Cecily McAndrews
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Articles by Cecily McAndrews
Save Up to 68% on Summer Camp Packing List Essentials Thanks to Amazon’s Memorial Day Weekend Sales
Credit: Parents As a mom of two kids, once Memorial Day hits, I take a deep breath, because it generally means Maycember is coming to a close (IYKYK).
We Tested 906 Products Last Year, But These 11 Were Our Favorites Original
When we test a product to recommend on Health, we actually live with it—we bring it into our homes, try it on our skin, ask our families to use it, and consider whether we’d spend our own cash on it. It’s a surprisingly intimate process. We sleep on the mattresses; we dab on the creams; we sweat on the treadmills. And, sometimes, we find our own new favorites. It’s one of the coolest parts of our jobs.
Cecily McAndrews, Verywell Health Editorial Director
For over 15 years, Cecily McAndrews has written and edited content on health and nutrition. She approaches product reviews with humility, a respect for testing, and a desire to dig deep into the elements that set products apart. This desire to cut through marketing and misinformation informs her work as Verywell Health's Editorial Director, where she helps readers choose the best items for their health.
These 7 Travel Products Make Long Plane Rides With My Toddler So Much Smoother—and They Start at $5 - NewsBreak
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Our contributor network of tens of thousands of creators appears alongside stories from established publications and journalists. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies.
These 7 Travel Products Make Long Plane Rides With My Toddler So Much Smoother—and They Start at $5
Traveling with a toddler is no joke. My husband and I recently took a trip to Puerto Rico with our 2-year-old, which involved a 4-hour plane ride both ways—including a red-eye flight. From dealing with nap math to snacks (SO many snacks), to figuring out how to keep my son entertained, the logistics of toting along our 2-year-old caused maybe 90% of my pre-vacation stress. Thanks to a few smart parenting hacks, we not only got through our family vacation but thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
This Gadget Makes Pro-Level Wok Cooking a Breeze
"Is that electric?" "Where is the fire?" "Is that a curved base?" "Does it really work??" The "it" here is my plastic and glass induction wok burner. The questions are the ones I get every time I post a video using it. And no matter how often I explain it, praise it, or encourage its use, the social media algorithms ultimately will find another few thousand folks who've never seen it before and I get to teach a whole new set of people why an induction wok is the way to go in most western homes.
Hooray! Celebrate New Episodes of 'Bluey' by Saving Almost 50% on a Bluey Playhouse Original
In case you're not familiar, this animated Australian show about a family of heeler-breed dogs has garnered both pint-size and grownup fans, thanks to its sense of humor, relatable situations, and sweet tone. It's kind of wild to say I've picked up parenting tips from animated dogs, but I'm not ashamed to admit it: Bandit and Chilli, the parent, er, pups, display an impressive amount of patience and emotional intelligence with their kids, which I've tried to channel.
This Bissel Air Purifier Had a Perfect Score For Effectiveness In Our Tests-and It’s 50% Off Right Now
Dotdash Meredith and Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Allergy sufferers, take note: This is a chance to score our favorite air purifier for allergies at a deep discount, thanks to an early Prime Day deal. Health / Jaclyn Mastropasqua Once you have an air purifier, you can never go back. A good one makes a space noticeably fresher and more welcoming. It took a catastrophe for me to figure this out for myself.
This Bissel Air Purifier Had a Perfect Score For Effectiveness In Our Tests—and It’s 50% Off Right Now
We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Once you have an air purifier, you can never go back. A good one makes a space noticeably fresher and more welcoming. It took a catastrophe for me to figure this out for myself. Air quality was something I barely paid attention to—until the smoke from the terrible wildfires in Canada came wafting south in June of this year.
Score This ‘Better Than Dyson’ Vacuum for Less Than $150 With An Early Prime Day Deal Original
If you don’t have kids, it’s possible to go through life not really thinking about your vacuum much. After kids…you probably have strong opinions about vacuums. After all, kids are little mess monsters, and if you have a bad vacuum, it can make a (literally) crummy situation much more annoying.
This Is the Lightest Cast-Iron Pan You Will Ever Use
Two years ago, Japanese cookware brand Vermicular released a ridiculously lightweight cast-iron pan that threatened to disrupt the entire category. Weighing just 2.4 pounds, the 10-inch skillet was less than half the weight of similarly sized cast-iron pans from brands like Le Creuset, Lodge, and Staub. I've always understood that if cast iron is too thin, it's prone to cracking or crumbling when exposed to extreme heat, and generally that's true. Even the thick stuff can crack under thermal shock.
