• Buy a $5 Macy’s savings pass and use it to get 25% off regular, sale and clearance merchandise throughout the store as well as 10% off furniture, mattresses and area rugs. The pass is valid in all Macy’s stores on Saturday, August 25, 2012.
• Macy's will donate 100% of the $5 cost of the savings pass to the March of Dimes to help give more babies a healthy start in life. 

• August 15-24: buy passes in-store (good for in-store purchases only)
• August 25: buy a $5 savings pass online at macys.com (good for online purchases only)

• August 25: use your passes online or in-stores (depending on where you bought them)
• August 24-25: Two stores in Massachusetts will hold an exclusive Two-Day Shop for a Cause - Boston (450 Washington Street, Boston); Berkshire (170 Old State Road, Lanesboro).

OXO Pop Containers: great storage solution for cereals, grains, and snacks.

Zojirushi Rice Cooker: Set-it-and-forget-it for perfect rice for weekday meals.

OXO 3-in-1 Avocado Tool: sliced avocado for sandwiches or quac never has been easier.

Bodum Coffee Press: for the extra boost parents need during the school year.

Zoku Quick Pop Maker: fresh & healthy smoothie pops in 7 minutes for after school snack.

Levis, Mechanics Tee, Chuck Taylors: coolest kid on the playground.

Coach Carryall: perfect for PTO meeting to weekend getaway.

Go to Macy’s this Saturday (or online at macys.com), buy a savings pass, get your BTS shopping done, save 25%, help babies. Doesn’t get better than that.

My sister and I grew up in our family's restaurant, watching my parents work tirelessly to see the family business endure for over 40 years. My dad was the chef and my mom the GM. I watched in admiration as my dad whipped up one dish after another. Needless to say, many of our family meals were staff meals at 'restaurant hours'. But it was in the intimacy of our home kitchen I learned how to cook from my mom.

In honor of mother's day, here are some tips my mom passed on to me that I now share with my boys:

1. Fresh ginger: a little bit of fresh ginger goes a long way in almost every Asian dish. Add it to steamed rice, soups, stir-fry, tea - anything that could use a little spice, mellow sweetness, and warmth.

2. Making perfect rice: growing up in a Asian home, I thought the only way you cooked rice was with a rice cooker (Uncle Ben's was completely foreign to me). Here's how to cook rice in a rice cooker: 1) Measure uncooked rice and pour into cooking pot. 2) Rinse with cold water 2-3 times and tip and drain water. 3) Place pot on flat surface and place your palm down flat on top of the rice. 4) Fill cooker with enough water so that it just about reaches your knuckles. 5) Wipe outside of pot and place in cooker. 6) Press cook and enjoy! BTW - this is for white, long grain rice.

3. Fresh ingredients: only use the freshest ingredients for any dish. My mom will inspect every piece of produce to ensure it hasn't been picked over or sitting around. It really does make a difference in overall taste and quality.

4. The Wok - great multitasker: Woks are more than just for a stir-fry. It can be used as a steamer for many traditional and healthy asian dishes. You can use bamboo steamers or set a platter on a steamer rack. Woks are great for deep frying too. I've also used woks for blanching veggies.

5. Treat yourself to a nice meal: We've all had those days - too tired to prepare a home cooked meal or find yourself in a menu rut. Pizza and takeout are perfectly fine solutions for days like this. But some of my favorite memories are of eating out at good restaurants as a family. Besides eating a delicious dish, there's nothing more satifying than enjoying a really good meal and not have to do a single thing.

So to all moms out there - Happy Mother's Day and here's to a day of not having to do a single thing!

There's a good chance you'll find these in many homes of Asian families - hot water pots. A hot water pot boils and stores hot water. Instead of filling a tea kettle and waiting around for it to whistle, with a hot water pot, you push a button and out comes hot water instantly. Okay, why would anyone want hot water at all times? Well, if you're a tea drinker, its a godsend. It's also great for instant noodles, reconstituting dried mushrooms or noodles, or heating baby bottles. Feeling it yet?

Okay, well if you're living in a community affected by the boil water order, then you just might see the beauty of this appliance. For those not from the greater Boston area, thanks to a 'catasrophic' break in the underground pipe that carries clean water to 2 million people in the Boston area, a boil water order has been issued until the damage is repaired. Officials are advising people to boil water before using it for drinking, cooking, washing dishes and hand washing. This event has made many people realize how we take drinkable water for granted.

Residents are either loading up on bottled water or boiling water on their stove tops. It was only this afternoon I remembered we needed to replace our old hot water pot and timing couldn't have been better. So now we have sanitized water by our kitchen sink at all times.

Hot water pots can be purchased at Asian grocery stores or online. Zojirushi (with the elephant) has been the brand of choice for my family for ages. They are a little pricey for a kitchen appliance ($99 for 3 liter pot), but I think it's worth it - especially during times like these!

H Mart

3 Old Concord Road
Burlington, MA 01803-5168
(781) 221-4570

ps: Our model does boil the water for 1 minute. There is a re-boil button if you want to be extra sure!