Life

I love the way our world is changing. Gone are the days where you were either a work-outside-the-home mom or a stay-at-home mom, when rare was the woman who didn’t fit into one of those categories exclusively. With the integration of technology and innovation into our work and home lives, there are so many possible combinations of working environments for moms (and dads!).

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) There’s no denying the convenience of an already-ground spice, but I’m here to make a case for why you should consider adding a few whole spices to your seasoning line-up. Four words: better flavor, fresher longer. Convinced?! • On Using Whole Spices The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Cooks can be very territorial creatures. This may make for a terrific meal at the end of the night, but it’s not so great for fostering a romantic, let’s-make-and-share-this-food-together vibe. So here are a few simple tips… • 5 Tips For a Date Night in the Kitchen The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) In short, my feelings about Valentine’s Day are a lot like this popcorn: salty and a little bitter, but impossible to ignore. • Salted Dark Chocolate Popcorn The Kitchn

How in the world does one go about planning a kitchen renovation? How do you actually make decisions? Well, I don’t know how other people make these sorts of rather scary decisions — I can only tell you how we did. • Planning Out the Kitchen The Kitchn

Last week I explained the big renovation and kitchen project we took on last year, and I showed you lots of pretty pictures of kitchens that inspired me. But in renovation, before a kitchen gets better, it usually gets worse. Much, much worse. • Faith’s Kitchen Renovation The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) In the process of dragging an old, problematic house into the 21st century, we lived through the very real clichés of remodeling. Over the next week or two I will show you how it all went and what it looks like now. Want to come along? • Faith’s Kitchen Renovation

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) The Kitchn is looking to hire a few bloggers to seek out, photograph, and write up a monthly Kitchen Tour for us. Think you’re the perfect person for the job? Get all the details here. Deadline to apply is Monday, February 18th! • The Kitchn Is Hiring The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Food, Maggie believes, whether eaten out or at home, is always more fun and festive when it’s shared with others. And with the kitchen commanding center stage in her home, it’s a gathering place for friends who share Maggie’s love of food. • Kitchen Tour The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) I’m not sure whether it’s the beginning of tax season or the gray Pacific Northwest days we’ve been having lately, but many people I know have been a bit down. For the slog that February can feel like, I have a small solution: The Winter Warmer Cocktail. • The Midwinter Warmer

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) We’ve talked before about the best way to store potatoes, onions, and other root vegetables. If you’ve got the space and wherewithal, it doesn’t get much better than these storage drawers. Deep baskets keep onions and potatoes separate – and neat! • Smart Drawer Storage The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Do you ever feel a little deflated when you walk into your kitchen? These 10 small changes are easy upgrades, but they’ll go a long way towards making you feel more organized and uplifted in your kitchen. • 10 Small Kitchen Changes The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Chicken breasts form the cornerstone of our weeknight meal repertoire, so much so that it’s easy to fall into a rut when cooking them. Here are ten recipes, ten different chicken dinners, ten ways to cook something you’ll love tonight. • Chicken Breasts for Dinner The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Open a bottle of vitamins or an electronics package and you’ll often encounter a little packet of silica gel. Printed warnings usually tell you to throw it away, but silica gel can actually be put to good reuse in the kitchen. • Reuse Silica Gel Packets The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Last year I talked about wanting to organize all my bookmarked recipes, which over the years had gotten scattered across a number of different systems. I decided to give Paprika a try and was happy to discover it has all the features I’ve been looking for… • Paprika Recipe App

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Yesterday Emma told us that to cook like a pro, you should keep your salt in a covered container or salt pig. Here are 10 options to get your salt out of the shaker once and for all: • 10 Salt Containers The Kitchn

As we approach the final days of the January Cure, the celebratory get-together is looming larger in my mind. I enjoy hosting, but there are still usually stressors and worries involved, even when I’m hosting my dearest friends. As I prepare for the big night, I’m going to keep a few things in mind to eliminate that worry and to help me make the most of it.• Your guests will be as relaxed as you are.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) There are a million and one ways to make chili. Whether you like your chili with ground meat or chuck roast, pinto beans or no beans at all, the basic method for making it is the same. Want to make a very good pot of chili? Here’s how. • How To

