Blog Posts by Taste Of Home

Best Crab CakesMichael and Jane Stern, authors of more than 40 books, travel the country looking for great food. For more of their culinary discoveries, read their bi-monthly column at TasteofHome.com.

If you've ever ordered or prepared crab, you know it takes some work-and a pick and a nutcracker-to make the most of it. To enjoy a crab cake, though, takes only a fork and your appetite. It's the easy way to eat this sweet seafood, and it can be the most delicious- whether it's a crisp-edged ball of pearly crabmeat with just a pinch of seasoning, or a wild and crazy kaleidoscope of crab, spices, grains and veggies.

We like to try crab cakes wherever we travel, and the variety is endless. At seaside honky-tonks and fish shacks, you'll find them big as burgers and deep-fried so they have a brittle, crunchy crust. In linen-napkin restaurants, a crab cake might be the most expensive item on the menu-a mound of the choicest crab, griddle-cooked or broiled just long enough to give it a

Easy Chicken StripsGetting a family together for a meal these days can be downright difficult. Between after school activities, late nights at the office and get-togethers with friends, families have multitasked themselves right out of one of the easiest and most sacred moments of family time-dinner at the family table.

I see a lot of mothers who work outside the home shuttling their kids from one activity to the next and wonder how they do it. What do they eat for dinner? And when do they have time to eat it? Are they feeding their kids PB&J sandwiches in the car with a banana chaser? Or are they relying on fast food restaurants to feed their families?

I figure stay-at-home moms have a little more time during the day to figure out their dinner game plan. Some of my stay-at-home friends are able to make dinner in advance and have it waiting for a quick reheat when the family finally gets home.

As my children get older and each of them is scheduled for activities, I am finding that it is

Fool your friends with these tasty recipes.

See all April Fool's Day Recipes from TasteofHome.com

We're smack in the middle of March Madness with the Sweet Sixteen coming up this weekend. There are still enough teams in the running that almost everyone has a favorite to win which means you have the makings for a lively party this weekend.

Here are some ideas to make your March Madness party a success.

Send out game brackets as your party invitations. Have the guests fill out the brackets before they arrive at the party, so you will be able to start the fun off with a basketball pool. Each guest should guess the winner of the game and score for each team.

Game time. Set times for your party unless you want the event to become an all-day affair. The games continue at various times throughout the weekend, so you could have people lingering around your house for days.

Decorations. Orange and black are neutral basketball colors to use when decorating for your March Madness party. If your guests will all be cheering for the same team, by all means, decorate

Virtually everything green has an Irish flair on St. Patrick's Day. These green recipes will add a festive touch to your day!

More Green Food for St. Patrick's Day at TasteofHome.com

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day at home this year with one of these delicious Irish drinks!

More Irish Drink Recipes at TasteofHome.com

More St.Patrick's Day Recipes

Haven't celebrated this federal holiday in the past? Why not start this year? Honor one of our past presidents by serving one of these dishes.

More President's Day Recipes at TasteofHome.com

THE RESULTS ARE IN FOR THE BEST NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER


Natural peanut butter is a staple in my house. My husband considers himself a natural peanut butter Natural Peanut Butter Taste Test connoisseur. He eats peanut butter on toast for breakfast every morning. If he sees a new brand at the grocery store, he's got to try it.

Lately, I've been seeing more and more types of natural peanut butter on store shelves including some very good store brands. I decided maybe it was time for a peanut butter taste test among more than the immediate family.

I wanted to include several accessible brands of peanut butter that most people would be easily able to find on their local store shelves. I gathered the editorial staffs of both Healthy Cooking magazine and TasteofHome.com for the testing.

Natural peanut butter contains all natural ingredients- no high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils (trans fats) that are typically found in other peanut butters.

Here's What We Tested

• Skippy Natural Creamy Peanut Butter