You likely know Shepherd’s pie as a homey, comforting casserole — one that combines a flavorful stew of ground beef, peas, carrots (and sometimes corn) with mountains of creamy mashed potatoes. This skillet version has all those classic components, but takes less than an hour to make and skips the fresh vegetables (and the prep that comes with them) in favor of the frozen kind — letting you focus your efforts on the creamy potatoes.

This Shepherd’s pie is a complete meal in a single skillet, and just the kind of dinner you want to tuck into as the weather cools. Plus, it’s so easy you can make it on a weeknight.

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Have you ever wished you had an extra pair of hands while cooking to flip the pages of your cookbook, set a timer, look up how long the chicken should roast, or read the next step in your recipe? Well, starting today, you can, thanks to a new set of features from Amazon on Amazon Echo devices — and a new Kitchn relationship with Amazon.

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Potato soup is such a fall classic. Tender pieces of creamy russet potatoes mingle with onions, garlic, and salty pancetta for a bowl of soul-soothing solace. The only possible upgrade to this classic is to make it easier with the help from the slow cooker. And let’s be real — this soup is one hundred times better when it’s made in the slow cooker.

To make the absolute easiest potato soup, this recipe relies on pantry staples to create a bowl of creamy, comforting soup that’s as easy to make as it is to love. Here’s how it’s done.

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Parents of little toddlers and preschoolers who are dutifully packing lunches for daycare and school, you are awesome. I know how exhausted you are by those little ones right now, but I’m here to remind you that in just a few short years, you’ll be sending those same kids off to first grade with lunches they packed themselves. I know this firsthand, because I just sent my oldest off with a lunch she learned to pack watching me throughout these past few years.

Toddler and preschool lunches are often the most arduous to pack; most things need to be small and soft, which means you’re either spending a lot of time chopping or even more time steaming. That’s why I compiled 10 of my favorite preschool and toddler lunch ideas that are both easy and healthy, and will help you pack lunches more quickly until those kiddos can pack their own.

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You know how it’s almost physically impossible to set foot in a Target and buy just one thing? Well, that phenomenon is going to ring even more true now that the store just announced its brand-new home collections for fall.

I plan to shop away the end-of-summer blues by redecorating a little bit around my apartment. There’s something about cozy fall weather that makes me want to channel my inner Ina Garten and host a dinner party or casual wine and cheese night with friends. Thankfully the new collections from exclusive-to-Target brands — including Threshold, Hearth & Hand with Magnolia, Project 62, and Opalhouse — are here to provide all the inspiration I could ever need. The best part about the collections is that they are all meant to mix and match.

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In Explain It Like I’m 6, a dietician answers the burning health questions from Associate Food Editor Meghan Splawn‘s daughter, Ella.

When I was a kid I used to beg my parents to take me to Dairy Queen so I could order a brownie sundae. Topped with fudge and a mountain of whipped cream, it was the pinnacle of joy for my pre-teen brain. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t eat this all the time, or why my parents sometimes suggested eating vegetables when ice cream was a mere five minutes away. What was the big deal? Ice cream obviously tastes better, so why would I not just eat that?

Meghan’s daughter, Ella, has similar feelings. I mean, ice cream has some nutrients, right? It’s not just empty space! Here’s what she asked her mom when they were talking about healthy eating questions.

Ella’s Question: Why can’t I eat ice cream every day? Doesn’t ice cream have vitamins?

Good question, kid. Here’s Sally Kuzemchak of Real Mom Nutrition with the answer.

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In the world of nostalgic foods, there are a few standouts: hot chocolate (with mini marshmallows, of course), macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, and the diner classic, the tuna melt. Just the thought of a homemade melt takes us back to sick days, snow days, and pretty much any other day that Mom was responsible for a hot lunch.

The times, they are a changin’, though, and as we considered the tuna melt recently, we wondered about canned tuna. Knowing what we do now about sustainability and the many threats facing our oceans, how can we be smart consumers of the ingredient that’s all too necessary for a classic tuna melt? What brands of canned tuna are both delicious and safe for the environment?

We reached out to fishmongers across the country to find out, and the consensus was resounding.

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Giada De Laurentiis is working to bring back Sunday dinner, and that is a campaign that I can really get behind. Italian families are known for going all-in on Sunday dinners. Every week enormous quantities of food are made, and every family member in the vicinity drops what they’re doing and shows up to eat. It’s almost like having Thanksgiving every week.

Giada says this Sunday tradition was a huge influence for the new Dutch oven she designed with her favorite kitchenware brand, Lagostina (and you guys, this thing is gorgeous!).

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Need some lunch inspiration? Some fresh ways to pack a healthy, satisfying lunch? We have 10 beautiful ideas for you today, and (shhh!) they’re all vegan.

Whether you eat vegan or vegetarian, or just want to try it for a Meatless Monday, these lunches show how vibrant and delicious a plant-based diet can be. These creative lunches are overflowing with protein-packed mains, fruit and veggie sides, and a few store-bought surprises to keep it all feeling fun. These colorful lunches won’t let you down.

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There are a few kitchen tools that our readers love and crave above all others: the stand mixer, Instant Pot, and powerful blender chief among them. And when it comes to blenders, Vitamix is the one you covet.

But there’s a new competitor in town! The geniuses over at Instant Pot — that cult tool that finally persuaded millions of cooks to try pressure cooking— are now moving in on the Vitamix with their own, much lower-cost competitor. This week Instant Pot is launching their own smart blender, the new Instant Pot Ace Multi Use Cooking & Beverage Blender. Um, hello!

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