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Over the past week I’ve been talking about my brother’s wedding and how some friends and I cooked and catered a homey winter dinner for about 120 people. Well, today’s the final post — I’m going to show you how it all turned out! • Budget Wedding: The Dinner The

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Last weekend I took on the challenge of feeding dinner to 120 family and guests. I told you about the menu, and the plan, and today I’m going to describe just what it took to cook all that food. • Budget Wedding Meal: The Cooking The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Yesterday I shared the menu for the family wedding I’m catering this weekend. Now — how to get it all done? How do you safely cook, transport, warm up, and serve a meal to 120 people without going crazy? • Budget Wedding Meal: The Plan The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) San Francisco-based interior designer Cristin Priest thought her breakfast nook could use some sprucing up, so she decided to give it a fresh, springy makeover… • Kitchen Nook Makeover The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) We love the sweet-sour taste of pineapple. You can buy pre-cut pineapple from the store, but it’s fresher and more economical to buy a whole one and cut it yourself. Here’s the way we do it. • How To Cut Up a Whole Pineapple The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Pre-made kale chips can be really expensive, and the quality isn’t always that high. Besides, it’s really easy to make your own, so we thought we would revisit our old kale chip recipe with a complete step-by-step guide and some new tips we’ve learned. • How To Make Kale Chips

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Salt to taste. Such a simple and innocent instruction. We’ve all read those words a million times over the years without thinking anything of it. Ever wonder what it really means? • What It Means to “Salt to Taste” The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Last week we asked you to share your favorite post-workout snacks, smoothies, or pick-me-ups. You offered your favorites, and we pooled the top 5 most popular recommendations. Check ’em out below: • What To Eat After a Workout The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Fresh ginger is a staple in my kitchen. It is an extremely versatile ingredient that shows up in any course, from savory to sweet, be it main, beverage, dessert, or salad. Read on for my methods for peeling and mincing fresh ginger. • Handling Fresh Ginger The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) We’re deep in it. Soup season, that is. And in my opinion, there’s not much more comforting than a steaming bowl of creamy tomato soup. But is there a way to achieve that blissful flavor without the heavy cream? • Non-Cream Tomato Soup The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) If you’ve avoided cooking beans at home because you’ve heard that they are troublesome, finicky, or complicated, it’s time to leave that behind. • How To Cook Beans on the Stove The Kitchn

(Image credit: Maureen Petrosky) Once a year, usually late December or early January, we receive a case of the sweetest pink grapefruits delivered to our doorstep. As with anything abundant in our culinary arsenal over to the bar they went. • Pink Paloma Cocktail The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Store-bought packages or movie theater boxed treats are so often laden with preservatives and ingredients you can’t pronounce, so why not start thinking about homemade versions of your favorites to do at home? • Movie Night Snacks The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) The other night I cooked Viking Chicken for my mother, brother and daughter, and they all asked for more, so I think the recipe is worth passing on. • Maxwell’s Viking Chicken The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Lately, I’ve gotten into the habit of making my own corn chips, a process that has proved to be deeply satisfying on so many levels. Here’s a step-by-step guide to making these lighter, healthier chips at home. • How To Make Tortilla Chips The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) What are the essential ingredients for a happy kitchen? In many ways, this is what every Weekend Meditation is about, but for this week I thought I would get a little more specific. Read on for my 10 suggestions and please offer your own in the comments! • Happier in the

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) It’s a new year, and we’re all back to the races — school, work, the daily routine. Lunch has become important again, now that leisurely holiday brunches and Christmas cookies are behind us. So, what’s for lunch? Let us help you. • 15 Hearty Lunch Salads The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) From how to get rid of fish odors to how to repel house flies, from how to remove red wine stains to how to care for a wood table, here are our best tips for a clean and tidy kitchen. • 15 Tips for a Tidy Kitchen The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) The momentum of the new year has us inspired to do a clean sweep in the kitchen, and we’re breaking it down into steps that can be completed in 20 minutes or less per day for five days. • Clean Your Pantry in 20 Minutes a Day for 5 Days

