Posts

Use it as a marinade Brush a thin coat of mayonnaise on meat, poultry, seafood, or veggiesto help prevent them from sticking to the grill. This step also seals in the natural flavors and juices and prevents your protein from drying out. Make a delicious dip Mayonnaise makes a mean summer dip for chips and veggies. Mix it with avocado, cilantro, and lime for a delicious spin on guacamole, or stir with lemon juice, chives, Dijon, and sour cream for the perfect herbed crudité dip....

To get a glimpse of Abdallah’s garden, with its raised beds and verdant greenhouse, is to see her passion evolve in real time. But for those who look at it and think, “Well, it’s too bad my yard doesn’t have nearly as much light,” all is not lost. It is possible to start a garden in the shade, and Abdallah knows how. “There are so many varieties of flowers, herbs, and veggies that thrive in shady environments,” she continues....

No need to be, er, chicken—just follow our step-by-step guide to help you cut up a raw turkey in no time flat. RELATED: How to Prep a Turkey for Roasting Tip: Save the backbone and other trimmings, like the giblets in the cavity, to make stock for turkey soup. RELATED: How Long to Cook a Turkey, in One Easy Chart

“Donkey kicks are a great exercise for targeting the largest part of the glutes, the gluteus maximus,” says Ashlie Sustaita, master instructor at Life Time athletic club in Houston, Texas. There’s even a surprise bonus to donkey kicks—if done with proper form, of course. Because this move is performed on all fours, “[t]he shoulder and core muscles are also working to hold stability and posture through the movement.” To make this exercise as effective (and safe) as possible, you need to make sure you’re doing it right....

Anyone with any hair type can do a Dutch braid. Once you’ve mastered the skill, the options for hairstyles are endless. You can do braided updos, boxer braids, and more. If you’ve always wanted to learn how to Dutch braid but were intimidated, allow us to help break it down with this step-by-step process. Brush Your Hair Whether you’re braiding with dry or damp hair, brushing out the knots is important....

“If you’re using a new product or not necessarily sticking to a routine, then that can precipitate an irritation on the face,” says Mona Gohara, MD, a dermatologist at Yale Medical School. What’s more, using a wide range of products can make it difficult to single out what is causing a negative reaction. To find out which product—and, more specifically, which ingredient—is responsible, Gohara says you have to become a skincare detective....

While some conditions are out of our control, there are proven ways to combat personal sleeplessness, including a few tips and tricks to prompt faster sleep onset, starting tonight. First, practice good pre-bedtime habits. Even before that moment of lying in bed willing yourself to go to sleep; be disciplined about carving out time to chill out in the evenings. According to Janet Kennedy, PhD, a clinical psychologist and sleep expert, being able to fall asleep quickly once you’re lying in bed starts several hours before tucking in....

You’ll free up precious oven space for your pies and all those delicious vegetable sides you’ve planned. And if you live in a warm (enough) climate, you can take the party outside and fire up the grill for the main turkey cooking event. “Everybody loves a grilled turkey, and you become the hero of Thanksgiving,” Karmel says. “You bring that turkey in from the grill, you’re gonna get a standing ovation....

Another bonus: Because their rich, dark meat stands up so well to bold flavors, thighs are the perfect blank canvas for trying out the wide world of bbq rubs, marinades, and spice blends. Not sure how to handle them? Remember these rules of thumb. In general, free range methods produce thighs that are more petite than their industrially-bred counterparts. Larger pieces of meat will require more seasoning and longer cooking times, so know what you’re working with before you fire up the bbq....

You shouldn’t put your well-seasoned board away quite yet, because you might want to slather it up for the newest trend out there—butter boards. Yep, everyone’s favorite creamy bread spread gets a starring role on the latest take on the board trend. We’re not talking about slapping down a stick of butter and calling it a day. Instead, softened butter is spread in a thick layer on the board and adorned with all matter of goodies....

Tomato-based barbecue sauce is the most easily recognizable, and most accessible in grocery stores too, if you’re looking for a shortcut. The base of the sauce can be ketchup, tomato paste, or tomato purée, and it’s linked to Kansas City barbecue, although other regional styles like Texas and Memphis also embrace it. While tomato-based barbecue sauce tends to be thick and glossy, vinegar-based barbecue sauce is on the thinner side, and with a spicy kick to boot....

According to grammar expert Mignon Fogarty, the host of the podcast Grammar Girl, here are two easy rules for pluralizing last names correctly. How to Pluralize Last Names Rule #1: A last name is always written out in its entirety. Think of it this way: It’s their name, so you can’t exactly change it, right? Rule #2: You never need an apostrophe when signing or addressing cards. (Apostrophes imply possession, which isn’t what you’re trying to do....

You can give your skillet a nonstick surface by seasoning it, or coating the skillet with cooking oil and baking it (see how to season a cast-iron skillet in the above video, or follow the steps outlined below). The skillet won’t take on that shiny black patina immediately out of the oven, but once you dry it with paper towels, it will be ready to use. You’ll reinforce the nonstick coating every time you heat oil in the skillet, and you can hasten the process by seasoning as often as you like—or by using a seasoning spray....

Dealing with a sluggish drain is one of those gross tasks you’ll have to deal with—it’s up there with cleaning the drain trap when you’re done with the dishes. Any apartment dweller or homeowner will tell you that a clogged drain is an inevitability. Rather than reach for a bottle of drain clearing chemicals—which are not only terrible for the environment but can damage your pipes or cause a clog to move further down—try this method....

“The literal translation of ‘gua’ means ‘scrape’ and ‘sha’ means ‘sand,’ which refers to the sandy dark spots that look like light bruising on the skin that comes up after a gua sha body treatment,” explains Patricia San Pedro, an esthetician, founder of Sunina Skin, and author of Face Fitness. Facial gua sha is particularly popular right now, but it can be performed on the entire body. Though the movements are very light—there’s no literal scraping and only the slightest amount of pressure is applied—the technique lends to a glowing complexion and skin that’s more sculpted and toned....

Their recent spice release is no different. The Mushroom and Company Multipurpose Umami Seasoning Blend is made from a divine mixture of kosher salt, dried porcini and white button mushrooms, dried onion, mustard seed, red and black pepper, and thyme. Once you taste it, you’re going to want to sprinkle it on everything, which is convenient considering how flexible its flavor profile is. What Is Umami? Umami is often referred to as the fifth taste (in addition to sweet, salty, sour, and bitter)....

The most obvious culprits are dark-colored foods and beverages: red wine, coffee, cola, tea, and even some less commonly mentioned ones, such as berries and tomato sauce. (A dentist once told us if it can stain a white T-shirt, it can stain your teeth.) “Residue from those foods and drinks attach to the tooth, causing what are known as extrinsic or surface stains,” says Kevin B. Sands, DDS, a celebrity dentist in Beverly Hills....

Does butter have any nutritional value? Unsurprisingly, butter is largely made of fat, and sadly it’s not the heart-healthy kind, says Brigitte Zeitlin, a New York City–based registered dietitian and founder of BZ Nutrition. “The fat in butter is where the flavor comes from, and fat is essential for us to make hormones and store our fat-soluble vitamins,” she explains. “But because it’s not one of the heart-healthy fats, it does need to be eaten sparingly....

In fact, celebrity hairstylist Kristen Shaw is here to explain why sleeping with wet hair could actually be good for some hair types (as long as you do it right). Here’s what you really need to know about this common beauty “rule”—and how to maximize your wet hair overnight. Is sleeping with wet hair really bad, or is this just a beauty myth? Call the MythBusters because Shaw says this is a beauty myth....