equal parts water equal parts sugar

6 ounce white baking chocolate ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened 2 teaspoon vanilla 6 cup powdered sugar ⅓ cup milk Caramelized Stars Nonstick cooking spray ¼ cup sugar * If you don’t have three cake pans, chill one-third of the batter while you bake the first two cakes. After removing one of the baked cakes from pan, wash and dry the pan. Prepare pan as directed; bake the chilled batter as directed....

4 ounce cream cheese, softened ¼ cup sugar ½ cup ricotta cheese ¼ cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces To Store Layer unfilled cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw cookies, if frozen. Fill as directed in Step 5.

Plant a cutting garden. With a designated cutting bed, you can plant and cut without worry. Select an inconspicuous location along a garage or in a back corner of your yard, and be sure your cutting bed benefits from lots of sun and rich, well-drained soil — just like your other beds. A cutting bed offers plenty of planting freedom. Its sole purpose is to produce flowers for you to cut, so don’t worry about how it will look....

2 medium tomatoes, chopped ¼ cup finely chopped white onion 1 fresh habañero peppers or 2 to 3 jalapeños or serrano peppers, seeded and minced* ¼ cup chopped radishes 1 tablespoon grapefruit juice 2 teaspoon orange juice 1 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro ¼ teaspoon salt * Because chile peppers contain volatile oils that can burn your skin and eyes, avoid direct contact with them as much as possible. When working with chile peppers, wear plastic or rubber gloves....

3 tablespoon hoisin sauce 1 tablespoon orange juice ¼ teaspoon five-spice powder dash crushed red pepper

Pothos Care Must-Knows Start with a good, moisture-retentive potting mix. While a pothos can tolerate just about any amount of water, it doesn’t do as well when water conditions fluctuate. Ideally, a pothos likes evenly moist soil that dries out slightly between watering. Try to avoid overwatering or allowing the soil to remain soggy. Give your pothos a low dose of fertilizer in spring and summer for a little boost while it is doing its most active growing, but skip the extra nutrients during the winter months....

1 16 ounce package powdered sugar (4-1/4 cups) 3 tablespoon meringue powder ½ teaspoon cream of tartar ½ cup warm water 1 teaspoon vanilla **Tip: Meringue powder is a mixture of pasteurized dried egg whites, sugar, and edible gums. Look for it in the baking aisle of your supermarket or at a specialty food store.

½ cup butter 1 ¼ cup packed brown sugar 2 tablespoon light-colored corn syrup ½ cup whipping cream Dietary exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fruit, 4 fat.

8 ounce broken gingersnap cookies ½ cup salted pistachio nuts 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar 6 tablespoon butter, melted Spice up your whipped cream by adding 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Out of pistachios? Use almonds (or your favorite nut) instead. Go nuts: Chop 1/2 cup pecans and sprinkle on top of pie for an extra nutty finish.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil ½ cup chopped onion (1 medium) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon ground ancho chile pepper ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup long grain rice 1 14 ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth ¾ cup Roasted Salsa Roja (recipe below) or purchased salsa ¼ cup water ½ cup finely snipped fresh cilantro Mexican Green Rice Prepare as directed, except substitute 3/4 cup purchased salsa verde for the red salsa....

Find a Color Muse Look to your home’s unchangeable elements, such as chimneys, stone facades, and brick exteriors, for inspiration when choosing a roof color. Select shingles, tiles, or shakes that blend, match, or complement the colors showcased in these substantial structures. Set roofing samples against an area of your home where exterior siding, brick or stonework, and painted trim intersect. Check and recheck the samples at various times of the day to see how surfaces and colors partner in sun and shadow before finalizing your selection....