Long before cauliflower pizza crusts, cauliflower cakes, and cauliflower couscous, there were just a few folks looking for a lighter dish to enjoy in lieu of mashed potatoes. The popularity of all these cauliflower dishes is evident in the availability of pre-riced cauliflower widely available at most grocery stores. Lucky for us, that means all the knife work of making mashed cauliflower is already done.

But before we designate mashed cauliflower as just a lighter version of mashed potatoes, let’s consider why it is a side dish with merits all its own.

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Before we get too deep into our Thanksgiving strategy, we’ve got Friendsgiving on our minds. It’s a tradition for many that we can firmly get behind. Who doesn’t love an excuse to get together with friends and feast on turkey and all the fixings a little early? Equally as important as the food, however, is the drink. Yet, if you’re hosting, you’re likely too focused on ensuring the turkey cooks in time to worry about the drinks. Here’s the plan, then: Stir up something quick and cheap and leave your friends to help with the rest.

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It’s a common misconception that eating healthfully has to be expensive, so I love sharing how I do it on a budget without much time or hassle involved. One of my favorite places to shop for good, not-too-pricey food? Target! In addition to all those trendy home items, Target’s grocery department is also full of frugal food finds. It’s one of my favorite places to shop on a regular basis.

Here are the 21 healthy — and budget-friendly — foods I always buy at Target every single month.

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Last year when I took my daughter and her friend trick-or-treating, they approached a brightly lit house alive with energy. The two girls knocked on the door, but no one came. Instead a woman leaned out of the window of a small kitchen crowded with people preparing a dinner party.

“I’m sorry, we don’t have any candy,” she apologized as the guests behind her scrambled around the counter in search of a suitable offering. “But … hold on … ” Milky Ways or no, they were determined to fulfill the age-old custom that when supplicants come to your door asking for food, you must give. She passed two pears from her fruit bowl through the window and dropped one into each girl’s bag. Apologies were made and thank yous exchanged as both giver and receivers laughed.

Fruit is not quite the letter of the Halloween law. But on a night when the dead roam the earth, it’s the spirit that matters.

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We’re all familiar with this scenario: You bought the cheapest ticket at the very last minute and when you go to choose your seat, there aren’t any left. It will be assigned at the gate, they say. This is code for: You’re sitting in the last row in the middle seat. I’m pretty sure there is no one who would actually choose this seat.

But what happens when you do get to choose? Do you choose the window or the aisle? In my experience, people tend to have strong opinions. I always (always, always, always) choose the aisle if it’s an option — and that choice may say something about me as a person, according to Dr. Becky Spelman, the chief psychologist at London’s Private Therapy Clinic.

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When it comes to making healthy choices, we’re always looking for smart ways to make it easier. That’s why slow cooker recipes that put the emphasis on veggies, whole grains, and legumes are a big part of our meal plans. These 10 healthy recipes are the ones we turn to constantly because they are not only filled with good-for-you ingredients, but they also seem to please everyone at the kitchen table and leave us with plenty of leftovers. Here are the 10 we turn to again and again.

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Once you’ve mastered the art of cooking the perfect steak in the oven, you can start to think about finding your perfect seasonal side dish. There are so many options available, but only certain sides are worthy of sharing your plate with a steak.

Start with this list of 20 mouth-watering options. We guarantee you’ll find something that fits your taste.

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At Starbucks, there are two types of people: those who stick to the menu and keep their orders super simple, and those who doctor up their drinks with all kinds of so-called “hacks.” These complicated orders no doubt drive baristas bonkers and hold up the line for coffee, but they’re also wildly unhealthy.

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So, you decided to wait until today to figure out your Halloween costume. Maybe you’ve been busy, or maybe you haven’t found anything that speaks to you. But time is up! That’s why we’ve rounded up the funniest, easiest costumes we could come up with that require just a little more than a T-shirt to make.

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Ina Garten makes the best brownies. And the airiest pavlovas. And the most amazing sweets in general. Seriously, we’ll follow any dessert recipe she’s got. Which is why we really wanted to know what makes her list for must-have baking gear.

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