These Foods May Help Expecting Mothers Induce Labor

After nine long months of pregnancy, you just want that baby out. As someone who’s never given birth, I can only speculate, but I imagine carrying life in your mid-section for 40 weeks is not the most comfortable state of being. And maybe, just maybe, food can help move things along just a little bit. From tea to candy, these are some of the most famous eats known to induce labor. And some of them even have the science to back it up too!

Black Licorice

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This polarizing candy has one miraculous benefit: It’s scientifically proven to speed up labor. A study published in the Journal of Epidemiology focused one key licorice ingredient known as glycyrrhizin, which is associated with shorter gestation periods. The 2002 study surveyed over a 1,000 Finnish women on their licorice consumption and found this correlation to be true. There are few theories as to why this is. One has to do with the way glycyrrhizin interacts with cortisol levels, and the other speculates that it speeds up production of the hormone prostaglandin. Whatever the case may be, it’s good to know that the world’s grossest Halloween candy can at least serve a greater purpose.

Dates

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Turns out dates may move up your due date! A 2017 study in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that women who ate six dates a day for the four-week period leading up to their due date were more dilated when they arrived at the hospital. Plus they labored seven hours less than a control group who didn’t eat the fruit. Researchers are still exploring this phenomena but theorize that dates have an oxytocin-like effect on the body and possibly stimulate contractions. Hey, whatever does the job!

Raspberry Leaf Tea

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The medicinal properties of raspberry tea have been touted forever. Seriously, its usage as a healing beverage can be traced back to a book called “The Herbal” from 1597! It’s been viewed as a cure-all for everything from gastrointestinal issues to morning sickness. So it makes sense that people long believed that it would also help ease the birthing process. It wasn’t until 2001 that science decided to weigh in on the issue once and for all. And it turns out it’s not nearly as effective as the folklore would have you believe. According to a 2001 study published in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health, raspberry leaf tea did not shorten the first part of labor at all. The second stage of labor was only shortened by 9.59 minutes.

Pineapple

Many people swear by pineapple as a labor time-saver. While it’s never been scientifically proven, here’s what we do know. Pineapple contains the enzyme bromelaine which does soften the wall around the cervix. However, whether that alone can induce labor is unknown. At the very least, consider having a slice with breakfast in your third trimester simply because pineapple tastes great and no further evidence is needed to prove that.

Spicy Food

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Spicy food has long been speculated to stimulate contractions. Though there’s no research to back up these claims, spice does help the body release the hormone prostaglandin, which does help move things along. So if you can stand the heat, why not chow down on some chili?

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You Can Totally Make This Beautiful Coconut Cake

Have you ever looked at a coconut cake, with those fluffy white layers and even fluffier flake-covered frosting, and said to yourself, I wish I could make a cake like that?

If so, you’re in luck!

Because you totally can make a cake just like that by following a few easy steps.

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15 Tips For Throwing the Ultimate Labor Day Party

Labor Day is the holiday that brings the long hot days of summer to a close. Say farewell to the season in festive style by throwing a Labor Day party that will long be remembered for its relaxed atmosphere and festive spirit. Keeping it simple and planning ahead will ensure that the host remains as happy and carefree as their guests.

Labor Day, a time when our nation’s workers are honored, officially became a federal holiday in 1894 and countless Labor Day parties have been thrown in the century since. Ensure that yours is an affair to remember by following these simple tips.

Denise Vivaldo, food stylist and author of the book, Do It For Less! Parties: Tricks of the Trade From Professional Caterers’ Kitchens, and caterer and party planner Jamie McFadden of Cuisiniers offer their best advice to our list of no-fail suggestions for hosting the ultimate Labor Day party.

1. It All Begins With the Invite

The first step in planning a successful Labor Day party is ensuring that your guests have enough time to add the event to their busy summer calendars. McFadden advises that you “notify all invitees by phone, email, or US mail at least 10 days prior to your celebration. Request that they respond with ‘regrets only.’” He says to “invite an array of friends and family to ensure that many conversations will be struck and possible new friendships made. Introduce those who do not know one another and point out anything they may have in common.” In order to avoid the awkward moment when a guest forgets the name of someone they met earlier in the day, consider having guests fill out a tastefully designed name tag that includes a note about how they know the host.

2. Plan Ahead

“I believe that when the hostess has fun, the guests have fun,” says Vivaldo. Keep it easy on yourself during the day of the event so you can enjoy the festive occasion too. McFadden suggests that hosts ‘prepare menu items that are easy to eat and do not require a knife. Also, have an 80/20 mix of cold food to hot food.  This keeps you from a lot of last minute cooking when you should be mingling with your guests.” Select simple, make-ahead recipes and remember that you don’t have to make everything yourself. No one will judge you for offering pre-made salads, dips, or desserts—and if they do, you don’t want them at your party anyway!

