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Planning Your Appetizer Party Menu To guarantee a diverse appetizer spread, serve a combination of easy appetizers that satisfy several of the following food categories: Garden: Typically healthy appetizers made with fruit or vegetables (raw, cooked, or stuffed). Starch: Hearty, starchy appetizer recipes, such as finger sandwiches, pizza, and dumplings, are all part of this family. Bruschetta, breadsticks, crackers, and rolls are also mainstays. Protein: Serve meat or fish dishes, such as meatballs, chicken wings, or sushi, to give your guests protein....

Monstera Must-Know Care Tips Monsteras might look intimidating to the new houseplant aficionado, but they’re actually pretty low maintenance plants. Regardless of skill level, any plant lover can grow this enticing plant in their home. Light These native tropical plants need lots of light. Aim to give your monstera around 5-8 hours of indirect but bright light. If you own a variegated variety of monstera, the plant will need more light to develop the colors in their leaves....

Growing Olive Trees Indoors vs. Outdoors Olive trees are evergreens native to the Mediterranean region. “There are numerous varieties," says Ray Greenstreet II, owner of Greenstreet Gardens in Virginia, “but olive trees can be divided into two categories: olive trees that you can harvest, and ornamental olive trees that do not produce any fruits.” Both types of olive trees prefer warmer environments and are sensitive to freezing temperatures. Because of this, growing olive trees outdoors can be a bit tricky in places with cold winters....

When to Make Cuttings Most stem cuttings can be rooted anytime the plants are actively growing. Coleus and geranium, for example, grow year-round (except where winters are freezing). Take cuttings from these annuals whenever you want to make more of them. Woody plants, which can be a little trickier to root, are best harvested at specific times in their growing cycle. There are several different types of woody plant cuttings, but the steps for rooting the stems are all the same....

The first step in growing juicy and delicious watermelons is to choose what type you want to grow. There are three main kinds: Early season, main season, and seedless watermelons. Within those categories, you can choose flesh that’s red, pink, yellow, or orange. An early-season watermelon is sometimes called an icebox melon because it grows to a petite size that easily fits on a refrigerator shelf. It takes the shortest amount of time to mature, about 70 to 75 days....

A common tip is to look for salad bags that are deflated. The theory goes that bagged lettuce and salad greens are initially sold with the air sucked out of them, and that as they decompose, the greens emit gas (true, they do emit carbon dioxide), puffing up the bag. While this might have been true once, modern salad bags are breathable thanks to modified atmospheric packaging (MAP), so that method won’t work to spot older bagged greens....

This simple sewing project for a DIY utensil holder turns two squares of fabric or cloth napkins into a wrap ideal for keeping your utensils clean. It can be easily washed after carrying your used forks and spoons home. It’s also an easy way to transport knives safely. This sewing project isn’t just for picnics and potlucks; use your handmade holder in the kitchen, craft room, or garden. Simply resize the pockets based on the utensils you need to store....

How to Make a Christmas Dried Citrus Wreath Supplies Needed 18-inch round florists foam wreath14 large citrus fruits (we used grapefruits, oranges, and Cara Cara oranges)8 small citrus fruits (we used lemons and limes)Fine glitterStraight pinsThick satin ribbonScissors Step-by-Step Directions With a few supplies and these how-to instructions, you can create your own dried orange wreath. Customize your pretty Christmas wreath with your favorite fruits. Step 1: Slice Citrus Fruit Use a serrated knife to cut your small fruits into ⅛-inch-thick slices; cut larger fruit into ¼-inch-thick slices....

Get more inspiration for easy kid’s costumes! What You’ll Need Brown hooded sweatshirt (with zipper)Brown sweatpantsFelt: light brown and dark brownWhite kitchen spongeBrown craft paint and paintbrushCraft foam: black and whiteDisappearing-ink fabric penHot-glue gun and glue sticksBlack permanent marker and ruler How to Make It Enlarge and trace the patterns onto paper and cut out. To make the body: Cut one belly and the reverse from light brown felt. If you’re using a pullover sweatshirt without a zipper, you can trace both pieces and cut them out as one single piece....

