Yes, we know she's technically a duchess, but for all intents and purposes, Kate Middleton is a princess through and through. That doesn't mean she's free as a bird to do whatever her heart desires, though. Life as a royal is actually rather restricting. Here are some things Middleton can't do if she wants to stay in the good graces of the public — and her in-laws.

1. Pop in for a blowout

Yes, Middleton does have her own personal hair stylist at her beck and call. But sometimes, you just want a quick pop-in at the blowout bar for a speedy style and some lashes while you're out and about. Unfortunately, when you are one of the most photographed women in the world, you can't trust your tresses to just anybody.

2. Shop alone

The joy of shopping alone is no more once you're royalty. Even if you manage to get out into an actual store like Middleton often does, a protection officer is present at all times. Time to start underwear shopping online!

3. Get drunk in public

Not that it's something anyone should do on a regular basis, but sometimes a girl just wants to let loose at happy hour, you know? When you always have to be "on" for the cameras — even when you're not at an official event because paparazzi are everywhere — overindulging in one too many glasses of wine just won't do.

More: Kate Middleton's secret revealed — how does William cope?

4. Express an opinion

Middleton can say her favorite color is white, but that's about the extent of the personal preferences she can discuss in public. Political matters — and even some non-political ones — shouldn't be spoken about because the British royals are not supposed to be seen as influencing such issues. If Middleton hates eggs, she certainly can't say so for fear of offending both her breakfast host and the entire egg industry.

5. Eat garlic or most shellfish

At official engagements, at least. The queen has decreed garlic verboten in order to spare the embarrassment of bad breath, and Middleton is now sure to follow the same rule. A glittering tiara only does so much to distract one from stank-mouth or from food poisoning caused by bad shellfish.

6. Sunbathe topless

Unfortunately, Middleton learned this lesson the hard way. Thinking she was safely ensconced far from prying eyes on vacation in the French countryside, she doffed her bikini top — and promptly found her bare breasts on the cover of a magazine. The royals sued, but the damage was done. She'll probably be keeping it under wraps from now on.

7. Vote

Don't blame Middleton for Brexit. The royals are not allowed to vote — no influencing politics, remember? The royals also can’t seem to be at odds with the presiding powers in Parliament.

8. Name her kids Apple or Kal-El

Middleton has already shown her propensity for classic names — George and Charlotte are très traditionnel — but even if she got a wild hair up her royal backside, she would never name any future children something too unique. Royals in direct line to the throne are usually given royal family names, so don't hold your breath for a real-life Princess Buttercup.

More: The Obamas are coming for dinner, but Prince George DGAF

9. Have a Facebook account

It's crazy to think someone in their 30s doesn't have their own social media accounts, but Middleton can't... for security reasons. Prince Harry used to have a secret Facebook account under the name of Spike Wells, but it was deleted shortly after nude photos of him partying in Vegas emerged. Kensington Palace currently maintains an official Twitter and Instagram account for the official engagements of Middleton and Princes Harry and William.

10. Play Monopoly

If Middleton has a knack for real estate, she'll have to keep it to herself. Apparently, a certain board game causes too much strife amongst the royals, and in order to keep the peace, it has been banned. "We're not allowed to play Monopoly at home," Prince Andrew revealed in 2008. "It gets too vicious."

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

The Easy Bake Oven has pretty much been a childhood staple since it was invented in 1963, and it provides hours of fun — and educational — entertainment for kids. The only huge drawback is the refill mixes are incredibly expensive. Good thing it's so easy to whip up your own versions at home.

Check out these Easy Bake Oven recipes and get to cookin'!

More: Trick your kids into eating fruit instead of candy with these clever kebabs

Easy Bake Oven brownies recipe

Ingredients:

• 2-1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 2-1/2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 teaspoons chocolate syrup

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients until the batter is smooth.
2. Pour batter into greased and floured toy cake pan. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
3. Let cool, and then cut into pie-shaped wedges or squares.

Easy Bake Oven quick cake recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons cake mix (like Betty Crocker, Duncan Hines or similar)
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Blend cake mix and water.
2. Pour batter into greased and floured toy cake pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.

Up Next: Easy Bake Oven chocolate cake

{pageBreak}

Easy Bake Oven chocolate cake recipe

Courtesy of Amanda Formaro of The Family Corner

Ingredients:

• 6 teaspoons flour
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
• 3/4 teaspoon shortening
• 1 Pinch salt
• 6 teaspoons milk

Directions:

1. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa, shortening and salt. Add milk. Pour into greased baking pan that comes with the toy oven.
2. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
3. For a vanilla (yellow) cake, omit the cocoa and add a drop or two of vanilla with the milk.

Easy Bake Oven peanut butter fudge recipe

Courtesy of Amanda Formaro of The Family Corner

Ingredients:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 5 teaspoons milk
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 teaspoons cocoa
• 6 teaspoons peanut butter

Directions:

1. Mix sugar, milk, butter, vanilla, and cocoa until smooth.
2. Grease two baking pans with butter. Spoon mix into pans about 1/4" deep. Spread 3 teaspoons peanut butter over mix. Spoon another layer 1/4" thick over peanut butter.
3. Bake each pan about 5 minutes. Let cool. (For quicker cooling, place in refrigerator 5 minutes).

Easy Bake Oven white frosting mix

Courtesy of The Family Corner

Ingredients:

• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3 tablespoons instant nonfat milk powder
• 6 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar and milk powder. Stir with a wire whisk to blend.
2. With a pastry blender cut in the shortening.
3. Spoon about 1/3 cup of mixture into each of 8 small bags. Seal tightly.
4. To use mix: Combine 1 package of the above mix plus 3/4 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Stir well with a spoon until smooth and creamy. Makes about 1/4 cup frosting. A drop or two of vanilla may be added if desired. Store other bags for later use.
5. For chocolate frosting, add 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa.

A few more notes

Just like their costly commercial counterparts, these mixes above don't include one of the most typical leavening ingredients: egg. While that's great for kids — because the batter is then safe to eat — the end result isn't usually as tasty as a full-sized (read: normal) cake would be. But since when has making cakes in a toy oven been about taste?

We hope your kids enjoys these recipes!

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Originally published September 2007. Updated November 2016.

All's been quiet on the Taylor Swift front recently and things have been looking up for the singer — she's rekindled a friendship with ex, Calvin Harris, and is supposedly making music with Drake — so what better time than Halloweekend for conspiracists to stir up the cauldron of her love life?

According to Lainey Gossip, Swift may or may not have visited Tom Hiddleston in England this past weekend.

