How To & DIY
Customize Your Skin Care
Homemade Skin Care Made Easy The path to wellness includes mindful decisions about your skin care routines. Creating your own skin care products can be a fun and effective way to ensure you know what you are putting on your body.
Your Guide to Homemade Pickles
Without herbs and spices, a pickle would be a bland shadow of the fresh cucumber it started out to be. The myriad nuances and complexities provided by the herbs and spices used in the pickling process are what give pickles their signature flavors.
What is Spirulina?
Its deep emerald color is one clue that spirulina is one of nature's gems. As this ingredient grows in popularity for its nutritional benefits, more of us are asking, "What is spirulina, anyway?" Spirulina is the common name for two species of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae.
Exotic Hibiscus
Exotic and delicately beautiful, the hibiscus plant is a tall, erect annual cultivated in the tropics and subtropics. There are over 300 species of hibiscus, including Hibiscus abelmoschus (musk-mallow), H.
Bulk Pantry Staples
A well-stocked pantry helps us feel secure in our homes and opens up our from-scratch cooking to more interesting and healthier possibilities. But beyond these obvious benefits, the advantages of buying in bulk also include saving money, reducing waste and enjoying a better, fresher product.
All About Soup
Soups are nourishing, economical, and easy to make. And — whether you're using fresh produce or this week's leftovers — spices can make any soup sensational, too! Ask someone about his or her favorite food when the temperatures drop and the flurries threaten to fly, and chances are good that a lot of them are going to say soup.
Cooking with Bay Leaf
The noble bay laurel (Laurus nobilis, in fact) harkens back to ancient Greece, when kings were crowned with wreaths of bay and Olympic champions were awarded bay garlands. No less renowned today, bay laurel has been named The International Herb Association’s Herb of the year for 2009.
Relax with Chamomile
German v. Roman Chamomile German chamomile has been classified by botanists as Matricaria recutital, M.
Chinese Cuisine
The art of balance is apparent in every authentic Chinese dish — the cold and the hot, the sweet and the sour, the subtle and the pungent. And while the exotic, full flavors of Chinese cooking make a dish seem indulgent, at its core it's a frugal cuisine — making use of local, in-season foods and on-hand ingredients.
Eight Basic Spices That Should Be In Every Kitchen
With more and more of us cooking for ourselves to save money these days, it makes sense to assemble an assortment of basic herbs and spices. It's an easy, economical way to add fun to your cooking and flavor to your food.
