5 Things to Leave Until Monday So You Can Enjoy the Weekend — Master Your Monday

If you’re like us, your work week is insanely busy; your to-do lists are overloaded and your inboxes are out of control. And then, the weekend arrives with the promise of redemption: This will be the weekend you do all the things that have been preventing your ascension to greatness. You will answer your emails. You will deep-clean the bathroom. You will make lasagna and freeze it for later, in practical, single-serving squares.

Or, you know, you could not. You could do none of those things, and your life will still be fine. Better, even. I know, it’s hard to accept for me, too. But hear me out.

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5 Classic Ina Garten Recipes You Can Make in the Slow Cooker — Kitchen Heroes

When it comes to entertaining, the Barefoot Contessa is a bonafide queen. Between wowing a crowd and making lovey-dovey meals for her man, Jeffrey, Ina Garten runs the world of classic cooking. When you want to take a page from her book but have less than half the time, you need to get creative. That’s why we asked our trusted food editor Christine to adapt a few of Ina’s classic recipes to the slow cooker. Three cheers for saving time, energy, and sanity!

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Next Week’s Meal Plan: 5 Weeknight-Friendly Comfort Food Classics — Next Week’s Meal Plan

My husband is finally home after a few weeks of traveling for work, and I am taking full advantage of him being home to help with dinner and kid wrangling. We’re celebrating him being home, his belated birthday, and a new home with a week of our family’s favorite dinner.

There’s nothing fancy in the meal plan this week — just five classic family favorites, from lasagna to enchiladas, that are all quick and easy to put together. Some use shopping shortcuts, while others make the best use of a single pan. Here are the five comfort food classics we are eating this week.

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10 Questions to Ask Your Partner at the Dinner Table — Table Talk

“How was your day?”

Every couple sharing an evening meal together has asked this question. It’s a fine question; you care about each other, after all, and are genuinely interested in what happened that day! But sometimes, especially for couples who’ve been together a long time, dinner conversations can settle into the same grooves night after night — work talk, complaining about the subway, what’s new with the kids.

Here are 10 more questions to ask at the dinner table tonight, because just when you think you know everything about your partner, isn’t it lovely to be surprised?

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What’s the Deal with Black Chickens? — Ingredient Intelligence

Have you ever seen a black chicken? We don’t mean a black-feathered chicken; we mean a Silkie chicken, which is black-pigmented right down to its bones. They aren’t commonly found in the grocery store, but you might see them in Asian groceries. What’s the deal with these black chickens, and do they taste different than the paler breed?

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How TV Helps My Autistic Kids Eat Dinner — My Two Tables

(Image credit: Emily Billings)

Here’s how I pictured family dinner with my husband and three kids: Everyone is at the table, enjoying steak and fries while taking turns talking about the highlights from their day.

In reality, dinner is more of a workout than a time to relax over conversation. In reality, my husband and I have spent more dinners than I can count chasing our two autistic kids (my son and younger daughter), sensory seekers who like to launch themselves out of their seats at every opportunity. In reality, this ideal image doesn’t fit our family dynamic at all.

But I’m learning that that’s okay — with a little help from a TV and a therapist or two.

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Easy Breakfast Recipe: Kale and Goat Cheese Frittata Cups — Easy Snack Recipes

In our house, frittatas, the Italian egg dish that’s often made in a skillet, are usually reserved for a Sunday clean-out-the-fridge night. They’re simple to throw together, satisfying, and you can use almost any vegetable or cheese you have on hand. But lately, they’ve been making their way onto the breakfast table. Actually, to be truthful, I’ve been doing a portable version for busy weekday mornings.

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This Is the Most Popular French Toast Recipe on Pinterest — On Trend

(Image credit: Averie Cookes)

Avocado toast is delicious, and eggs are super easy to make at home, but when you want something that feels special — or like dessert — there’s nothing like French toast for brunch. I mean, it’s basically bread that’s fried and topped (or stuffed) with delicious things. And you get to eat that for breakfast! Win.

If you want something truly decadent for breakfast, Pinterest has just the thing you want to make. The most-saved French toast recipe on the social platform is filled with chocolate, peanut butter, and bananas.

Cue all of the oohs and aahs.

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17 Easy Fall Breakfast Casseroles — Recipes from The Kitchn

One way I know fall is truly here is when I wake up craving anything but my usual bowl of yogurt and fruit. With the arrival of brisk mornings, I find myself dusting off my slippers and wanting something warm to fill my stomach. These 17 savory and sweet breakfast casseroles are exactly that.

What’s better is that almost all of them can be prepared the night before and simply baked in the oven before you’re ready to eat. That means you can stay in bed a little while longer, which is always a plus on cool fall mornings.

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5 Smoothie Kits for a Week of Make-Ahead Breakfasts — Make-Ahead Breakfast Recipes

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman/The Kitchn)

By nature, smoothies are a quick and easy breakfast that are both nourishing and convenient to enjoy when you’re on the go. But there is a way to make them even easier. The key to a smart smoothie routine isn’t just the pairing of ingredients you load in the blender — it’s knowing the best way to get a jump-start on your favorite breakfast drink by making smoothie kits in advance.

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I Went to Santa Fe’s Green Chile Cheeseburger Smackdown — Fall Weekend Trips

Fall is hands-down my favorite time of year in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Sparkling golden aspens dot the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the air is thick with the intoxicating smell of New Mexico’s famous roasting chiles, and, to celebrate what is likely Santa Fe’s most famous crop, there is the annual Green Chile Cheeseburger Smackdown.

Every year, New Mexico’s top burger purveyors sling it out for the coveted titles of “Reigning Chomp” and “People’s Choice.” These awards are judged (respectively) by a panel of local food experts (cookbook author and James Beard Award winner Cheryl Alters Jamison is a long-serving judge) and the crowd who, for the price of attendance, get to sample all competing burgers.

This year, I was one of those lucky attendees.

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These Are the Most Popular Halloween Recipes on Pinterest — On Trend

Halloween is around the corner, which means if you’re looking for costume, food, or party ideas, then chances are you’re hitting up one social media platform more than the others: Pinterest. According to the company, more than 220 million Halloween ideas are saved to the platform each year in just the United States alone.

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The 10 Best Things You Can Do When Loading the Dishwasher — Cleaning Tips from Kitchn

(Image credit: Przemyslaw Ceynowa/Shutterstock)

It may be a cliché, but I’ll admit that my husband and I have had actual arguments over how to load the dishwasher. Turns out, we’ve both been wrong a few times, according to the dishwasher pros I’ve interviewed. Here are the 10 best things you can do when loading the dishwasher.

A bonus thing: Don’t fight with your significant other. After all, it’s just one load of dishes.

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