Mom’s Lemon Meringue Pie

My mom was famous for her Lemon Meringue Pie growing up. In fact, she still is!  It was often requested for parties or sick visits. (Really, I remember people asking my mom to bring this pie instead of chicken noodle soup when they were sick!)  I often forget how good it is until I make it-then I just can’t stop eating it!

This recipe starts with a flakey homemade pie crust that is filled with smooth and creamy lemon filling and topped with toasted meringue. It is totally irresistible!

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Coconut Lovers be warned, this coconut rice krispie treat is going to star in your food daydreams for years to come. I adore coconut and I also LOVE a great rice krispie treat, so this combination is pretty much my idea of snacking perfection.

Coconut Rice Krispie Treats

While I’m admittedly a sucker for an amazing rice krispie treat, not just any rice krispie treat will do. If it’s too hard and it scratches the roof of your mouth, that’s just wrong.

Falling apart in your hands? That is not cool. It needs to be just firm and sticky enough to hold together, yet soft and chewy and absolutely loaded with marshmallows. If I’m indulging in a rice krispie treat, it had best be worth the indulgence.

The ratio of butter to marshmallows to rice krispies is important. But the real secret is the marshmallows, you’ll reserve some of them to stir in at the last minute. Melt the majority of them with the butter but then stir two cups in just before the cereal is entirely combined.

The marshmallows will melt just enough to stick together with the cereal. Yet be soft pillowy pockets of sweetness mixed into the rice krispie treats.

My other rice krispie secret to keep in mind in order to achieve the perfect rice krispie treats. Don’t press too hard when you are spreading them into the pan.

Press as lightly as you can in order to spread them out. If you press them down too much, you’ll wind up with a very firm rice krispie treat, instead of perfectly stretchy slightly sticky treats.

Remember, don’t skimp on the marshmallows. I love the additional gooey-ness the extra marshmallows provide. It seems like a mountain of marshmallows initially, but I’m promising you now that these are amazing rice krispie treats!

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Have you ever found yourself slipping into bad spending habits online, that you just can’t get out of? You could be experiencing financial quicksand

Money. It’s one of those taboo subjects that many of us feel uncomfortable talking about. According to one 2020 survey from the Money and Pensions Service, 29 million UK adults don’t feel comfortable talking about money, despite 48% worrying about their finances recently.

With concerns around growing inflation, and the impact of rising costs on households, there’s never been a more important time to better understand our finances – and to feel able to ask for help.

What is financial quicksand?

Popularised by Citizens Advice, the term financial quicksand is used to refer to the slippery slope of online spending. Companies influence us to make spending decisions in both deliberate and subtle ways. By introducing risky or longer-term spending commitments to us when we’re already checking out online, it can lead to financial commitments we aren’t fully considering. And by the time we realise? We’re already in too deep, spending more than we can really afford.

Financial quicksand can include different kinds of spending, such as:

By Now, Pay Later (BNPL) schemes

When you click to delay payments, or split one cost into smaller, monthly payments, you are entering into a BNPL contract. Many people find themselves agreeing to these without fully understanding what they are signing up for (e.g. the total amount of payments, interest rates, or even late fees).

More and more online retailers are offering BNPL options once you’re already trying to pay – making those ‘six easy payments’ sound much more enticing (and often just one click away).

Research undertaken by Citizens Advice reveals that one in four people regret using BNPL schemes, two in five struggle to meet repayments, and one in three miss or make late payments. Worryingly, two in five of us who have used BNPL didn’t realise it until after the sign-up process.

Online gambling

Apps are often easy to access, taking minutes to create an account. For those who experience gambling addiction or want to limit their spending, protections (maximum spending limits, forced breaks) can be difficult to access, or may have a delay in being applied.

Closing accounts can be tricky, whereas money can be deposited with just a single click. Many apps even accept Apple and Google Pay, meaning you don’t need to enter your card details at all. This can make tracking your spending much harder, meaning you’re more likely to fall into gambling debt.

Subscriptions services

Often offering free trials with just a couple of clicks, cancelling subscriptions can be extremely hard. You may need to directly call a customer service line, but finding the number isn’t easy through the website’s FAQs or menu, and only has limited availability. Or perhaps they have a complex chat system that requires you to jump through hoops with buggy chatbots sending you round in circles.

Many subscriptions turn into automatic payments unless you click to cancel in time, and some companies avoid using the word

Browned Butter Sage Honeynut Squash

If you have never tried honeynut squash, get your buns to the grocery store, buy a couple and then make this browned butter sage version!

Have you ever heard of honeynut squash? It’s a cross between buttercup and butternut squash, and it’s one of my absolute favorite squash varieties ever. You can easily sub butternut or buttercup or even sweet potatoes ps.

We started making this based off of a ravioli with brown butter sage we had in Florence Italy, and slowly it has evolved into a veggie dish instead of just pasta. We use lemon instead of white wine to brighten the heaviness of this root veggie.

Why You Will Love This Squash Recipe

My favorite part of the dish, well ok I’ve got a few, but first up is that it’s just in one skillet. No need to turn on an oven, though you could certainly roast them and then finish in a pan if need be. Honeynut squash is much more tender than butternut, so cooking it is much quicker and easier.

Number two is even more important, it’s all about the nuttiness of browned butter. Simple, aromatic, and rich without much work.

Finally, throw in a little sage, salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon if you have it and youR

Why is sex so important, can sex be addictive, and can sexperts really help me (and my relationship)? We answer your most-searched-for sex-related questions and share everything you need to know about sex therapy and sexual coaching

Sex. It’s one of those topics that equally excites and embarrasses us to talk about. Despite 43% of women and 31% of men reporting a degree of sexual dysfunction (from trouble orgasming or a lack of desire to pain while having sex), a whopping third of us feel uncomfortable talking about sex with our partners.  

Enter the sexperts. To help us overcome our embarrassment and hesitancy in talking about all things sex-related, there are a variety of different experts we can now turn to to help us talk about our issues. They can help us learn more about common sexual problems, as well as work towards strengthening our sense of intimacy in our relationships.

But what are sexperts, is sex really that important, and what help is available out there?

What is a sexpert?

A sexpert is an informal term for someone who is knowledgeable about sex and sexually related things. According to Merriam-Webster, sexpert refers specifically to those with jobs that involve the academic study of sex, or people who help provide information and advice about sexual relationships and/or intercourse. Despite becoming a more commonly used term in recent years, sexpert actually dates back as far as the 1920s.

Why is sex important?

Research has shown that sex can have a wide variety of benefits for us and our relationships. Physically, emotionally, and psychologically – sex can help improve our overall sense of well-being, strengthen our bonds and sense of intimacy with our partner(s). Sex can even improve our sense of self-confidence.

That’s not to say that you have to have sex to be happy and healthy. Many people still have satisfying, fulfilling relationships without a sexual component.

Why is sex good for you?

There are many scientifically proven benefits of having sex and a healthy sex life. These