Delicious Ways to Transition Your Favorite Comfort Foods to Summer

The weather's getting warmer, but that doesn't mean you have to give up these comforting classics. Here's how to give them a summertime makeover.

Grilled cheese

Give your oozing grilled cheese a crunchy summer makeover by adding tomato, basil, and dill. Try this recipe by SuperHealthyKids. This is how one Food Network chef makes the perfect grilled cheese.

Mac and cheese

Everyone's cold-weather favorite? Mac and cheese. Make it a BBQ side dish by adding corn, zucchini, and queso. Try this summery recipe by TheFoodInMyBeard. You won't want to miss how Guy Fieri makes his favorite mac and cheese dish, either.

Hot tomato soup

While a frozen soup is arguably way different than hot soup, we say it's worth a try. Try this Bellalimento shot-glass version as an appetizer at your next hot-weather get-together. Not sold? These are the best and worst hot soups for weight loss.

Lasagna

No one wants a sweltering kitchen in the middle of the summer. But that doesn't mean you should have to sacrifice lasagna. Try this no-bake recipe by Taste of Home.

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This Is the Secret to Making Amazing DIY Microwave Popcorn

Microwave popcorn couldn't be easier (and healthier) when you use this method.

Most of us have enjoyed the buttery goodness of microwave popcorn by simply unfolding a bag and pressing the “popcorn” button. Unfortunately, that buttery goodness can be a chemcialized butter flavor with additives and ingredients that less healthy than popping corn the old-fashioned way. Microwave bags aren’t much better either. When bags of microwave popcorn are heated, they emit fine and ultrafine particles that may come with health risks, Yifang Zhu, associate professor of the environmental health sciences department in UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, told Time. Exposure to high levels of the chemicals found in the bags has been linked to lung disease among those who work in popcorn manufacturing, Time reported. We asked Sonali Ruder, MD, who is also a chef and blogger at thefoodiephysician.com how to make an amazing (and simple) bag of healthy microwave popcorn. Here’s the recipe she gave us.

Microwave Popcorn

Makes 1 serving Ingredients: 1/4 cup popcorn kernels* 1/4 teaspoon oil Pinch of salt Yellow and white popcorn are a bit different in appearance but not in nutrition profiles. Yellow kernels are larger and take longer to cook. They also have a tougher hull and chewier. White is smaller, lighter, and crispier than yellow. Choose a non-GMO variety like Bob’s Red Mill. Directions: Toss the popcorn kernels in a small bowl with the oil and a pinch of salt. Pour the contents into a brown paper lunch bag. Fold the bag over a couple of times and then fold the corners in so that the bag doesn’t open during cooking. Place the bag upright in the microwave and set the “cook” button for about 2 minutes. Turn off the microwave when the popping slows down to about two kernels between pops – otherwise, you risk scorching it. Take the bag out of the microwave and open it carefully, watching out for hot steam. Pour the popcorn into a bowl and toss with seasonings of your choice. The heat will maximize the absorption of the seasoning’s flavor. Personalize Your Popcorn The beauty of this recipe is its so versatile. The basic recipe is tasty on its own but you can the toppings are limited only by your taste buds. What’s also fun about this recipe is that it makes an individual portion so everyone can make their own bag, the way they like it! Set out melted butter, olive oil or toasted sesame oil, spices, cheeses and dried fruit and have everyone sprinkle on their own combos. Here’s some ideas:

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9 Chocolate Chip Cookie Hacks You Need in Your Life Right Now

Whether you like them gooey, chewy, or crispy, chocolate chip cookies never fail to please. Make your next batch better than ever with these deliciously brilliant hacks. Yum!

"To make the perfect chocolate chip cookie, make sure you use high-quality chocolate chips," says Nicole Bandklayder, creator of The Cookie Cups. "It will make a huge difference in the taste, and your friends or guests will wonder how you make them SO good! Don't go cheap!" As for what kind of chocolate chips to buy, Serious Eats did the work for you. In a blind taste test of semisweet chocolate chips, top marks went to Scharffen Berger 62% Semisweet Chunks, and Trader Joe's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips was voted the best supermarket brand. While you're making your batch, try adding these secret ingredients for absolutely irresistible chocolate chips.

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The Science-Backed Secret to Enjoying Any Meal More

Eating spaghetti and meatballs as your main dish? You might want to start with egg drop soup.

The days of Italian wedding soup followed by pasta carbonara and a tiramisu for dessert are about to be long gone. In this multicultural world, your cuisines no longer have to match, and in fact, that’s what makes them more enjoyable, according to a new study from Drexel University.

“I was at a very nice restaurant and I remember really enjoying the first course, but being underwhelmed with the second,” says study co-author Jacob Lahne, PhD, an assistant professor and food researcher at Drexel University. “It was this really weird experience because objectively it was really good, but it was kind of boring, so I wanted to know why this occurred.”

Lahne’s study looked at whether the disparity in how much we like certain courses could be lessened or completely eliminated by serving up a mismatch of cuisine, instead of say, all French, or all Chinese. In the study, nearly 150 study participants were served a two-course meal featuring an appetizer of either Thai tom kha soup or Italian minestrone, followed by a main dish of Italian “pasta aglio e oilio” (pasta with garlic and oil). The researchers added another nuance by also serving both “good” and “mediocre” versions of each soup to test subtle differences.