More: Why Taylor Swift will always wear her heart on her sleeve

Here's what we know: 

1. Swifties are the ultimate stalkers fans because they tracked her private plane Friday night as it flew from LA to New York to London, where she landed at Stansted Airport.
2. Hiddleston supposedly wrapped up filming Thor 3 in Australia a few days ago, and was nowhere to be seen at the movie's wrap party.
3. Now, according to her plane-tracking fans, usually when Swift flies to London, she lands at Luton Airport, except this past summer when she landed at Stansted to visit Hiddleston and his family.

Hmm...

Is it a coincidence? Could there be a Hiddleswift reunion in our future now that he is done filming overseas?

According to E! News, Swift thought Hiddleston wanted the relationship to be "too public" for her liking, which seems a bit ironic considering she has publicly documented every relationship she's had on her albums.

On the other hand, what if the pair pretended to break up to throw us off track and get the media off their back? It wouldn't be the first time Swift tried to manipulate the press; Calvin Harris accused her of controlling the headlines after their breakup earlier this year as well.

So, maybe Swift and Hiddleston staged a breakup for the sake of their privacy. Plot twist!

More: Oh come on, when would Taylor Swift have had the time to get a boob job?

Thanks to Swift's plane stalkers, we know she was spotted leaving England earlier Monday. Swift documented her Halloween in New York City celebrating with members of her #squad including Gigi Hadid, Martha Hunt, Camila Cabello, Lily Donaldson and Kennedy Rayé.

Swift dressed up as Deadpool, who was played by her BFF Blake Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds in the movie that came out earlier this year. Apparently, she got to wear the actual costume from the movie, and thanked Reynolds on Instagram for the hook-up.

More: Taylor Swift says her boy-crazy rep is totally sexist

Must be nice to know people in showbiz around Halloween time!

As for a potential Hiddleswift reunion, we'll be counting on her fans to track her whereabouts over the next few weeks to make sure we're the first to know if Swift and Hiddleston cross paths again.

Do you think Taylor Swift should get back together with Tom Hiddleston? Let us know in the comments below!

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

For over a decade now, we've watched Real Housewives of Orange County's Briana Culberson evolve.

She went from an optimistic and energetic high school student — who loathed being under her mother's thumb — to a confident and responsible career woman, to a loving, caring wife and mother who always puts her family first. We've watched her become, as Andy Cohen puts it, the only voice of reason in the RHOC universe, and we've rooted for her every step along her life's journey.

More: Why would Meghan Edmonds ever visit Vicki Gunvalson in the ER?

But we've also watched in despair as Culberson struggled with health issues that caused her and her mom, Vicki Gunvalson, so much heartache. Years ago, Gunvalson buckled under the weight of the possibility that Culberson could have thyroid cancer, and over the past year we watched the family once again struggle as cancer was ruled out.

More: RHOC's Vicki Gunvalson's new boyfriend looks like a keeper

In the finale for RHOC Season 11 it was confirmed that Culberson's issues all root back to lupus — a chronic inflammatory disease that causes the immune system to attack it's own tissues.

We're so happy that Culberson finally knows what has caused her ailments over the years, but being that lupus is a chronic illness, we know that she still has a good fight ahead of her. It's not fair, but we know that if anyone can overcome lupus, its Culberson.

More: Well now all reality TV show friendships are ruined thanks to Vicki Gunvalson

And it doesn't hurt that she has her strong-willed mama in her corner fighting for her. Remember back in July when Gunvalson ordered a full-blown "witch-hunt" to track down the Oklahoma doctor she felt had harmed her child?

"Two things: you don't mess with my family, you don't mess with my money. My family is my everything, and I'm gonna find this doctor. He was going to kill my daughter. So, when I do find him, I'll probably pull him up against a wall and tell him what I think of him," she told Entertainment Tonight in July, via Bravo. "I want to go on a witch hunt for him."

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Abby Lee Miller of Dance Moms fame is facing some pretty serious fraud charges regarding her alleged money laundering, but she won't be going to jail anytime soon — because the court just pushed back her sentencing date.

"Due to a scheduling conflict, government counsel is unavailable on that date," court papers read, via Radar Online. "The court has advised that Friday, January 20, 2017 is an available date for the court to sentence the defendant."

More: Leaving Dance Moms wasn't easy for Maddie Ziegler, but it was necessary

Miller was originally scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 22, but the postponement gives defense counsel a little more time to gather their horses. She faces up to a $5 million fine and 20 months in prison for the 20 counts of fraud she was charged with back in Oct. 2015.

Not long ago, Miller joked about the very serious charges that she has been accused of.

"I've made a lot of mistakes, but probably not as many as all those bad moms," she joked on the red carpet of the Bad Mom's premiere over the summer.

She also justified her alleged crimes with the costs of being on a reality show.

More: Dance Moms' future could be in trouble if Abby Lee Miller goes to prison

"I have a business on Santa Monica Boulevard west of the 405. I pay this exorbitant rent and it's a set for a lifetime to shoot their television show, and it's also my dance studio," she said during the same red carpet interaction. "It's a working dance studio. Just interviewing managers has been insane. Getting the right people to do the right jobs is what I need to do, and I need to do it myself."

During the same interview, Miller said she's a vicitm of her own self, because she is has been too trusting, and she will, "You know, deal with the consequences."

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

'Tis officially the season to get down to business in the kitchen! It seems like the whole world has gone crazy with gourmet versions of old school favorites — which can be fun — but when it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts, there really is nothing like traditional candied yams (sometimes referred to as sweet potato casserole).

More: Fall comfort food recipes for the ‘Hungry Girl’ in all of us

This recipe for candied yams from Kidsumers will remind you of being a child and the magical feeling you got when the whole family was gathered in a warm home, eager to go to town on the delicious meal grandma made. The best part? Candied yams are a cinch to master.

Holiday candied yams

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 6 large sweet potatoes
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 a bag of mini marshmallows

Directions

1. Peel your sweet potatoes and cut them into cubes.
2. Boil your sweet potatoes until they are soft.
3. Add the butter, cinnamon and brown sugar to the yams, and mash them until smooth.
4. Put the mashed mixture into a casserole dish.
5. Cover the sweet potatoes with the mini marshmallows and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until the marshmallows are browned.

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Teen Mom 2 star Jeremy Calvert (Leah Messer's ex-husband and baby-daddy, in case you don't know) has caused a mighty stink on Instagram with his latest photo of his daughter, 3-year-old Adalynn Faith Calvert.

More: Teen Mom star has every right to tell his side of his adoption story

The tot looks happy and healthy with a beaming smile on her face. It's her photo prop that has angered many of Calvert's followers: She's holding what appears to be a 50-caliber sniper rifle.

