Take 10: The year’s best children’s books

Book them and hook them

In this age of digital technology and toy gadgetry, children may be keener to flip on the TV or shuffle their MP3 player than crack open a book. This holiday season, try reigniting their imagination w

It’s all good

Creativity, play value and green credentials combine in some of the season’s best toys

Somewhere on the spectrum between techno-dazzle (iPad apps for toddlers, anyone?) and fuzzy-wuzzy bears there’s a sweet spot: toys that inspire kids to have fun, stretch their creativity and lea

Get on a casserole

Whether hosting or attending, the casserole is a holiday mainstay. Turn the traditional up a notch with these innovative ideas.

Casseroles are an omnipresent holiday staple, be it grandma’s chicken-stuffed cheese concoction or a fried-onion encrusted green bean favorite. But getting comfortable with a casserole recipe ca

e-Readers made easy

Nothing soothes quite like curling up with a good book. But with the booming e-reader market, the avid readers on your gift list might soon be curling up with thousands at once. As the popularity of e

I can has prezents?!

Yeah, we know who’s been naughty. And they’ll get gifts for Christmas and Hanukkah anyway, the little darlings.

With waggly tails and rumbly purrs, they show us the love every day. What better time of year than the holidays to delight a four-legged family member with a special gift? “Pets get so much joy

iGifts

Apple aficionados always are hungry for an upgrade. Here’s a rundown on all the latest ’Pads, ’Pods and ’Phones they’re craving this season

You might be a PC, but there’s no doubt that they’re a Mac –%u202Fand nothing else with suffice. If you need the perfect –%u202Fand newest –%u202Fperipheral to plug into

Spread it thin

Give the party cheese the platform it truly deserves –  a homemade cracker. They’re easy to make, taste great and there’s no frustrating packaging to open

If you still reach for a box of buttery-tasting crackers for the party cheese to rest on, you can find more appealing alternatives. Thanks to the cracker revival, you’re in for exciting new tast

Ready to go retro?

Old stuff is cool again. Gifting old stuff is even cooler.

Retro style is in, and kids can’t get enough of it, from cutting-edge clothing and accessories that recall the classics to thrift-shop home goods straight from grandma’s attic. A quest for

Lend a hand 2011

Help these helping agencies by getting them something from their wish lists

Cool dish, no ice cream maker required

How to make peppermint ice cream using only three ingredients and no machinery

Growing up in the Midwest, there wasn’t a holiday that didn’t get a little merrier courtesy of a scoop of homemade ice cream. Aside from the Cool Whip-topped pumpkin variety, there wasn&rs