McCain Foods

Host the Most Adorable Despicable Me Party Ever!

It’s no secret that munchkins love Minions. And with Despicable Me 3 coming out on June 30, this summer is the perfect time to throw a Minion Mania movie party to get ready for the big event!

Step 1: Grab the Remote The first thing you have to do is set the Minion mood. Since it’s always nice to rewatch the originals before heading to the theater, consider downloading or plugging in a copy of one or both of the previous flicks to get everyone in the spirit with their favorite characters. Step 2: Send Out the Invitations Before the big screening, create your own custom movie theater “tickets” with your address and the party details. Have the kids help in the fun by cutting them out of construction paper or using a free printable template like this one.

Step 3: Pop the Popcorn What’s a movie without a big cup of buttery popcorn-y goodness? To create the perfect Minion-themed cup, buy yellow paper party cups like these, decorate with googly eyes from your favorite craft store and use a black magic marker to draw on faces and goggles. These cups also make great drink cups (hint: pineapple juice is the ultimate Minion-yellow drink).

Step 4: Offer a Wholesome Snack If vacuuming up kernels later isn’t your thing, go a healthier (and slightly less messy) route by making Minion bananas. That’s right! Simply glue or tape on paper cut-outs of their faces and outfits (like these you can download here). For savory, heartier fun, try this Smiles® with Chili Con Queso recipe featuring McCain® Smiles™ Mashed Potato Shapes for a kid-friendly twist on theater nachos. Step 5: Decorate with Balloons Balloons are an inexpensive and super low-stress way to make any setting feel festive—and of course, the kids will like playing with them. Buy some yellow balloons, rent a helium tank or let your local party store fill them up, and then decorate with black marker and paper/felt cut-outs. Step 6: Make movie memorabilia. Make it a movie screening to remember with a parting gift the guests can wear while they watch. Have your kids help decorate inexpensive yellow T-shirts or foam visors before the party. They can use fabric markers, googly eyes, felt and lots of imagination to create memorable Minion-gear for themselves and their friends.

Memorial Day weekend means flip flops, friends, family and most importantly: food. Whether you’re hosting a cookout or heading to a potluck, help kick off the summer right by throwing these smokin’ sides on the grill:

Grilled Veggie Cheese Fries We may be biased, but when it comes to sides you can’t beat fries. The only problem is you can’t grill them. Right? Wrong!

There are so ways to load up fries for the grill, and almost no wrong way. This easy veggie cheese fries recipe is great for sneaking more veggies on the picnic table.

Elotes Put a creamy, zesty spin on grilled corn on the cob with this traditional Grilled Mexican street corn recipe. It will make you wonder why you ever stopped at butter.

Bacon Wrapped Grilled Peaches Sweet. Juicy. Crispy. Incredible. See this wild recipe that puts ingredients together in a way we never would have dreamed up.

Do you have some bored, curious kids on your hands? Good! We have just the thing:

You could grab a kit from a hobby store, or make it even more memorable by hunting down these items and explaining what each one contributes (don’t worry, we have notes for that).

Creating a potato battery is not just a fun way to spend an afternoon, it can help get your kids interested in how things work (AKA science!).

What you need:

2x potatoes

2x galvanized nails

2x pennies (copper plates from the electrical section of the hardware store are a good substitute)

3x 5-inch insulated copper wires (electric section is a good place to look, “alligator clips” can also simplify this) small digital clock or LED light with attachments for wires

How to do it:

STRIP: Start by stripping the ends of the copper wires of their casings by cutting gently with scissors without snipping the wire.

WRAP: Wrap one stripped end of one of the wires around a nail and the other stripped end around the penny or copper plate. Then wrap the remaining nail and penny with the other two wires and leave them disconnected.

PLUNGE: Stick the connected nail and penny into separate potatoes. Then, stick the unconnected nail into the potato with the penny, and the unconnected penny into the potato with the nail.

CONNECT: Attach the clock or light to the unconnected wires by touching or twisting them together.