Reading the comments attached to the picture, you'd think everyone was behind Calvert's decision to give his preschooler a gun for a photo opportunity. But this reality TV star is clearly social media savvy — at least enough to delete and/or block anyone who dared to criticize his move.

However, before he got busy with the block button, plenty of people put their views across, calling him irresponsible, both for promoting guns and for giving his young child a gun to pose with.

Kids with guns seems to be becoming something of a Teen Mom tradition — on Instagram at least. Last year, Teen Mom 3's Mackenzie Douthit McKee copped a load of flak for sharing a picture of her then-4-year-old, Gannon, wielding a gun.

McKee captioned the shot, "'Don't worry momma, I'll put supper on the table' #raisingthemright."

More: This Teen Mom star can't take a vacation from parenting critics

Shortly after the backlash against the photo of his daughter with a 50-caliber sniper rifle, Calvert posted to Instagram again, this time with a response to his critics, stating that he was taught how to handle a firearm correctly at a very young age, and that his child will be too. He also said all guns in his home are locked up behind a closed door, and he insisted his daughter is well-protected.

Many people commented to show their support for Calvert, with some stressing the importance of teaching children about gun safety from a young age and to learn to operate them correctly instead of fearing them.

It's an argument that's never going to disappear as long as people have the right to keep and bear arms. The anti-gun camp are never going to support anybody letting their kid hold a gun, whether it's a reality TV star or not. Calvert's absolutely right that nobody is entitled to tell him how to raise his kid — but he must have known how much of a stir this particular photo would cause.

More: Alec Baldwin credits his wife Hilaria with making him a more patient parent

Having said all that, it's also worth considering that around two children die in the U.S. every week from unintentional gun deaths, and 40 percent of those deaths occur in the room where the gun is stored. We can debate whether kids should handle guns ad infinitum, but nobody can deny those statistics.

When it comes to any 100th episode TV celebration, there are bound to be some major twists and turns. That definitely seems to be the case for Chicago Fire's 100th episode, as the cast and executive producers teased at NBC's One Chicago Day.

More: It's official — Chicago P.D.'s Burgess is finally getting a promotion

Mainly, there seems to be a lot in store for Dawson and Casey. As for what's ahead for the beloved couple, it will be both good and bad. First, the good. Dawsey fans have patiently been waiting for these two to finally tie the knot, but will they actually get married in the 100th? Per Monica Raymund (Dawson), they certainly are headed in the right direction.

"It would be nice," she said about whether the two will get married soon. "I don’t want to spoil it, because I can’t say yes or no, but I can say we do see them make a commitment to each other." That's better than nothing, right? If you ask executive producer Michael Brandt, he'll echo Raymund's sentiments. "Casey and Dawson make a big move in their relationship, something we’ve been talking about for five years actually," Brandt said about what Dawsey fans can expect in the 100th. That sure sounds like a wedding, but viewers will have to wait to see.

Now, for the not-so-good news, which has to do with Dawson and Casey's foster son, Louie. Basically, break out the tissues, because as Miranda Rae Mayo (Stella) dished, it "is just heart-wrenching to watch." Are you ready? Louie's biological father comes back into the picture.

More: Next time a real creep won't leave you alone, refer to Sophia Bush's letter

"Yes, Louie’s dad shows up and he kind of gives us a run for our money," Raymund revealed. "He does end up being the actual biological father. We have him tested. So, Casey and Dawson decide to sit down with him and he actually doesn’t show up. We don’t really know what’s going to happen yet. At this point, I think we might go to court over it and let the legal system handle it. I’m not sure what’s going to happen, to be honest, I haven’t read that far."

That will be hard to watch, but it seems like other elements of the 100th may help ease the potential heartache. For example, there is a big Molly's storyline.

"There’s definitely an acknowledgement to the 100th episode, because Molly’s finds out it’s having its 100th anniversary as a bar," Brandt said. "Of course, that doesn’t turn out well. They think it’s going to be a great idea and then this reporter digs up this not-so-nice history of Molly’s. There’s some violence and some gangster activity and, like, dead bodies piled up in front of it in these photos. They find old photos, so of course that turns out bad for Herrmann and everybody at Molly’s, but it’s funny."

Overall, Dawsey fans better brace themselves for the 100th episode, which airs Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 10/9c on NBC.

More: Sophia Bush on starting a new chapter and distrusting other women

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Get ready for another crazy season of Sister Wives on TLC, where Meri Brown’s catfishing incident still seems to be a thorn in their sides. The show premieres on Sunday, Nov. 27 with an explosive two-hour episode with Meri, Kody and Mariah Brown still licking their wounds as a family.

More: The Sister Wives are looking to make some real change for polygamous families

The new TLC trailer for Season 8 reveals that Mariah is not in a place of forgiveness with her mother. Kody wants her to forgive her mother and admits he somewhat blames himself for his wife’s transgression.

“I am not doubting that I was somewhat a catalyst,” he said to Mariah in the trailer.

What’s even more interesting is the fact that he admits to the cameras that his conversation with his daughter about the catfishing incident was “a mistake to be filmed.” Has the Brown family reached their threshold over what should and should not be filmed as a family?

More: Sister Wives' Meri Brown has another boyfriend, and no, he's not a catfish

The Browns have been very open about their plural life and have shared their ups and downs with the public. Kody has said before that he wanted to quit the show after having an ugly on-air fight with his third wife, Christine. It took the family five years to get to that place since the show debuted in 2010.

Is this a turning point for the family? Will they keep some things private and out of their Sister Wives storyline? It might be the only way for the family to truly get over Meri’s betrayal.

More: You don't have to be a polygamist to love the new Sister Wives workout plan

They’ve already been open about the experience. Do we need to witness every excruciating conversation about the pain the family is going through? Perhaps resolving this issue off camera and giving an update later is the best course of action for the Browns.

Viewers are going to see Meri and Kody continue to work out the issues in their 26-year marriage, but maybe it’s time to move it away from prying eyes. I am sure the TLC show provides them with a great source of income for their large family, but at a certain point, Kody may feel the need to say “enough” for the sake and sanity of his wives and children.

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Chili is one of those delightful foods — like spaghetti and takeout Chinese — that tastes more delicious on the second day than the first. Even better, leftover chili combines well with a plethora of other foods to be magically reinvented as a totally new dish.

Whether you're looking to start your day with a hearty omelet or are searching for an inventive spin on nachos to serve on football Sunday, you really can't go wrong with leftover chili.

More: Slow Cooker Sunday: BBQ chicken chili comes together in minutes

Chili, cheese and eggs

This hearty breakfast is super easy: Just scramble some eggs and pile the chili and cheese on top. A great way to get your day off to a good start.

