Homemade cinnamon rolls never seem like a project you can undertake in the morning and have ready in time for breakfast, right? All those ingredients to measure out, kneading in a stand mixer, and of course, two rises for the yeast to do its thing. It’s no wonder we’re also picking them up from a bakery, IKEA, and even that chain in the mall.

What if I told you that you could put a big pan of cinnamon rolls together in about the same amount of time it takes for your oven to heat? With just seven ingredients (all staples you can keep in your pantry and fridge), you can make fragrant iced cinnamon rolls without a stand mixer, prolonged kneading, or rising time. Let’s make this magic happen!

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(Image credit: Betty Liu)

Boston has a truly wonderful coffee scene, full of no-nonsense spots with good, strong coffee as well as impeccably designed Insta-worthy cafes with delicious brunch spreads. The best ones, however, have all of the above. Every neighborhood in Boston boasts its own renowned coffee shop, so much so that you could potentially get to know Boston just by bouncing from coffee shop to coffee shop. Here are my five favorite coffee shops, with good coffee, cozy atmospheres, and amazing interiors.

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So you decided you’re going to buy a stand mixer? Yay! There are a few things to know before you run off to your nearest kitchen store. For starters, what size bowl will you need? (Will 3.5 quarts be big enough for your jobs? Do you need something that can hold 6 quarts?)

Keep reading to find out five more things you should know before buying a stand mixer.

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If there’s one kitchen gadget that has garnered a cult following in the last couple years, it’s the Instant Pot. You’ve seen the sales, you’ve seen the recipes and tips, you’ve seen the heartfelt essays on personal growth in the kitchen. And chances are you have a friend who has gone on (and on) about how much they love this budget seven-in-one appliance.

But you haven’t seen this. Nancy Olsen of Duluth, Minnesota, is the proud owner of 107 Instant Pots. Her obsession started a little over a year ago on her birthday when her husband gifted her an Instant Pot because one of his coworkers said it helped their family get dinner on the table faster.

“I took it out of the box and just immediately fell in love,” Nancy says of the first time she saw the appliance. “It was so light and the instructions were so easy to read. I hadn’t experienced a rush like that in awhile; I immediately felt at peace.”

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Ah, the call of the brownie hits us all. Sometimes it’s midday, sometimes it’s midnight. Dense and rich, neither cake nor fudge, a chewy brownie satisfies that primal need. But sometimes you just don’t have every ingredient in the house when the need strikes. You’ve got some cocoa powder, flour, and sugar in the pantry, and just a few eggs in the fridge. Enter: these decadent pantry cocoa brownies that are so delicious, you may find yourself making them even when you have a kitchen packed with groceries.

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Handling raw meat isn’t really anyone’s favorite food-prep task. And if the juices leak, spill, or splash, you’ve got a tricky cleanup job on your hands, lest you risk serious food poisoning.

Follow these tips to keep things de-germed.

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If your microwave is starting to go (or you never had one to begin with), you may find yourself unsure of where to start. Fun fact: Shopping for a microwave oven can be just as complicated as shopping for an actual oven. (At least microwaves are a lot cheaper!) Study up on these seven pointers and your head won’t explode when you start your search.

Related: 5 Signs You Need to Replace Your Microwave

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You can’t talk about breakfast in Cuba without talking about coffee, a truth that still holds strong when you talk about breakfast in Miami. Be it cafecito or café con leche or any of the coffee drinks that fall in between, coffee is an important part of the morning meal, with café con leche, a drink of sweetened espresso and lots of steamed milk, being the most popular choice as the first drink of the day. With its milky sweetness, café con leche can even feel like dessert, so why not take it all the way there, turning the drink into an ice pop for a cooler take on your morning buzz?

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Never has it tasted to good to be straddled between winter and spring until now. Fresh stalks of asparagus mingle with a healthy dose of lemon and thyme to hint at spring’s arrival, while this vegetarian supper is anchored with a favorite winter staple.

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The coffee maker is the sun around which your kitchen orbits: The day waxes as the first cups brew in the morning, and wanes as the last pot of decaf is prepared.

That’s why buying a new machine can be a really big decision and feel like the whole house’s happiness rests in the balance. Here are some things to know before you do it.

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