Posts

Milk from cows remains one of the least environmentally friendly beverages out there, at least on average: it requires lots of land, lots of water, and creates lots of emissions to raise a dairy cow. Plant-based alternatives have sprung up more recently, with almond, walnut, hemp, oat, and rice milks all gaining popularity. But as The Guardian reports, some of those plant-based alternatives come with their own costs. The Almonds and Bees Connection Honey bees are required to grow almonds....

Khristi Zimmeth graduated from Wayne State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism and art history before embarking on a three-decade career in travel and home decor writing.

Like this backsplash? See other creative materials for your backsplash. Get more ideas for smart storage in your kitchen.

More Laundry Room Storage Solutions Get Laundry Room Storage Tips (and Free Labels!) Here Bonus: How to Clean an Iron Learn How to Make Your Own Detergent (+ Other Homemade Cleaners)

What sets this vacuum apart from the rest is its four-stage filtration system that uses washable high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to grab at least 99.9% of particles as small as 0.3 microns (think allergens and pet dander). It also uses “Dynamic Power Control Technology” to automatically adjust suction power levels as you clean based on the level of debris it’s picking up, making it super efficient. As you clean, you can even view suction and debris levels on its LED display and see how you’re doing on battery power....

In addition to the visually appealing foliage, ligularia has interesting flowers. There are generally two types of blossoms: tall stalks with several small flowers (reminiscent of bottlebrush) or loose stalks of erratic, larger, daisy-like blossoms. No matter their form, the petals of ligularia flowers are always a bright golden color that’s quite striking against the deep, dark foliage. Ligularia Care Must-Knows The most important thing to know about growing ligularia is that it requires constant moisture....

How to Make Hot Chocolate with Cocoa Powder Some people like the concentrated flavor that cocoa powder brings to hot cocoa. Because it lacks the creamy mouthfeel of melted chocolate, you can use cocoa powder with half-and-half or whole milk instead of low-fat milk (though, technically this is hot cocoa, more on that to come). Or use your favorite nondairy milk for vegan hot cocoa. Make sure you choose an unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe, as it also calls for sugar....

How to Buy and Store Asparagus Asparagus hits its peak season from March through June, but you’ll find this beloved vegetable in stores year-round. Look for firm, bright-green spears with compact, closed tips that aren’t mushy. Spear size ranges from fat to pencil-thin, with thickness indicating the vegetable’s age. This variety of sizes prompts one of the most common questions we receive: Should I choose thick or thin asparagus spears? Fortunately, there is no wrong answer—it’s all about personal preference....

⅓ cup finely chopped onion (1 small) 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 3 cup peeled, seeded, and chopped roma tomatoes or one 28-ounce can whole peeled roma tomatoes, drained and chopped ½ cup dry red wine 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

After leaving Newsday, Margaret was named the first gardening editor for Martha Stewart Living. In 2008, she left to freelance, do her own gardening in upstate New York, and start a podcast called “A Way to Garden.” She also created her website, awaytogarden.com, which she still runs today. Margaret has authored three books: “And I Shall Have Some Peace,” “There and The Backyard Parables,” and the revamped “A Way to Garden....

¾ cup packed brown sugar ½ cup whipping cream ½ cup butter 2 tablespoon light-color corn syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ teaspoon sea salt 1 banana

Basic Tools for Scoring Sourdough If you don’t have a lame, just check your kitchen drawers or knife block for these alternatives. All will work as long as the blade is very sharp. Paring knife: Held at an angle, a quick decisive cut with a paring knife ($40, Target) will offer lame-like results Kitchen scissors: Simply snipping the dough surface at an angle with kitchen scissors ($20, Bed Bath & Beyond) will create deep enough cuts....