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The beauty of no-carve pumpkin designs is that they can be painted, engraved, embedded, pasted-on, and more. So, if your crafting skills lie in more traditional forms of decoration, no-carve pumpkins are definitely the way to go. No-carve options are also the safer alternative when decorating pumpkins with kids, keeping little fingers far from the sharp knives and poke tools. Another perk of no-carve pumpkins? Your pumpkins might last longer....

While experienced bread bakers might turn to sourdough starters when they are out of yeast, we wanted to find a way to get our homemade bread fix without that much work. We turned to Jennifer Tyler Lee, author of Half the Sugar, All the Love: 100 Easy, Low Sugar Recipes for Every Meal of the Day, for her recommendations on easy substitutes for making bread when you can’t find yeast....

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to get organized, take advantage of storage markdowns such as $65 off a set of five collapsible hyacinth baskets or 60 percent off this commercial-grade triple laundry sorter. But the savings don’t stop there. Looking to upgrade your small kitchen appliances? Grab a mini Frigidaire retro fridge for $25 or a portable countertop ice maker for $110. If you’re in the market for the ultimate all-in-one appliance, opt for the Ninja Foodi 12-in-1 multi-cooker while it’s $150 off....

While it may be tempting to try to hold on to your old car for a few more miles, make sure it’s not costing you more money than it’s worth. After all, when you need a car, you need a car. For those who live in sprawling suburbs or far away from the workplace, public transportation may not be a reliable backup. And extreme weather conditions might prevent a year-round biking commute....

Get the recipe: Caramelized Onion Tarts with Apples Get the Recipe: Marinated Beet Toasts With Yogurt Get the recipe: Beer Cheese Fondue Get the recipe: Pears With Blue Cheese and Prosciutto Get the recipe: Rosemary Pecans Get the recipe: Brown Sugar and Black Pepper Glazed Ham Get the recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Pork Loin With Cherries Get the recipe: Striped Bass With Toasted-Shallot Vinaigrette and Spinach Get the recipe: Roast Beef With Slow-Cooked Tomatoes and Garlic Get the recipe: Yucatan-Style Pork Get the recipe: Roasted Tarragon Lamb With Butter Beans Get the recipe: Frisée​​​​​​​, Bacon, and Goat-Cheese Salad Get the recipe: Tender Greens With Champagne Vinaigrette Get the recipe: Broccoli With Toasted Garlic and Hazelnuts Get the recipe: Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Pecans Get the recipe: Sautéed Collard Greens and Garlic Get the recipe: Glazed Carrots Get the recipe: Garlicky Green Beans With Pine Nuts Get the recipe: Vanilla Sweet Potatoes Get the recipe: Mashed Sweet Potatoes Get the recipe: Cider-Roasted Vegetables Get the recipe: Cauliflower and Ham Gratin Get the recipe: for Sauteed Tomatoes and Shallots Get the recipe: Horseradish Potato Gratin Get the recipe: Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes Get the recipe: Pumpkin Pavlova with Roasted Apples Get the recipe: Bread Pudding With Fruit Compote Get the recipe: Croissant and Chocolate Bread Pudding Get the recipe: Sour-Cream Apple Crumb Pie Get the recipe: Cherry Trifle Get the recipe: Apricot Parfait Get the recipe: Butterscotch Bananas With Vanilla Ice Cream Get the recipe: Chocolate Bar Fondue Get the recipe: Gooey Chocolate Caramel Tart Get the recipe: Gingersnap Cherry Cheesecake Get the recipe: Boozy Apple Cider Slushie Get the recipe: Spicy Mulled Wine Get the recipe: Spiced Apple Kombucha Get the recipe: Caramel Apple Punch Get the recipe: Warm Hazelnut Toddy

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Before you shop… Up to 40 percent of food in the United States goes to waste, and about 40 percent of that waste happens at home, per the Natural Resources Defense Council. “When food goes to waste, so do all the resources it takes to get that food on our plates, including land, energy, water, fertilizer, and labor,” says Elizabeth Balkan, NRDC’s food waste director. Buy only the amount of food you need to make the meals you’re planning....

