We know most kids love chicken nuggets. But what's exactly in those things? How do they get them into those dinosaur shapes? I'll let my son have some of those mystery meat nuggets every once in a while. But if you want the best of both worlds (fun kid-friendly food that's a little more wholesome), you've gotta make your own. Here's the good thing -- it's not really that hard! Even better, your kids will have fun making these with you. Here's a recipe for homemade chicken nuggets.

Look for panko bread crumbs in the international section of your grocery store. These Japanese-style crumbs make an especially light and crisp coating for your nuggets. But any other breadcrumbs will also work.

Now that it's spring we're starting to see a trickle of fresh, new spring fruits and vegetables at the farmer's market. My local market ran through the winter mostly with cold-weather staples like apples and squash. And I'm sick of them! I'm so done with potatoes and butternut squash soup. Anyone else?

We're still a few months away from the full farmer's market bounty you get in the summer (except for you lucky people in warmer climates). Spring is more a time for planting than for harvesting. But this is still a fun time to check out what's new and cook with the little gifts of spring. Here are five meal ideas you can make with your kids.

The making of the cover of my new book, Love Is in the Mix, was quite an experience! I always get really nervous about photo shoots because I know that it takes a lot of energy and preparation. It's also always a long day for everyone involved in the planning and organization -- and there is that hope that we can manage to pull off ONE magical picture, and if we are lucky, a bunch more that capture the day exactly right -- so we have more than just the "cover shot" image. For this shoot I had a vision of what I wanted for the cover of my long dreamed of cookbook, but I knew carrying it out would take a lot MORE effort than what I saw in my mind's eye.

It's almost time for Easter, and you know what that means? Yes, it is time to make an Easter bunny cake! They're easier to make than they look. You don't need a special bunny-shaped pan, just two round cake pans. And you can use just about any cake batter, though I don't recommend red velvet because some kids may find that a little disturbing. A good vanilla, lemon, or yellow cake batter is perfect. Best of all, once you've assembled and frosted the cake, your kids will have fun decorating it with you.

It's not every day we get something totally pure and simply adorable out of one of MTV's Teen Mom 2's cast members. But Chelsea Houska and her 3-year-old, Aubree, gave us a treat this past week in a sweet video Chelsea posted. In the clip, Aubree reveals her secret talent: Cooking!

Okay, okay, so she's no Giada yet, but she does seem to have a flair for making "pizza balls" and sprinkling them with just the right amount of shredded parmesan cheese. At one point, she actually whispers to herself, "That's too much." Ha, sooo cute! Not to mention, she's obviously learning a valuable lesson from her mama and Grandpa Randy here: They're never too young to learn how to make something delicious!

Check it out ...

It's hard to believe, what with all this snow blowing by my window, but Easter is hopping on by in just a few weeks. Already! I guess I could start psyching myself up for that annual egg dyeing project. Um ... yay? Or not. I've got a few Easters as a mom under my belt now. I'm kind of a slow learner, but I've finally figured it out: Dyeing Easter eggs is a total waste of time and food. I am so done with that project!

I'm well aware that the following concept may seem kinda odd to most families, and quite honestly, it seems kinda odd to ME to write about it ... because it's such a normal part of how we do things here in Gosselin Land.

About three times a year, typically in August before school starts, in November or December around the holidays, and sometime over spring break, I pull out the large mixing bowls, the huge stand mixer (I think I need a restaurant grade mixer because that thing is just never big enough!), and rally all of my willing kids and, almost, in the blink of an eye, together we turn into a full blown bakery! The goal is to fill our freezers with hundreds of prepackaged school lunch desserts! And that, with eight kids eating school lunches for about 180 days a year, is quite a feat! In fact, by my quick calculations, I pack 1,440 lunches each and every school year!

If anyone loves to experiment with snazzy, quirky, offbeat dessert recipes, it's me. I've even got some sprigs of lavender sitting in the fridge waiting to be crushed up into an inventive cookie recipe at some point soon. But then there are times when you just wanna stick with a true classic. Like peanut butter cookies. How can you go wrong, you know? But a more important question: How can you go very, very right? What if you could bake up the ULTIMATE batch?

This recipe, adapted from the official cookbook out of the famed Magnolia Bakery in NYC, promises just that. Armed with the Sex & the City landmark's expertise, you'll be in for a real treat that's crisp on the outside and cakey and ooey-gooey with melty peanut butter chips and chocolate chips on the inside. Heeeeaven!