As the research team expected, participants who were served the Thai tom kha soup—either the tasty or mediocre versions—liked the Italian main dish equally, meaning that the quality of the soup didn’t impact their enjoyment of the meal overall. Among participants who were served the Italian minestrone appetizer, those who started with the mediocre soup enjoyed the overall meal more than those who started with the tastier minestrone soup. Researchers believe this is because “we would compare the main course to the appetizer and think, ‘wow, this entree is disappointing compared to the appetizer,”‘ says study co-author Debra Zellner, PhD, professor of psychology at Montclair State University, but that doesn’t happen when the appetizer wasn’t so great.

So what does this mean for you? Whether you’re dining out or looking to cook something new, you’ll enjoy your meal a lot more if you mismatch your cuisine types. If you want Indian chicken tikka masala for your main course, why not try a Greek appetizer or a French dessert? Or how about adding a Morrocan soup or Mexican side salad to go with your Italian entree? Mismatching your cuisine should be fun. “The idea is that they should not go together so that each course is a separate experience,” Dr. Zellner says.

You might try this out on friends at family at this year’s Thanksgiving dinner. Just make sure to check out the answers to the 20 most-asked Thanksgiving questions first!

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Tricks to Cut Back on Food Waste (and Save Money)

A shocking 40 percent of food in the United States ends up not on your dinner table, but in the trash. That means we're not only wasting food but money, too, to the tune of $164 billion each year. To top it off, the foods rotting in landfills are the single largest component of U.S.municipal solid waste. Learn how to stop wasting food, save money, and make the world a healthier place.

Give leftovers new life

Leftovers again? Give them a tasty second life by turning them into something new. Take roast chicken. The next day, shred the leftover for tacos or cut-up and toss in a salad. When you've cleaned up all the meat, toss the chicken carcass in a large pot or slow cooker. Add water, spices, and chopped veggies to make stock. Leftover beef or pot roast from Sunday dinner? "Turn leftover beef or pork roast into soup or pulled beef/pork dish for an easy meal the next day or slow cook the leftovers in water with onion and garlic overnight and freeze as a base for a future meal," says Heather McCurdy, creator of Real: The Kitchen and Beyond. Leaving town for a few days? Instead of returning to a smelly fridge and tossing the contents in the trash, McCurdy suggests freezing any leftovers. You'll have a meal ready to thaw and heat when you return exhausted from a trip.

Use vegtable scraps to grow new food

Seriously! You can reduce food waste and simultaneously grow new food from the scraps you would normally toss in the trash. Romaine lettuce, green onions, bok choy, celery, fennel, garlic chives, cabbage, leeks, and lemongrass can all be regrown with just a bit of water. "Save and place the core or trimmed end of the food in a jar or bowl of water," says Stephanie Merchant and founder of thenutritionmom.com. "Replace the water daily to keep it clean and look for new growth." What about the scraps you can't regrow? Broccoli stems are great in stir fries, soups and stews, and for juicing. The core of a fresh pineapple is too tough to eat but you can chop it up and use for a smoothie or toss the chunks into your water bottle for a flavor boost. Check out these 10 natural flavored water recipes.

Serve dinner on small plates

Kids are notorious for wasting food. It's the whole "eyes are bigger than their stomach" mentality. It moves them to put mountains of food on their plate, only to leave most of it behind, says Stacy Haynes Ed.D, LPC, of Little Hands Family Services in Turnersville New Jersey. To combat this, she recommends serving meals on smaller plates. This works great for young children because they are more inclined to eat all the food when it is on a little plate. It has a great benefit for adults too because we can trick ourselves into eating less by managing portion control.

Double down at meal prep

If you're already chopping the veggies, washing the lettuce, and making pasta, why not make extra for lunches or future meals? "Consider what happens when you don't use the other half of that onion or leaves of lettuce," says Lauren Feingold, co-founder of the Shanti Bar. If you do't use it immediately, chances are you'll toss it a few days later, she says. Feingold suggests giving leftovers a new flavor profile by spicing it up with hot chilies, fresh ginger, or soy sauce.

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This Is How to Bake a Box Cake When You’re Missing One or More of the Ingredients

Box cakes are a simple alternative to breaking out all the baking supplies in your home. They’re effortless; most recipes call for just water, oil, eggs, and in some cases, butter. So what do you do when you’ve mixed the water and oil and just realized you don’t have any eggs? Follow these simple substitutions.

If you’re missing eggs, try pureed fruit. Because eggs help your cake to rise and keep it moist, they can be difficult to replace. Fortunately, most box-cake mixes include powder leavening agents that will pick up some of the slack. Replace each egg your recipe calls for with one smashed banana or 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce. Note that the change in ingredients could slightly disrupt the texture of your cake, or the amount of time it takes to bake.

If you’re missing oil, try melted butter. Some experts say using melted butter as a replacement for oil improves the taste and texture of box cakes. Use the same measurement of butter as the recipe calls for in oil.

If you want to replace water, try milk. If you’re baking a white cake, consider adding milk instead of water. This simple swap will add density and flavor to your cake.

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