A little sweet, a little crispy and a little chewy. These Orange-Vanilla Meringue Swirls are a perfect little treat. It’s amazing what a few great ingredients can become when combined with simple techniques.They taste almost like one of those delightful orange creamsicles.

Featured in the May issue of Martha Stewart Living, I’ve been looking forward to making these meringues for weeks. But first, I needed to find a half-inch plain pastry tip. After searching many stores, I had to settle for a half-inch star tip. And to be honest, I kind of prefer the look of the meringues with the decorative ridges.

The recipe calls for half of a vanilla bean’s seeds. I threw the other half and the seeded bean into the jar where I’m making homemade vanilla extract. I’m still about a month or so away from it being ready. More on that in another post, on another day.

Bathing suit season is right around the corner, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have your comfort food and eat it too.

Use these tips to slim down one of the ultimate comfort foods, macaroni and cheese, without losing flavor or leaving you feeling weighed down. University of Akron Culinary Arts major Mark Wagner suggests adding vegetables for nutrition, color and taste. “A favorite across the board is broccoli, which produces a meal with a similar taste to broccoli cheese soup. You can add red peppers for color.”

Michelle Boltz MS, RD, LD, suggested, “To slim down mac and cheese, I recommend using skim milk.” The skim milk in place of whole milk or cream saves calories without compromising the texture of the sauce, she added.  Also, you can use less cheese if it has a pungent flavor. Extra sharp cheddar, gruyere or parmesan are ideal alternatives. “I like using a basic cheese sauce then adding different cheeses, such as pepper jack or bleu,” said Wagner.

Raising backyard chickens has become a popular activity, and with spring in full bloom, many are making the trek to their favorite feed store or hatchery to take part in the craze. Even larger communities like Lakewood are considering allowing their residents to keep chickens on their property. Fresh, free-range eggs have documented health benefits and higher nutritional contents of certain vitamins than their factory-farmed counterparts, including seven times higher levels of beta carotine, three times more vitamin E, 2/3 more vitamin A and two times more omega 3 fatty acids.

With that in mind, I'm going to set out to write a series of stories encouraging backyard chicken keeping, with how-to videos and specific details on do’s and don’ts of chicken keeping. My family has kept chickens on our seven-acre farm for two years, and even my husband, who was not a fan of birds, has developed quite an affinity for our sweet hens.

While we work on putting together the stories and video about chicken keeping, here is a link to our own “Chick Cam” http://ustre.am/JYH0

Leo's Reserve Inn Restaurant is nestled snugly in the heart of historic Hudson, Ohio, next to the Boy Scout's 1931 log cabin. At 30 West Streetsboro St., Leo's sits at a major northeast Ohio crossroads by Route 91. Purchased by Leo F. Wagner in May 1958, the restaurant is now owned by his widow, Minnie, and is managed by her son, Dennis. But, after nearly 55 years of watching other local eateries come and go, the ownership of Leo's is changing hands. A changing of the guard, as it were. Along with the new owners will come a change in name and some minor interior redecorating such as carpeting replaced with wood flooring, and the bar will now boast its offering of draught beer for the first time.