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9 Household Items That Make Beautiful Wall Art — Apartment Therapy
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My Complicated Relationship with The Great British Baking Show — Feature Story
(Image credit: Courtesy of © Mark Bourdillion/Love Productions)
Tonight PBS airs the Season 3 finale of The Great British Baking Show, the stupendously popular show that taught Americans the meaning of a proper sponge, and introduced them to the steely gaze of Paul Hollywood and cool evaluation of Mary Berry. To mark the occasion, we asked English expat Luke Dempsey to explore his complicated relationship with England past, present, and fantasy.
If you had a happy early childhood, as I did, The Great British Baking Show takes you right back to it, to a place where people are uncomplicated and kind and careful of each other. There is no ego, only fun for the sake of it (and there’s a lot of sugar).
Set in the grounds of a stately home, in a big tent reminiscent of those used for a local fair (note, there has to be a tent—this is Britain, where the climate is made up of weather, not seasons), the show reeks, to some, of a halcyon time that never existed. Which is why it’s so powerful.
5 Ways Sichuan Food Brings the Heat — The Story of Spice
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I do not remember a time when I did not love spicy food. I grew up eating Sichuan food and I can almost imagine my mom introducing me to solids with a healthy dose of chilies. The brazen heat that is so enticing and exotic to so many people is my comfort food. When I crave something familiar, it’s not mac-and-cheese that I reach for, but red oil wontons and mapo tofu. It’s these dishes that tempt my taste buds, tease my sense of smell, and evoke a powerful feeling of nostalgia.
chocolate peanut butter icebox cake
Once upon a time there was a boy and a girl, happy and in love. He liked chocolate and cheesecake and peanut butter and coffee and she, rather luckily for him, liked to bake. When they’d been married for one year, she made him a chocolate caramel cheesecake on his birthday. Year two, another cheesecake, this one with cubes of brownie throughout. Three, an epic chocolate peanut butter cake. Four, an espresso chiffon cake with fudge frosting. And then a month later a baby came along and it appears she next made him a birthday cake five years after that, and only, from what I can gather, because she was procrastinating and didn’t want to pack for their move. I’m not saying that if you like homemade birthday cake you might consider not having kids (gasp!) but I’m also not saying it either, you know? 
Things get a little better from there. She did throw together one of these things together the following year, when they had a one month-old no less, equally a testament to the ease of that recipe and also, realistically, the quality of the substitute baby-holders we had lined up. And this year? Well, it was a day late. Fortunately, as this could be their House Gif, nobody minded. Because all days that end with cake are better than those that do not. Continue reading
20 Five-Ingredient Chicken Recipes to Make for Dinner — Recipes from The Kitchn
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When it comes to making dinner, I always count it a victory when I find a recipe I want to make and I already have all the ingredients. It’s even more of a win when I can count all the ingredients on one hand.
Get ready for a victory dance because we’ve got 20 satisfying chicken dinners that are perfect for dinner. And not counting the basics — like oil, salt, pepper, and water — these winning recipes all have just five main ingredients (or fewer!).
These New Girl Scout Cookies Might Be Better Than Thin Mints — Grocery News
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To celebrate the 100th anniversary of selling cookies, Girl Scouts announced that they are adding not one, but two new cookies to their roster for 2017. While the technical 100th anniversary isn’t for a few months, Girl Scouts announced the new arrivals today to match up with National S’mores Day because — surprise! — both of the new cookies are s’mores themed.
Recipe: Summer Squash Succotash — Recipes from The Kitchn
(Image credit: Lauren Volo)
If you don’t know about succotash, you should. Like potato salad or coleslaw, it’s a frequent player at summer cookouts. While a classic succotash is all about corn, lima beans, and maybe some tomatoes or red bell peppers, this one, from Jeanine Donofrio of Love & Lemons, eschews the norm. Swap out the limas for chickpeas, add in a mix of tender summer squash, and boost the flavor with smoked paprika.
An Apartment Therapy Contributor Shares How Much Time She Actually Spends on Housework in a Week — Apartment Therapy
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From Apartment Therapy → This Is How Much Time I Actually Spend On Housework in a Week
How To Make a Citronella Candle in a Mason Jar — Projects from The Kitchn
(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)
With summer winding down, we’re planning to spend as much time outside as possible: on the deck, in the yard, at the beach, by the pool — you name it, we’re doing it. One of our favorite ways to hang al fresco is with friends, with something cold in hand and the bounty of the season’s produce on the table.
Of course, nothing puts a damper on an outdoor party like unwelcome guests of the biting variety. So, if you’re planning one last hurrah (or a few), forget the flowers and opt for these mason jar citronella candles.
Not only will they help keep those pesky bugs at bay, they’re also perfectly pretty table decor. Even better, you’ve probably already got the majority of ingredients on hand and can prep the candles while you’re preparing dinner.
How Tennis Player Bethanie Mattek-Sands Eats for the Olympics — What Olympians Eat
(Image credit: Getty Images, courtesy of WTA)
The Olympics are here — neither Zika, nor heat wave, not presidential impeachment, nor plumbing woes could keep this age-old competition from moving forward. We’re planning marathon Olympic-watching sessions, of course, but all these amazing athletes got us thinking about what it takes to fuel such terrific prowess — in the pool, on the field, in the ring. We asked 10 athletes to share what they eat on a daily basis. Here’s what we found out.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands
Age: 31
Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
Event: Tennis; Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles
Training Regimen: Fitness, practice, and tournaments — lots and lots of tournaments. At home, 3 days on and one day off. The “day off” could include mountain biking, swimming, or walking.