How to Prepare Carrots for Cooking The first step in learning how to cook carrots in the oven, stove top, or slow cooker is knowing how to prep them. For four servings of carrots, start with 1 pound of fresh carrots. Wash carrots thoroughly under cool running water. Scrub or peel the carrots using a vegetable peeler ($12, Bed Bath & Beyond). Trim the stem and root ends. Test Kitchen Tip: If your recipe calls for cooking carrots whole, you can leave some of the stems intact for a pretty presentation....

From choosing a good eggplant to preparing it, here’s everything you need to know, plus a few cooking techniques to help you make the humble eggplant a lot more wow-worthy in your favorite eggplant recipes. When to Pick Eggplant Eggplant season is July through October. Look for eggplants that have smooth, shiny skin and are firm with a little bit of give—a really soft eggplant is past its prime. One of the key ways to tell if an eggplant is bad is to look at the stem....

We’ll show you how to create the look without creating a mess. Each method can be touched up, year after year, for a flawless finish. Method 1: How to Flock a Christmas Tree With Powder Supplies Needed Plastic sheeting or drop clothChristmas Tree flocking powderMesh wire colander sifterSpray bottleWater Step 1: Prep Work Space For easy cleanup, prepare your work surface with plastic sheeting or a drop cloth. You’ll be dusting your Christmas tree or wreath with flocking powder, so do this in a well-ventilated space cleared of keepsakes....

How to Make Raspberry Puree There is no raspberry puree recipe per se, it’s simply raspberries that have been blended until smooth. Add either fresh raspberries or frozen raspberries that have been thawed, to your blender or food processor ($100, Bed Bath & Beyond) and blend until smooth. Now comes the part where we eliminate those obnoxious seeds. How to Strain Raspberry Puree to Remove Seeds For a seedless raspberry puree, place your pureed raspberries in a fine-mesh sieve ($12, Target) over a bowl....

However, MDF can be difficult to paint, especially if you approach it like any other painting project. This material can have a smooth, ready-to-paint face, but the edges are typically rough and porous, which can lead to an uneven finish. Some manufactured pieces of MDF can also have a thin protective layer that prevents paint from adhering properly. Use this detailed guide to learn how to prepare and paint MDF for a high-quality finish....

1. Insulate Pipes Any exposed pipe that runs along a wall or is in an unheated area (a basement or a crawl space, for example) is a potential hazard. The water inside can freeze and cause the pipe to burst when temperatures drop below 32 F. “It’s easy to protect them with pipe insulation,” says Lou Manfredini, the host of HouseSmarts. “Get it at the hardware store—it looks like a giant piece of spaghetti with a slit....

Where Should You Store Cleaning Supplies? How you store cleaning products can be a matter of organizational preference, but where you store them is a safety concern. It’s important to always read the label on any bottle for specific warnings or instructions. Across the board, cleaning supplies should be stored in a cool, dry area with good ventilation. You’ll want to keep bottles away from anything hot or potentially flammable. They should never be kept where pets or kids can grab them....

Seeds from Heirloom vs. Hybrid Tomatoes Not all tomatoes have seeds that will grow into plants that look (or taste) like their parent. Modern hybrids, such as ‘Big Boy’ and ‘Celebrity,’ are created from two unique parent plants. The seeds that a hybrid tomato plant produces will not result in another ‘Celebrity’ tomato plant, for example. Instead, the seed will likely yield a small, inferior fruit on a rangy plant. Avoid disappointment and don’t save seed from hybrid tomatoes....

What Is Spatchcocking? Spatchcocking involves cutting out the chicken’s spine and pressing down on the breast bone to flatten the chicken. Flattening it exposes more of the chicken’s surface to the oven or grill heat, which is what allows it to cook faster and give you that deliciously crisp chicken skin. The spatchcocking method cuts your cooking time immensely. (You can sometimes get it from the fridge to your dinner plate in about a half hour....

Easy Seeds to Start Indoors If it’s your first time starting seeds indoors in winter, it’s best to go small. Pick just one or two types that are easy to grow from seed like these favorite flowering annuals: Container Options Plastic seed trays ($16, The Home Depot) and seed-starter kits ($16, Etsy) are super easy for growing seeds indoors. But you can dig through your recycling bin, too. Just remember to punch a drainage hole in each container before planting....

There’s a plethora of hair hacks, making it hard to decide which are worth trying. To shed some light on the good ones, we reached out to Lisa Price, founder of leading haircare brand Carol’s Daughter, and celebrity hairstylist Charlene Spiller to recommend natural and curly hair hacks to try at home. Hair massagers, like Vitagoods Scalp Massaging Shampoo Brush ($16; target.com), offer a gentle alternative to scrubbing and exfoliating your scalp with your fingers....

Also called weed barrier or weed control fabric, landscape fabric is usually used to discourage weeds while allowing for movement of moisture both in and out of the soil. However, it isn’t a permanent solution to controlling weeds (nature will find a way). Even when using landscape fabric, you’ll still need to do some weeding. Where to Use Landscape Fabric It’s best to use landscape fabric under inorganic materials such as rock, gravel, or sand....

What Kind of Vinegar to Use Typical white vinegar in the store is 5% vinegar (acetic acid) and 95% water. While this type of vinegar can be used on weeds, it has quite a few limitations. It works best on small, annual weeds that are less than two weeks old, and it will often require several applications to do the job. You can up its efficacy by adding a cup of table salt and a tablespoon of liquid dish soap to a gallon of white vinegar....

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Associate Editor at BHG’s Kitchen + Bath Makeovers, 1.5 yearsAssistant Editor at BHG’s Beautiful Kitchens and Baths, 1.5 yearsAssistant Editor at BHG’s Kitchen and Bath Ideas, 2.5 yearsWriter for for Better Homes & Gardens SIM publications like Kitchen + Bath Makeovers and Renovation Style, 3 yearsAttended trade shows such as Coverings, Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, International Builders ShowWriter for BHG’s web presence, including home, garden, Stylemaker, and news stories, 2+ years (ongoing)...

How to Start a Lasagna Garden While making lasagna requires a fair amount of prep and clean up, lasagna gardening is just the opposite. There is no prep work required, other than clearing the soon-to-be garden plot of rocks and debris. You don’t need to worry about tilling or turning the soil. (You are welcome to turn the soil with a spade to speed the composting process up by a couple of months but it is not necessary....

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Mini angel food cupcakes, topped with fresh raspberries and a snowy dusting of powdered sugar, will melt in your mouth, while sparkly vanilla bean macarons with three different festive fillings (white chocolate peppermint, eggnog marshmallow, and spicy chocolate mocha) will disappear from your holiday dessert table in a flash. It doesn’t get any cuter than individually-sized cheesecakes made with gingerbread Oreos and gingerbread pudding, each topped with a tiny gingerbread man....

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