But if you like your snow day treats on the cooler side, you probably have the perfect raw material sitting right outside your door—snow. Just collect some fresh snow, stir it in with a few staple ingredients—milk or cream, sugar, and vanilla extract—and you have a sweet and super-soft ice cream, no special equipment required. Pro tip: Rather than “harvest” snow by scraping off a layer from the lawn, I like to put a big bowl or pot out when snow is forecast, so the snow is less likely to be walked on (or contaminated by) any creatures—and it’s super easy to go out and grab it when you’re ready....

But the only thing standing in the way of all that tart goodness is peeling and coring the apples, especially if your dish calls for a dozen or more. Fortunately, it’s easy to learn how to core apples efficiently, so you can get your favorite recipes ready faster. Apple Types Before you get started, make sure you choose the right apple variety for your recipe. There are dozens of different types available, but some of our favorites include the following:...

Shady Situations In many instances, shade gardens can be tricky to plant, especially when it comes to turf grass. With something as low maintenance as a mondo grass lawn, you can have the look of grass in shady spots; no mowing required! Mondo grass has no problem growing under large tree canopies, even between gnarled roots and rocks. However, if you’re planting black foliage varieties of mondo, they’ll need some sun, or the plants will be mostly green in full shade....

Types of Cherry Trees Favored for their sweet, tart, and tangy flavors, cherries are a natural fit for baked goods or just eating them fresh. There are two distinct types of edible cherry trees: sweet cherries and sour cherries. Each has their own uses in the kitchen, providing very different flavor profiles. Sweet cherries (Prunus avium), also known as wild cherries, are native to Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. They’re also found growing across much of North America and parts of Australia....

Attractive and easy to grow, a spider plant makes an excellent houseplant. It can tolerate low-light conditions and thanks to thick roots that can store moisture, you can get away with watering it about every two weeks or when the soil starts to feel dry. Spider plants do especially well in a corner of your bathroom, where they can get a little extra humidity. When your plant is happy and healthy, its best feature will likely appear: Long, thin stems trailing out from its center, each with a plantlet on the ends....

An oil leak or spill is problematic not only for your vehicle, but it can also be a headache for your driveway. Those drips and splotches make for unsightly blemishes that detract from the beauty of your home and yard. Removing oil stains from a driveway starts with choosing the right cleaning solution. A variety of household supplies can be used to clean oil spills. However, you might need to call on a more powerful cleaner specially formulated to clean driveways or concrete....

While purchasing a residential solar energy system certainly increases your home’s value, it can be a pricey undertaking. The average cost of a rooftop system is between $15,000 and $25,000. Here are a few ways to save money on that price tag when converting your home to solar energy power. Created in 2013 with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot initiative (a program designed to reduce the cost of solar energy and make it cost-competitive with other forms of energy), EnergySage helps shoppers pay significantly less for residential solar than what’s offered outside the platform....

“Daily activities that you’ve grown accustomed to, like sitting at a desk or in a car for a long commute, can lead to chronic muscle shortening and tension, which can then lead to a decreased lumbar (a.k.a lower spine) range of motion,” says chiropractor Kevin Lees, DC, manager of auditing and quality at The Joint Chiropractic in Phoenix. That loss of range of motion in the lower back (or any joint) can increase your risk of injury over time, even from doing something as simple as reaching down to pick up a paper clip....

Choosing the Best Weed Whacker When deciding on the type of weed whacker to purchase, it helps to keep a few considerations in mind. First, think about whether you want a plug-in, battery-powered, or gas-powered model. Plug-in weed whackers are relatively quiet and powerful. And being electric, there’s no exhaust to contend with or trips to the gas station for fuel. However, they do require an extension cord and care should be taken not to trip over or cut the cord while actively trimming....

What Is Cleaning Vinegar? All kinds of vinegar contain acid that brings brightness to foods or helps in food preservation. Distilled white vinegar is often used for cleaning because it is colorless and contains about 5 percent acetic acid. Cleaning vinegar and distilled white vinegar are made in the same way—by fermenting alcohols distilled from corn or grains. Microorganisms (bacteria) process the alcohol into acetic acid and water, or vinegar. Cleaning vinegar contains around 6 percent acid, which actually makes it 20 percent stronger than distilled white vinegar....

