July 4 on Shine

America's grape has the home-field advantage

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A girl's guide to grilling

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Intimidated by the grill? I was: Visions of burnt burgers or, worse, a burnt-down house danced through my head. Then I read these awesome grilling tips for women from Elizabeth Karmel, founder of GirlsattheGrill.com and GrillFriends.com, author of Soaked, Slathered, and Seasoned: A…

Hooray for the red, white and blue!

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The Fourth of July -- the day when we celebrate the United States' independence. We wave our flags, march in parades, watch fireworks, and dress in the familiar red, white, and blue. This year, take some time to talk to your preschooler about more than just the picnics and the parades. If you don't have a map of the USA in your house, take this opportunity to put one up! Talk to your preschooler about the original thirteen colonies, the different states where you have friends and family, and where the president lives. Your children will also be fascinated by more detailed road maps of the localities where you live and where you will be traveling -- so much so that you may want to give them one of their own so that they can follow along with markers and stickers. For the very first geography and history lessons, there is no better place to begin than at home. Let's show our kids what they are celebrating this Independence Day!

A '09 Twist on '80s July 4th Treats!

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Say Hello (Again) to Flag Cakes and Jell-O

I don’t know about you, but Fourth of July makes me think fondly of some of the holiday themed recipes my mom used to make. As I was thinking back to summer foods of the '80s, it occurred to me that some of my childhood faves were also incredibly frugal!

Goodbye hot dogs, hello lobster

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When I was a kid, our 4th of July recipes were pretty straightforward—mostly burgers and hot dogs. But now that my parents have moved to coastal Maine, the typical 4th of July fare has gone out the window. Goodbye hot dogs, hello lobster. Lucky for lobster lovers like me, lobster is pretty inexpensive this year, and even if you don’t live on the coast, you can still find it at well-stocked grocery stores.

Here is my complete 4th of July menu with tips on how to shell a lobster...

Overeat this weekend? Don't panic

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Long holiday weekends often lead to overindulging, but gaining “fat weight” is a little tougher than you might think. In order to gain one pound of body fat (think 4 sticks of butter), you have to consume an excess 3,500 calories. In other words, you have to eat 3,500 more calories than you burn...