Mason Jar

Even if you've put aside your percolator and have gone the way of the pod coffeemaker, there are still dozens of ways to use your leftover coffee filters. Incredibly cheap, absorbent, and shaped with a ruffle, coffee filters are useful in the kitchen, garden, and around the ho ...more

Some people put up their holiday decorations as soon as Thanksgiving is over. Some wait until Christmas Eve. Right now, the only thing in my whole apartment that would tip you off is a tiny little fake tree on the counter. I've been planning on decorating all month, but I have ...more

Once again, you've found yourself inviting comrades, companions, and compatriots over for beverages on a Friday evening whim... but alas, your alcohol cabinet is looking rather meager, and your skills are lacking. No worries—just utilize these 10 tricks and spice up your at-ho ...more

Harry Potter fans got a treat last week when Pottermore, a site created by Harry Potter author, J. K. Rowling, released a test that let users learn what form their Patronus protective charm would take. Does it need to be said? The internet almost exploded. Riding this new wa ...more

If I could survive on one food for the rest of my life, it would be pizza. The irresistible smell of baking pizza instantly makes me feel both comforted... and hungry! While frozen pizza can satisfy your cravings, using fresh dough to make your own pizza is definitely much mo ...more

Ah, the joys of bottomless brunch. Paying a flat rate for endless mimosas while having a long gossip over eggs Benedict is exactly how many of us love to spend our Saturdays. However, in practice, this isn't the sophisticated affair we all like to imagine. After refill number ...more

Bad news, guys. The shelf life for liquor leftovers does not apply to your two-buck chuck. While an opened bottle of your favorite whiskey will stay respectable for ages thanks to its high ABV (which makes it inhospitable to outside elements), an opened bottle of merlot will s ...more

I love me some salad, but I'm also kind of a big baby when it comes to eating them. The greens have to be perfectly crisp and fresh, which is why I'm such a nut about storing them properly, including rethinking how I use my refrigerator, using a paper towel or dry cloth to wra ...more

Cold brewing tea and coffee are all the rage, and for good reason: they're idiot-proof. I, personally, am a total dunce at brewing coffee. It either ends up strong enough to peel paint from a car or so weak that you can see through it. Meanwhile, I have friends who inevitably ...more

Every home cook has their most-hated kitchen task. For me, peeling hard-boiled eggs and garlic are pretty high up there. Actually, peeling just about anything is, but for every annoying job, there's a shortcut to make it easier. From the folks at Household Hacker, here are 10 ...more

I grew up in a household where bacon was considered its own necessary food group. My mom saved the bacon fat in a jar and reused it in other dishes, which my friends considered vile, unless they were also from immigrant families or the American South, where saving bacon fat ha ...more

All day I dream of eggs: scrambled, poached, over easy, hard-boiled, fried, baked, raw... Okay, the last one is a joke (unless you're Gaston, which means that you eat five dozen of them and you're roughly the size of a barge). But eggs are freaking good in just about any cooki ...more

Once upon a time in America, there was coffee and there was decaf. That's it. No capuccinos. No espressos. And certainly no Starbucks. Coffee was just coffee, something that you bought at a gas station or donut shop. If you made it at home, it was either in a metal pot or inst ...more

In case you haven't heard, chia seeds are off of the novelty plant grower and in your supermarket. Why? Because they're a nutrient-dense food loaded with calcium and fiber (18% and 42% respectively of your RDA per one ounce of seeds). There are even some preliminary studies th ...more

For the novice cook, fungi can be weird because, well, they're fungi. However, if you've been afraid to get acquainted with mushrooms, you've been missing out. Vegetarians love mushrooms and with good reason. Their rich, savory flavor comes a close second to umami-rich meat. ...more

Jet engines combine oxygen from the surrounding air with on-board fuel to burn at very high temperatures and create thrust in the direction of the flame. Rockets, which we will learn about in a later post, are similar but carry oxygen internally and can therefore function in s ...more

Christmas Balls and Mason Jars. I used Dynamic light, Camera+, and Phototoaster.

Chocolate Spice Icebox cookies spilling out of antique mason-style jars with metal lids.