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Gifts for new cooks should be practical, yet inspirational, something to not only outfit them for successful cooking, but also get them excited about doing it! Here are 10 ideas sure to inspire and delight. • Inspiring Gifts for New Cooks The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Coffee lovers encompass a range of obsessions: it’s about the bean, the flavor, the caffeine, the ritual, the process, the experience. Whatever your coffee lover’s particular focus, we have a gift idea for you. • 10 Gifts for Coffee Lovers The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) These cute little pot props help a boiling pot to let off steam. Say hello to the Little Pot Critters! • Pot Guard Critters The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Treasured family recipes are priceless, which is why they can easily be transformed into special gifts with minimum expense and just a little time. Here are four favorite ideas for giving family recipes as gifts. • Family Recipe Gifts The Kitchn

Getting ready for a holiday cocktail party and thinking of putting the ole iPod on shuffle? The convenience may seem tempting, but take an hour and make a playlist instead. Cocktail parties are the time to break out the red lipstick, the fanciest drinks, the funniest stories, and the bounciest music. If you can make a playlist that will have your guests shimmying, singing, and flirting, then you’ve set the stage for a swinging night.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) It’s been raining heavily here for several days now, and this has necessitated a slightly different approach to meal time. Instead of asking my usual question what do I want?, I begin by asking what do I have? • Resourcefulness The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Aside from being a college co-ed you typically aren’t seeking Liquid Cocaine or a Prairie Fire as your drink of choice. So can shots be sophisticated? And what’s the difference between a shot and shooter anyway? • Sophisticated Shots The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) A cranberry mostarda is an Italian condiment that is exactly what it sounds like — pureed cranberries with mustard and ‘ahhh.’ And the best thing is making it is easier than you might think. • Make Cranberry Mostarda The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) What do you do if you have an “awful” old kitchen with a low popcorn ceiling and no surface space? If you’re Kitchn reader Faith, you knock out a wall between the bedroom and dining room and build a new kitchen! • Kitchen Before & After The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) What is so great about subscription gifts is that they’re curated to include unusual blends and rare inclusions that the average customer often won’t have access to. Our favorites this year span the range from music to salumi… • Foodie Gift Subscriptions The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Making herb-infused honey has become a favorite way to use leftover sprigs of thyme, a handful of wild mint found while foraging, or the buds of an edible flower bouquet. And if you start now, there’s plenty of time to make them for holiday gifts, too. • DIY Herb-Infused Honey

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Let’s talk caramels. The candy kind. The chewy, melt-in-your-mouth, deeply sweet, and insanely addictive kind. These make some of the best gifts ever, so grab a bag of sugar and your candy thermometer, folks! We’re making caramels today. • How To Make Caramels The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) The coziness of this drink begins as soon as you set the ingredients to simmer on the stove and the scent of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves wafts through the kitchen. • Cranberry Apple Cider The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) We really like the idea of big dinner parties, be it hosting Thanksgiving or inviting friends for Saturday dinner. But we’ve found that the only way to both save our sanity and have a good time is to make a Big Bad Master Prep List. • How To Party Prep List

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Having too little turkey can be a total disaster. Do you know how to choose the right amount of turkey to feed your Thanksgiving Day guests? Here’s the rule of thumb: • How Much Turkey Per Person? The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Here are 15 recipes to fulfill your holiday bread basket needs, including classic potato dough dinner rolls, light-as-air cheese gougères, buttery angel biscuits, and a basic buttermilk quick bread with ten different flavor variations. • Thanksgiving Breads The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) If you follow Deb Perelman on her enormously popular blog, Smitten Kitchen, you are already familiar with one part of her East Village, NYC home kitchen very well… • Deb Perelman’s Smitten Kitchen The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Do you have a bake sale coming up this season? Maybe you have a favorite recipe that always flies off the table? We put together our first bake sale last year and were a little surprised by some of the best sellers. • Bake Sale Best Sellers The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Here’s what makes a tarte tatin so fabulous: even if your crust isn’t perfect, even if it crumbles a bit when you flip it, and even if the tarte is not perfectly centered on your serving platter, it will still taste like something that came directly from heaven. • A Classic

