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Outdoor heating products can be safe if you follow the rules. That includes keeping your patio heater or fire pit away from buildings, bushes, trees, and other flammable objects, and ensuring that kids and pets keep their distance. Stick to these safety tips to make your evening around the campfire (or the patio heater) safe. Fire Pit Safety Who doesn’t love making s’mores around a crackling fire? Just be careful about how you use your pit or chiminea—here’s how....

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According to Cassandra Rosen, a wine expert with Tussock Jumper Wines, pumpkin spice has a surprisingly solid taste profile for pairing with wines—a select number of varietals, that is. “Generally, varietals that work best with those ingredients are late harvest wines, or wines that have a little more residual sugar in them, due to being left on the vine a bit longer. Wines picked later usually have just the right amount of sweetness, and will pair nicely with that spicy, sweet flavor that we all love....

Eggplants are one of the most delicious and versatile ingredients you can cook with. They can be fried, baked, pickled, stewed, pureed, and even stuffed. And just like tomatoes (also a fruit!), eggplants are part of the nightshade family. While you may be a big fan of popular dishes like eggplant parmesan and rollatini, there are so many varieties of eggplant grown around the world, and they all look and taste different....

Here’s what you need to know to determine which side of the ledger your house is on. Signs Your Home Is Your Largest Asset As a general rule, homeownership is considered a smart investment for several reasons. “Your home can be one of your biggest assets because of the equity that’s been built up over the years,” says Dennis Hsii, co-founder of Highland Premiere Real Estate in Los Angeles, Calif....

On This Episode Fertility treatments like IVF and IUI are expensive, and for most Americans, not covered by insurance. Not to mention, there are no guarantees it will work on the first try, making it difficult to know how much these treatments will ultimately cost. This week on Money Confidential, we talk about how to pay for the fertility treatments you need and navigate a financial plan in the midst of so many unknowns....

When to Buy Your Pumpkin The best time to pick a pumpkin is within a week of when you plan to carve it, according to Marc Evan of Maniac Pumpkin Carvers. “Look for a large pumpkin, heavy for its size, with unblemished skin,” Evan says. And be sure to avoid the telltale sign of an older pumpkin: a dry, brittle stem. Instead, look for a fresh, green stem that’s about 3 to 5 inches long....

I know what you are thinking: False lashes are challenging enough, why make the process more complicated? (Here’s how to apply them, by the way.) True, applying false lashes is incredibly daunting. Adding glue to your eyelids? No thank you. Can adding magnets make the process that much better? The truth is that a lot depends on your preference. Magnetic lashes are mess-free, easy to remove, and more likely to be worn again....

“What do I want from life?” I asked myself. “Well…I want to be happy.” I had many reasons to be happy: My husband was the tall, dark handsome love of my life, we had two delightful girls, and I was a writer living in my favorite city. I had friends, I had my health, and I didn’t have to color my hair. But too often I sniped at my husband or the drugstore clerk....

We clearly live in an era of hyperconnectivity when entire TV series are available at once on streaming services, and burning questions are resolved in seconds via a search engine. According to a 2012 report by the Pew Research Center, hyperconnectivity’s negative effects include “a need for instant gratification and a loss of patience.” Another 2012 study conducted by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst found that roughly a quarter of Internet users abandon an online video if it takes more than five seconds to load, and half jump ship after 10 seconds....

Learning how to clean gold-plated jewelry is just as important as caring for solid gold jewelry, because it can tarnish easily, and its color could fade if the wrong cleaning solutions are applied. “I’ve often heard that household items like baking soda or Coca-Cola do wonders on cleaning gold,” says high-end jewelry designer Sheryl Lowe. “Unfortunately, I worry that those products could be too harsh or abrasive, especially if your gold has precious or delicate gemstones....

Understand your undertone When shopping for foundation or concealer, your undertone plays a major role in choosing the foundation or concealer shade that is right for you. But first, a clarification: Skin tone is the color we see on the surface of our skin, but the undertone is the hue under the surface. “Every color that you choose will either complement or contrast the undertones of your skin,” says makeup artist Amanda Bell....

The most common beet you’ll come across at the supermarket is the striking red beet with its garnet red color, but you’ll also find golden beets, and the reddish-pink and white Chioggia beet, which is more commonly known as the candy cane beet. This root veggie is rich in antioxidants, folate, and manganese, making it an excellent addition to healthful meals. Bonus: The veiny, leafy tops are edible and can be simply sautéed like any other leafy green....

Reader question: Hair dryers are awful. Is there a better way to dry my hair for work? - @terikarobonik Based on your question, I’m going to assume that you shower in the morning. So do I—and although I love my a.m. soaks, sopping wet hair is never fun when you have somewhere to be. Drying your hair is a lengthy process, and for those of us with thick, curly, or long hair (raises hand), it requires intentionally scheduling it into your day....

There are so many ways to use rhubarb (which is technically a vegetable but masquerades as a fruit in many sweet desserts, from crumbles to pies). Don’t write it off as an accent in other types of dishes, though. “Rhubarb has a nice vegetal flavor with an upfront acid that lends itself to savory flavors even better than sweet,” says David Santos, chef with Um Segredo Supper Club in New York City....

The trick is knowing how to maximize our own small-sized patio (or rooftop garden, windowsill, or balcony), picking the proper plants to grow, and tending to them in all the right ways. To bring you the best advice on urban gardening, we teamed up with Jenn Frymark, the chief greenhouse officer for Gotham Greens, a New York City-based local produce brand growing leafy greens and herbs in commercial-scale urban greenhouses....

Reader question: How do I know if my skin is oily, dry, or combination? Indicators? - @allison.j.yood I’ve talked about the best moisturizers for combination skin, and that brought me to another more simple—but essential—skincare question from a reader: how to know what type of skin you have. Although it’s impossible to categorize something as nuanced as your skin into a singular class, it does serve as a good baseline when looking for skincare products....

Soothe the Skin Keep a hydrating face mask in your shower for those mornings when you and your skin need a jolt. Jamie says to look for masks that include ingredients like green tea, aloe, and hyaluronic acid to help soothe and plump sleepy skin. Apply the mask right before you get in the shower, and let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes before you remove it. Extra credit: If you can stand it, do a cool water rinse before you hop out—it’ll decrease puffiness and make your hair look a little shinier....

Though you can expect to see far fewer in-person cookie booths for the 2022 Girl Scout cookie season, that doesn’t mean that the popular confections will be harder to procure. In fact, thanks to a series of recent developments, Girl Scout cookies will be very easy to purchase this year. “In 2021, Girl Scouts created new ways to be successful in their cookie businesses so they could continue to use their cookie funds to power experiences like camp, troop activities, and service projects in their communities,” interim GSUSA CEO Judith Batty said in a statement....