Do you have plants in your garden that love to climb? English cottage gardens often do, and a wooden garden obelisk (or tuteur) is a structure that gives them room to roam. You can buy these structures, but the cost is prohibitive. $70 is the cheapest one that I have seen and they can run …

This  frozen strawberry daiquiri recipe is super tasty and could not be easier to make. If you have a blender and the supplies, the cocktail is ready in just minutes. To make this drink easy to prepare, the daiquiri recipe features a mix – “Island Oasis Strawberry” – and this gets combined with crushed ice …

This visual guide to herb identification makes identifying herbs a snap. How well do you know the names of the fresh herbs? Many herbs look quite similar, so it’s easy to be confused. Do you often ask yourself – “What herb is this?” I can’t tell you how many times I have come back from …

The gardens are booming right now and many of my readers ask “why are my cucumbers turning yellow, round and deformed?” It could be the result of avoiding some common vegetable gardening problems, or might be another issue. Let’s see if we can figure out why this happens! Cucumbers are a popular warm season vegetable. …

This homemade pasta sauce is made with both pork and beef for a meaty spaghetti sauce that your family will ask for again and again. It is the ultimate topping for recipe including pasta. This is a recipe that has been a favorite with my family for one reason – it  tastes amazing! I have …

I have been making this roasted tomato pasta sauce for years. It is rich and chunky and one of the best-tasting homemade spaghetti sauces I have ever tried. The recipe is just full of flavor. The key ingredient to the taste and texture of the sauce is roasted garden tomatoes. My preference is beefsteak tomatoes, …

Trying to control squash bugs can seem like an insurmountable task when you find them in your vegetable garden.  If you grow zucchini or squash, you may be familiar with trying to deal with a squash bug infestation. These bugs can do a huge amount of damage, particularly to new plants. Young seedlings and plants …

Onions are a vegetable that I use almost every day in recipes. Growing onions at home is easy, as long as you have a sunny garden spot and a patient nature. Onions are a cool weather crop. Get started early on your planting and you will be enjoying fresh onion bulbs by the middle 0f …

Bay Leaf plants are slow growing trees with leaves that are used as seasoning in cooking. It is also known as bay laurel, sweet bay and simply laurel. If you enjoy growing herbs, this is a great one to try, since it has a very aromatic flavor. Bay leaf plants are a member of the …

This creamy shrimp pasta with broccoli has a velvety parmesan cheese sauce that is light but still comforting. It is full of flavor and easy to put together.  The dish is colorful to look at and only takes about 15 minutes to get it on the table. Combining shrimp with pasta gives a lovely delicate …

Growing tulips is a treat for gardeners who love a big splash of color in the spring. No plant ushers in the start of warm weather in a more dramatic way than tulips, so it is worth going the extra mile to have them growing in your garden. Tulips, native to Turkey and then imported …

My version of a healthy granola is packed with flavor, uses whole grains and nuts and is naturally sweetened to make it better for you.  Normal store bought granola is delicious and a great breakfast recipe, but is often filled with fat and high in calories.   Top this healthier granola with your favorite soy or …

This curried carrot soup makes a wonderful and luxurious starter to a healthy meal.   The recipe uses tofu, onions and vegetable broth and is very easy to make. I’ve recently adopted a vegan diet along with my daughter Jess. The original recipe for carrot soup had lots of butter and cream, so we had to …

Covering drainage holes in pots is a necessary evil. Without something to cover the hole in the bottom of your planter, the soil will eventually wash out of the pot through the hole in the planter and the plant will settle. This also means that your furniture will take a beating. Planters without drainage holes …

This DIY Pen Roll is the perfect way to send off your child with a fun looking case to hold all of their pens. The summer gives us a chance to recharge and spend some time with families, since most kids have time off through the summer months. But it’s also a time for thinking …

These 20 creative uses for extra large silicone ice cube trays show that they are not just for making ice! If you eat and drink out much, you may have noticed a new trend that has taken over the food and drink industry. The ice cubes are getting larger and larger. Large ice cubes are …

A Mudslide cocktail recipe is a decadent mixture of vodka, coffee-flavored Kahlua, and Bailey’s Irish Cream. This delicious Baileys Irish cream mudslide recipe is both a drink and a dessert. It is one of my favorite cocktail recipes for St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas, or any special holiday. Making Bailey’s drinks will guarantee one thing for …

This recipe shows how to make a tamarind paste substitute at home with just four common ingredients. Tamarind paste is a product that is often called for in Thai cooking. It is also something that the average cook does not normally stock. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links …

If you are looking for a tasty breakfast recipe that is full of flavor but low in calories, this egg white quiche is a winner.  The crustless quiche is colorful, hearty and brimming over with taste. It’s a great healthy twist on the traditional breakfast option. I’m a quiche lady.  I love the combination of …

One of the prettiest Christmas plants is a cyclamen – cyclamen persicum, also known as the florist cyclamen. Like some other holiday plants, getting a cyclamen to rebloom after the first year can be a tricky task. For this reason, many gardeners simply discard the plant after it is done flowering and purchase a new …

Looking for a pretty Christmas plant to decorate for the holidays? Try growing cyclamen persicum. Although not as popular as a poinsettia, it is still often seen for sale during the holiday seasons. Caring for a cyclamen is easy if you plan to grow this houseplant as an annual and discard it after flowering. Taking …

How are your fudge-making skills?  Do you end up with foolproof fudge that forms nice little parcels, or do you find it a challenge?  These cooking tips for making perfect fudge,F will give you wonderful results every time from now on. It’s hard to believe, after a summer of gardening, that the beginning of the …

If you love to cook, you know that cooking oil stains on clothing are a common place occurrence. Fortunately, oil stains on clothes are easy to remove if you follow a few simple tips. Removing cooking oil stains from clothes can sometimes be quite hard to do, and it can be especially hard if the …

Nothing appeals to me more than dark chocolate strawberries or other fruits dipped in chocolate.  They make me feel as though I am eating something healthy but also have the decadence of a rich dessert. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. What could be a more perfect treat than these dark chocolate strawberries that …

Thanksgiving will soon be here and for many of us, that means pies will be featured on the dessert menu. These pie crust decorating ideas will take your Thanksgiving pies to a whole new level. Homemade pies have never looked as appealing as these beautiful and easy pie crust designs. With stenciled pie crust tops, …

These top 10 ways to protect the environment at home take very little time to do. It’s just a matter of making a commitment to doing something good for the planet and sticking to that plan. I call this “my environmental to-do list.” Earth Day happens in April, and lots of people talk about how …