How to fix it:

If it’s not working right away, try some adjusting:

Try swapping the clock or light connections (remove the nail-clock and penny-clock connections and switch).

There may not be enough power. As long as you have enough room on the potatoes (where none of the metals touch) you can continue adding connected nails and pennies to opposite potatoes for more energy.

Try a smaller voltage clock or LED light.

If using pennies, ensure they are older than 1984 for maximum power. The more copper the better, so if you have access to copper plates or piping that will amp up the flow a bit.

How it works:

Batteries require a chemical reaction in order to create energy. Each of the supplies you tracked down serves a specific purpose in your battery: galvanized nails—the metal that coats these nails, zinc, wants to get rid of electrons  copper pennies—copper wants more electrons

potatoes—the electrolytes inside free the unwanted electrons from the zinc wire—allows the electrons flow from one metal to the other—creating energy

If zinc wants to get rid of electrons—those are tiny particles that fly around the center every metal (and every element). In order to do that, it also has to get rid of protons (slightly bigger particles that are at the center of every element). By sticking zinc in a potato, it can dump those protons into the potato while dumping its electrons across the wire to the electron-needy copper and viola!

St. Patty’s Day celebrations usually call to mind pub crawls, pints of green beer and parade routes jammed with mischievous leprechauns. But if you’re thinking about celebrating in a more family friendly way, we’ve found plenty of easy ideas for having food and fun with the kids.

The Eating of the Greens (and Reds, Yellows, Blues and Oranges)

Corned beef and cabbage will always be a mainstay of the St. Patrick’s Day table, but given the “greenness” of the occasion, it’s a good time to get kids into the spirit by introducing new veggies and fruits.

Have a Green Smoothie Bar

Get kids interested in trying a wider variety of fruits and vegetables with yummy smoothies. Just let them “order” their own custom smoothie creation by having them pick from green vegetables like spinach or kale, various colorful fruits (fresh or frozen), fruit juices and nut milks. Then blend their concoctions to make a “green shake” (wink, wink) that’s as delicious as it is healthy.

Create a Rainbow Fruit Tray

Set out an array of colorful, bite-size fruits like orange smiles, kiwi, blueberries, strawberries and grapes in an arc to create a rainbow-themed fruit tray. If desired, at one end, add a “Pot of Gold” filled with pineapple or mango chunks.

Set Up a Potato Station

Nothing says “Irish” quite like a spud. Bake up a batch of McCain® Smiles® and create a station with a variety of toppings like chili, broccoli and cheese, alfredo sauce, roasted peppers, bacon and more. Kids will love building their own creations. Plus, you can make the display festive by using green plastic leprechaun hats from a party store as bowls.

Happy-Go-Lucky Fun Time

For a kid, the highlight of any party is game time. Keep them entertained with these easy ideas.

Make Festive T-Shirts

Get white T-shirts and a variety of green dye colors for an old-fashioned tie-dye craft party. Or, go the rainbow route and let them be extra colorful with lots of different colors.

Play Lucky Bingo

Use a traditional set of bingo cards or create your own St. Patrick’s Day-themed cards from construction paper and dollar store stickers featuring shamrocks, pots of gold, leprechaun hats and shoes, rainbows and horseshoes. If you can’t find stickers, have the kids draw shapes on a construction paper bingo card first. Then use gold paper or candy “coins” for the chips!

Pin the Shamrock on the Leprechaun

Pick up a large leprechaun wall or window decoration and use a cut-out paper shamrock to give the pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey game a new twist.

Hunt for Treasure

Sixty years ago today two brothers decided to go into the potato business in a rural village in Canada. Since Harrison and Wallace first broke ground on the venture, we’ve grown into a family of dedicated workers digging up great potatoes and serving up great fries. Remembering our humble beginnings, we are proud to have stayed true to our hardworking family roots. 

Here’s to another sixty years of growing. 

Remember when Valentine’s Day used to mean a dozen roses, champagne and a candlelit dinner? You’ve traded that for heart onesies and enough cartoon cards for a whole classroom, but having kids on Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to mean foregoing all the romance with your significant other, or skipping holiday fun with the kids. Below are some tips for enjoying the holiday with all your sweeties—big and small!

