Everyday Food Magazine by Martha Stewart

To be fair, I have to say that I have always had a soft spot for Martha Stewart, despite her recent run-in with the law. I feel like Martha has taken it upon herself to bring things that are usually exclusive to the upper class to everyone. If it weren't for Martha, I never would have tasted a seckel pear or realized that I could actually create tasteful Halloween decorations that were neither gross nor childish. So, thank you, Martha.

I have always enjoyed Martha Stewart's recipes, but I only used to make them on special occasions as they often called for ingredients like capers and Myer lemons and probably some other things that I can't spell or pronounce correctly. Enter Everyday Food, Martha Stewart's cooking magazine for the average mom. I love Everyday Food because its a perfect blend of Martha Stewart class and doable Real Mom weeknight cooking.

I find that quality is almost always assured when buying a Martha Stewart product (with the possible exception of the low-end K-Mart stuff). Everyday Food meets the high Martha Standards you have come to expect from the homemaking diva.

Everyday Food is full of beautiful styling and color photos of every recipe. Each volume is as pretty as it is useful. This is one magazine that I never throw away. Instead, I keep all my copies of Everyday Food with my cookbooks. This is a silly thing to note, but I love that the spine of each issue is color coded to the year and month, and all the spines coordinate, so when you line the magazines up they look nice. I give Everyday Food a whole-hearted 5 for quality.

I've been a subscriber to Everyday Food for over two years now, and, in the beginning, I would have to say that the magazine wasn't terribly family friendly. There were a lot of great recipes, but most of them were things that would make your kids gag and moan. This year, however, Martha Stewart's team has introduced a new feature in every issue called, "Family Friendly."

With this feature, you know there will be at least one recipe that is guaranteed kid approved. In reality, Everyday Food has made great strides to be more accessible to Real Moms with real kids. Some issues feature a collection of recipes that can be adjusted to kid or grownup tastes. Over all, Everyday Food has introduced a lot of things that kids will eat like pasta, chicken tenders, pizzas, burritos, and so on. Thanks to these improvements, I give Everyday Food a 4 in Family Friendliness.

Unlike some other Martha Stewart recipes, the ones in Everyday Food are easy to use. Most have fewer than 10 ingredients, and they are usually things you can find in the grocery store (although you may have to hunt a bit in the ethnic food aisle). When Everyday Food does call for a specialty ingredient, it will usually tell you where to find it and what to look for. My family has enjoyed the exposure to new flavors like chipotle peppers and mango chutney. One of my favorite features of Everyday Food is "Grocery Bag," a week's worth of menus with a prepared shopping list printed right in the magazine.

It doesn't get much easier than that. I love knowing that I have a whole week of new things to try without having to research recipes and make a list. Every recipe I have tried (with the exception of some bizarre potato, mushroom, sausage quessidilla thing my husband picked out) from Everyday Food has turned out great, and several have made it into my regular rotation. Each issue also features regular articles on food that's, "In Season" and new ingredients to try with, "Have You Tried?" as well as tips on kitchen utensils, nutrition, and cooking basics. I give Everyday Food a solid 5 in ease of use.

If Martha Stewart intimidates you, Everyday Food is a great way to introduce yourself to her style. I know your family will love trying the new things you'll find in every issue of Everyday Food.

Ziplock Zip 'n Steam Bags

I picked up Ziploc Zip 'n Steam bags on a whim at the grocery store. We tend to eat fresh vegetables instead of frozen or canned, so the Ziploc Zip 'n Steam bags seemed like a good choice for my family.

I paid about $3.00 for 7 large 10"x10" Zip n' Steam bags. I've had them now for about a month, and I'm down to my last one. I give Ziploc Zip 'n Steam Bags a 3 for value since they cost about as much as I would expect. Each bag is made of nice thick plastic that is pretty durable, but not reusable. All the Ziploc Zip 'n Steam bags in my package worked fine and were free from defects.

The real beauty of Ziploc Zip 'n Steam bags is how convenient they are. I loved being able to steam my vegetables without having to get a pot and steamer or glass casserole dish dirty. I'm not one for formal family dining, so I just served the vegetables right out of the bag.