More: Cheesy chili dog pizza — the indecisive snack lover's dream

Chili and cheese omelet recipe

A heavenly chili omelet with melted cheese inside and out and topped with fresh-cut tomatoes is a another wonderful way to start your day.

Serves 2

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes | Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs, beaten
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 teaspoons butter
• 3 dashes salt
• 4 dashes ground black pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 cups leftover chili, heated
• 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 green onion, sliced, for garnish

Directions:

Chili spaghetti recipe

For those times when you can't decide what to make — chili or pasta — why not make them both into one delicious dish? It couldn't be easier to make.

Serves 2

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes | Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked spaghetti noodles
• 3 cups leftover chili, heated
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 small sprigs fresh basil, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Chili size with avocado recipe

A chili size (also known as a chili burger) made with turkey and with piled-high chili, melted cheese, salsa and lots of avocado makes a meal you'll have to dig into and eat with your fork.

Serves 2

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 25 minutes | Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 thick ground turkey patties
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 hamburger bun, sliced in half
• 2 cups leftover chili, heated
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 avocado, seeded and chopped
• 1 green onion, chopped

Directions:

Chili and baked steak fries recipe

Just when you thought steak fries couldn't get better, they do with piled-high chili topped with melted cheese, onion and tomato. It's the ultimate finger food.

Serves 2

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 medium-size russet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 dashes ground black pepper
• 4 dashes salt
• 2 cups leftover chili, heated
• 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/2 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper

Directions:

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Slow cookers — they're pretty much God's gift to the kitchen. Why spend precious time smashing pumpkin pie ingredients into a tin and hovering over the oven when they're is fun to be had and wine to be drunk?

Instead of baking your holiday pumpkin pie the old-fashioned way, toss the fixings into a slow cooker and get on with your day. The resulting dessert is a cross between a traditional pie and a creamy pumpkin custard with a crust-like topping. Delish.

More: Roasting fresh pumpkin for outrageously delicious pie: You can do this

Slow cooker pumpkin pie

Recipe adapted from Food.com

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 15 ounces canned pumpkin puree
• 9 ounces evaporated milk
• 3 ounces spiced rum (we used Captain Morgan)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup Bisquick, divided
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• Whipped cream, for garnish

Directions: 

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin, milk, rum, brown sugar, one-third of the Bisquick, the eggs and the pumpkin pie spice. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker. Place pats of butter over the mixture, and sprinkle with the remaining Bisquick.
2. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or until the mixture is thick and the crust is golden brown. Serve warm with whipped cream, and enjoy.

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Originally published November 2015. Updated November 2016.

CBS has 33 seasons of Survivor under its belt, but it might have found the biggest liar of them all in their Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X show — Taylor Stocker. Fans watched as Stocker became smitten with Jessica "Figgy" Figueroa on the series.

More: Wait. What? Survivor's Hannah Shapiro fears death while sitting out of challenge

SheKnows interviewed Figueroa after she was voted out, and she talked about how she felt about Stocker while she was on the show.

"Taylor was just my 100 percent," she said. "That was my buddy out there."

Life wasn't so rosy after the show ended though. The two tried to make it work in the real world, but Figueroa alluded to some serious trouble in paradise.

More: Ciandre Taylor reveals her Survivor strategy to betray the Gen-X tribe

"When you're on an island, it's completely different from real life, and you find some things about people in their real life that you didn't know on the island," she explained. "It leads to a downfall, and it's for good reasons we're not together. It's for the better."

She even admitted they were at the point of not even talking to each other. Figueroa clearly stated that they were "not friends."

So what happened to the Survivor duo? Well, Stocker might have pulled off the biggest blindside in the show’s history. According to In Touch Weekly, he is expecting a son this month with his girlfriend.

Not only did Stocker have a girlfriend, but she was also pregnant while he was on the island with Figueroa. He lied to two women while trying to have his cake and eat it too.

More: How Michaela Bradshaw became Survivor's unexpected hero

No wonder Figueroa is over the saga of their island romance. She wants nothing to do with him after his deception. While we empathize with her and Stocker’s pregnant girlfriend, we cannot wait for the explosive reunion show when Jeff Probst calls out Stocker on his messy personal life.

It looks like Figueroa is looking forward to that moment as much as we are.

"I don't give a fuck if I'm his friend right now. I'm not dreading the reunion show," she summed up. "I'm excited. It will be a good show for you guys to watch."

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Amy Duggar King may be a Duggar, but that doesn't mean she's following the family's strict, conservative rules. And especially not on Halloween.

More: There may be a Clinton supporter in the Duggar family after all

Amy got scandalous this Halloween (by Duggar standards) by dressing up as Pretty Woman prostitute Vivian played by Julia Roberts, while her husband Dillon King took on the role of a suited Edward, originally played by Richard Gere.

Not only do the Duggars frown on any and all forms of prostitution, especially after the whole Josh Duggar mess, Amy's costume also isn't conservative at all, featuring thigh-high boots and midsection cutouts.

"I love this movie... #Prettywoman Confession: In this picture it looks like we had a wild/ crazy night here in Vegas. When in reality we were actually just heading to dinner, inside our hotel and then we crashed for the night. Lol #partyanimals"

More: Jana Duggar deserves more than her sheltered life

Amy has always been more liberal than her cousins. She wore a strapless dress at her wedding, whereas the Duggars typically always wear sleeves.

She always wears dresses above the knee...

... and she rocks a pair of short shorts.

She has also spoken out about the Duggars' courting rules in the past, saying that they live in a "Duggar bubble" and "don't live in reality."

More: Jim Bob Duggar needs to butt out of his daughters' courtships

Given that, it's not surprising that Amy is comfortable going for a more scandalous look on Halloween, and more power to her. Everyone should feel the freedom to express themselves however they see fit.

Are you surprised Amy Duggar's Halloween costume was so revealing?

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

At 23 I became a single mother. It was an ugly breakup and, as a stay-at-home mother, I was short on options. So I moved home with my two kids and went back to work.

More: What women still need to hear from Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump

I never really found my financial footing until both kids were in school, but by that time, my youngest had been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. My health insurance covered everything and my employer provided the flexibility we needed to attend therapy appointments. Though we were struggling, the universe conspired for our good.

My career was going well and I wanted to position myself for greater things, so I decided to return to college and earn my B.S. I knew it would be hard to juggle college, work, being a single mother, and my son’s health issues, but I was prepared to dig deep and make it work. I firmly believed that the way to get ahead in life was to work hard and bash through obstacles.

I hit my first road block when I learned that because I made so much money (around $40,000 a year), I was ineligible for financial assistance. It didn’t matter that I was a single mom or that there was no way I would be able to pay for classes on that salary.