How to Make Cheesecake To get you through the basics, we’ll be using our classic cheesecake recipe as a guide. But you’ll be able to apply these helpful steps and tips to any recipe. Step 1: Use a Springform Pan Step 2: Let Ingredients Stand Let any chilled ingredients stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. At this temperature, you’ll get more volume from the eggs, and the cream cheese will be softened enough to blend well with the other ingredients....

How to Make Chicken and Dumplings with Noodle-Like Dumplings The first question to answer as you learn how to make chicken and dumplings is which kind of dumplings you want to make. Speaking broadly, there are two basic categories of dumplings for chicken and dumplings: puffy, biscuit-like dumplings and flat, noodle-like dumplings. Here we’ll show you how to make chicken dumplings that are puffy and biscuit-like. If you want to learn how to make chicken dumplings with the noodle-like variety, follow our recipe for Classic Chicken and Dumplings....

How to Make New Year’s Poppers We’ll show you how to create your own confetti poppers using upcycled toilet paper tubes. Customize your poppers with sequins, metallic confetti, or glitter for a little extra sparkle. What You Need Extra-fine crepe paper or tissue paperSequins (optional)Toilet paper tubesCracker snaps Ribbon Adhesive dots Scissors Step 1: Prep Materials If desired, make your own confetti by cutting some of your crepe paper into tiny squares....

How to Make Twisted Taper Candles Supplies Needed Wide-mouth Mason jarCandy thermometerSolid-color paraffin wax taper candlesWaxed paperRolling pin Step-by-Step Directions You should be able to create a full set of twisted candles in under 30 minutes. If you have leftover candles, try making these dip-dyed tapers. Step 1: Prep Candles Fill a heat-resistant container, like a wide-mouth Mason jar, with 100°F water. We used a candy thermometer ($6, Walmart) to measure....

Not only does a chest freezer with bonus space to store frozen foods and meals make event prep easier, but it can also save you some money. You’ll be able to take advantage of sales, knowing that you’re not cluttering up your regular freezer. However, a disorganized chest freezer can lead to food waste. While we might think they’re safe to sit in the freezer for a long period of time, frozen foods do go bad after a while....

What many people think of as the blooms of bougainvillea aren’t actually blooms at all. The showy paper-like structures are a modified leaf called a bract. These bracts hide the actual flowers inside, which are small and trumpet-shaped in whites and yellows. The showy bracts are typically found on new growth, with the showiest display following their winter dormancy. Normally, you’ll see the best blooms following a dry winter....

Varieties of Darwin Hybrid Tulip ‘Ad Rem’ Tulip Tulipa ‘Ad Rem’ is a fragrant, scarlet-red Darwin Hybrid tulip edged in yellow. This variety blooms mid- to late season on stems 20-22 inches tall. Plant in zones 3-8. ‘Apeldoorn Elite’ Tulip Tulipa ‘Apeldoorn Elite’ is part of the Apeldoorn family of Darwin Hybrid tulip varieties. This stunner combines vivid cherry red and yellow in its petals. It blooms in midspring on stems to 2 feet tall....

Before you get to work, you’ll need to know the material of your mug. Some, like stainless steel or stoneware, take special consideration. Many mugs can go in the dishwasher, but for heavy, set-in stains, giving the item a pre-wash treatment can help eliminate stubborn spots. How to Remove Coffee and Tea Stains from Mugs Use one of these methods (or a combination of all three for tough stains) to combat coffee and tea stains....

Sautéing is simply skillet-cooking and stirring ingredients in a small amount of oil. In this case, the goal is sautéed vegetables cooked to crisp-tender perfection with a slightly caramelized surface. Adding healthy ingredients and color to your dinner plate is easy once you’ve learned how to sauté vegetables. Read on for our simple and easy tutorial for the best way to sauté vegetables, so they can be added as a guest item on your menu more often....