Clearly, customizing a martini to your specific palate is important. If you’ve been drinking them for years, you probably know exactly how you like yours, but if you’re new to martini land, welcome! We recommend tinkering with a few different ingredients (and ratios) to find what suits you. No matter how you mix it, H. L. Mencken was real woke when he said, “Martinis are the only American invention as perfect as a sonnet....

How to Pick The best way to pick a cantaloupe is by smell. The fruit should have a sweet, slightly musky scent. A good cantaloupe feels heavy for its size, has a rind that resembles raised netting, and has a stem end that yields slightly when pressed with your thumb. How to Store Let a not-quite-ready cantaloupe ripen at room temperature for up to two days (keeping it in a closed paper bag will speed up the process)....

Where to Plant Trifoliate Orange Trifoliate orange is native to China and is thought to have been introduced to North America for use as a barrier plant, especially in agricultural settings. It was planted in hedgerows as a living fence for livestock. It can make an interesting living fence in home landscapes today, but beware of the long, sharp thorns. Avoid planting it where small children or pets may play or near busy walkways....

It may seem a bit overwhelming to attempt to cook lamb for the first time. But we promise leg of lamb is an easy cut of meat that allows for even roasting and tons of flavor. Our Test Kitchen is here to teach you how to cook leg of lamb to juicy perfection. We also include the proper temperature to cook a leg of lamb and what temperature to follow for your preferred preparation (medium or medium-rare)....

There is always room for improvement, once you know you’re making mistakes. With that in mind, we polled professional hairstylists for their most common hair-washing mistakes. 1. You shampoo too often, or not enough. Ah, the age-old debate of how often to wash your hair. Infrequent washing can leave your scalp itchy and irritated, but too-frequent washing can leave your scalp dry, producing more oil to compensate. According to the experts, there’s no universal answer because hair-washing frequency depends on a variety of conditions, such as hair texture and lifestyle....

Tanja’s story may sound extreme, but the truth is, a lot of people can reduce their working years, with a little financial foresight and planning. “Many middle-class-and-up folks could retire earlier than they think, even without having big advantages,” says Hester, who now lives in Lake Tahoe, Calif., and recently wrote Work Optional: Retire Early the Non-Penny-Pinching Way ($10; amazon.com). In fact, there’s an entire movement of people retiring in their 30s and 40s—they call it FIRE (financial independence, retire early)....

To start, you’ll learn how to roast garlic in the oven and get tips on how long to roast garlic (so it always turns out soft and not dry). We also provide instructions on how to “roast” garlic on the grill for an impressive addition to your next cookout menu. From there, put your roasted garlic to good use with our delicious recipe ideas. Step 1: Prep the Garlic Bulb Look for a medium to large bulb (also called a head) of garlic for roasting....

Are Sparklers Legal Fireworks? According to the American Pyrotechnics Association (APA), “The definition of consumer fireworks varies from state to state, but can include everything from cone fountains to roman candles to multiple tube ‘cake’ devices to sparklers.” Sparklers should only be used if they’re legal in your municipality. (Check your state’s regulations in this directory of state fireworks control laws from the American Pyrotechnics Association.) However, the APA also says, “49 of the 50 U....

But here’s the thing: The dates on egg cartons are less than discernible. In some states, egg packagers are required to list sell-by dates. In others, they must stamp expiration dates. And neither date tells the whole story when it comes to freshness. That’s because eggs can be and often still are perfectly good long after the date—any date—that’s printed on the outside of the plastic or Styrofoam box. If you find yourself wondering how long your eggs will last, follow this trick....

When most people think of feng shui, they think of rearranging furniture and items in the house to encourage positive energy and good luck. But something as simple as the plants you pick—and where you place them—plays a big role in balancing your home’s energy. So when you welcome home your next plant baby, you might want to follow the feng shui principles below to ensure it really enhances your life....