I spent a lot of time reviewing my options with the financial aid counselor at school. She told me that with a B.S. in my field, my earnings potential would increase exponentially. All I needed to do was take out some student loans to cover the cost of school. Repaying them wouldn’t be a problem because the salary at my next position would more than cover my loan payments after I graduated.

I agonized over this decision, but it seemed the only way for me to get ahead. I didn’t want to stay stuck where I was. I loved my career so much and I wanted to climb to the top of it. I signed a stack of promissory notes and started studying.

I made a few career moves while I was in school and felt great about the direction I was heading in. My bosses loved me, and I loved my job and the firm I was working for. It was inevitable that I would move into the position I had been working towards for fifteen years.

And then the bottom dropped out of the legal field. Attorneys and staff got pink slips. Large firms cancelled their summer internship programs, and salaries were frozen or worse, cut. But it wasn’t just the legal field. Nobody could get a job when they graduated college, so they went to law school in droves, just to buy themselves a few more years before entering the workforce.

Ignoring these warning signs, I kept taking out loans and signing up for more classes. I knew it would sort itself out by the time I was done (given the snail’s pace at which I took classes, it was all but guaranteed).

All I had to do was just keep working hard and everything would be OK.

And then the bottom dropped out of my life. I married a sociopath. I didn’t realize what I had gotten into until it was too late. He had isolated me from my family and my friends – my entire support system of people who might have warned me in time to avoid what would come. In the process of disentangling myself, I lost my job. I was being evicted from my apartment. I dropped out of school because most days just surviving was a challenge. I didn’t know what would happen to me or our three-month-old son.

My work ethic was failing me. I threw everything I had at trying to get my life back in order, and it wasn’t working. I was too proud to ask anyone for help, and because I had isolated myself out of embarrassment, there wasn’t anyone left to help me anyway.

For the first time in my life, I was completely alone and helpless.

More: Sorry Trump, but your words do matter to me

Then Trump came around and he spoke to the rage I felt when I was doing everything right and watching other, seemingly less deserving people pull ahead. People who didn’t seem to work as hard or care as much as I did. People who were getting handouts to do things I had to pay for, even when I couldn’t afford them. He fueled the rage I feel as I watch my ex-husband get away with not paying child support for six years, while other fathers get hauled into court over $5. He's honest about the need for revenge I felt after 9/11, and San Bernardino, and Pulse, and every near-miss in between. He speaks to my outrage at what is happening with our health insurance and health care providers. And he calls out the disgust I feel when I watch people I know scam the system.

Years ago, I might have given into this fury and supported Trump because he promised revenge.

I still support many of the traditional Republican values – personal responsibility, fiscal prudence, a strong national defense, and free enterprise. But Trump has taken these ideas way too far. All through life, when I retold the story of how I did it all, I had overlooked the advantages that were handed to me at birth:  My whiteness, my upper-middle class family, my intelligence, and yes, my looks.

I looked down on people who were on public assistance. After all, they were facing the same obstacles I was. Why couldn’t they too pull themselves up by their bootstraps and fix their situation? Just like I did. I didn’t get any breaks in life, and neither should they.

My specialness kept me safe from others, and from being one of the others. Until it didn’t and I became one of them.

I’ve spent six years digging myself out of the very deep hole I walked into. It hasn’t been fun and it hasn’t been easy. And in that process I learned that I can’t do everything through sheer force of will, and I can’t do everything alone.

When I think about where my son and I would be but for the advantages I’ve had, my heart breaks. Instead of believing people living in poverty are lazy and should be able to dig themselves out, I feel myself standing there with them – scared, confused, and wanting someone to see them as a human being, not a wasted life.

And the truth is, no politician is going to be able to dig you out of whatever hole you find yourself in, no matter what they promise. The path to a better place does not, and should not, require us to stand on each other’s heads.

Trump’s policies will not help me, the average person who is trying to figure out how to get ahead. Building a wall is not going to help me. Kicking out immigrants isn’t going to help me. Killing terrorists isn’t going to help me. Lifting regulations on businesses definitely isn’t going to help me. And none of these things will help you either. It might make us feel better, like we’re doing something, but that’s about it.

Hillary supports affordable higher education, health care, equal pay for women, equal rights for the LGBT community and people of all races, ethnicity, and religions, and raising the minimum wage.

These platforms speak to many issues I’ve wrangled with over the years. We all want the same basic things out of life: A high quality, affordable education for our children, reasonably priced medical care, access to good paying jobs, and food and shelter. Most of us hope our kids can grow up and be even more successful than we were.

When our efforts are focused on vengeance, fear, and isolation, we move this country backward. Our country cannot move backward and forward at the same time. Hillary Clinton has earned my vote because she understands this one small thing.

More: What to do if your kid wants to build a wall like Trump's

Originally published on BlogHer

The bedtime negotiations had reached their nadir.

If our 5-year-old daughter wasn’t finagling a family dance party, then she was pleading for a packet of applesauce. Tooth brushing took 15 minutes with nary a speck of enamel clean. There were garments rent over bedtime story selections and whether the dog was lying too closely outside her door. Or not close enough.

It was such a shit-show.

My husband and I foolishly thought we’d conquered the hell-scape that had become getting our daughter to sleep by 7 p.m. — rigid adherence to routine; a Pinterest-inspired reward system involving pom-pom balls; bribery involving screen-time and M&M's for breakfast — but we were outmatched by a child determined to stay awake and ruin our lives.

More: Sleep and toddlers: How to create soothing bedtime routines

(Kidding. Sort of.)

About a year ago, I began sending our kid to weekly yoga classes at the same studio where I regularly practice and learned to meditate.

I tinkered for months with mantras and modes and mala beads, trying to find the right balance between a practice that spoke to me and one I could stick with. I can’t fall asleep without the dulcet sounds of a “Parks and Rec” rerun in my ears, so the idea of sitting still for long periods of uninterrupted silence seemed unnatural. Not to mention that chanting embarrassed me. I am somewhat of a skeptic and I really struggled with figuring out how or when I would fit all of this in.

Finally, I settled on a mixture of guided meditation and morning reflections on my home office floor. This 15-minute, pre-coffee, pre-kid ritual helps me to identify and unlock whatever emotions are swirling around in my heart, providing me a small slice of peace with who I am and whatever is going on in my life.

My father had noted early on that my daughter was born “with an agenda,” which is not too dissimilar from my own — a temper mixed with a lack of tolerance for anything but perfection. I reasoned that if someone had introduced me to yoga and meditation at my daughter’s age, perhaps the agony that comes with being human would have been less likely to manifest itself in so many eaten feelings.

