Today's Features

A poll of ASE-certified automotive technicians indicated that drivers over 60 are among the most conscientious when it comes to taking their vehicles in for routine maintenance and repair.

The experts at the nonprofit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) remind consumers that good communication between shop and customer can help make the repair process go smoothly.

Susan Singleton admits to tearing up whenever she goes to the grocery store.

Instead of lean proteins like fish or chicken, she goes for the meat that’s about to expire because it’s what she can afford.

Instead of brand-name products, she fills her cart with knock-off items or whatever she has coupons for. The mother of three from Columbia  worries about what she is feeding her family.

“When I go to the store, I cannot buy healthy. I buy cheap,” Singleton said.

One of my favorite childhood memories is of hiking a mountain trail in southwest Virginia with my father.

We were walking along admiring the flowering Mountain Laurel when suddenly we were in a clearing staring up at a very tall fire lookout tower.

I was fascinated by the idea of someone living so high above the trees scanning the horizon for puffs of smoke.

For years afterward I secretly dreamed of being that person, the sentinel standing watch over the forest.

We were all pastels and florals at the recent Just A Pinch Blue Ribbon Showcase event. (More on that Decadent Dessert celebration on www.justapinch.com in an upcoming Notebook.) There were so many great discussions that sprung up during the event, but the single most asked question was how to make springtime-appropriate desserts that are also healthy.
Well, I took that on as a fantastic challenge. That very same evening I began to go through www.justapinch.com and pulled some of the Test Kitchen’s favorite springtime eats.