Heather says Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite time of the year. It’s no secret that I love food and I love to cook for others and Thanksgiving Dinner is the Superbowl of company dinners. It’s a chance to gather with friends and family and indulge in the traditional and the exceptional. Are you planning on …
Want to take your Thanksgiving recipes up to the next level? You can start by buying and roasting turkey necks to make stock. If you can’t find turkey necks, wings work just as well. Just buy whichever is cheaper per pound at the meat counter or butcher near you. Not only will this technique dial …
Heather says: Tri-color roasted potatoes. Pretty? Yes. Delicious? You bet. Is the recipe simple? Totally. Company worthy? Yes. This year I’m doing an American-Italian twist on recipes in the Countdown to Turkey Day Example menu. While I still plan on getting traditional mashed potatoes added to the recipe index, I thought this simple, but beautiful …
Dear Home Ec 101, Can you tell me how to clean throw pillows? A friend made me a pillow cover for a throw pillow on my couch, but she sewed it shut over the pillow, so there is no way to remove the pillow to wash it. Are there any options as far as cleaning the …
Dear Home-Ec 101, What is your recommendation for having carpet professionally steam cleaned (whether to do so, and, if so, how frequently)? In other words, can you tell me how to clean my carpet? Signed, Dingy in Dillon Heather says: The basics of carpet cleaning are pretty standard. However, it is important to adhere to your …
Folding laundry is a giant pain in the rear, but it’s something that everyone (except those who pay for laundry service) has to do. I’ve taught all three of my children (currently 9, 7, and 5) how to fold a t-shirt quickly. If they can manage this simple shirt folding technique, you can, too. One …
Dear Home Ec 101, Love your site! It struck me that with your knowledge of chemistry, young kids, and housekeeping, you were my best shot at figuring out how to remove lovely nail polish from nearly every key of our piano. Any ideas? The keys are not ivory (that I can tell, I don’t know …
“Do not go gentle into that good night,” Dylan Thomas It’s been a tough year. Home-Ec 101 recently lost a friend to head and neck cancer. My stepbrother began, and as far as we know, is winning his fight with testicular cancer. Every October, it seems, I add another reason, another person, another story to …
Dear Home-Ec 101, Target has a gift card promotion this week with the Dysons. I’ve been thinking about purchasing one but the only thing holding me back is the fact that my house isn’t covered in carpet except for the basement which isn’t a very large space. Can anyone recommend a vacuum cleaner that would …
Heather says: So I’ve been caught. I gave conflicting advice. I’m sorry. *gasp* goes the readership In one post I suggest using Bar Keepers Friend on acrylic surfaces and in a more recent post I suggest only following your manufacturer’s advice at the risk of etching / scratching an acrylic surface. So which is it, …