Turned out, my daughter adored yoga. Practicing savasana (known as “corpse pose,” when you lie on the floor, still, on your back) was effortless for her, which chapped my hide to no end considering the machinations involved at home for a moment’s peace. “She’s drawn to that place in her that’s quiet,” the yogis at the studio said.

Hrumph.

One morning, at the tail end of my practice, my daughter plopped herself down and excitedly yelped, “Mama! Can I meditate and take deep breaths with you?”

More: Why I refuse to give my toddler a 'bedtime'

Sometimes inspiration whispers gently; sometimes it comes crashing into your lap, demanding you take notice of the obvious. And once we began to bridge the gap between her practice and my own, something happened: Our daughter asked to meditate together before she went to bed.

What was once a 90-minute, Sisyphean effort slowly weaned to 30. We incorporated calming yoga poses into our routine, and then happened upon kid-friendly guided meditations. Happily each night, our daughter was requesting by name certain breathing exercises along with her bedtime stories, all designed to help kids relax and sleep better.

Research on meditation and mindfulness benefits for children aren’t robust, though studies done by UCLA’s Mindfulness Awareness Research Center have demonstrated that the practice increases focus, relaxation and even classroom cognitive benefits for kids.

I won’t lie: We haven’t completely cracked the code. Delay tactics are still employed on a regular basis, and there are plenty of nights when I’m convinced my husband and I will never again watch 30 minutes of television before falling asleep slack-jawed on the couch. Still, she turns to meditation more than not, with the end result being a calmer, sleeping kid.

Here are some things to consider before incorporating meditation into your kids’ lives:

1. Don’t make mediation a punishment

Badgering your child to take up meditation is a surefire recipe for them to reject it. “If you tell a child that they’re feeling anxiety so you want them to meditate, you’re putting an expectation or an agenda on them to feel something,” Carly Carney, owner of the Beverly Yoga Studio in Chicago, says. After all, mindfulness and mediation is a tool used to help people identify their own emotions, whatever they are. “[Mediation] shouldn’t be forced,” says Tamara Levitt, head of content at Calm, a mindfulness meditation app. “We don’t want children developing a negative association with it.”

2. Do be opened-minded

Though many adults turn to meditation to relieve stress or anxiety, that’s not necessarily the motivation for kids who want to learn. Often, kids see meditation as another game to play and are actually drawn to the quiet. We finally put together that at bedtime, our daughter wasn’t acting out or being defiant — she needed something besides a story to get settled. “Children have more access to their vulnerability,” Carney says. “If your child is interested and has a natural curiosity, there doesn’t have to be a why. You can trust that in your child.”

3. Take a look in the mirror

Levitt says that while it’s not essential for parents to also meditate, it doesn’t hurt. “When parents practice mindfulness, they develop greater patience, more compassion and a deeper connection with themselves they can bring into their relationships with their children,” she says. Carney agrees. “Check in with your own motivation,” she says. “Investigate your own life first and notice what that brings up for you.”

4. Put your oxygen mask on first

In a culture of immediacy, it’s tempting to view meditation and yoga as a way to Band-Aid our kids’ feelings and ignore our own. “We’re in a constant state of grasping onto what we want and pushing away what we don’t like,” Levitt says. Carney counsels that difficult emotions are a part of being human, and the first thing parents can do is get comfortable with being uncomfortable, modeling for their children how to honor and talk about emotions. “You have to take care of yourself first,” she says. “You have to understand what it’s like to experience anxiety and sadness for yourself.”

5. Apply the KISS principle

Investing in classes and cushions are not prereqs to meditating. “When you hold your child in your lap and just breathe with them, that’s meditation,” Carney says. Apps such as Calm provide kid-focused practices that introduce brief meditation practices for kids ages 3 through high school.

6. Find what works for you

This applies to your kids too. Some people love chanting music; others prefer silence. Guided meditations are wonderful, but so is white noise. There is no hard and fast rule for how long anyone should meditate or when. Some guided meditations for children are as short as three minutes and as long as 12. Experiment with taking deep breaths with your kids and build from there.

More: Twin babies caught playing at bedtime have impossibly cute reaction (VIDEO)

We hear about it all the time: Gender inequality rages, even as many of us try to fight it. The pay gap is real. It’s 2016, and women are still earning less than men — and they’re also forced to fit into gender stereotypes they never asked for, as Mila Kunis reminded us in an essay published by A Plus today.

Kunis kicked things off by telling a story about the time she was asked to pose half naked for a men’s magazine cover, and told that she would “never work in this town again” when she declined. “Guess what? The world didn't end. The film made a lot of money and I did work in this town again, and again, and again,” Kunis wrote. And although she has the luxury of saying no — or, as she put it, “I am fortunate that I have reached a place that I can stop compromising and stand my ground, without fearing how I will put food on my table” — women don’t always feel like they can do the same. “What this producer may never realize is that he spoke aloud the exact fear every woman feels when confronted with gender bias in the workplace,” she wrote.

Sadly, this type of thing happens every day, and women are still under the society-constructed misconception that they have to go along with things, especially in the workplace, unless they want to risk the loss of an opportunity. “It's what we are conditioned to believe — that if we speak up, our livelihoods will be threatened; that standing our ground will lead to our demise,” Kunis wrote. “We don't want to be kicked out of the sandbox for being a ‘bitch.’” This often translates into giving up one’s ideals in exchange for trying to avoid stepping on any toes. “We compromise our integrity for the sake of maintaining the status quo and hope that change is coming,” she added.

Change can’t come fast enough — and, unfortunately, it’s not. Kunis cited a recent study by the American Association of University Women, which found that it’ll be 136 years before the pay gap actually shuts. That’s the year 2152, in case anyone wants to set a calendar alert.

“Throughout my career, there have been moments when I have been insulted, sidelined, paid less, creatively ignored, and otherwise diminished based on my gender,” Kunis wrote. And this is how it is for one of the most famous women in the country. “I tried to give people the benefit of the doubt; maybe they knew more, maybe they had more experience, maybe there was something I was missing,” she said. And though she did, at one time, try to fit herself into what was expected of her, she’s done with all that. “I taught myself that to succeed as a woman in this industry I had to play by the rules of the boy's club,” she wrote. “But the older I got and the longer I worked in this industry, the more I realized that it's bullshit! And, worse, that I was complicit in allowing it to happen.”