Simply put, good olive oil improves your food and, though more expensive, can save you money. Quality Dictates Taste How so, you ask? When you cook with better extra virgin olive oil (extra virgin being this article’s focus), it’s far easier to make dishes like a simple pasta taste great. Olive oil also has great potential as a finisher. A pre-meal dousing can brighten soups, savory yogurts, and even ceviche....

To get to the bottom of this particular dental hygiene debate, we asked dentists for their expert opinions and gathered the latest research on mouthwash benefits, downsides, and best practices for keeping your smile healthy, fresh, and clean. The Pros of Using Mouthwash Aside from giving your mouth that sparkling-clean, cool, and tingly feeling, mouthwash serves a number of roles when it comes to supporting oral health and hygiene. “Mouthwash is definitely beneficial for keeping your teeth clean, and it can prevent unnecessary problems with your teeth,” says London-based dentist Parneet Sehmi, BDS, MJDF, RCS....

What Is Palm Oil? Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil or cooking oil made from the fruit of oil palm trees. It is edible and one of the most commonly used vegetable oils in the world. Palm oil is made by either squeezing the fleshy fruit of the oil palm tree or crushing the kernel at the center of the fruit. The oil can be listed under palm oil or one of about 200 alternative names....

From a practical standpoint, it’s rather black and white: You should be paid fairly and adequately for the work that you do. On a personal and emotional level, knowing your compensation is justified and supported improves your sense of self-worth, self-confidence, and, ultimately, your workplace performance, according to career expert and co-founder of Motto, Ashleigh Hansberger. “When you’re underpaid, you can feel emotionally broke, and this seeps into other areas of your personal and professional life that also fall short, including how motivated you are at work,” Hansberger says....

As one of the largest home improvement companies in the country, LeafFilter manages the production and installation of its gutter guards from start to finish to ensure consistent quality and customer service. “Since 2005, we have installed over 127 million feet of LeafFilter for more than 850,000 homeowners across the United States and Canada,” says Chris Counahan, president of LeafFilter Gutter Protection. LeafFilter’s parent company, Leaf Home, earned a spot on the 2021 Inc....

How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew It only takes a handful of ingredients, no special tools, and 5 minutes of your time to make pumpkin cream cold brew. Refer to our Test Kitchen’s pumpkin cream cold brew recipe (ours makes enough for two) for the specific measurements and let’s get started. Step 1: Make Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam Grab a mason jar or another tall container with an airtight lid and add your milk, canned pumpkin, and maple syrup....

“Before I had kids, I had more free time, more disposable income, and my idea of self-care was going on a trip for a few nights or heading to the spa. I used to be very conscious of the term self-care, because I was worried it seemed self-indulgent,” she says. “But in the last couple of years, I’ve started to really embrace it. It doesn’t have to be a big thing, and it’s really the simplest things that have such a unique power to elevate your mood....

The London-based Sofia has struggled with credit card debt since she was at university. At first, she had a very low credit limit—but as she earned more money over the years, that credit limit grew, and her spending grew with it until she was carrying a large amount of debt. She kept her credit card debt—and her guilt and shame surrounding it—to herself until she and her boyfriend began talking about purchasing a house together....

The L.A.-based brand’s foray into dining goods may not be surprising. After all, its mission is to connect others over the power of home cooking. Our Place previously launched hand-blown drinking glasses in 2021, but its Tableware collection, which arrived on September 27, is a bona-fide ecosystem meant to serve everyone from solo diners to sprawling dinner parties. Delightfully complementary colorways mean you can add in pieces à la carte at your convenience or overhaul your entire tablescape with just a click of the checkout button....

Seriously, it’s genius. People have strong feelings on the matter—so much so, in fact, that American Pecans launched The Super Safe Pecan Debate, which they deemed “the partisan issue you can passionately argue without risking your invitation to next year’s family gathering.” To settle this once and for all, American Pecans called on pecan fans from across the country to cast their vote for “PEA-can” vs. “puh-CON.” The debate ended in November 2020, with puh-CON a clear winner with 66 percent of the votes....