An antipasto platter is a delicious combination of cheeses, vegetables and meats, usually served with good wines. It’s a great way to start an evening with friends and is very easy to put together. The holidays are filled with opportunities to gather with friends. What better way to start a party than with an antipasto …
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Are you looking for a natural and easy-to-care-for fall arrangement? Try making these DIY Pumpkin Succulent Planters. They look great and can be put together in almost no time at all. This arrangement would be perfect as part of a Thanksgiving centerpiece. All your guests will wonder where you got it. Pumpkins are one of …
This terra cotta pumpkin looks great as a decor item and also does double duty as a candy dish. This is a win-win in my book! I love to recycle items in crafts. Not only does it save money, but helps our environment too. Don’t you just love fast and easy home decor ideas that …
Breakfast just got more fun with this playful idea for making eggs. If you are like me, you will have a whole host of cookie cutters that you rarely use. Put them to a creative use by making cookie cutter eggs. Breakfast is considered by many to be the most important meal of the day. …
Do you wonder what to do with that large lump of hard brown sugar? These easy tips for softening brown sugar will have it soft and usable in no time at all. Here are 6 of my best tips to make brown sugar soft again, and suggestions for how to store it for a longer …
From making eggs with cookie cutters to whipping cream with a whisk and storing ginger in vodka, these 11 genius food hacks will make life in the kitchen more fun and cooking easier, too. Getting great food on the table doesn’t have to be a complicated process. Just take advantage of these simple DIY food …
Plants need nourishment to perform in the best way. Flowers and vegetables love potato starch and using potato water in the garden is a good way to give it to them. To add starch in a “green way”, save the water you boil your potatoes in. Starchy water will spur the release of plant nutrients …
This homemade fly repellent formula uses the common household cleaner Pine Sol. We all know how bothersome flies can be in any outdoor gathering. Keeping them away often means using harsh chemicals. What if I told you that a common household cleaner, Pine-Sol, could be used to do this job? The reason it works is …
Preparing a homemade mosquito repellent with a lovely aroma and natural ingredients is easy with this tutorial. This DIY essential oil mosquito repellent spray is made with a few common household ingredients, and works well to keep the mosquitoes away. Summer is here. The days are longer and it’s so nice to sit outside in …
If ants are invading your home and you don’t want to use retail products, home made Borax Ant Killers may be the answer, but how effective are they? I decided to test five of them to find out! Using more organic ant killer remedies is something that many environmentally conscious homemakers have an interest in. …
Make your own home made Miracle Grow as well as several other plant foods easily with epsom salt, baking soda and household ammonia. It’s time for another fun vegetable garden hack. This DIY Miracle Grow fertilizer is a more organic way to feed your plants. The homemade plant food recipe is easy to make and …
Many beginning vegetable gardeners make the common gardening mistake of starting too large. If you don’t have a big yard with room for a large vegetable garden, try growing a vegetable garden on a deck. Vegetable gardening is one of the great pleasures of the summer months for many gardeners. But for many of us, …
When the new year comes to an end, I like to focus on my goals for the year. I find that I have the most success when I keep health and wellness goals at the forefront of my mind all year round. If you have been reading my blog lately, you will know that …
It’s that time of the year. Pumpkins, Indian Corn and autumn plants all help to make this front porch decor for fall a hit with visitors! Each year, I use supplies from the previous porch but mix them up a bit to make my fall front porch decor a little extra special. This year, I …
One of my favorite vegetables is fresh corn on the cob. And one of my least favorite vegetables is corn on the cob with a lot of silk remnants sticking to it. Cooking corn in the microwave is the easy way to get silk-free corn every time! These easy tips show how easy it is …
A single coconut will give you 3 or 4 cups cups of fresh, flaked coconut. But now you have the problem of storing fresh coconut. How do you keep that delightful, flaky bit of goodness in a state that will stay edible for as long as possible? This tutorial shows tips for storing fresh coconut …
This guide to shallots vs onions will answer not only this question but will also show how shallots are different from other onion types. There are many onion varieties so it’s easy to get confused about them. A common question that I get asked is “are shallots and onions the same?” Shallots are somewhat of a trendy vegetable …
A steamer basket is a great way to cook a single vegetable or several of them at once by cooking them over boiling water. But to do this correctly, you need to have a good idea of vegetable steaming times. One of the joys of summer is cooking fresh vegetables from my vegetable garden. The …
These tips show how to get rid of ticks in the yard as well as a few natural treatment options. Summer is a time for being in the outdoors. But ticks also love the warm temperatures and can be bothersome in your yard and garden. Ticks are a nuisance and can be dangerous as well …
I love anything that gives me a jump start on spring. Forcing forsythia indoors lets me have the showy yellow flowers of the well-known harbinger of spring – forsythia bushes. They are great to enjoy indoors well before they give you their cheery spring greeting outside. Luckily, it is very easy to force forsythia blooms …
Clean up an ugly stove by using just three common household ingredients. This drip pan cleaning works over night to give you sparkling burner pans easily without a lot of elbow grease. One of my pet peeves is seeing my electric stove drip pans and knowing I have to make a trip to the store …
A Wine and Cheese party is so much fun! Pairing wine and cheese together is one of the great culinary pleasures. And making the pairing a party with loved ones and friends adds up to one special evening. The holidays are here and we are ready for a round of entertaining with our friends. That …
These creative uses for parchment paper may give you some ideas you hadn’t thought of. We all know that parchment paper is great for easy clean up after kitchen but it has so many more uses. I love anything that makes my life easier in the kitchen or around the home. I’m always on the …
It’s time to welcome autumn with these tips for fall decorations. From easy and simple porch and patio decor and wreaths to table decor, these autumn decor ideas will say hello to the new season in all areas of your home. I love the last change of seasons during the year. The sights and textures …
Many recipes call for shallots – a member of the onion family. But what can you do if you don’t have time to shop, or can’t find shallots for your recipe? Use these shallot substitutes, instead! Shallots are a small bulb like plant with a taste that is somewhere between garlic and onion. The flavor …
Shallots are starting to be seen in grocery stores more and often lately. What are shallots? Like onions and garlic, shallots are a member of the allium family. They are a cold hardy vegetable and, like onions, are easy to grow. Their flavor is richer and sweeter and they are very versatile in recipes. This …