Don't be fooled; my pantry and refrigerator are also full of peanut butter, hot dogs, and Goldfish crackers. And, oh, so much pasta. But here are four healthy, possibly-offbeat-for-parents-of-young-children ingredients I rely on to feed my toddler, plus one I'm almost too embarrassed to share. More

Kids know how to party! Check out these festive celebrations from the Apartment Therapy Family channel, which posts kids' parties every day. We'll be bringing you a roundup of these inspiring parties every week.

• Purple, Aqua & Balloons Party
• Alice in Wonderland Party
• Pancake Buffet Party
• A Monster Bash Party
• Raggedy Ann Party More

That's not my kid. Mine is younger and not nearly as tidy with a spoon. But (for now) she loves anything labeled soup, which is great, because soup? It's easy, it makes a lot of leftovers, and it's a great way to shovel in vegetables without tricking her into eating them. Here are two favorites. More

Want to do the messy business of cutting up an apple before going off to work? Or perhaps you want to send your kid to school with a sliced apple, knowing that they'll be more likely to eat it that way? You don't want those apple slices to turn brown, though, so what do you do? You use this smart little rubber band trick. More

Every holiday season we ask a few friends to join us here at The Kitchn for a series of guest posts. The topics range from favorite holiday recipes to family memories and traditions. Today's guest: Germaine Leece of Some Home Truths, an always thoughtful and inspiring blog. (We've peeked inside her own home kitchen in Sydney, too!) Welcome Germaine!

All families have their own Christmas traditions, some left over from childhood and carried through to the next generation and some that may have only recently appeared but feel just as important.

For my children, a new tradition began three years ago when my son came home from preschool with a bag full of 'Reindeer Food'. More

Q: I know The Kitchn has featured several "Good Questions" regarding cooking or baking freezable meals for new moms. I am going to be doing this for a mom-to-be who is expecting her second child. Her first child had an allergy to a protein in cow's milk until he was 4 months old. This allergy meant that the breastfeeding mom could not eat any dairy products. So many make-ahead meals include cheese or creams. Besides stir-fry kits (of which I am making a few) and empanadas (of the beef variety, which I am also making) are there any suggestions out there for dairy-free freezer-friendly meals?

Sent by Julia More

A few weeks ago I wrote a piece called Coming Home to My Mother's Kitchen. I asked readers to send me photographs of them in their childhood kitchens, the spaces where they first learned to cook and to love food. The emails poured in. Readers sent images and long, flowing memories of cooking at home. They were such intimate offerings to me, a stranger; almost like love letters.
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There is certainly no shortage of food blogs on the internet. Nor is there a shortage of food shows on television. But websites with a video component geared solely towards kids? Now this is pretty cool. More

Q: I will be hosting a small holiday party with some friends soon, and I am looking for some help in the food department. There will be about 10 adults and 8 toddlers.

What are some great make-ahead vegetarian appetizers/snacks that would work for both adults and toddlers?

Sent by Stephanie More

Q: Besides angel food cake, what are other ideas for a good holiday birthday cake? My daughter turns 1 this Christmas, and as a holiday baby myself, I'm determined that she have a special first birthday cake. But I'd like to make her a less sweet, if not healthy, cake that everyone else will enjoy, too. (Everyone else=people who love chocolate cake with white frosting.)

Sent by Jena More