One of my favorite ways to use quart-sized canning jars is to pack them with salads. I can make them on Sunday night and just grab and go all week. There are a few keys to layering your salad so that it is fresh and crispy when you are ready to eat it. • Dressing first!—This keeps everything from getting soggy. • Hardier ingredients next—onions, carrots, beans, peas, bell pepper, olives, etc. These will get great flavor from sitting in the dressing! Apples will work in this

As we head into spring, our thoughts turn to cleaning out closets and garages, but there’s another place you might want to consider in your spring cleaning plans – your pantry. Here are some tips to get you started. 1. Before heading to the store, “shop” your pantry to find ingredients you already have for easy, tasty recipes. Homemade soup is a great way to use a mixture of pantry ingredients such as pasta, dried beans, canned vegetables, spices and grains. You can fi