IVF Is Tough—These 10 Self-Care Products Made My Experience Easier - NewsBreak
Evidently, one single, 33-year-old pregnant woman doesn't understand why her parents say they won't raise her baby that's on the way like they did her first child that she had at 17. Her mother takes to a Reddit post to explain the situation. 23 HOURS AGO
10 Best IVF Self-Care Gifts for Yourself or a Loved One
No matter how you look at it, going through IVF is intense. Hopeful, nervous, disappointed, excited, happy, stressed—at some point or another, you’ll probably feel all of this, sometimes in quick succession. Add in a wallop of hormones and some early mornings, and you have a potent cocktail of emotions, at a time when you might also be avoiding cocktails! One particularly challenging element of IVF is ceding your sense of control.
Score Up to 30% Off Skin Care and More at Sephora's VIB Sale
The best time of year for shopping is upon us, and Sephora's Holiday Savings Event is a great way to kick it off. Whether you're treating it as a chance to stock up on your favorite products or a way to get a jump on holiday shopping, there are lots of goodies on sale.
The Best Carbon Steel Pans for Indestructible Fun Without the Weight of Cast Iron
We followed the pre-seasoning instructions Size and shape We paid serious attention to the shape because the slope of a pan's sides significantly affects the amount of functional cooking surface area. Some of the 10-inch skillets with higher, sloped sides only had about seven inches of actual cooking space-and a smaller cooking surface can lead to overcrowding and will affect the quality of the sear you can get on your food. Seasoned carbon steel is happy carbon steel.
Dress Like A Nonna
It's not your grandma's fashion. Wait—yes it is! And it's awesome. By Cecily McAndrews September 02, 2021 If you've ever seen the Pasta Grannies' videos, featuring Italian grandmothers making their signature dishes, you've definitely craved their cooking. The other thing these YouTube and Instagram stars might leave you wanting? Their signature looks.
Sunflower Focaccia
Photography by Antonis Achilleos Recipe by Cecily McAndrews This article originally appeared in our Winter/Spring 2021 issue. Get the magazine here. Start to Finish: 1 hour Servings: 6 to 8 Easy, adaptable, and wildly photogenic, this creative carb is a beginner baker’s dream. The quick-rising dough comes together in one bowl and offers a canvas for any toppings you can imagine—or whatever’s in the fridge. Start with this recipe, then create your own riff as you dream of spring.
Here's Why Wagyu Beef Is Better—and the Easiest Way to Tell If It's Real
It’s time to settle this beef. By Cecily McAndrews Updated August 27, 2019 If you’ve tried Wagyu beef, you know it’s a real luxury to eat. Wagyu is deliciously marbled with fat, tender yet flavorful—and centuries of tradition, generations of cattle breeding, and a whole lot of rules and regulations are in place to keep it that way. Despite all this, the topic is rife with confusion, at least partly because of unscrupulous operators who want to jack up the price of the steak you’re eating.
Here's Why Wagyu Beef Is Better—and the Easiest Way to Tell If It's Real
It’s time to settle this beef. By Cecily McAndrews Updated August 27, 2019 If you’ve tried Wagyu beef, you know it’s a real luxury to eat. Wagyu is deliciously marbled with fat, tender yet flavorful—and centuries of tradition, generations of cattle breeding, and a whole lot of rules and regulations are in place to keep it that way. Despite all this, the topic is rife with confusion, at least partly because of unscrupulous operators who want to jack up the price of the steak you’re eating.
3 Sweet, Snack-y Dips for Cottage Cheese Lovers
© Provided by Food52 We've partnered with Hood Cottage Cheese to share a few of our favorite ways their creamy, protein-rich cottage cheeses—like their sweet Cottage Cheese With Strawberry or Cottage Cheese With Blueberry—make for a delicious dip. I’m sorry to say I was a latecomer to liking cottage cheese. In my defense, everybody has some food they spurned in their callow youth that they later came to adore. I didn’t like parsley when I was a kid. My best friend didn’t like casseroles.
Here's Why Wagyu Beef Is Better—and the Easiest Way to Tell If It's Real
If you’ve tried Wagyu beef, you know it’s a real luxury to eat. Wagyu is deliciously marbled with fat, tender yet flavorful—and centuries of tradition, generations of cattle breeding, and a whole lot of rules and regulations are in place to keep it that way. Despite all this, the topic is rife with confusion, at least partly because of unscrupulous operators who want to jack up the price of the steak you’re eating. The real stuff, though, is a stunning special occasion treat.