So Kunis started her own production company, Orchard Farm Productions, where sexism is a nonentity. When one “influential” producer described her as “a mega star” who is “one of biggest actors in Hollywood and soon to be Ashton's wife and baby momma” in an email. She and her company cut ties with him completely. Kunis is committed to using her platform as a place to talk about experiences like these as a way to poke a hole in gender conventions and politics and to shed light on what’s really going on behind closed doors. Hopefully, “women in the workplace feel a little less alone and more able to push back for themselves” as a result, she wrote. Next time someone tells you that you’ll never work in this town again if you don’t go along with their scheme, think of Mila.

If the trailer for Leah Remini's new Scientology docuseries is any indication about what's to come, this will be the most powerful and explosive look inside the organization that we've ever seen.

More: Tom Cruise is too busy to visit his own daughter? That seems hard to believe

Remini herself breaks down at one point during the just-released trailer as a woman recounts her sexual abuse at the hands of her Scientology boss when she was just 14 years old.

Remini then goes on to talk to other victims within the organization.

The message of the trailer? Remini sums it up so perfectly: "Fight for your family. Fight for your daughters, your sons. Wake up."

More: Katie Holmes' reaction to Leah Remini's ABC special is fascinating (VIDEO)

Just the trailer is causing a stir on social media.

The eight-part series officially titled Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath will air on A&E and will follow Remini as she speaks with others who have left Scientology like she has and are now ready to share their horrifying stories from when they were inside the organization.

More: 5 reasons we think Tom Cruise denies dating Laura Prepon

“My whole life I was a very dedicated Scientologist. I didn’t want to find out what I’d done was a lie," Remini says in the trailer. She spent 30 years as a member of the church. "Something inside of me was saying, 'Get them out of this thing.'"

Check out the full trailer, which was released exclusively by Entertainment Tonight.

Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath premieres on Nov. 29 at 10 p.m. on A&E.

Do you think Remini's documentary could finally be the straw that breaks the camel's back when it comes to Scientology?

Before you go, check out our slideshow below.

Mississippi roast: Who isn't obsessed with this dish by now? What sounds like a recipe a baked college kid might make in their first real apartment — beef, a whole stick of butter, a packet of ranch dressing mix, a packet of au jus and some pepperoncini (because why the hell not) — has won our hearts, and it's easy to see why. Simple, flavorful slow cooker recipes are always a prize. It's hard not to bump into the recipe on Pinterest, and it even got a write up in The New York Times. But there is such thing as too much of a good thing, even when it comes to buttery, ranch-infused beef.

More: Fall-apart tender pot roast with tart cherries

Don't let Mississippi roast become just another recipe that you binge-cook and then burn out on. These simple variations will ensure that the Mississippi roast stays in your repertoire for years to come. After all, when you find a recipe this easy and delicious, it's one you definitely want to keep around.

1. Swap your meats

Beef is the standard when it comes to the Mississippi roast, but the process works just as well with other cuts of meat. Chicken stays moist and flavorful when made Mississippi-style; pork tenderloin gets even more luxuriously tender; and even pork chops are somehow more exciting when done the Mississippi roast way. Hell, we even found a vegan recipe.

2. Switch up the seasoning

The original recipe calls for one packet of ranch dressing with either a packet of dry onion soup mix or a packet of dry au jus mix. But you can easily switch things up by swapping the au jus mix for another savory seasoning packet, like mushroom or onion gravy, barbecue pulled pork, meatloaf or anything that's supposed to be used with beef. Likewise, you can swap the plain ranch dressing mix for a spicy ranch mix, a balsamic vinaigrette mix or an Italian dressing mix.

The recipe also calls for a stick of butter. Consider swapping plain butter out for a compound butter you've made yourself or try coconut oil or even bison tallow.

More: 17 sauces to transform your holiday roast into something special

3. Make it from scratch

Obviously one of the great things about the Mississippi roast is how easy it is to make. But if you have a little extra time, why not fancy it up by making everything from scratch. Homemade ranch dressing mix is easy to make in big batches, and you can use it in your Mississippi roast and to make dips and dressings. You can also make your own onion soup mix and au jus mix, giving you full control over what goes into your meal.

4. Pass on the pepperoncini

Pepperoncini are delicious, but with so many pickle options out there, why limit yourself? You want something tangy, salty and a little spicy. Look for spicy pickled dilly beans, mixed giardiniera, pickled cherry peppers or pickled jalapeños and carrots for extra spice.

There you have it. By making these simple swaps, you can make sure that the Mississippi roast is more than a one-hit wonder in your house. After all, how often do we find Pinterest miracle recipes that actually work this well?

More: Copycat Arby's beef and cheddar sandwich is way better than the drive-thru

If you've never tried Panko bread crumbs, you're in for a surprise. These Japanese-style bread crumbs are different from regular bread crumbs because they're made from crustless bread, giving them a lighter color and a larger, more airy texture. They also tend to stay crunchy longer than your average bread crumb, which is a definite bonus in pretty much any recipe where you might use them.

They're good for a lot more than coating chicken and giving an extra crunch to casseroles, too. Try out these five easy recipes with Kikkoman Panko Bread Crumbs to see Panko in a whole new light.

Broccoli tots

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked broccoli
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/3 cup shredded cheese
• 2/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons dry Italian herbs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Next: Sausage and apple stuffed acorn squash

This post was sponsored by Kikkoman.

{pageBreak}

Sausage and apple stuffed acorn squash

Ingredients:

• 3 acorn squash, top and bottom sliced off flat and halved
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 pound ground sausage
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 green apples, diced
• 2 sage leaves, thinly sliced
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Spoon seeds out of the acorn squash.
3. Brush olive oil inside of each squash and season with salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 40 minutes to an hour depending on the size of your squash until tender but still holding its shape.
5. Sauté sausage and drain.
6. Using the grease from the sausage, sauté your onions and apples until softened.
7. Add sage and 3/4 cup bread crumbs.
8. Add 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
9. Spoon mixture into cooked squash halves and sprinkle remaining cheese and Panko on top.
10. Bake for another 15 – 20 minutes.

Next: Panko chocolate chip cookies

This post was sponsored by Kikkoman.

{pageBreak}

Panko chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line cookie sheet.
2. Cream the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and combine. Add the flour and Panko, on low speed until blended.
3. Scoop the dough onto the tray and press down on the dough to flatten it to about 1/2-inch tall.
4. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes until bottoms are golden.

Next: Turkey and mashed potato casserole

This post was sponsored by Kikkoman.

{pageBreak}

Turkey and mashed potato casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 4 cups shredded leftover turkey
• 1 cup leftover gravy
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups mashed potatoes
• 2 cups Panko bread crumbs, separated
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• Parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Combine cream of mushroom, turkey, gravy and seasonings.
3. Fold in 1 cup of Panko bread crumbs.
4. Spread 1/3 of the mashed potatoes to the bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 9-inch baking dish. Layer the turkey filling right on top of that and finish with the remaining mashed potatoes on top.
5. Sprinkle the remaining Panko and Parmesan cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is bubbly and golden brown.
6. Sprinkle with parsley for garnish.