3. Don’t Forget the Garnishes

Chowhound

Consider placing pots of mixed herbs at eating stations along with colorful scissors and instructions to your guests to snip their own garnishes. Scatter about tiny bowls of flavored sea salts along with Mason jars of fun and colorful pickles.

4. To Drink Or Not To Drink?

Chowhound

Don’t forget about keeping the children at your party, along with adult guests who do not drink, hydrated and happy. Offer a station of homemade sodas, iced tea or lemonade, sparkling water, and a variety of freshly squeezed juices and garnishes such as citrus slices, berries, and crystallized ginger. Set out cocktail glasses and swizzle sticks, label everything clearly, and write a note on a small chalkboard encouraging guests to make their own mocktail. Also offer plenty of bottled water to keep all of your guests well hydrated.

5. Tag It

Regardless of whether guests are drinking alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverages, offer baskets of tie-on tags and a few pens so guests can label their glass and keep it with them throughout the day. You wouldn’t want to confuse sangria with fruit juice.

6. Keep It Simple

Consider opting out of a formal meal, both to retain your own sanity as well as to encourage more socializing. “Unless you are serving a formal sit-down dinner, do not provide a seat for every guest.  When people sit they stop mingling and only chat with the person sitting next to them,” says McFadden.

7. Keep Them Moving

Scatter food and drink stations throughout your party area in order to keep traffic flowing and avoid a log-jam. McFadden says “this also forces your guests to move around and get to know each other.” Offer trays of food that are easy to refill throughout the day so guests can eat at their own pace.

8. Chalk Menu

Place a chalkboard in a central spot in your event space identifying the dishes being offered in colored chalk. If you have artistic talents, decorate your board with a few floral flourishes.

9. Neutrals With Pops of Nature’s Color

Keep your decor neutral and elegant. Natural fabrics like burlap and linen or brown butcher’s paper enable the colors in your food and beverages to standout. Scatter potted plants throughout the space. Their vibrant green leaves will pop against a neutral background. Freshly cut flowers will finish off your decor simply and beautifully.

10. Don’t Forget the Kids

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Summer games are easy to execute and will keep the wee ones in your group as entertained as their parents. “I want my friend’s children around, but I also create a game room, so they will enjoy themselves and other kids. Offer them juice, fruit, and a cookie bar. I have even hired a babysitter to keep them safe and sound and to let their parents relax,” says Vilvaldo. Hula hoops, corn hole, or a beanbag toss are fun games for children. Croquet, bocce ball, or outdoor pictionary that includes a large chalkboard and colored chalk are fun for all ages.

11. Music

Keep the music playlist light and buoyant. Don’t fret too much about it by letting the internet do the work for you. “Preselect a great playlist for your event. If using Pandora, I suggest Sunday Brunch Radio,” says McFadden.

12. Blowing In The Wind

Don’t let weather ruin the festive day. Set up a party tent to offer guests shade and protect them from a rain shower. Offer sunscreen to avoid sunburns and weigh down items such as tablecloths and napkins to prevent the wind from carrying them away.

13. Keep The Pests Away

Nothing dampens the spirit of a festive party faster than unwanted pests. Offer guests Deet-free bug wipes and burn citronella candles in various areas throughout your space.

14. A Smooth and Festive Transition

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Be ready for your party to transition from daytime to night. Scatter blankets throughout the space to counter cooler evening temperatures, have candles and matches on hand to set the evening mood, pre-arrange torches throughout the space and for a full-blown nighttime party, offer sparklers. They are surefire ways to delight the children in your group.

15. Don’t Forget the Toasts!

There’s no better way to commence a festive Labor Day party than by toasting to your guests. It’s a way to honor them and spark a celebratory note. McFadden says “right before you open any food stations or serve dinner, and the majority of your guests have arrived, I suggest stepping out of your comfort zone and toasting your guests. One of my favorites goes like this: ‘there are tall ships and small ships and the ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are friendships and long may they be!'”

Related Video: Smoked Barbecue Baby Back Ribs

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Buttermilk Ice Cream

a fresh fruit swirl, or a slice of warm cornbread for a sweet and savory dessert. Get Recipe!

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Heat and Sweet: How to Grill Dessert

Looking for dessert but boycotting the oven? Grilling is a great way to celebrate the summer, pairing fruit with ice cream or cake for a perfectly sweet treat. With fall just around the corner, it’s time to break out the grill for the last few gatherings. Keep the grates hot throughout the meal to prepare dessert when you’re ready for it—they’re best served piping hot with melty ice cream! Read on for tips on how to pick the best fruit for grilling, how to prepare your grill, and recipes to experiment with.

