Small outdoor kitchens are as practical as they are fun. Cooking outdoors during the warm months of the year means we prevent heating up our homes and are smart about how we use energy. For this reason, many warm climate cultures use outdoor kitchens as their main cooking space. It's also a whole lot of fun and doesn't require a big budget or a ton of space to set one up. More

I have to admit, starfruit has been on my "must try" list for some time. I see it there every time I'm at the grocery store, but I have yet to take the plunge. Maybe it's just me but there's something sort of frivolous about it, like I can't take it seriously and I need a really good excuse to try it. Well, I think I found one. More

It doesn't really take a lot of fancy tools to keep a bar appointed for entertaining. A small selection of spirits and mixers, a shaker, and a bag of ice from the corner bodega will keep the drinks flowing and your guests lubricated. But if you take your cocktails as seriously as gourmets take their food, there's a nigh limitless toybox of whosits and whatsits out there to make cocktails even more delicious. And even if they don't add much functionality, they do add a lot of style. If you happen to have won the Lottery, here are eight luxe toys to splurge on for cocktailians who want a bar that's as cool looking as it is well stocked. More

My friend Mari has lived in our apartment building for 12 years. I moved in a couple years ago and just last week my friend Eve moved in down the hall after a long-term relationship ended. We're three single women living on one floor — or, one script away from our own sitcom. The situation allows us the benefits of having a roommate — impromptu nightcaps, sick-day film fests, and communal dinners, all of which actually happened this week — without the arguments over dishes (more on that later).
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Over the last decade we've seen the trend of slick stainless steel appliances take over American kitchens. While that might make for a modern streamlined look, we're finding the warm feel of these vintage inspired refrigerators a refreshing change. More

Second only to Christmas, Valentines Day is a baking holiday. Who hasn't tried to woo a loved one by trying their hand at making a death by chocolate, truffle, strawberry, raspberry, molten, mocha, heart-shaped, liqueur, cake-tart? (that in my case never really lives up to expectations). So this year, I am trying out a different kind of baking: garden baking. More

Celebrated throughout Scandinavia and Italy, St. Lucia Day is marked by girls in white dresses wearing candle-filled crowns and bearing trays of baked-goods. How have I missed out on it all these years? More

Summer in San Francisco is nothing like the summers I grew up with in Chicago. There are few warm days and even fewer hot days, and who knows where one would find batting cages, roller rinks, space to grill, or outdoor pools. There are, however, excellent ice cream shops, and plenty of ways to bring a bit of classic summery-ness to your home. More

The June 2011 issue of Elle Decor includes a charming- if slightly surreal- article about butlers. Though I will probably never use the advice on how to become a butler (too clumsy) or what to look for when hiring a butler (too broke: butlers make $75,000-$300,000!), there were some good down-and-dirty cleaning tips... More

You might think that a girl with six pair of scissors, each with a particular use, would be set for life. As Ariel sang, "Wouldn'tcha think my collection's complete?". No, sadly, it's not, not with scallop and shredding and absurdly tiny scissors out there in the world... More