Cooking is a skill that everyone, on some level, should master. While it is an admirable trait to be able to follow a gourmet recipe, however, I believe it is much more valuable (and affordable) to be able to whip up a tasty meal sans directions, measurements, and cooking temps. Here are the excuses I [...]
I baked my first homemade bread out of desperation. I had just arrived in the US. I was pregnant, far away from family and friends, and homesick. I missed home terribly – especially home cooking. I scoured the supermarket shelves for familiar items. One of them was pita bread. Great! I thought. This will be [...]
After the dogwoods bloom, you can start to see a fevered glint in the eyes of some homeowners. Suddenly, hardware stores and home improvement centers are overflowing on warm Saturday afternoons, and the sound of hammers banging, power tools humming and Gus down the street cursing at the bare studs in his third bedroom fill [...]
Once again, Henry David Thoreau’s desire to live simply has caught American popular consciousness. What’s surprising about the modern-day Walden is that it is not in some remote area, far from the world. It’s in cities and suburbs, and possibly in your own back yard. This new movement is called Urban Homesteading, and it offers [...]
Doing your own taxes seems to get harder every year. It seems like there’s little reason to try to struggle through the process when inexpensive tax preparation services pop up like mushrooms this time of year and there’s even free software available online. The Tax Code is Tough, Not Impossible I’ve done my own taxes [...]
Healthy, nutritious foods do not have to cost a lot, and this vegetarian chili, chock full of nutrients and fiber is a great example. The meaty portobello mushrooms beautifully mimic actual meat, and the combination of spices is fragrant and gives this dish just the right amount of bite. Even though my family eats meat, [...]