Pick and Prepare Fruit

Fruits that work best on the grill tend to be heartier varieties with firm surfaces and higher sugar content for good char and caramelization (a.k.a. where the flavor is!). Fruits with a high water content (such as watermelon) don’t grill as easily, taking more time to develop a good char while becoming mushy in the process. Instead, opt for fruit like sliced and cored pineapple, halved stone fruit (peaches, plums, etc.), pitted cherries, or citrus.

Try to pick fruit that is ripe, but still firm. Soft, bruised fruit will grill just fine, but may stick to the grill more easily. Coat the flesh more heavily with nonstick cooking spray.

Prepare the Grill

Fruit naturally has a lot of sugar, so the grates of your grill must be extremely clean and well-oiled to prevent pieces from sticking to the grill. Use a grill brush to gently paint a layer of oil onto the grates. If you don’t have a grill brush, dip a paper towel in oil and use a pair of long tongs to apply to the grill.

The heat of your grill should be at a relatively medium heat; extreme flame will burn the fruit faster than it can cook through. Adjust the heat to the thickness of your fruit—thinner slices of pineapple will require faster, more direct cooking whereas thicker peaches will need lower heat to soften all the way through.

Grilled Peaches with Ice Cream

Ellie Krieger

The classic combination of peaches-n-cream is complemented by the intense, caramelized flavors of grilled peaches. Creamy ice cream will melt beautifully on the hot peaches, creating a delicious (and gluten-free!) summertime treat. Substitute peaches for other stone fruit as the season progresses; plums, apricots, pluots, and nectarines work just as well. Check out this recipe for Grilled Peaches with Ice Cream.

Grilled Banana S’mores

Candice Kumai

The marshmallow isn’t the only component in this decadent s’more that benefits from the kiss of a flame! Grilled bananas are sandwiched between melty chocolate, toasty marshmallows, and two crispy graham crackers for this take on a classic campfire favorite. Check out this Grilled Banana S’mores recipe.

Triple Berry Crumble on the Grill

Flourishing Foodie

Forget the oven—this Triple Berry Crumble takes in all of the smoky flavors of the grill and cooks alongside the rest of your dinner! A cast iron skillet is perfect for cooking outside, holding lots of heat to cook the crumble all of the way through. Check out this Triple Berry Crumble recipe.

Grilled Cherry Milkshakes

Edible Perspective

Cherries have a rich, dark sweetness that only gets better with smoke and heat. Pair these decadently grilled cherries with sweet, delicate cream and sip with a straw—a beautiful way to end summer fruit season! Also consider substituting grapes for cherries in their off-season. Check out this Grilled Cherry Milkshake recipe.

Grilled Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Eat the Love

Grilling slices of sweet pineapple kickstarts the rich caramelization of the sugars in this upside-down cake. Plus, charred and smoky flavors pair beautifully with super sweet fruits like pineapple. A hint of chili flake in the topping is cooled down with a fragrant, lime-spiced pound cake base. Check out this Grilled Pineapple Upside Down Cake recipe.

Grilled Pound Cake with Citrus and Whipped Cream

Amanda Frederickson

Grilling pound cake slices toasts the cake in a delightfully crispy way. The flavor combinations are simply magic—cooling whipped cream, tart citrus, and toasty cake are perfect way to end a late summer cookout. For an added grill element: Place a halved orange, flesh side down, on the grill and char until dark marks appear. Allow to cool slightly and squeeze the juice into the whipped cream for more citrus flavor. Check out this Grilled Pound Cake recipe.

Related Video: How to Make Grilled Strawberry Shortcake

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Broiled Blueberry "Pie" With Graham Cracker Crust

Get Recipe!

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Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Energy Balls

These Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Energy Balls make a great after-school (or after-work!) snack. You can whip them up in a jiffy and they'll be gone just as quickly. They also freeze beautifully!

Continue reading "Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Energy Balls" »

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How to Grill Corn on the Cob

Peak-season corn is so sweet and tender you can happily eat it raw, but when you want to cook your cobs, don’t stick to boiling them. Try grilling your corn on the cob for a little smoky, extra-summery flavor. There are a few ways to do it, all of them easy, but of the two most common methods, one is superior.

Husk On

Lots of people swear by grilling corn in the husk, which acts as a natural barrier to protect the delicate kernels while they cook, and in effect steams the corn while still imparting a faint hint of smoke. Just trim off any tangled, discolored silk at the top of the ears before you place them on the grate over direct medium to high heat. Let them cook for 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally, then cool enough to handle and strip off the blackened husk and silk. Roll your corn in butter and seasoning and enjoy.