Do You Own Any of Ree's Favorite Cookbooks?
Ralph Smith Ree Drummond’s love of cookbooks goes way back, starting when she was obsessed with a Nancy Drew cookbook as a little girl. “There was a recipe for making your own fortune cookies with mysterious messages inside,” she recalls. “My mom and I tried to make them, and we failed miserably—ha!—but it’s still such a strong memory for me.” Of course, Ree has had better success with recipes since then, but her passion for cookbooks is still strong, especially after writing so many of her own.
What to Know About Gochujang, the Spicy Korean Sauce You’re Seeing Everywhere
This sauce is hot in more than one way. By Cecily McAndrews January 27, 2020 Gochujang, a type of spicy, salty, slightly funky sauce from Korea, has been around for hundreds of years, but a few different trends are converging to make it more popular in America—namely, a greater appreciation for Korean food in general, a love of spicy food, and more widespread interest in fermented foods. Lucky us, because gochujang also happens to be crazy-delicious.
How to Make the Best Charcuterie Board
Pics or it didn't happen. By Cecily McAndrews Updated January 10, 2020 A good charcuterie board is party magic: it's fun to look at and to eat, easy to assemble, and once you put together a good one, you're set on appetizers. (Side benefit: A pretty charcuterie platter always racks up the likes on Instagram! And it pairs with wine!) Here's everything you need to know to put together a perfect one.
Making Nutella at Home Is a Lot Easier Than You Think—Here's How to Do It Right
PSA: you could be eating homemade hazelnut spread in less than 30 minutes. What are you waiting for? By Cecily McAndrews August 27, 2019 When did you first get into Nutella? For me, it was when I was studying abroad in France. My host mother would leave breakfast ingredients out for her kids—and me, basically an overgrown child messing up French verbs at the dinner table.
Here's Why Wagyu Beef Is Better—and the Easiest Way to Tell If It's Real
It’s time to settle this beef. By Cecily McAndrews August 27, 2019 If you’ve tried Wagyu beef, you know it’s a real luxury to eat. Wagyu is deliciously marbled with fat, tender yet flavorful—and centuries of tradition, generations of cattle breeding, and a whole lot of rules and regulations are in place to keep it that way. Despite all this, the topic is rife with confusion, at least partly because of unscrupulous operators who want to jack up the price of the steak you’re eating.
Here's Why Wagyu Beef Is Better—and the Easiest Way to Tell If It's Real
It’s time to settle this beef. By Cecily McAndrews August 26, 2019 If you’ve tried Wagyu beef, you know it’s a real luxury to eat. Wagyu is deliciously marbled with fat, tender yet flavorful—and centuries of tradition, generations of cattle breeding, and a whole lot of rules and regulations are in place to keep it that way. Despite all this, the topic is rife with confusion, at least partly because of unscrupulous operators who want to jack up the price of the steak you’re eating.
Chicken & Pumpkin Dumplings
This healthy twist on chicken and dumplings gets a fiber and vitamin A boost from fall’s favorite squash. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, onion, poultry seasoning, salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Pour in broth and stir to combine. Increase heat to high; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.
What 5 Dietitians Order at The Cheesecake Factory
With 200+ menu options, brimming plates of pasta, and gargantuan slices of cake, the Cheesecake Factory is all about expansive hospitality. Alas, their more-is-more philosophy extends to the nutrition profile of many of the dishes.
Slow-Cooker Chicken Taco Salad
A can of zesty diced tomatoes and a slow cooker make this chicken taco salad a snap for weeknights. 1 (15-oz) can seasoned diced tomatoes in sauce for chili (like Hunt’s) To make the chicken: In a slow cooker, stir together diced tomatoes and cumin. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and cook 2½ hours on HIGH, until chicken is fork tender. To make the dressing: Combine lime peel and juice, sour cream and cilantro. Thin with water until dressing is pourable. Season with salt and pepper.
The Best Grocery Store Wines Under $10
Attention, shoppers! The supermarket wine aisle has some good (and cheap!) options. We tested nearly 40 and picked the best of the bunch. Attention, shoppers! The supermarket wine aisle has some good (and cheap!) options. We tested nearly 40 and picked the best of the bunch. Bring on the steak, because this French red from the famous wine-making region of Bordeaux has the richness to stand up to it.