Love Snack

When you have young kids, making dinner reservations can be about as hard as keeping them. Show some love right at home with this cute breakfast idea your little ones will be sure to appreciate.

Short, Sweet Valentine for Your Main Squeeze

Draft a love letter to your significant other in the time it takes to brew a pot of coffee.

Suggestions:

1. Short—No more than a simple, tiny page. Think “love Tweet” (but not digital; real paper is romantic). Not only does this make it a little easier on yourself, it actually takes the burden off your significant other, too. Simple can be lovely!

2.  Sweet—Yes, parenthood requires humor, but this is one instance in which sincerity can pay dividends. Tell your S.O. how much they mean to you as your partner and friend as sincerely as possible.

3. Valentine—Yes, you love and admire your partner’s co-parenting skills, but try to focus on their awesomeness sans kiddos (save those thoughts for the Mother or Father’s Day card). Focusing on their non-parent side will help you see your partner as a paramour, and might just rekindle a bit of romance for the both of you.

Big, Messy Love

Make Valentine’s Day cards with the family, and say “I Love You” in the process.

Suggestions:

1. Set out craft supplies: construction paper, scissors, glue, ribbon, etc. (Feel free to skip the glitter unless you want to still be cleaning it off the floor on the 4th of July!)

2. Pick a spot where the whole family can spread out: the kitchen table, the living room floor, wherever.

3. Have kids make a card for their sibling(s) or for you, and join in on the fun. Cards should include at least one lovable thing about the person in question (for kids too young to write, have them draw what they love). Writing down what you love about your kiddos, and vice versa, can help everyone forget about the day’s tantrums and sibling rivalries, and focus on the love that holds you together as a family.

With the biggest football game of the year coming up fast, it’s time to plan for the party. And whether you choose to “go big or go home” with the guest list, we’ve found some easy hacks to reduce stress, max the fun and let you keep your eye on the ball (or just the commercials).

The Food

Keep It Simple.

Other than the game itself, it’s the centerpiece of any game day party. But the best advice is, keep the nibbles and noshes mostly “make-ahead.” Fancy, multi-step recipes can be saved for other holidays. This day is about relaxing and having fun.

Befriend Your Crockpot (or Roaster Oven).

Crockpots in a variety of sizes are your besties. If you have only one or two, borrow one. They’re great for making a large quantity of the usual suspects like chili and wings, but also pulled pork or chicken, a huge batch of hot dogs or brats and warm dips. A roaster oven can be an asset too: it’s an easy, hands-off way to bake a large number of potatoes for a baked potato bar.

Use the Oven in Unexpected Ways.

Make your deviled eggs en masse in the oven. Or, bake off frozen fries or onion rings to create a loaded appetizer bar with complementary toppings (like chili, cheese, onions and diced tomatoes). McCain® beer-battered products work great, we might add!

Let Everyone Do a Little of the Work.

Consider having a potluck game day party. Have guests sign up for particular food categories ahead of time, so you don’t end up with one pot of chili and 14 trays of football-shaped brownies. (Tip: Have a secret vote for the best potluck item. The winner who made it gets a prize like a nerf football or pack of a special beer.)

Or, for something different, let guests build their own meals by setting out ingredients for walking tacos.

The Drinks

Keep canned or bottled beverages on ice in a cooler. Use a slow-cooker to make hot spiced cider. For a non-alcoholic option, a DIY soda bar adds a natural buzz to your party.

To cut costs, make it a BYOB event, or stretch beer with classic mixers like tomato juice, or create this refreshing and different “beer punch.”

The Décor

Stuff small paper sacks with fries, pretzels, popcorn or other snacks, and turn into football-themed décor items with white tape “laces”. Even the kids can help!

Keep rings off of tables by making a few astroturf coasters from an inexpensive sheet of turf.

The Games

Have guests choose their ending score for the game. The person who gets closest wins a nerf football or bag of candies or something else of your choosing. Like this candy bouquet.

