The other day I bought some fruit punch ‘drink’ boxes to put in my kids’ school lunches. As I was unloading groceries, my husband made a comment along the lines of, “I could have mixed some sugar and water together for a lot cheaper than whatever you paid for these.”

He’s probably right. At that moment in the store, I just didn’t really care that much. They were on sale, and even if they were full of sugar, at least I knew my kids would drink them. Score a point for hydration!

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Here at The Stir, we love finding the easiest and yummiest recipes to feature daily on the site and on our Recipe a Day Facebook page. We're always hoping readers are loving them and sharing them with their families, and recently, we got concrete proof that some of you out there in the CafeMom community are doing just that!

CafeMom member and mom to Claire, 20 months, flowerfunleah from Pueblo, Colorado is a mega-Recipe a Day fan. She even raved in the forums that we really should put out a cookbook. And when she explained that she "actually makes almost everything The Stir puts out as far as recipes go," we were so flattered that we asked her to share her notes on her top tried and true Recipe a Day recipes. Check 'em out!

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As cheesy as it may sound, there's nothing like being home for the holidays. And I don't necessarily mean that one house that is your main address. Anywhere can feel like home, if you have the right people around you. Still, it doesn't hurt to have the right accoutrement -- aka holiday supplies! -- around, as well ... especially if you plan on entertaining! There really are certain must-have items every home must have this time of year. Here, 10 you should check your cupboards and shelves for STAT -- or else run out and pick up -- to better celebrate the "hap-happiest season of all!"

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Loyal Starbucks customers across the country were shocked, horrified, and outraged to read the news this morning that the coffee giant has been -- wait for it -- charging a hidden fee on some bags of coffee beans. *Gasp!*

For years, the company has been tacking on a service charge of about $1.50 to the price of a bag of coffee beans weighing less than one pound, and failing to put up signs in the store about the fee or itemizing the extra charge on receipts. Starbucks patrons were largely oblivious of the secret charge -- that is, until a state consumer agency in Massachusetts fined five Starbucks locations near Boston for not notifying customers about it. Now, Starbucks has agreed to drop the extra charge nationwide, but customers are still all kinds of angry.

Is a hidden coffee fee really so very shocking?

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Even a famous TV chef needs to have a quick, easy "guilty pleasure" snack or dinner recipe he can throw together in minutes after a long day of grueling interviews. I have a feeling celeb chef Curtis Stone may be in the mood for something like that tonight, being that he's currently on the road doing loads of back-to-back press. (I actually hung out with him this morning -- jealous?)

Stone's recipe for Barbecue Chicken Quesadillas is a quick way to get a savory, tangy, ooey-gooey cheesy fix and use up any leftover roasted chicken you've got hanging out in your fridge. In minutes, you'll have a gourmet quesadilla that will put certain Golden State-inspired pizza chains' specialties to shame!

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Were you planning on eating a Lean Cuisine for lunch today? You may want to reconsider that choice after hearing about the latest food recall. Lean Cuisine Simple Favorites Spaghetti With Meatballs has been recalled -- specifically some packages that have already been shipped to distributors and retail stores east of the Rockies.

The recall was spurred by complaints about red, hard plastic in the product from consumers in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. No injuries have been reported, but ewww!

The recalled packages bear the UPC code 13800-10390 with the production code 0298595519 P, according to Lean Cuisine maker, Nestle.

Nestle assures that customers who bought the entree can contact the company at 866-606-8264 or by e-mailing leancuisine@casupport.com for more info and to receive a coupon for a replacement entree.

But would you really want a replacement?

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Admitting to a problem is the first step, right?

Hi, my name is Amy, and I'm a freezer hoarder. It all started about eight years ago, when we bought a house and a nice big fridge to go with it. At first it was innocent: Some extra bagels, homemade granola, some nuts I didn't want to go bad.

Then I started saving little bits of things: bags of vegetables with not quite a full serving in them, canned chipotle peppers that I used just one of for a certain recipe, Parmesan rinds for soup, vegetable scraps, and chicken bones for stock. How many times have I made stock? Once.

Then, this past summer, we inherited an upright freezer from my husband's parents. The thing is mammoth and you could pretty much hear the electric meter spinning when it started up, but my husband had wanted one forever. And it really kicked the hoarding instinct into high gear.

First came the fruit.

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During the Season Two premiere of the Emmy-winning sitcom Modern Family, one of Manny's friends suggested he add a little salt to his chocolate milk to intensify the flavor. His mother (Sofia Vergara), playing the role of an overbearing mother terrified of "losing" her son to another girl, pretends she doesn't like it and then later admits it was "delicious."

The following day, the Internet was abuzz as a result of a scene with Vergara stirring her milk in a low-cut top. It didn't cause quite as much drama as Katy Perry's now-cancelled Sesame Street video, but there was definitely chatter, fueling interest -- at least tangentially -- in chocolate milk.

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