Ideas & Tips — Ideas & Tips

Fruit baskets and bowls are beautifully versatile: they are some of the only things that can serve as an item of decor and also as a tasty snack for your guests when they get hungry. Having an artfully arranged fruit basket on your table is a welcoming, hospitable touch, and can also add a touch of color and freshness to the home as the days grow shorter. Here are some tips to help you create your own edible centerpieces: Choose the right basket. You'll want something that goes with your other decor and doesn't overpower the fruit in appearance. This brushed stainless...

Few treats in life provide as much pleasure as your own creation of fruits and vegetables mixed together and blended into a sumptuous nectar to be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. However, those magical moments can be far and few in between because sometimes concocting the perfect smoothie is a tricky affair.  Nevertheless, the urge to try again doesn't leave us. Not only are they delicious but smoothies are also undeniably good for you, especially when mixed in with spinach, kale, bananas, avocado and a host of other fruit and vegetables in countless arrangements.  Here are a...

Your kitchen may be hiding some unwelcome guests. A recent study from the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) found potentially dangerous germs on a number of everyday cooking items, putting you at risk of serious illness.  In the study, researchers examined dozens of samples taken from 20 Americans kitchens. They discovered that refrigerators often harbor some particularly nasty microscopic activity. Chilled meat and vegetable drawers were found to contain E. coli, salmonella, listeria, mold and yeast, and refrigerator water dispensers had some of the highest germ counts of all.  Rubber spatulas and food storage containers with rubber seals were other big...

Nothing brightens your home or your day quite like a bouquet of fresh cut flowers. On the other hand, nothing is more frustrating than finding your blooms sad and wilted shortly after you bought them. Did you know that how you treat the bouquet can make a big difference in how long it lasts? Here are some tips for better-looking, longer-lasting flowers: Avoid the sun: It may seem counterintuitive, since live plants need light, but Woman's Day says direct sun actually hastens your flowers' demise. Keep them in a cool, shady area in your home.  Change the water: This is one of...

Whether you decide to go with the more traditional stainless steel cookware or more unusual stainless steel items such as cups or candleholders, stainless steel housewares add refinement and modern sheen to a home without sacrificing practicality. Supply your house with stainless steel to take advantage of these benefits: Durability: Stainless steel has a longer lifespan than most other materials and is highly resistant to damage such as scratches and dents. It also maintains the same appearance over time, never becoming discolored or (obviously) stained.  Easy cleaning: Stainless steel owes much of its popularity in the kitchen to the fact that it can be cleaned...