Super Bowl Party Must-Have: Sunny Anderson's Inflatable Snack Stadium
Celebrity chef Sunny Anderson knows a thing or two about game-day eats. “I went to high school in Texas, where it’s all about football,” she says. Her love of tailgating inspired the Infladium ($20 at Party City). Yup, that’s an inflatable snack stadium—based on the Instagram craze of serving food in a mini DIY sports arena. “I love the trend, but I was always too lazy to mess around with cardboard and build one,” she says.
Maneet Chauhan's Family Pizza Night Menu
If you thought pizza couldn't get any better, check out the Indian-inspired pies that chef Maneet Chauhan and her daughter, Shagun, are cooking up. If you thought pizza couldn't get any better, check out the Indian-inspired pies that chef Maneet Chauhan and her daughter, Shagun, are cooking up. Maneet Chauhan, a featured judge on Chopped and the owner of several buzzy Nashville restaurants (including her latest, the Mockingbird), isn’t the only chef in her house.
Do You Need to Use a Cookie Scoop? Yes, And Here’s Why.
I know what you’re thinking: Why get another one-use kitchen tool? But ever since I started my tradition of baking hundreds of cookies all in one day around Christmastime, I've learned that this is one tool I won't be parting with any time soon. To start, it’s so much faster to crank out a tray of your fave chocolate chip goodies. Just scoop, squeeze, and repeat (especially essential if you’re making many dozens). Using a scoop yields bake-sale showstoppers: equally sized, perfectly round.
Spicy Cranberry Chicken
This weeknight dish gets its ?avor from cranberry juice, honey and hot sauce. Prep and marinate the chicken the night before for a speedy supper. Use your favorite hot sauce in place of the sriracha. In a gallon-size ziptop plastic bag, combine cranberry juice, honey, soy sauce, garlic and sriracha. Seal bag and shake to combine. Add chicken, seal bag and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and coat with cooking spray.
How to Make 200 Christmas Cookies In One Day
Amelie, my older sister, and I share the same smile, the same sense of humor, and the same gene-deep love of cookies. (We get it from our mom.) As a teen, I baked chocolate chip cookies for Amelie and her (three years older, cooler) friends in a bid to join in on their fun. It worked…sometimes. She went off to college in Michigan, and I missed her back home in Connecticut. So I made cookies and mailed them to her dorm.
The Ultimate Holiday Cookie Ingredient Shopping List
One of the magical things about Cookiepalooza—a single epic day of holiday cookie baking that yields almost 200 (!) cookies—is taking a bunch of unassuming raw ingredients and turning them into piles upon piles of beautiful, beautiful-smelling treats. It’s alchemy. Read now: Cookiepalooza! How to Make Almost 200 Christmas Cookies In One Day Here are the recipes: • Parchment paper (get lots!) • Piping bags or gallon-size freezer bags • Plastic wrap • Cookie scoops, 1- and 1 1/2-tbsp.
Fried Chicken Night with Gabriele Corcos and Debi Mazar
Forget latkes. When Hanukkah rolls around, TV personality and cookbook author Gabriele Corcos craves fried chicken. But this isn’t some random hankering: Gabriele was raised in Florence, Italy, where fried chicken is a classic Hanukkah dish. To keep the tradition alive at home in Brooklyn, he heats up some oil and cooks for his wife, the actress Debi Mazar, and their daughters, Evelina, 15, and Giulia, 11.
Good Save! Richard Blais's Tips for Reducing Food Waste at Home
Find flavor everywhere: “Cilantro, dill, and parsley stems are just as delicious as the leaves. Use them!” You really can pickle that: “Pickling is superfast. You don’t have to be Grandma and get Mason jars and seal them for next winter. If you bought too many vegetables at the market, you can just put some sugar, vinegar, salt, and water on the stove for a quick brine.
Ramen Night at Richard Blais's House
Celeb chef Richard Blais has had a killer career. He trained at California’s legendary French Laundry and Chez Panisse, wrote two cookbooks (so far), and launched a handful of restaurants (including San Diego’s popular Juniper & Ivy). But the Top Chef alum, who lives in San Diego with his wife and two daughters, credits his TV work with preparing him for his greatest cooking challenge: pleasing his kids. “On these shows, you have time limits.
