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As you decorate in red, white, and blue and prepare your Fourth of July meal this summer, take a minute to brush up on the history of the holiday and reflect on what it means to you. When Is the 4th of July? The Fourth of July falls this year on Sunday, July 4, 2021. Although it’s been celebrated since 1777, it wasn’t declared a federal holiday until 1870. Since the holiday is always on July 4, the day of the week changes each year....

1 ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs ¼ cup sugar ⅓ cup melted butter

Wrapping gifts is something my family has always done, but this year I started wondering how the tradition got started. (It is pretty wasteful, after all.) So I did some digging, and found out the first recorded wrapped gifts can be traced as far back as the 1300s. And it turns out, the earliest methods of gift wrapping weren’t done with paper at all. Why We Wrap Christmas Gifts The first recorded form of gift wrap is actually fabric: Those who practiced traditional Korean folk religions during the Three Kingdoms Period believed that wrapped items were a symbol of protection and good luck, so giving a gift wrapped in cloth was a way to bestow protection and good fortune upon the recipient....

*Tip: To toast nuts, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread nuts in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until light brown, shaking pan once or twice; cool. **To Make Cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Empty the contents of the jar into a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk together 1 egg, 1/4 cup softened butter, and 1/4 cup vegetable oil....

1. Not Enough Sunlight Dahlias demand bright sunlight for at least 6 hours a day to produce flowers. The more sunlight the better in many regions, with 8 or more hours best in cool areas. In hot regions, such as the South and Southwest, 6 hours of direct sun during the first part of the day is helpful for protecting the blossoms from baking in the intense afternoon rays. 2. Not Watering Enough Dahlias send up shoots and unfurl new foliage quite quickly....

title: “Window Treatment Ideas” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-28” author: “Richard Stile”

Almost every kitchen guide discourages using wood for countertops – and yet it is one of the most durable, forgiving materials around. Think about boat galleys and their tiny kitchens – most of which feature wood surfaces. When wood ages, it changes color, usually to a deeper tone of its original hue. This gives wood a quality that all other countertop materials lack: warmth. Nothing comes close to the cozy feeling of home like a kitchen featuring warm wood tones....

Yelp’s Top Food Trend Predictions for 2022 Yelp’s data science team analyzed millions of reviews to find the food and drink keywords that were really on the rise between 2020 and 2021. Here’s what to look forward to in the food scene next year. Croffle Step aside, cronuts—croffles (pictured above) are the new sweet treat hitting plates next year. A cross between a croissant and a waffle, this is a South Korean delicacy making waves here with searches up +1,505%....

1 cup whipping cream ¼ cup sifted powdered sugar 1 ½ teaspoon instant coffee crystals Rich Chocolate Frosting 3 ounce unsweetened chocolate 3 tablespoon butter 3 cup sifted powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla ¼ cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk

How to Mince Garlic Before you learn how to mince garlic using one of our easy methods, you’ll want to know the best way to peel garlic to remove the papery outer layer. From there, grab your knife or one of the handy minced garlic tools below to add irresistible savory flavor to your recipes. Method 1: Mincing Garlic with a Knife Knowing how to mince garlic with a knife is the most common and easy way to prep garlic for your recipe....

Depending on your climate and lifestyle, you might prefer a true screen room with no windows or a three-season room with windows that can open and close. Either version can be an attractive way to extend your living space. With careful planning and a few design tricks, you can create an ideal screen porch that bridges indoors and out. Use the following tips on planning and designing a screen porch to get started....

These stately towers of flowers bloom for a long stretch of summer, from June to August. The big blossoms start at the rosette foliage at the base, slowly working their way up the stalk and unfurling a little at a time. Once fully grown, the flowers may open simultaneously to create beautiful columns of color, ranging from yellow to pink to white. Where to Plant Hollyhock Pick a full-sun spot—one with at least six hours of sunlight per day—with a natural wind barrier, such as a fence, building, or larger plantings, to keep your hollyhock from bending over....

We’ve covered how to grow an avocado tree from its pit, how to cut an avocado safely, a TikTok trick for how to keep a cut avocado from browning quite so fast, and even how to freeze an avocado to help extend its life. But we haven’t yet discussed how to make avocado soft so you can savor it sooner. Well now’s the time! Ahead are the best—and worst—solutions for how to soften avocados fast....

How to Spot Grasshoppers in Your Garden Grasshoppers are common throughout the U.S. You might see them in shades of green, gold, or brown. They chew ragged-looking holes in plant leaves. In some areas, they begin feeding in early summer and continuing devouring foliage until the first hard frost in fall, becoming more numerous as the season wears on. There are more than 100 types of grasshoppers, and they eat all kinds of plants....

To keep spices fresh for as long as possible, it’s important to organize them in a way that makes it easy to know when they need to be restocked and when they should be tossed. Being able to see them all in one space lets you do a more frequent and efficient check of when the jars are low and the expiration dates. If your spices need a better system, try following ideas that showcase how to organize spices....

Check out the rest of this weekend bedroom makeover. Use double-sided carpet tape to adhere the foam to the bed pieces. Make sure all edges are properly secured. Do not place upholstery foam over screw holes or on top of the joints that will connect to other sides. Place the batting over each piece of the bed topped with upholstery foam. You’ll want about 8 inches of extra batting around all edges to fold over and staple to the back....

1 cup shortening 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla ½ teaspoon almond extract 1 16 ounce package powdered sugar (about 4 cups) 3 tablespoon milk White Cake ⅔ cup butter 4 egg whites 2 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla ¾ cup milk

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup cold butter, cut up 3 tablespoon ice water TO REHEAT QUICHE CUPS: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place quiche cups in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until heated through.