Ideas & Tips — Home

Tea parties aren't just for kids! Next time you host a gathering for a group of women — perhaps a bridal or baby shower, book club or luncheon — throw a grown up tea party. Here are some tips for sipping in style:  Encourage hats: Be sure to send out traditional invitations on pretty stationery. Encourage your guests to wear their favorite tea party attire, including pretty, Kate Middleton-inspired hats.  Make dainty sandwiches: Sandwiches make great tea party fare, especially if you remove the crusts and divide them into tiny, bite-sized pieces. If you're feeling especially creative, use cookie cutters...

Tired of all your old standby dinner recipes? Why not mix things up and try serving your family breakfast for dinner? Also known as "brinner," your kids are sure to love having foods normally reserved for the morning hours during the last meal of the day. You may even want to make it a fun weekly tradition! Here are some ideas to get you started: Breakfast burritos: Incorporate a Mexican food twist to your brinner when you set up a breakfast burrito bar. Wrap some warm tortillas loosely in a cotton dish towel and arrange in an attractive fruite bowl...

Feeding an entire family can be expensive, but fortunately there are some budget-friendly options that are also healthy and delicious! Here are some tasty meals to make if you're keeping a close eye on your wallet: Chili: Chili is always a great option when you're watching your budget. For a lower-fat version, try ground turkey instead of beef. Serve it in brilliant stainless steel bowls.  Easy chicken and dumplings: Grab a rotisserie roast chicken and a can of ready-to-bake biscuits from the grocery store on your way home from work, and you're ready to make Southern Living's inexpensive take on an...

If you've built up a miniature greenhouse in your home during the summer, you may be wondering how best to prepare your green babies for the harsh weather they're about to face in the wintertime. Called "over-wintering", the process of preparing house plants for winter is relatively simple, but important to perform carefully if you want your garden to live to see another year: Make sure the air is humid enough. Heating a home through the winter takes a toll on the humidity of the air, often reducing it by 10 to 20 percent. To keep your plants from being harmed...

Salt is almost literally the spice of life. It makes any dish more flavorful and is therefore one of the most popular table condiments in the world. There are many types of salt on the market that serve different purposes, from cooking to pickling to seasoning at the table. Here is our short guide to types of salt and how to use them: Kosher salt. This is a common table salt and is used in kosher cooking to draw out the blood of the animal. It has a milder flavor than iodized table salt, and dissolves quickly, making it a good...