Play the “don’t say it game:” pick a word, like “penalty,” and if guests happen to say it, they have to do something silly, like rub their tummy and pat their head at the same time.

Big game bingo: not every guest will be enthused about the game—but one way you can keep them engaged in the party is with a game in which everyone must watch the action for different chances to bingo. Here are some free bingo cards.

The Memories

When the weather is too frigid for snowmen and you’ve already blown through the final season of Gilmore Girls (no spoilers, commenters!), everyone can get a little stir-crazy. Banish boredom from your living room with these fun ideas for gathering friends and family for some serious board gaming.

THE FOOD

First things first—no one has fun on an empty stomach. Put together some snackable bites everyone can enjoy beforehand and in-between rounds of play. Some easy favorites:

Sweet Potato Fries Dip Bar

Smiles® with Pizza Dipping Sauce

Turkey and Cheese Hashwiches

THE DRINK

Make a special drink for the occasion to keep things simple and festive. Bust out the crockpot to keep cocoa or apple cider warm. For the adults, mix up a punch bowl of cheer: try egg nog or this cranberry orange cocktail. Use a mishmash of cup styles, or make labels to avoid mix-ups.

THE SETUP

Take care of a few details the day of the get-together and you won’t have to run out and miss your turn. Get your kitchen table (or kitchen counter) cleared off for your food setup and your coffee table (or dining room table) clear for the game. Make sure you have enough chairs, napkins, coasters and room to play. Create a playlist full of upbeat, preferably instrumental music that won’t be too distracting during gameplay. If you have a fireplace, it’s time fire it up.

THE GAME

Same game, same gang isn’t really a recipe for excitement. To get the most from game night we recommend either playing a new game or inviting new people to the mix. Here are some great games we recommend trying out:

New Games

The Game of Things—Everyone responds to a category like “Things you wish grew on trees” or “Things Santa would do on December 26, then you’ll guess who said what.

Ticket to Ride—It’s simple but addictive: become the top railroad tycoon by building railroads between cities. If you have kids (8 and up), this is a great one to include them in on the fun.

Spaceteam—For those who like teamwork…and shouting at each other. In five minutes, (3 to 6) brave souls will attempt to assemble a spacecraft by identifying the space tools in each other’s hands to solve malfunctions that arise. Another great one to play with the kiddos (10 and up).

Make Your Own

Picture This—Think Pictionary meets telephone. It’s easy, fun and you can play for as long as the fireplace is still warm.

To do it: Cut up small pieces of paper, one for each player for each round. To start, everyone around the table writes a common phrase, quote or lyric on the top sheet of paper like “cup of joe” or “show me the money.” Then everyone passes their full stack to the right, and that player has to draw the phrase on the next piece in the stack. Everyone passes to the right again with the picture on top and this time, they have to write what they think the phrase is on the next sheet. Keep this going until your original stack makes it back to you and have everyone show and tell how “meat thermometer” became “turkey zombie.”

“It’s Personal” Trivia—Some trivia games can miss the mark because they seem to be made for someone else. This style not only filters out those lame questions, it’s totally free.

To do it: Name someone “Trivia Master” or “Trivia Czar” or whatever they prefer. They get to choose because they have an important job: be familiar, fair, fun and free. By that we mean they must have an understanding of the players’ knowledge levels and areas of interest, be dedicated to creating a fun and even playing field and they need to have some free time (you said you were bored right?). With these factors in mind, Trivia Wizard creates questions in three categories: Entertainment, Science, Arts and Personal (this one consists of fact-based questions that relate to the group as a whole—think “Where did Aunt Delilah get her cat?” or “In how many states has Harold lived?”). Questions (50 should be plenty) can be assembled on note cards or a simple spreadsheet. Have three rounds with questions from each category for each player, until the final head-to-head showdown.

Hosting a New Year’s Eve party at your home can be the perfect way to ring in the new year, particularly if you’re not into crowds or over-priced celebrations. Still, the cost of food, drinks and party favors can add up fast.

To help you start the year in the black, we’ve rounded up a few tips.

