friday fun: things I like

Sometimes I get a little down reviewing school lunch policies or reading the latest standard picky eating article or weight loss study on kids...So, here's a few fun things I like for the weekend:At a recent get-together, I popped Ikea tea-lights into some handed-down crystal glasses that feel too fussy to drink out of, but looked really pretty as candle-holders. They felt safer to me somehow too to have the flame enclosed and so pretty! Look, my first home decorating tip!Ingredient magazine is by a chef, childrens' cook book author and English teacher! It's for kids 6-12 and right now the Jan/Feb issue is free if you follow the link. Check out the recipes and essays on food history. No guilt, no "shoulds,"no nutrition lectures, just learning about a variety of foods and cooking tips and fun. Her writing doesn't talk down to kids and is respectful and engaging.From creator Jill Colella Bloomfield, "Ingredient Magazine encourages its readers to think about many aspects of food: its origins, how to grow it, and how to cook it.  February’s issue features a bread baking tutorial, a look at jalapenos, and an essay on George Washington Carver. Each issue also includes answers to readers’ questions, a calendar of food-related holidays (did you know that February 23 is National Banana Bread Day?), an interview with a celebrity chef, as well as food-related jokes and puzzles."and...These are yummy! Suddenly in 1 week I saw them at Kowaski's (where they were sampled with a red pepper dip and I was hungry so I bought both...) Costco, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's... They are really tasty, and not as dry as normal pretzels. They're flat, so they  hold dip and hummus really well...Do you have any recent "fun finds?"