs for Deviled Eggs

Planning to make a big batch of deviled eggs for your holiday gatherings? You're going to want to try this viral TikTok hack that will save you so much time.

Deviled eggs are a crowd-pleasing favorite and we love that you can make them ahead for a tray full of ready-to-go appetizers when the party is about to start. And good thing because all that egg peeling, cutting, and yolk-scooping takes a lot of time. Until now.

A recent TikTok video racked up more than 26 million views with a method for

What's the Right Way To Cut a Sandwich: Horizontal or Diagonal?

Picture this: The sandwiches are being made. Extra mayonnaise? Check. A gooey grilled cheese, hot off the griddle? Done. Now it's time to slice your creation. Do you cut the sandwich on a diagonal to create two triangles or right across the middle with a horizontal slice? Does that decision really have an impact on the final project and the sandwich's flavor?

A recent Instagram post by Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perelman got the discussion swirling on social media. Perelman is the popular cookbook a

How to Care for Poinsettias to Keep Them Looking Good All Season Long

Keep this festive holiday plant looking good all season long.

The colors of poinsettias range from deep red and crimson to orange and winter white. These plants are one of the signs that the holiday season is here. Poinsettias are often called “the Christmas flower” and can be found arranged in groups to decorate the mantelpiece in a home, the foyers of public spaces and churches.

If you decorate for the holidays with poinsettias, one of the most popular Christmas flowers and plants, here’s ho

Why Do You Have to Massage Kale? Plus Hacks for Making It Easier

Kale can sometimes get a bad rap. People say they don't like the taste of the leafy greens or that it is tough in texture as an ingredient in a salad.

As for taste, your genes are in control when it comes to how sensitive you are to bitter flavors. If you find that kale has a harsh flavor according to your palate, it is most likely the result of glucosinolates. Kale happens to have a pungent combination of glucose, amino acids, and sulfur compounds. These are beneficial for health issues but ma

Love the Crunchy Topping on Mac and Cheese? Get a Whole Pan Full

Who doesn't love the crunchy bits of macaroni and cheese when it comes out of the oven all hot and bubbling? This had us wondering, is there a way to make this dish and have everyone get a piece of the crispy topping that forms in the heat of the oven?

Swapping out the casserole dish for your sheet pan can help make the most of those favorite bits — along with a combination of cheese and bread crumbs of course. Here's what you want to keep in mind if you want to get the delightful crunchy toppi

Author Interview with Daniel Gercke

Are you ready to have something good to eat?

A sandwich? A snack? A delicious treat?

Find recipes with Dr. Seuss in this book

Now get in the kitchen! It’s time to cook!

What can you create with a recipe, kitchen tools and fresh ingredients? You can use these items along with your reading, math and science skills to create your own food that is yummy and good for you. The secret ingredient for everything? You’ve already got it right between your ears with a giant handful of imagination! Que

What Is Mincemeat — And Does It Really Contain Meat?

"He was gobbling mincemeat, meatbone, bread, cheese, and pork pie, all at once." Maybe you remember reading this description in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. But wait, what is mincemeat anyway?

Mincemeat is essentially a mixture of chopped dried fruits, distilled spirits, a combination of spices, beef suet, and (traditionally) chopped meat which is usually used as a pie or pastry filling. Although this sweet-savory mixture has evolved a bit from its medieval origins, it's still very mu

Author Interview with Brad Meltzer

Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of thrillers like The Escape Artist, non-fiction books like The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington, gift books like Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter, and of course, the Ordinary People Change the World series. He also helped find the missing 9/11 flag with his History Channel television show Brad Meltzer’s Lost History. (And did you know that a picture of Brad is hidden in every I AM book?)

For even mo

How to Make Pizza Chips — TikTok's New It Snack

Do you love the bits of mozzarella cheese that melt from the top of the pizza and find their way to the pan to make crispy and caramelized pieces? Chef John has taken the flavor of those cheesy drips and created a snack of pizza chips.

TikTok is buzzing with snack ideas like pizza chips that can be made with just a few ingredients. The cheese is shredded and formed into small piles on a pan. The cheese melts into crispy discs with marinara sauce and toppings that mimic the flavors of a pizza wi

Author Interview with Lisa Tolin

Lisa Tolin (she/her) is a contributor to TODAY. Her debut picture book, “How to Be

a Rock Star” illustrated by Daniel Duncan, published in 2022. Previously, she was

head of special projects for TODAY and supervising health editor for NBC News

Digital, and held various roles for The Associated Press, including East Coast

lifestyle and entertainment editor.

Her second picture book, “Can You Imagine? The Life and Art of Yoko Ono” comes out

in 2023, illustrated by Yas Imamura and publishi

Should You Be Shopping at Salvage Grocery Stores to Save on Food Costs?

"That jar of peanut butter is how much?"

We're always on the lookout for the best deals for grocery shopping as prices soar. These days some options are limited, unavailable, or simply overpriced. But do you know about salvage grocery stores and what they have to offer? Find out about this type of store that The New York Times calls the place to find "Dented, Dated and Discontinued" products.

Salvage grocery stores can be the place to find dented cans of tomato sauce for discounted prices, dat

This Is What Your Kids' Teachers Want You to Know About School Lunch

Follow this guide to send the right food to school!

School is in session—and it’s time to talk about the food you send to school with your child.

They need the energy to read books and tackle those math problems, and food is fuel for the day! Maybe you pack the lunch and snacks the night before, or you’re the early riser who gets it all organized in the morning. Either way, it isn’t easy to come up with interesting lunch ideas day after day.

It’s important to make sure you pack something that

Trisha Yearwood's Slow-Cooker Macaroni and Cheese Is Comfort Food Goals

A dinner that includes a dish like macaroni and cheese is always a welcome sight for hungry family members. Macaroni and cheese can serve as a satisfying side dish, or as the star of the meal with the addition of chunks of country ham or broccoli spears.

Trisha Yearwood, the host of the Emmy-award winning Food Network show Trisha's Southern Kitchen, has a recipe that you can start in the slow cooker when the kids get home from school and be ready to serve when homework is done: Crock Pot Macaro

These 4 Hacks Will Help You Get That First Slice of Pie Out With Ease

How can you make the first slice of pie look as good as every other slice?

These 4 Hacks Will Help You Get That First Slice of Pie Out With Ease

That first slice of pie always seems to be a struggle to maneuver out of the baking dish and get it to the plate without falling apart. Get that slice to slide right out of the baking dish and deliver it to the serving plate with a picture-perfect slice every time with this hacks that are, well, easy as pie.

McDowell says we all have someone who asks

Here's How Not to Kill Your Succulents

Don't stress, but succulents do require a little bit of care. Here's how much to water succulents, and how to fertilize and transplant succulents to make sure they thrive.

Succulents are unique, eye-catching plants that come in a huge variety of sizes, shapes, blooms and bold foliage colors. In practice, they’re just as versatile: succulents can thrive in an outdoor perennial garden, window box or indoor pots.

Succulents are considered low-maintenance: they’re fairly drought-tolerant, and with

How to Wash Your Dish Drying Mat

A good dish drying mat is there for you when it’s time to wash the dishes, but what do you do when it’s time to wash the dish drying mat?

These mats are a handy solution for small kitchen spaces and work well when you want to wash only a few dishes at a time. Dish drying mats also serve as a space-saving alternative to larger dish drying racks that take up precious counter space, and the mat can be tucked away and stored when not in use.

Any piece of kitchen equipment that comes into contact w
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