Smitten Kitchen's Cooking Tips for a Small Kitchen
Don’t stack your pots and pans—get a rack and hang them from the ceiling. “You just reach up, grab a skillet, and you’re good to go,” says Perelman. “You’d need a lot of cabinets to keep all the pots I have.” One of Perelman’s biggest pet peeves? “When you have this big, beautiful kitchen but you have stuff out on the counters so you have about a square foot of actual work space.” Stash those flour and sugar canisters, small appliances, and trinkets in cabinets or on shelves.
Stuffing Crust Pizza with Bacon & Brussels Sprouts
Why wait for Thanksgiving? Enjoy your favorite stuffing in a new way. 1½ cups thinly sliced Brussels sprouts (from about 6 whole sprouts) In an 8- or 9-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat, cook bacon, stirring frequently, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain; pour off all but 2 tsp fat from pan. Cool bacon and crumble. While bacon cooks, cook stuffing mix according to package directions using water and butter. Let stand, uncovered, 5 minutes.
How To Find Local Sustainable Restaurants
The next time you’re looking for a place to eat, you could dive down the Yelp rabbit hole, or you could check out goodfood100restaurants.org instead. Curated by the Good Food Media Network, the Good Food 100 list highlights restaurants from around the country—88 this year— that prioritize sustainable practices and local food sourcing.
Celeb Chefs' Snack Mix Recipes
Rachael RayRachael Ray Every Day’s Snacker in ChiefPhotography by Sarah Anne WardChicago-Style Sweet & SaltyBottom-of-the-bag cheese popcorn (I like Smartfood) Chocolate-covered raisins Dry-roasted peanutsToffee bits Caramel baking chipsBottom-of-the-bag pretzel pieces“I’m a salty girl, not too sweet, and I like to use up end-of-bag— or bottle, or jar—ingredients in interesting ways.” - RachAlex Guarnaschelliauthor of The Home Cook and executive chef of Butter in NYCPhotography by Sarah Anne...
Jacques PĂŠpin Cooks With His Granddaughter
Step inside Jacques Pépin’s kitchen and the first thing you’ll notice is that it’s extremely organized: Cooking utensils are lined up in precise rows, sheet pans are stored below the counter in racks, and pots of all sizes hang on the walls. Then you spot Pépin’s artwork. His paintings fill the space with color, and his hand-painted tile border spells out his cooking philosophies (“Great cooking favors the prepared hands”; “Happiness is in the kitchen”).
10 Sausage Recipes for Busy Weeknights
The best way to get more greens in your diet? Pair 'em with carbs and sausage! Try our Penne with Sausage, Broccoli Rabe, Chiles & Mint Psst--the potatoes are cooked in the microwave, making this dish especially speedy. Try our Sausages With Kale Mashed Potatoes You're only six ingredients away from pizza night! No beef, no problem! Bulk Italian sausage forms these speedy patties. Grapes are good for more than your kid's lunch. They especially shine in this one-pan dinner.
Pastry-Chef Approved Baking Mixes
Michael Laiskonis was executive pastry chef at Le Bernardin.Photography by: Aaron Dyer (baking mixes); Getty Images (headshot)A Cake to CelebrateGhirardelli Double Chocolate Premium Cake Mix ($2.89)“Even I’m tempted to ditch my favorite recipe for this moist and flavorful chocolate cake mix! The perfect balance of density, lightness and rich cocoa notes make it ideal for layered cakes, but it also tastes great on its own.”Dress it up: Stir chopped toffee bars into the batter.
Unexpected Mother's Day Flower Gifts
DIY deetsTrim the stems and strip the leaves from the flowers and arrange them in a vase, larger blossoms first. Use a paring knife to make a hole in the stem end of the artichoke and beets, and anywhere you like for the citrus. Stick a sturdy trimmed flower stem (like a rose stem), a skewer or a bamboo garden stake in the hole.
Treats Made From Leftover Easter Candy
If you have a batch of leftover Easter treats, spin them into new, irresistible goodies. Hop to it!
COOK WITH KIDS: Homemade Pasta
Photography by Lucy SchaefferWhen he was 2 years old, Robert Cancro, nicknamed Bo, was diagnosed with nonverbal autism. Watching him struggle to communicate, his parents, Katie and Robert (above, with Bo), spent years looking for a way to draw him into family life. His breakthrough happened in an unexpected place: the kitchen. One Sunday when Bo was 7, Robert was making pancakes and his son reached for the whisk, so the two made them together. The change was instantaneous.
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