When you buy eggs from a grocery store or farmers market, they look spotless. “When’s the last time you bought a carton of eggs that didn’t look beautiful?” asks Marisa Bunning, a professor and food safety extension specialist in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University. But before Bunning became a professor, she raised backyard chickens with her family, so she knows better than anyone that eggs are still an ingredient that has come from an animal’s body....

For three weeks, I quit eating meat cold turkey and documented my findings as I went through the journey. Here’s what I learned. RELATED: These 13 Delicious Plant-Based Products Make Vegan Eating Incredibly Easy RELATED: What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Eating Meat? We Asked an RD To counteract my newfound yearning for sugar, I found it helpful to look at how well-balanced my new meal regimen was....

It;s also the main ingredient used in injectables, thanks to its ability to make the skin look plumper and more youthful. The catch? Fillers can rack up thousands of dollars in the office (read: not the most cost-effective route to anti-aging). That’s why when Shiseido announced they were launching an at-home topical system made with advanced hyaluronic acid that’s supposed to mimic the results of filler, I was instantly intrigued....

Here’s a snapshot of the reality across the nation in 2021: The average down payment in the top 11 most competitive metros in the United States is 21 percent according to a LendingTree study. In some places, like San Jose, California; Hartford, Connecticut, and Cleveland, Ohio, down payments of 22 and 23 percent are the local average. Furthermore, a staggering 73 percent of buyers in those competitive metros have credit scores of at least 720....

Plus, another surprising red wine health benefit is its ability to potentially lower the risk of dementia, a group of conditions that impact memory function (usually in older age). “Studies show that red wine consumption can reduce the risk of having dementia, which often leads to Alzheimer’s disease,” says nutritionist Sally Stevens, RDN. The key, though, is drinking red wine in moderation, as heavier consumption can actually increase the risk....

Sufficient water intake is important every day, of course, but it’s even more critical to sip when you’re stressed out. “Stress is what we experience when our brain and body try to cope with a challenge, danger, or uncertainty by setting in motion a host of physical response, such as a faster heart rate and soaring adrenaline, to prepare us to take action,” says Laura Lewis Mantell, MD, a physician specializing in pain and stress management, and a personal and professional coach....

As if the ties between this beloved stand mixer and the holiday season weren’t strong enough, KitchenAid is emphasizing this special connection with the launch of a brand new holiday stand mixer color combination. Released November 2, the KitchenAid Holiday 2022 Artisan Series Tilt-Head Stand Mixer is a creamy white mixer with a warm fired clay ceramic bowl. The white mixer is inspired by the first snow, according to KitchenAid, and the light brown bowl has warm tones reminiscent of cinnamon, cloves, and gingerbread houses....

The clean beauty brand’s popular vegan balm is made from 100 percent organic coconut oil sourced from the Philippines. This gives it plenty of fatty acids, vitamin E, and other moisturizing proteins to hydrate both skin and hair. To top it off, it smells just like a piña colada. Kopari’s in-demand coconut melt works as both a body moisturizer and a hair mask. For deep hydration, slather on a good amount of the creamy formula to damp skin....

“Teens are feeling a lot of feelings right now—sadness, anger, relief, boredom, frustration, ease, irritation—the list goes on,” says Sarah Rudell Beach, chief mindfulness officer of Left Brain Buddha and a Mindful Schools certified instructor. “When all those emotions are present without awareness, it’s overwhelming. With mindfulness, we can recognize, ‘I’m feeling angry.’ And then we can pause and consider what support we might need in that moment.” But teens may need a little help figuring out how to be mindful, and building a mindfulness practice will help them manage their stress and mental health now and as adults....

I’ll admit, I’ve a bit late to the hot chocolate bombs trend but it’s only because I’ve been testing out different methods and flavor combinations to get them perfect. Yesterday I posted the ultimate guide of how to make chocolate bombs with tons of tips and tricks to the best hot chocolate bombs. So make sure you read that post too. Today is all about mint hot chocolate bombs. These would be great any time of the year but I’m going to use them as St....