Time it right.

Experts say you shouldn’t feel like you have to provide a complete dinner. Start the party later, after the dinner hour, and provide simple appetizers. Or, have the party early so it serves as more of a pre-party with a set ending time.

Hit after-holiday sales.

In the days after Christmas, you can get great deals on silver and gold ornaments that look gorgeous in a bowl or hanging from mirrors for New Year’s Eve. As for food, you can frequently find markdowns on holiday cheese and sausage sets that make easy, yet hearty appetizers.

Have guests bring the food.

Even on New Year’s Eve, there’s nothing wrong with having a good old-fashioned potluck. Ask each guest to bring an appetizer and you simply provide the location, music and company.

Offer an inexpensive food bar.

Think loaded baked potatoes or fries with an assortment of toppings guests can add to customize. A pasta bar is another great option. Offer one or two pasta varieties and toppings like shredded chicken, chili, marinara and alfredo sauces, olives, Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Limit the food to dessert.

Ice cream, cake, fresh fruit, and decadent toppings can bring the year to a sweet finish while keeping the menu small and affordable.

Stretch the champagne.

Save on the bubbly budget by mixing champagne with orange, apple and cranberry juice to create a light sangria.

Check out these great articles for more budget-friendly inspiration.

10 Tips for Throwing a Great, Cheap New Year's Eve Party

Luxe-for-less New Year's Eve Party

Want a tasty snack for movie night? Or a low-effort spread for game day? Get everyone involved in the prep with a fun and easy french fry bar. All it requires is a few bags of your favorite frozen fries and some imagination.

Here’s how to do it.

Fries

Choose two to three different types of fries: maybe a beer-battered fry and sweet potato fry for the adults and a bag of McCain® Smiles® for the kids.

Seasonings

Set out small containers of seasonings for sprinkling. Garlic powder, lemon and herb mix, fresh chopped rosemary, seafood seasoning and fresh cracked black pepper all make good choices.

Dipping Sauces

You can make these as simple or as sophisticated as you want. Ketchup is, of course, the no-brainer. But ranch dressing, honey mustard sauce, BBQ sauce or a prepared aioli are easy upgrades.

To offer an array with just a little more prep, try these recipes:

Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup of Heavy Cream

1-1/2 tbsp. Gorgonzola, crumbled

4 tsp. Lemon Juice

Salt, to taste

In small sauce pan, reduce cream over lower heat for 30 minutes. Add gorgonzola, lemon juice and salt; stir until cheese is melted. Serve warm.

Creamy Basic Pesto

½ cup Basil Pesto, prepared

½ cup Mayonnaise

In small bowl, whisk to combine. Serve chilled.

Sriracha Ranch Dressing

1 cup Ranch Dressing

2 tbsp. Sriracha sauce

In small bowl, whisk to combine. Serve chilled.

Toppings

Here’s where you can really go all out. Everyone loves a good loaded fry and the topping options are endless. All you do is set out the ingredients and everyone can build their own. Some inspiration:

The Classic Loaded Fry

Melted cheddar cheese, bacon bits, sour cream and chopped green onions

Tex-Mex Fries

Chili, jalapeños, diced onions, shredded pepper jack cheese and your favorite hot sauce

Authentic Canadian Poutine

Brown gravy and cheese curds

“Cheeseburger on the Loose”

Ground beef, melted cheddar, pickles, onions and mustard-mayo

For more ideas, check out these great blogs and articles:

The Pioneer Woman Fry Bar

15 Loaded Fries Piles High with Flavor

The table has been cleared, the dishes are washed and the fridge is jam-packed with containers full of turkey, stuffing, cranberries and more. But unless your family wants to eat the exact same thing every day for days on end, you might need a little menu inspiration. Here are few quick and easy thought starters:   

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup 

Add diced turkey, cooked long-grain and wild rice, and whatever fresh or frozen veggies you like to chicken broth. Heat and then whisk in a little cream and season to taste.   

Turkey and Cheese Quesadillas 

Butter a flour tortilla and top with diced turkey, cheddar cheese shreds and another buttered tortilla and cook on the stovetop just as you would a grilled cheese sandwich.   

