We’re starting to see Instagram posts under #FourthofJulyBoard and #FourthofJulyCharcuterie, and we only expect to see more of the red and blue food creations as we get closer to the holiday. The best part is, it’s easy to make your own! There’s no right or wrong way to make a charcuterie board—and you can add anything you like. With a few easy styling tips, you can turn any combination of foods into a festive holiday treat....
How to Make Baked Brie en Croûte Refrigerated puff pastry is the baking hero of the encrusted Brie dish. Light and layered, quick to cook, and extremely adaptable, it makes it possible to have Brie en croûte in the oven in a matter of minutes. Step 1: Roll Dough and Cut Circles Lightly dust your work surface with flour, and unfold one sheet of packaged frozen puff pastry. Roll dough to a 16x10-inch rectangle....
How to Make Over an IKEA Dresser Upgrading an inexpensive bedroom dresser is simple, plus you can customize the look to suit your style. Re-create this IKEA furniture makeover in a couple of days. Supplies Needed Malm 6-drawer chest Fine grit sandpaper Tack cloth Paintbrushes or foam rollers Primer Paint Table saw (2) 3/4 x 20 x 36 in. spruce edge-glued panels (2) 3/4 x 20 x 72 in. spruce edge-glued panels Stain Polycrylic protective finish (4) 6-inch wooden furniture legs with metal plates Wood glue or construction adhesive Drill Screws Cardboard Pencil Drawer hardware (We used two 49 mm Amerock bar pulls and four 12-5/8 in....
Most of the ingredients you need to make pretzels are already in your kitchen. The simple list of ingredients is: MilkWaterActive dry yeastAll-purpose flourButterSea saltHot waterBaking sodaEgg yolkCold waterCoarse salt (or pretzel salt*, which can be found in gourmet food stores or online) *Pretzel salt tip: If you can’t find pretzel salt locally and don’t want to order it online, try any kind of coarse salt, such as kosher or sea salt....
How to Make Snow Cream (aka Snow Ice Cream) Sorry, snowbirds, this snow cream recipe isn’t for you. Only fresh snow will do. Before we get started, collect fresh snow in a very large mixing bowl ($25, Sur La Table). You need about a gallon of clean snow. Test Kitchen Tip: We found glass bowls worked best. Stainless bowls warmed too quickly, so the snow started melting faster after bringing it inside....
Taking just an hour or two to sort out its contents can help guard against food waste and unpleasant smells while making meal prep much more efficient. Take your kitchen organization to a new level with these tips on how to organize a fridge. Start by Choosing a Section Figuring out how to organize the fridge can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Start small and tackle one section at a time....
The painting steps below work best for solid wood and hollow-core doors. For vinyl-covered or plastic doors, you’ll need to apply at least one coat of primer after sanding and before you begin painting. Choose a durable paint finish in a semi-gloss or glossy sheen, which will stand up well to everyday use and frequent cleaning. Editor’s Tip: If you choose to paint an interior door with it still on the hinges, keep paint off the floor by sliding a piece of cardboard underneath the door....
See how to decorate with buffalo plaid. What You Need TSP (trisodium phosphate)Painters tape for delicate surfacesPaint: white, light, medium, darkSatin-finish polyurethane sealerRubber glovesSponge1 1/2- or 2-inch paintbrush for each color and the sealerSmall foam roller for each color and the sealerTape measureStraightedgePencil Step 1: Prep and Prime Floor While wearing rubber gloves, clean your floor with TSP, hot water, and a sponge; let dry. Mask off baseboards and fixtures with painters tape....
Before you jump into painting your home, you’ll want to decide on a color scheme, research the best type of paint for your home’s materials and climate conditions, secure scaffolding or extended height ladders, brush up on your safety knowledge, adequately and thoroughly prepare your surfaces, and maybe even recruit a few friends to help with the project. Step 1: Choose Exterior Paint Colors Deciding on a color scheme is one of the first steps to tackle....
Varieties of Blue Lobelia ‘Blue Wings’ Lobelia Lobelia tenuior ‘Blue Wings’ bears large blue flowers on a mounding plant perfect for hanging baskets. It grows 10 inches tall. ‘Lucia Dark Blue’ Lobelia Lobelia erinus ‘Lucia Dark Blue’ offers gorgeous true-blue flowers on a trailing plant that’s more heat tolerant than many older varieties. It trails to 24 inches. ‘Magadi Blue’ Lobelia Lobelia erinus ‘Magadi Blue’ offers better heat tolerance than most lobelias....
Colorful Combinations One of obedient plant’s best features is its long bloom time, about a full month from late summer into fall. The blossoms are light shades of pink and white, a rarity among the hot, bold colors of fall. The flowers look good in a garden setting and also make good cut flowers. The lance-shaped serrated leaves are typically a deep green color, but there is also a variegated selection with green leaves edged in cream that take on a purple coloring once nights begin to cool in the fall....
More projects and advice from Danny Lipford
So what do you do if your weed trimmer comes without string or you’ve run out of string during a job? How exactly do you restring it? Just follow these simple steps to get back to whipping your yard into shape. Step 1: Remove Existing Spool Whether you’re starting with a pre-strung spool or you’re going to restring your existing spool, you will first need to remove it from the motor housing....
Why is milkweed important to monarchs? Milkweed is a perennial flower native to North America that thrive in a wide array of ecosystems. This plant is essential to the life cycle of monarch butterflies because the insects need milkweed to lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch, milkweed is the only plant the white, black, and yellow striped caterpillars will eat. This makes it an essential element for helping the next generation of monarchs grow and hatch each season....
To learn about this and more, check out our tips below on staining and varnishing trim. How to Remove Trim For most paint jobs, it’s actually easier to remove the baseboards and finish them on a work surface that’s about waist high. If you paint or varnish either new or existing baseboards when they’re on the wall, you’re going to spend a lot of uncomfortable hours on your hands and knees....
So what, exactly, does it mean to stir-fry? It’s a technique of quickly cooking small, uniform pieces of food in a little hot oil in a stir fry wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. We love it for highlighting vegetables, in particular, as the cooking style helps them retain their color, crunch, and nutrients. Do I Need a Wok as I Learn How to Stir Fry? If you plan to do a lot of stir-frying, you might want to invest in a stir fry wok, the traditional round-bottom pan used in high-heat Chinese cooking....
If you haven’t considered a storage strategy for your spooky items, there’s no time like now to start. Use the following organizing tricks to make storing Halloween decorations a treat. 1. Sort into Categories Just like any home organizing project, the first step is to pull everything out that you want to organize and separate the items by type. This can be done any time before fall or after Halloween before putting things away....
Keep in mind that though it is a power tool, a palm sander still requires manual movement and frequent paper switching. Use one for small- or medium-sized projects, such as resurfacing furniture or removing paint from plywood. Learning how to use a palm sander is not difficult. You’ll first need to pick the correct type of sandpaper for the job. Then, clamp it to the sander, secure the material to your work surface, and start sanding....
Cottage cheese is one of the more polarizing foods out there; some are repulsed by the texture, and others could eat it as a meal by itself. If you love cottage cheese, this is a safe space. While I wouldn’t say I’m obsessed, I’ll eat it as a side with a little salt and pepper every once in a while. Since I enjoy both foods, I decided to try the trend for myself to see if it was good enough to replace my usual avocado toast....