Next: Broccoli and cauliflower gratin

This post was sponsored by Kikkoman.

{pageBreak}

Broccoli and cauliflower gratin

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 head broccoli florets
• 1 head cauliflower florets
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 2 cups shredded cheddar, divided
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Roast the broccoli and cauliflower florets until slightly browned, about 15 minutes in a 9 x 9-inch pan.
3. In a saucepan, melt the butter, whisk in the flour and let it cook over medium heat for 2 – 3 minutes.
4. Off the heat, whisk in the half-and-half, then turn the heat up to high and keep whisking to avoid the flour from clumping. Add the cheese, salt and pepper, and whisk until the cheese is melted.
5. Pour the cheese mixture over the top of the veggies.
6. Sprinkle Panko on top and bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

This post was sponsored by Kikkoman.

I was a young twenty something year-old, fresh out of college and immersed in securing a position that I could define as a career versus a job. “Where do you see yourself in five years?”  I recall the HR manager asked me. It was easy to answer then. “Secure with a job in a career path I love.” Followed by, “Being a great asset to the company, so much so that I am working my way up to director status.” That was my goal. It happened.

More: After a year of loss I learned my unhappiness is tied to loneliness

I remember that same twenty-something girl who chased the dreams of love and marriage. Defining myself and my aspirations by the next phase of life. Remaining hopeful that soon I would be sporting a diamond on my left finger and setting a date for “I do!” Finally, it happened.

I look back now and can recall the moment that the ideological shift of worshiping my own professional success took a backseat to building a family foundation. Not long after I was pregnant and months later my daughter with big beautiful eyes stared back at me. My dream of hearing “You’re promoted” turned to “Come here, Momma.” It happened.

Up until then, I was chasing life situations. Goals that I could check off a list. Been there, done that, to-do’s being accomplished in this thing called life.

Then something happened. I quit chasing things. Instead my mind raced to my feelings and emotions, and I defined myself and every success in my life by how I felt that day.

I am thirty years old and I have fought the majority of my life to be happy. Let that sink in a second. I know I am.

Happiness has become somewhat of a dream we are all chasing, especially as Americans. We have become obsessed with being happy. You hear it all the time now, more so than ever before. “How does that make you feel?” we ask our children. “Are you happy?” Your boss even asks you during your review. As we check off life achievements we place happiness on the pedestal.

I crossed that road this year. A coworker asked me in a pretty raw, vulnerable meeting, “What motivates you?” I looked up and without missing a beat I answered, “Happiness!” I could literally read her thoughts through her non-verbal response. But then she vocalized it and said, “Well then we aren’t aligned.”

That conversation haunted me for days, weeks and months after. Not because of her response, but because of my answer. The happiness answer.

It is not that it is not true. I want to be happy and happiness does motivate me. Who doesn’t want to be happy? But, why am I chasing it when it cannot be chased?

The reality is that as adults we are chasing this very thing, and as parents, we are even worse about it if not for ourselves, than for our children. We are so focused on making them happy humans.

I was obsessed with taking my daughter Lo to a real pumpkin patch this fall. It consumed me. I had to do it! In fact, it ruined a good Sunday with my husband because plans to attend one fell through. Lo napped at an odd time, right in the middle of the day and our hopes, well my hopes of pumpkin patching it faded. In my mind our day together was shot. I felt more and more like a failure as I scrolled Facebook as she peacefully napped, seeing other moms and dads out at a local farm partaking in their fall event. I placed my success as a parent on accomplishing this task. I wanted to give her that experience and I wanted to see her happy and make her happy.

We did finally do it, but we never stepped foot into the pumpkin patch itself. My daughter instead was happy with the sliding boards that scattered the farm. She giggled over the bouncy balls that were thrown about a lawn surrounded by a hay bale fence and she stomped around in glee in a silo filled with corn kernels. In fact, the farm had an over abundance of options, and more entertainment that could keep my two-year old laughing and playing for hours, maybe even days on end. Although, after an hour she climbed into the stroller grabbing her blanket and binkie and quietly watching the hundreds of kids play around her, as I pushed her through the field.

The point is she had no clue we drove two hours to this farm festival. She had no clue that this was the one thing her own mother drove herself crazy for weeks to accomplish. She could not tell you if you asked her right now what we did and where we went. Yes, she was happy at the time, but she also was content during the commute home as she watched Frozen from the DVD player and she was laughing as we stopped to get her mac and cheese for dinner.

More: No, covering up is not the solution to my pre-school daughter being body shamed

We become so paralyzed by the notion of making our kids happy. Whether you are like me and must take your child places, or you feel the need to buy them the latest toy craze, we fail to realize we are buying them the happiness we are chasing. We see it all the time – kids want to engage with us. They want to have small, meaningful connections. We as parents create yet again this idea that we must make our children happy and we chase this happiness dream for them.

Happiness is not a goal. It is an emotion that is the result of decisions made or living within a good moment.

Therefore I do not care if my daughter is happy.

It is not my job to make her happy. Instead, it is my job to make good decisions for her until the day she can make them for herself. It is my job to worry about her being a productive human being that is respectful and decent in this world, that knows right from wrong, that respects authority, that appreciates morals and that can appreciate the life she has been given. It is my job to build her a strong foundation so that she can stand tall and shine. Maybe the most important thing I can do is to love her and care for her, and to make her feel beautiful and important. To make her feel valued. It is my job to build her core and her self-confidence, much like my very own.

Instead, contentment is what we should strive for. I can feel defeated from a bad day, but still hold my head high because I am content. I can feel like a failure of a mom because I don’t want to work 55+ hour weeks with a daughter at home, but feel content as I lay my head on my pillow to sleep knowing my daughter has a hard working, independent mom she can one day look up to.

And, for our children this too should be what we strive for. Who cares if they are happy? You are going make them turn off a video game for dinner, take away the iPad out of punishment, make them finish their peas, set them in timeout, tell them, "No,” or “We cannot afford that,” and send them to their room. Guess what? They will not be happy. They will be hurt, sad, mad, frustrated, and probably yell, “I hate you,” and slam a door in your face, maybe even a couple times before they turn into adults and move out. But through the emotions, when happiness cannot be found, when you have worked hard to create a decent human being that is loved, they too will lay their head on their pillow and feel contentment and not even know it. And, that is why I could care less about happiness and that is what I define as success worth chasing.

Originally published on BlogHer

More: The "village" we've been looking for is in volunteer parents