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Anyone else here think that the stuffing is the best part of Thanksgiving dinner? As the self-designated stuffing-maker in our house, I’ve tweaked and tested my recipe over the years until finally settling on this one easy method. • How To Make Stuffing The Kitchn

(Image credit: Gregory Han) Do you have a friend or loved one on active duty overseas? If you’d like to send them a holiday food package this season, here are a few rules to keep in mind when shipping edible goodies to troops overseas: • Mailing Food to Troops The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Are you roasting a whole turkey for the first time this year? Or perhaps you want a quick refresher to brush up on the basics? We’ll help you make your mama proud with these step-by-step instructions for roasting a delicious turkey. • How to Cook a Turkey The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Call me crazy, but I love a good holiday potluck. But finding that perfect dish that will simultaneously please and impress, plus be easy to shuttle along in a car or on a bus, is no small feat. Perhaps one of these this year? • 15 Potluck Dishes The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) How do you cook and shred a pork shoulder? How do you carve a roast chicken? What’s the secret to crispy skin? The answers to all these, plus many, many more in our definitive tips, tricks, and techniques guide to MEAT. • 28 Tips & Tutorials About Meat The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Jodi Liano and Catherine Patsios recently launched The San Francisco Cooking School, a new professional cooking school that also has an extensive home cooking program. They have a real understanding of what a home cook needs to know. Here are their top tips: • Essential Tips for Home Cooks The

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) I love chunky, clumpy sheets of granola that hold together until you chop them up. And I finally found two significant elements that will help you get deliciously clustered granola! • How To Make Chunky Granola Clusters The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) The name itself and the fact that it’s delicious make the El Presidente cocktail the perfect drink of choice while you’re nervously waiting out the election results on Tuesday. • An Election Night Cocktail Recipe The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) There’s something to be said for exposing young kids to new flavors. Sharing food builds bond and prepares your young’ins for a life full of unique and fulfilling food experiences. Plus, it’s much more fun to raise an adventurous eater than a picky one. • Make Mongers of the Kids

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) We’re always amazed by how truly easy it is to make things like sparkling cider at home. All you do is add a bit of yeast to some juice, bottle in recycled soda bottles, and wait for it to carbonate. Presto chango, fizzy cider! • How To Make Sparkling Cider

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) It all started on a whim. Back in early 2010, Antonio, a chemist, and his partner Caroline, an artist, just wanted to make a good ginger beer at home, but what followed was the basis for a new business… • Brooklyn Soda Works The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) You guys — it’s pumpkin season! Of course, pumpkin has so much more to offer than just pumpkin pie. Take baked pumpkin steel-cut oatmeal, for instance, or soft, cakey pumpkin spice cookies. Are these on your fall menu yet? • 15 Pumpkin Recipes The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Once a year you’re allowed to delve into the dark, twisted part of your mind and come up with something that’ll scare the bejeesus out of people. These 10 Halloween recipes are sufficiently spooky… • Creepy Halloween Food The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) There is absolutely nothing more disappointing than getting ready for a big baking project and then realizing your yeast has expired. But no longer! Stored in the freezer, our dry yeast will keep for months past that expiration date. • Freeze Dry Yeast The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Whether you’re looking for a big baked pasta dish to serve guests or a cozy one-bowl meal of pasta e fagioli, these hearty vegetarian pasta recipes will satisfy your cravings. • Vegetarian Pasta Recipes The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Do you know how easy it is to make pasta at home? Really easy! Here’s a great recipe for a basic egg pasta and a step-by-step guide through the entire process. • How To Make Fresh Pasta The Kitchn