Blog Posts by CookingLight.com

Whether looking for the perfect teachers' gift or the perfect late-night snack for a persnickety Santa, your kids will enjoy preparing treats for everyone on their list-not to mention themselves.

1. Iced Browned Butter Sugar Cookies

With nutty, caramel notes from browned butter and a fair bit of salt to balance the flavors, these cookies will become an instant favorite. You can roll out the dough right after combining all the ingredients-no chilling required. Look for pearlized sugar in gourmet markets or craft stores. Let the kids sprinkle the coarse crystals over the icing to give the cookies a sparkly, jewel-like appearance.

View Recipe: Iced Browned Butter Sugar Cookies

2. Gingerbread People

For a whimsical presentation, arrange these cookies in a lunch box lined with colorful packing paper. Use a variety of cookie cutter sizes to create "families." If you don't want to cut the dough into shapes, roll it into two logs, cover, chill, and slice into 1/8-inch

Yogurt, applesauce, whole grain cereal, fruit juice- these sound like staples of a healthy child's diet, right? However, these wholesome sounding foods may really be full of fat, sugar, sodium, and unnecessary additives or have little nutritional value at all. Read on to learn how to decipher food labels and make healthier choices for your kids.

1. The PB & J

This classic kid food is perfect for lunchboxes and last minute meals, but the traditional version on white bread leaves much to be desired nutritionally. Commercial peanut butters are full of artery-clogging hydrogenated oils and added sugars. And spreading on grape jelly adds an extra helping of simple sugars. It's easy to make your sandwich a nutritional winner, though, by using whole grain bread, natural peanut butter, and an all-fruit spread. The complex carbs and fiber in the bread combined with the protein and good fats in natural peanut butter deliver a filling and balanced meal.

See More: Superfast

A night out to a favorite local restaurant is fun, and children usually go crazy for some of the items on the kids' menus. But so often those kids' meals pack more calories, fat, and sodium than our kids need. We've selected some typical dishes found on mainstream kids meals and put our spin on them-a healthy, delicious spin that is-so you can prepare them at home.

We offer two options for each dish. The first is a more traditional presentation your kids will be familiar with. And second is for older kids, or those who are bolder and braver in their culinary repertoire. If you have a picky eater on your hands, start with the traditional version and then try to broaden their palettes with a new twist on a classic. Your children are never too young to start exploring new flavors and textures.

1. Chicken Fingers

Ah. The chicken finger. A child's best friend and so often a parent's nutritional nighmare. Not any more. We did a number on this kid favorite and made it over in

Put those pumpkins to work in the kitchen in no time with these tips. Because there is more to this squash than meets the eye.

1. Beyond the jack-o'-lantern, dinner. Most pumpkins are carved or canned. They end up as ghouls or pies. But pumpkin is squash, squash is healthy and tasty, and this particular squash has a rich, sweet, fresh flavor that lends itself to soups, stews, risottos, or a simple mash-made sweet with butter, maple syrup, and nutmeg or savory with browned butter, sage, and grated Parmesan.

2. That said, carving pumpkins are not really eating pumpkins. Small, thinner-skinned eating varieties are grown for sweetness and flavor that the more fibrous jack-o'-lantern pumpkins lack. So if you're cooking fresh rather than canned, look for varieties like Small Sugar, New England Pie, and Long Island Cheese (which got its name from its wheel-of-curds shape and cooks beautifully). Sure, you can eat the carving kind, but it will taste more like potato than pumpkin.

The rich avocado topping is the secret ingredient in this recipe. It soothes the slow burn from the smoky chipotle heat and adds a burst of fresh flavor.

See More: 20-Minute Soup Recipes

Smoky Black Bean Soup
Prep: 3 minutes, Cook: 15 minutes

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup chipotle salsa
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Avocado-Lime Salsa (see recipe below)
Reduced-fat sour cream (optional)

1. Place beans in a medium saucepan. Mash beans slightly with a potato masher. Stir in water and next 3 ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Uncover, and cook 2 minutes or until soup is slightly thickened. Ladle soup evenly into each of 4 bowls; top evenly with Avocado-Lime Salsa, and, if desired, sour cream. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup and 1/4 cup salsa).

CALORIES 172; FAT 5.7g (sat 0.9g, mono 3.4g, poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 7.4g; CARB

It's hard not to feel just a little bit virtuous after choosing an antioxidant-rich smoothie or, say, the omega-3-rich salmon choice on a steak house menu. There's an almost irresistible connection between making the "right" choice and a tiny feeling of pride.

But pride can cometh before a fall: namely, a fall into the spell of the "health-halo" effect, a phenomenon that leads us-even those experienced with nutrition numbers and claims-to overestimate the value of a food by casting it in a virtuous light because of one narrow attribute. As more and more foods get labeled and associated with health benefits, the problem only grows.

Read More: Foods for Women

Problem? Well, health halos, according to Brian Wansink, PhD, who heads up the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University, can get you to eat more food than you intended. One of Wansink's studies found that when people opted for a low-fat snack, they ended up eating 90 more calories compared to people who selected

Taste autumn with these delicious pumpkin recipes. This seasonal squash is great in both savory and sweet dishes.

1. Pumpkin-Honey Beer Quick Bread
Pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and honey beer flavor this smooth-textured bread. The best part of this 5-star recipe? It makes two loaves. Enjoy one for yourself and use the other as a gift. (Or wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze for up to two months.)

View Recipe: Pumpkin-Honey Beer Quick Bread

See More: Best Banana Breads

2. Classic Pumpkin Pie
Refrigerated pie dough and a simple, 7-ingredient filling make this pie refreshingly easy to prepare. A tablespoon of amaretto beat into the whipped cream adds nutty-sweet notes to the creamy topping. With just 222 calories and 3.7 grams of saturated fat per serving, you can indulge guilt-free.

View Recipe: Classic Pumpkin Pie

See More: Pies of All Kinds

3. Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce
Winter squashes like pumpkin have a deep flavor and hearty

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Cooking on a budget? Don't skimp on nutrition! You'll feel good about feeding your family these creatively delectable recipes.

1. Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Butternut Squash

Price: $1.62 per serving

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
• 1 (3 1/2-pound) roasting chicken
• Cooking spray
• 12 ounces red potatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 1/2 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 8 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

2. Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and sage in a small bowl. Remove and