Clean up was as easy as tossing the Zip n' Steam bag into the trash. I know it's not the most "green" product, but it certainly made my life a lot easier. Ziploc has included cooking times on the back of each bag, so there isn't a lot of guess work involved in cooking things (more about the cooking times later). Ziploc Zip 'n Steam bags are also good for fish, chicken, and other meats. We don't eat a lot of seafood, but I steamed some chicken to put in a salad and was very pleased with the results. The chicken came out tender and cooked all the way through, even though it was frozen. Imagine grabbing a chicken breast from the freezer, tossing it in a bag, microwaving it, and having it come out edible! Even better, you don't have any mess to deal with afterwards. You can add seasonings and oil or butter to the bag as well. I give a perfect 5 to Ziploc Zip 'n Steam bags for convenience.

As I mentioned above, Ziploc Zip 'n Steam bags are pretty easy to use. The included cooking instructions for most commonly steamed foods were fairly accurate, but I do have one small complaint. The instructions tend to overcook vegetables if you don't remove the Zip 'n Steam bag from the microwave and open it as soon as it's done cooking. The Ziploc Zip 'n Steam bag is so quick and easy to use that its likely you'll forget about it sitting in the microwave while you're cooking everything else. I recommend waiting to use the Zip 'n Steam bag until right before you are ready to eat. Otherwise, you may want to reduce the cooking time for fresh vegetables by a few minutes. Last night I use the Ziploc Zip 'n Steam bag to cook some fresh green beans, and I forgot to get them out right away. The beans still tasted all right, but some of them were a little shriveled. I give the Ziploc Zip 'n Steam bag a 4 for ease of use.

Enchanted--Lives up to its Name

I have to admit, when I saw the previews for Disney's Enchanted, I was pretty sure I would rather die than go see this movie. I am not a fan of schmaltzy, gimmick-driven plots, and, although I like Disney animation, I have found the vast majority of their live action movies to be banal and lackluster.

Imagine my surprise when Enchanted turned out to be one of the most entertaining movies I have seen all year. Maybe I was so enthralled by Enchanted because I went in with low (and I mean subterranean levels of low) expectations, or maybe I just really needed a feel good kind of movie. What ever the reason, I was in love with this film from its opening scene. I have missed Disney's 2D animated films. Enchanted opens with a hand-animated sequence that reminded me how magical Disney movies used to be. I was worried I would be disappointed when Enchanted moved into live action, but stellar performances, an infectious score, and witty writing kept me glued to the story.

Needless to say, Enchanted was thoroughly entertaining throughout. I give Enchanted my maximum rating in that category. Don't let the saccharine look of the preview fool you. Enchanted is a grown-up fairytale that makes a great date movie. Even the most cynical of movie goers will chuckle at the singing cockroaches.

Overall, Enchanted is a fairly family friendly film. Parents will enjoy the humor and the amazing performance given by Amy Adams as the princess-to-be, Giselle. Susan Sarandon makes a wonderful wicked step-mother, and Patrick Dempsey is charming as the pessimistic foil to Adam's perky, plucky heroine. Kids will enjoy Pip the chipmunk as well as the buffoonish Nathanial and the confused Prince Edward. Enchanted gets a Real Mom rating of 4 for family friendly because there are a few scary scenes at the end that might be too much for very young kids.

I wish I could say that Enchanted featured some really great morals, but there is nothing new here. Sure, Giselle shows some moxy in the end, but she doesn't really slay any demons. While there is no real sexual innuendo, there is a scene with Giselle in the shower that shows a little too much skin. The feel-good nature of this movie could have really been enhanced by taking a bigger step towards making Giselle an independent role model for little girls. Still, she's come a long way from the old model of Disney princess who waits for her prince to jump in and whisk her away from danger. I give Enchanted a Real Mom rating of 3 in moral themes, but I nearly put 4.

Enchanted truly lives up to its name. Both me and my husband were delighted through the entire movie. We left the theater humming songs from the movie, holding hands, and grinning like newlyweds.