And you can do it with an improved approach: a spillproof drinking lid adapter.

The Cuppow is a new invention that lets you up-cycle a canning jar into an eco-friendly beverage travel mug or sippy cup—although since glass is breakable, even extra-thick Mason jar, you’ll have to judge the portability based on your own habits.

“The canning jar already makes an awesome platform for a travel mug,” say the manufacturers. “It’s easy to clean, made of heat-resistant glass, cheap, durable, and when sealed it doesn’t leak. The only problem is that with their large openings, canning jars are not great for spill-free sipping while on the move. So we adapted it [into] a simple, eco-friendly alternative to poor-performing and messy disposable hot cups, and over-built and expensive travel mugs.”

Turn your canning jars into drinkware. Photo courtesy Cuppow.

The plastic circles, that insert into the metal rim of the canning jar lid, are available in clear, blue and pink for regular jars and clear, mint green, and orange for wide mouth jars. The adapters enable you to drink sippy-cup-style or insert a straw.

The Cuppow is made in the U.S.A. from 100% recycled BPA/BPS-free rigid plastic. It is dishwasher safe (top rack only).

They are available at retailers nationwide and at Cuppow.com.

The manufacturer is committed to diverting as much waste as possible from landfills and contributes 5% of profits to domestic charities and social initiatives.

But mango is a year-round fruit, with different varieties coming into season at different times. So it can be enjoyed in desserts, incorporated into dips and relishes, and enjoyed in hundreds of recipes year-round, alone or combined with seasonal fruits.

That’s good news for people who like flavorful food, because one simple mango can upgrade and transform everyday dishes and holiday specialties.

For the health-conscious, mangoes contain more than 20 vitamins and minerals and are an excellent source of the powerful antioxidant vitamins A and C.

We adore mango, and would consider it as a go-to fruit except for the frustration of slicing it. That long, flat pit—and the thick skin—used to frustrate us every time.

The easy technique is to slice the flesh into cubes. Photo courtesy National Mango Board.

So we reached out to the National Mango Board, which provides a video and photo stills to demystify the process of how to cut a mango.

Now all you need is a mango, a sharp vegetable peeler and a knife. (We’ve had the greatest success with a Y-shape peeler.)

MANY WAYS TO USE MANGOES

Unripe mangoes (firm to the flesh) can be used in curry, chutney, relish, slaw and pickled. Unripe mangoes have a tart, green apple flavor and are crispy and crunchy.

A ripe mango gives slightly to the touch, and has a tropical floral scent. The juicy, flavorful, yellow-orange flesh can be used to give a “mangover” (that’s a mango makeover) to:

Make one of them this weekend!

FIND MORE GREAT HOW-TO’s AND FRUIT RECIPES.
  

We read in the newspaper last month that the trend among costly summer sleep-away camps was to forbid “care packages” from home. That’s because the one-upsmanship from parents was getting out of hand. (And perhaps, all those calorie-laden treats were offsetting the health benefits of summer camp.)

But now that the kids are home from camp, you can send them—and adult cookie lovers—some homemade cookies from Cookie Lady Treats.

Laura Weinstein had two master’s degrees, one in chemical engineering, and couldn’t find a job in her field. So she started to bake cookies, and now sells a thousand of them each week.

The cookies are made of top ingredients, including Callebaut chocolate chunks and Madagascar bourbon vanilla. The flavors beckon:

After Dinner Mint, Blueberries & Cream, Caramel Apple, Cherry Cordial, Chipotle Chocolate, Dreamsicle, Fluffernutter Dream…you get the picture.

There are plenty of classic flavors as well: Chocolate Lovers, Lemon, Maple Walnut, Mocha, Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk, Triple Chocolate Chip, and more flavors than one could eat in a cookieholic marathon. Check the many luscious flavors and figure out where to begin.

Customizable orders are available for special events. We can’t think of anything we’d rather get in a gift bag.

Visit CookieLadyTreats.com and treat yourself.
  

This salmon salad is the creation of blogger Vicky at Stasty.com. Vicky is hard core: She makes her own butter, and the by-product is buttermilk.

“So I made some scrumptious buttermilk dressing, otherwise known as ranch dressing.” said Vicky. “To me, store bought ranch dressing is usually too sweet and gloopy, and nothing like the real thing. However, homemade ranch dressing is so divine; you can almost eat it on its own.

“Fresh buttermilk does make a difference and makes a really light and creamy ranch dressing. The white wine vinegar gives it a bit of bite and the dill makes it taste fresh and tangy.

“There are so many ways to use ranch dressing: on fresh green salads, on baked potatoes or as a dip. It’s a pretty versatile dressing, so I usually make a double batch to keep in my fridge, ready for all eventualities!”

Here, Vicky pairs ranch dressing with simple but colorful mixed greens and hot smoked salmon (“hot” refers to the smoking process, not the temperature of the fish—types of hot smoked salmon). You can use grilled salmon, poached salmon, and certainly, any leftover salmon. If your fishmonger sells salmon scraps, by all means save the money and grill them for the salad. Serve warm or chilled.

The key here is to contrast the rosy color of the salmon against the greens and white dressing. You can also use Arctic char, shrimp or lobster—or a combination.

And you can add more color with cherry or grape tomatoes. We had leftover boiled Yukon Gold potatoes and added them, sliced, as well.

Ingredients

 
For The Salad

Ranch dressing lovers will be very happy with this recipe. Photo courtesy Stasty.com.

1. MIX the buttermilk with the mayonnaise and white wine vinegar in a medium sized bowl or pitcher. Use a small hand whisk to smooth out any lumps.

2. ADD the crushed garlic, chopped dill and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well with the whisk and store in an airtight jar in the fridge. I find if you leave the dressing in the fridge for a few hours before serving, the flavours really develop.

3. ASSEMBLE the salad: Plate the greens and scatter the salmon or other fish on top. Drizzle dressing on top, and provide extra dressing on the side for those who want more. Garnish and serve.
 
HOW TO MAKE BUTTERMILK

If you’re not familiar with buttermilk, it’s a delicious beverage, like drinkable yogurt. In earlier times, when butter was churned at home, there was always plenty of buttermilk to drink and cook with. It adds richness to recipes from cake to fried chicken.

If you don’t have it on hand or don’t want to buy a quart, make what you need by adding white vinegar to regular milk:

1. ADD a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar (not white wine vinegar) to a one-cup measure.

2. FILL to the rim with milk. Let stand five minutes.

The take-out restaurant concept, which originated in Tokyo, has just opened in New York City. The gluten-free, rice flour crepes are packed with fresh ingredients and rolled into a cone shape.

The varieties, for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, are all so exciting that we want to have every one.

Read the full review.

If you’re in New York City, head to 55 Spring Street in Soho. Here’s the company website.

Be sure to have yuzulade—yuzu lemonade. (The recipe is in the review.)

Then, hope that an Eight Turn Crepe opens near you.