Cranberry Mustard Relish 

Add pep to your post-Thanksgiving sandwiches with a tangy blend of leftover cranberry sauce and Dijon mustard. 

Loaded Turkey Fries 

Bake up some frozen fries and then top with warmed-up turkey, stuffing, vegetables and gravy for an all-American twist on the Canadian favorite, poutine. Check out our latest Joy in the Kitchen video for a demo! Watch now.

Eggs & Stuffing Hash 

Cook leftover stuffing in a buttered skillet until slightly crispy. Top with your favorite-style fried egg.   

Mashed Potato Pancakes 

We’d love to hear what you do with your Thanksgiving leftovers. Drop us a note in the comments below!

With “giving thanks” being an integral part of the Thanksgiving celebration, it’s the perfect time to reinforce the concept of gratitude with children. A Thanksgiving feast in which everyone around the table calls out a thing or two they’re grateful for can serve as a powerful learning experience that sets the tone for the remaining holiday season and the whole year. 

Of course, if you want to get the discussion going long before the turkey timer pops up, here are five ways for promoting the attitude (and practice) of being thankful in the weeks and months beforehand. 

Make a “thankful moment” part of every day. Whether it’s during dinnertime, bath time or bedtime, schedule it just as you would any other family event and ask your kids to tell you at least one thing they were thankful for that day. It might be as something as simple as getting to watch an extra hour of TV or something like “my brother gave me the last cookie,” but the point is to help kids do a daily exploration of the countless things for which they are grateful.

Keep thank-you notes in plentiful supply. Insist that kids write one anytime they receive a gift. If they’re too small to write, you can write it for them and have them draw a picture or add another touch to show their appreciation. To incorporate extra crafting fun, you can have them create their own special card design with construction paper and crayons or markers. 

Encourage generosity. Ask your kids to regularly go through their toys and pick out donations they think another child might be grateful to have. 

Be selective about handing out gifts. If kids receive an over-abundance for a birthday, stow them away and distribute as “surprises” throughout the year to promote appreciation. Be sure to let friends and family know your plan. 

For the week or two up to Thanksgiving, create a construction paper turkey craft. Cut out paper “feathers” on which children can write something they give thanks for each day. Add the feathers to the turkey and share the notes of gratitude during your Thanksgiving feast. 

Between work, kids’ schedules, sports activities, lessons and so forth, creating a home-cooked weeknight meal (let alone trying to find time to eat it!) can be a real challenge. The hack that we love is the home-made freezer meal. It’s the trend the Internet is going crazy for and it’s a smart way to ensure your family gets the wholesome food that suits its dietary preferences from gluten-free to vegetarian to vegan or even paleo. You can customize with only ingredients your family loves.   

The secret is a little weekend preparation. Block off a couple of hours one afternoon to prep ingredients. The beauty of these freezer meals is that there’s no cooking involved until you put it in the crockpot so they’re always freshly prepared and delicious.

How To:   

Buy a box or two of gallon-size freezer bags as well as some quart-size that can tuck inside. 

Pick your recipes and print out in advance. The Web has plenty of great crockpot freezer recipes for every menu preference. 

Take advantage of sales that allow you to stock up on ingredients in bulk, and then serve those meals throughout the month. 

Get the whole family involved. Adults can cut up chicken or meats and veggies. Younger kids can help with filling bags with spices or creating cute recipe and date labels for each bag. 

Avoid menu monotony. Try to fix a different recipe or two every weekend (or every other weekend) so you always have plenty of variety in the freezer to choose from. 

Don’t be shy about “cheating” on prep a little. Frozen vegetables, frozen potatoes and premade sauces can go right into the freezer bag with your fresh ingredients. 

Keep in mind that certain ingredients, in particular dairy, may need to be added after the other ingredients cook—so package them separately. 

Invest in some crockpot liners for quick and easy cleanup after the meal. 

Try hosting a “freezer meal” party with friends so you can exchange recipes and have fun prepping your meals in the kitchen together.