That’s why it’s important not only to stretch your hips, but to do active hip exercises to improve strength, flexibility, and mobility. What’s the difference between a hip stretch and a hip exercise, and between hip flexibility versus mobility? A simple distinction: think passive versus active. “Hip flexibility is defined as length through range of motion while mobility points to more targeted strength and control of the muscle as it completes a movement pattern,” Corgel explains....

However, if you’re in possession of an ever-popular slow cooker, you’re in luck. The beloved appliance that can make chicken tostadas and chipotle short ribs with little more than the touch of a button, can also prepare several breakfast options. Since the slow cooker cooks food, well, slowly, you can prep everything before you go to bed and let the slow cooker do all the work while you get some shuteye....

And of course, practice good hand washing, avoid those who are sick, and get vaccinated for COVID-19, the flu, and pneumonia (if of age) for further protection. Cardiovascular exercise is the best way to do that and requires no more than 20 to 30 minutes a day (or some equivalent spread out through the week). “You want to create an aerobic demand,” says personal trainer Gunnar Peterson, CSCS, CPT. “This can be incline walking or even adding a few aerobic moves to your strength [training]....

Savory Pancakes One of the criticisms of sourdough starters is that they’re wasteful. Before feeding your starter, you throw most away. But you don’t have to discard your discard. Instead, pour it into a hot pan with roughly a tablespoon of olive oil sizzling at medium heat. Spread that starter thin, so it takes the shape of a disc. Add some salt and pepper, garlic powder, and whatever additional flavorings you’re feeling....

Want a plant that makes a statement, but is also low-maintenance? Opt for a palm plant, which is generally easy to care for and can tolerate some neglect, unlike the popular, yet notoriously fickle fiddle-leaf fig tree. No matter which variety of plant you opt for, use good potting soil and make sure to set it in a location with the right amount of light. Your new potted palm plant (or bird-of-paradise or monstera) will thank you....

If you’re curious whether a box fan is the right option for you, we have all the information you need to find out. What to Consider When Buying a Box Fan Your perfect box fan might not feel the same to someone else. It all comes down to personal preferences and the nature of your space. The following three considerations will help you make the best choice for your unique needs....

Eager to welcome some holiday cheer into your home? We asked the trend experts at Etsy, Pinterest, Home Depot, and Bloomingdale’s for top holiday décor trends, so you can shop early and start decorating ASAP. Rainbow Brights “Technicolor [is] a big decorating trend that we’ll see,” says Kelley Carter, the home fashion director at Bloomingdale’s. “It’s all about embracing vivid colors as a way to brighten up a room and bring joy to a space....

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Reader question: “How can I go for a lighter hair color without paying for monthly root touch-ups?” —Maxine Freedman As we discussed last week, the fresh hair color that you leave with at the salon probably won’t look so fresh a month later. This can partly be chalked up to fading and oxidation, but there’s also the more obvious reason of new growth. Honestly, I could take a page from this topic because I recently went blonde, and well, roots (IYKYK)....

RELATED: These Are the Healthiest Non-Dairy Milks, According to a Registered Dietitian For a less processed alternative, try using canned hearts of palm in place of seafood in crab cakes. The flavor will be tangy rather than rich, but the texture will be remarkably similar. To replace white fish fillets, grab Upton’s Naturals Banana Blossoms (find them in the international aisle at Whole Foods Market). Made from the flowers that grow at the ends of banana bunches, they don’t taste like bananas—or much of anything, really—but breaded, they cook up just like cod....

It may be the latter. Since the pandemic, “we’ve seen a high incidence of complaints of neck and back pain,” says Brian A. Cole, MD, FAAOS, orthopedic surgeon at Englewood Spine Associates in Englewood, N.J. Even before the pandemic, back pain was common: The average individual experiences one to two episodes of back pain per year, which can start in your 20s and be a recurring problem that gets triggered by various events in life....