Cooking corn before shucking it actually makes removing all the pesky strands of silk easier, and the peeled-back husks can make a nice natural handle, but if you’re a fan of charred bits and more pronounced smoky flavor, you’ll find this option a little lacking. The point is to grill the corn, after all. So we like the following method even more.

Husk Off

For those who want more char, shucking the corn first, per our Basic Grilled Sweet Corn recipe, is the only way to go. You don’t need to stress about peeling off every last clingy filament of silk since it’ll mostly burn off anyway, and you don’t need to season the corn first, although you can if you want (just slick it with a bit of oil or melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper). Stripped-bare corn cobs can be placed on the grate directly over medium to high heat too; turn them periodically to get relatively even char on all sides, and they should be done in 10 minutes—maybe double that if the heat is lower. If you didn’t season them first, roll them in butter and spices hot off the grill, and bite into a perfectly juicy taste of summer.

You could grill your corn in the husk, then peel it back and put the ears on again for another few minutes to pick up some smoke and color, but that’s complicating matters for no real reason.

How to Eat It

Add some metal-pronged holders to each end and grilled corn on the cob is a great partner as-is to any protein, from burgers to grilled shellfish, and of course, fellow cylindrical summer icons, hot dogs. If you want to branch out from plain old butter, try these unusual seasonings for your corn on the cob. And if you don’t like gnawing on the cobs themselves, you can shave the kernels off to use in salads, salsa, pasta, pizza, soups, and any other dishes that could use pops of sweet, smoky flavor. You can also grill extra ears, cut off the kernels, and freeze them for later use.

Check out some of the grilled corn recipes below for inspiration.

Corn-Husk-Wrapped Grilled Halibut with Charred Corn Salsa

Chowhound

Just because you grill your corn sans husk doesn’t mean you have to throw the outer leaves away; use them to keep meaty halibut steaks moist and intact on the grill, then top them with the charred corn itself in the form of lime-spritzed salsa (which is also great on tacos or in rice, burritos, enchiladas, and pretty much anything else). Get our Corn-Husk-Wrapped Grilled Halibut with Charred Corn Salsa recipe.

BBQ Pulled Chicken Pizza with Grilled Corn and Scallions

Spices in My DNA

Grilled corn and grilled scallions join bacon and barbecue chicken on a cheesy pizza. This is a great way to use up leftover shredded BBQ chicken or even pulled pork, and if you want, you can grill the pizza itself too. Get the recipe.

Grilled Corn Salad with Tomato and Avocado

Well Plated by Erin

Sweet grilled corn kernels, bright tomatoes, and creamy avocado make an ultimate summer salad, and you can toss in any fresh herbs you have on hand. Arugula adds a nice peppery note to contrast the sweet and acidic flavors. Get the recipe.

Spicy Grilled Corn and Peaches with Burrata

Half Baked Harvest

Juicy ripe peaches and sweet charred corn are a gorgeous summer duo, and even better with fragrant, spicy basil and super-rich burrata. This simple yet striking dish can be a side salad or a light meal with a bit of grilled toast, and maybe a bed of mixed greens. Get the recipe.

Grilled Shrimp Boil Kabobs

Damn Delicious

A shrimp boil on a stick is a delightful (and obviously delicious) dinner, with andouille sausage, shrimp, corn, and baby potatoes all skewered and grilled with butter, garlic, and Cajun seasoning. You’ll need a sharp knife to cut the corn into sections, and plenty of lemons for squeezing over everything. Get the recipe.

Roasted Corn Pudding

Taste of the South Magazine

Creamy corn pudding is an often-underappreciated side dish, but it’s perfect with all sorts of things, from grilled chicken to steaks, or even on its own with a salad. While this one calls for roasting the corn, you can use grilled kernels in their place. The cobs infuse the milk and cream with even more sweet corn flavor. Get the recipe.

Grilled Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad

Chowhound

This pasta salad is bursting with summer flavor from grilled corn and zucchini and fresh, sweet cherry tomatoes. A little feta tops it off, and the cilantro can be replaced with basil or parsley if you prefer. Bring this to all your summer cookouts, potlucks, and picnics. Get our Grilled Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad recipe.

Jalapeño Grilled Sweet Corn Muffins

A Farm Girl’s Dabbles

Grilled corn kernels add dynamite flavor and texture to jalapeño corn muffins, with some sour cream and cheddar cheese in the batter for good measure. These would be particularly great with chili as we slide from summer into fall. Get the recipe.

Related Video: How to Cut Corn Off the Cob with No Mess

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