Recipes for Inspiration:   

30+ Kid-Friendly Freezer Meals 

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas 

19 Freezer Meal Prep Sessions That Take an Hour or Less 

31 Crockpot Freezer Meals for Busy Weeknights 

12 Make-Ahead Slow Cooker Freezer Meals     

The pumpkin may be the iconic squash of All Hallows’ Eve, but it’s not the only veggie that can be carved into stunning (and stunningly easy) creative jack-o-lanterns.   

In fact, long before pumpkins became the default Halloween favorite, the first ones were often carved from large root vegetables like beets and turnips. Villagers in old Ireland would carve scary faces into them and place them in windows to drive away evil spirits like Stingy Jack, for which the lantern is named.

Seeing as how we have a lot of potatoes around at McCain, we discovered they make pretty fine jack-o-lanterns too. And they can be just as cute or spooky as you’d like with a whole lot less clean up! 

Here’s how to make your own terrifying tuber:   

Start with fresh, cleaned, raw potatoes. Mark your design in pencil lightly on the surface of the skin. Use your potato’s own imperfections to your design advantage. An imperfect mark can make a cool-looking monster eye! Cut off the bottom of the potato so it can stand flat. Hollow out, carve, add a tea light and you’re done!

What’s even more festive? Carve a sweet potato!   

If you want to branch out from the standard potato, sweet potatoes make especially Halloween-right decorations. First of all, they grow in all kinds of gnarly shapes. And second, they’re orange beneath the skin so they’re already pumpkin-colored! Simply carve away a little outer potato skin and you’ve got glowing orange eyes and mouths right away.     

Experiment with what you’ve got. 

Nearly any veggie or fruit can be carved into a unique and creative jack-o-lanterns with the same techniques as carving a pumpkin or potato. Open your fridge and try lemons, oranges, bell peppers, acorn squash and more for a Halloween table that’s truly original.     

Be sure to share your spud-o-lanterns and other jack-o-lantern creations with us by tagging the McCain Facebook page!

Autumn is almost in full swing, so it’s likely your family’s calendar is full of everything from karate practice to yard-raking to a whole new kind of math (who knew we’d have to learn it all over again?!). To maintain your sanity, it’s a good idea to take a night to escape the hustle and bustle and get wrapped up in a story. There are a lot of new shows out there, and we’ve pulled out a few highly anticipated premieres you won’t want to miss:

Ye Ol’ Broadcast Television

These days, there are a couple different camps of TV fanatics: the traditionalists and the internet-ists. If you lean more toward the traditional side, here are some new shows that are worth adjusting those bunny ears for:

The Good Place

Network: NBC

Premieres: Monday, Sept. 19 

This is Us

Network: NBC

Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 20

Speechless

Network: ABC

Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 21

Pitch

Network: Fox

Premieres: Thursday, Sept. 22

Internet-Exclusive With a resurgence in highly acclaimed television—some call it a new golden age of television—comes a serious change in format. Not only have premium channels gotten into the business of creating some of the most well-regarded shows out there, more and more streaming services have taken the leap from transmission to creation. Take a look at some of the mold-breaking shows you’ll have to log on to watch (and you’ll want to put the kids to bed before you do):

One Mississippi

Service: Amazon Prime

Premieres: Friday, Sept. 9

Insecure

Service: HBO Go

Premieres: Sunday, Oct. 9

Good Girls Revolt

Service: Amazon

Premieres: Friday, Oct. 28

The Crown

Service: Netflix

Premieres: Friday, Nov. 4

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

Service: Netflix

Premieres: Friday, Nov. 25

I’ve Seen This Before… Ever noticed there are a whole lot of shows that used to be movies? It seems the familiar reboot format that we’ve come to expect from just about every Hollywood release is making its way onto the small screen. Take a look at just a handful of these movie-to-series debuts:

Frequency

Network: CW

Premieres: Wednesday, Oct. 5

Emerald City [re-imagining of the Land of Oz]

Network: NBC

Taken

Network: NBC

Training Day