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1. Make Milkweed Your Focus What flowers do monarch butterflies like best? The answer is easy: milkweed. Planting this hardy perennial is the best thing the average gardener can do to help monarchs. It is the most essential component of a healthy monarch habitat—the butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed, and it’s the only thing monarch caterpillars eat. Look for plants in the Asclepias family (such as Asclepias syriaca, Asclepias speciosa, Asclepias incarnata, or Asclepias curassavica, depending on the region where you live)....

We turned to Timisha Porcher, the DIY expert behind Toolbox Divas, to learn some of the most common woodworking mistakes as well as her tricks for success. “Yes, woodworking can be dangerous, but when it’s done properly and safely, it’s very empowering,” she says. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned DIYer, follow Porcher’s tips to avoid these woodworking mistakes. 1. Not Being Mentally Prepared You shouldn’t work with power tools if you can’t fully concentrate on the task at hand, Porcher says....

1. Have Fun with Fruit A fruit bowl is a kitchen island staple, but why not try something unexpected? Here, a vintage scale serves as a repurposed fruit bowl for a creative yet functional piece of kitchen island decor. Flea market accessories add charm and warmth to a modern kitchen. Less is more, so keep decorative objects to a minimum to avoid an overcluttered worktop. That way your innovative fruit display doesn’t compete for attention (or counter space)....

Best Foods for Gut Health If you’re regularly reaching for antacids to combat upset stomach, bloating or gas, take a step back to look at what you eat and try adding these good foods for gut health to your meal plan. 1. Yogurt (and Other Fermented Foods) In the past few years, you probably started hearing more about probiotics (live microorganisms) and the benefits of its “good bacteria.” The truth is, those probiotics are beneficial to gut health in addition to helping boost your immune system....

Buy It: 9x13-Inch Cake Pan ($5, Target) Buy It: Pyrex Baking Dish ($17, Walmart) Buy It: KitchenAid Pastry Blender ($14, Target)

Handle with Care To maximize the life of your carved pumpkins, try your best to keep your hands off them. The only time you should touch your fruit is when you pick it, when you unload it from your car, and when you clean it. After you pick the best pumpkin in the patch, pick the pumpkin up around the fruit instead of gripping the stem—a broken stem means a shorter pumpkin life....

Not only is an unorganized fridge unpleasant to look at, but it can also hurt your wallet if you let food expire simply because you never saw it on the shelf. These under-$30 organizers separate refrigerated items into bins that are easy to see into as well as to grab and clean. From stackable produce bins to lazy Susans, and freezer racks, these affordable storage solutions instantly organize your fridge and make it simple to keep tidy, too....

And after adjusting some Christmas traditions over the past few years, we’ve found that the pandemic didn’t just change the way we celebrate the holidays, it also changed the way we decorate for them. Many people are skipping the traditional red and green decor for playful, nontraditional accents. Others are embracing the nostalgia of the season, decorating with vintage Christmas decorations and retro-inspired accents. With so many possibilities, we’re more excited than ever to bust out the ornaments and start wrapping gifts....

Test Kitchen Tip: Get a headstart on this stuffed crescent roll recipe by purchasing prepared hard-cooked eggs. (Or if time allows, choose your favorite from our top four ways to hard-boil eggs at home.)

How to Grow Ferns in Your Garden Plant ferns in part to full shade and rich, well-drained soil. In all climates, they need protection from afternoon sun to prevent drying and leaf scorch. Ferns can reach 12 inches to 6 feet tall, depending on the type and growing conditions. Most prefer rich, humus-filled soil, so make sure to mix compost into planting holes and cover them annually with 2 inches of organic mulch....

If mom would rather stay in, plan an at-home spa day for the two of you, or snuggle up for a movie marathon on the couch. If you can’t celebrate in person, plan a virtual cooking date, or host a virtual game night for you, your mom, and a handful of other mom-daughter friends. No matter what you do, you’ll appreciate the extra time spent together—and it may even inspire an annual tradition....

A full-service (on-location) designer visits your space, takes measurement, and asks about your lifestyle and decorating style. With online design services, you do most of the legwork and send your information, photos, and likes and dislikes to the designer via email. You’ll receive a design plan in return. While each service delivers the information in different ways, online design services offer you all the information you need to execute the project on your own timeline....

That was in 1930 — and it was no false claim. Cooks all over America really took to the book, boosting it onto the best-seller list in just three months. What made this unassuming book such a runaway hit in those meager times? For one thing, cooks loved the revolutionary ring binding, allowing the book to open flat on the countertop. No cookbook had ever offered this feature before. Cooks also appreciated the blank pages at the back, inviting them to add their own favorite recipes to the book....

On the home’s exterior, gray-blue siding reflects the lake’s color, natural stone, and cedar beams to knit the cottage to its surroundings. The architect’s plans angled the house away from the bustle of boaters in the nearby village and fully toward Lake George, with its view of sunsets and Thursday fireworks. The New York getaway is also designed for entertaining; the house sleeps 13, using every nook and cranny and a sleeping-porch daybed and trundle....

Rhizome Roots Agapanthus grows and spreads by fleshy rhizomes that also act as a type of storage root. This means the plant can retain nutrients within its roots and be easily divided to create more plants. Colorful Combinations Agapanthus foliage is rather unobtrusive and varies depending on the species. Many varieties have foliage that is small and grasslike. Others have larger, straplike foliage (much like daylilies). Several varieties of agapanthus are available with variegated foliage that is green with a cream or white stripe down the edge, in contrast with the plant’s rich blue flowers....

2 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon lime zest 1 tablespoon lime juice 1 teaspoon garlic salt 1 teaspoon chili powder ½ teaspoon ground cumin pinch cayenne pepper (optional) 2 cup raw cashews Tips The air fryer is aces at toasting nuts to golden crunchy perfection. Give them time to cool before digging in - they become crunchier as they stand.

1 cup milk ¼ cup sugar 2 egg yolks 3 tablespoon sugar 3 tablespoon cornstarch ¼ teaspoon salt 2 tablespoon butter ½ teaspoon vanilla Alan’s Pie Pastry 3 ¾ cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon sugar ½ tablespoon Kosher salt ½ teaspoon baking powder 1 ¾ cup cold unsalted butter ⅔ cup ice-cold water 2 tablespoon sour cream 1 teaspoon vinegar

Headquartered in Bayport, Minnesota, Andersen Corporation was founded over 115 years ago as a small lumber business and has evolved into a billion-dollar window and door company, with manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe and retail locations all over the world. Andersen offers a variety of products through its Andersen Windows and Renewal by Andersen brands, and has expanded into luxury windows and doors by acquiring the Weiland, MQ, and Heritage brands within the last decade....