Do you have a green thumb but an extremely limited living space? Try building your own DIY terrarium. All you need is a clear glass or plastic container, a few of your favorite plants, and some cheap gardening supplies to start your own self-contained, self-sustained miniature ...more

To prevent mosquitos from bombing your next outdoor summer party, make your own DIY citronella candles using soy wax, glass mason jars, citronella oil, candle wicks, and a little superglue. While making your own citronella candles take a little more time and effort than simpl ...more

Life hack your next outdoor picnic to cool your warmed drinks, keep flies away, and transport food efficiently from your home to your local park. Mason jars are great for carrying salads, pastas, and other non-finger food meals. Muffin tins can transport a variety of serving- ...more

Love carving jack-o'-lanterns but hate dealing with all the gunky pumpkin seeds afterward? There are plenty of no-carve ways to decorate a pumpkin for Halloween, but what if you're sick of the orange pumpkin aesthetic and still want to get your hands dirty carving something? ...more

Last year, I wrote a post on "10 Thrifty DIY Christmas Gift Ideas" for people looking to get crafty during the gift-giving season. It seemed only right to do a followup this year with 10 more ideas! Gift-giving for the Christmas holidays does not have to be an expensive ordea ...more

6 billion humans vs 1 quadrillion ants. What to do? This tutorial preaches a solution of canola oil and mason jars. The WAO (World Ant Organization... yes, it's legitimate) estimates the population of ants grows at a rate of 1 billion every minute! All it takes is one foot ...more

If you have ice cube trays lying around in your refrigerator and chilling your drinks with ice cubes is not a huge priority for you, you can still make use of these handy kitchen tools in a number of useful ways, both edible and non-edible. If you ever have leftover sauces, j ...more

Pickling isn't rocket science. In fact, anyone can make their own speciality pickles using just about any fruit or vegetable. For example, I've pickled everything from lemons, watermelon rinds, and apples to red onions, carrots, radishes, and cucumbers. Don't Miss: DIY Pickle ...more

We're always looking for great food hacks to help us become better cooks who can create delicious food with less waste, fuss, and hassle. You never know where the next good tip will come from, so we've all learned to keep our eyes and ears wide open. A few weeks ago I was hav ...more

Next time you want to add plain ol' salt to your recipe, don't. Instead, use a delicious citrus herb salt, which will elevate the flavor of your dish more than salt by itself ever could. You can make lemon rosemary salt, orange cilantro salt—whatever flavor combos suit your t ...more

Nothing signals the end of fall and the start of winter like hot, seasonal drinks. And while pumpkin spice lattes may be the flavor of the day, and eggnog the Christmas favorite, one seasonal drink stands apart in my eyes: mulled cider. Homemade mulled cider is perfect: sweet ...more

Single-serve yogurt cartons are so much fun. They're delicious, convenient, and the perfect size; no wonder it's so fun to open a new container of yogurt every morning. Yet as awesome as single-serve yogurt cartons are, there's something you really need to do: stop buying them ...more

Unless you're well off, you've probably experienced the hard liquor purchasing conundrum. You know the one: you want to stock your home bar with more than just one spirit, but you don't want to drop $100 or more just so you can have some variety in your alcohol cabinet. Thank ...more

Instant ramen and just-add-water noodles are lifesavers because they are convenient and fast, but they are also usually chock-full of processed ingredients and unrecognizable pieces of dehydrated meat and vegetables. These DIY cups o' noodles are still portable and fast for B ...more

Cleaning a blender thoroughly is a pain in the ass, especially when you try and get all the goop out from underneath the sharp blades without nicking your knuckles. Alas, it is a necessary chore, otherwise you end up with disgusting dried gunk that ends up in your next batch o ...more

The cool tang and citrusy taste of a margarita in the summer is refreshing, to say the least. But when making margaritas at home, many of us opt for the ease of store-bought mix when it's actually really simple to make it instead. Homemade margarita mix tastes so much better ...more

You can make a pretty strong case for pancakes being the ultimate breakfast food. They taste like a treat for a special occasion, yet they're not bad for you (presuming you don't share my whipped cream and maple syrup habits). They can be customized and accessorized, and they ...more

Scented candles tend to magically turn a house into a home. The light flicker of the flame gives a relaxed or romantic tone to the atmosphere, and keeps the space smelling fragrant for hours. The only problem? Wax melts, and the candle becomes worthless after the wax is all go ...more

Cleanliness is next to godliness. My interpretation of that age-old adage means that keeping your house clean is just as un-fun and boring as being a goody two shoes. That's why they call things like laundry and doing dishes "chores," I assume. Yuck. Lucky for you, though, we ...more

Making yogurt at home doesn't sound like an easy task at first. We initially saw it as detailed, hands-on, and precise—a process that required special equipment, specialized (and expensive) live-culture bacteria, and loads of yogurt knowledge. But, lo and behold, we discovere ...more

A slow cooker can be both your culinary companion and your go-to gadget in the kitchen. That's right: the idea of slow cooking is no longer for Southern housewives or purveyors of the Ladies' Home Journal anymore. The times, they are a'changing! When you need a fuss-free meal ...more