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1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt ⅓ cup shortening 4 tablespoon cold water

Susannah has a BA in American Studies and a minor in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an MFA in Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has received fellowships and residencies from the Ragdale Foundation, Rivendell Writers’ Colony, the Hambidge Center, and the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. She has been named a Tennessee Williams Scholar at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and is the recipient of a Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship....

2 16 ounce cans pitted tart red cherries (water pack) ½ cup sugar 2 tablespoon cornstarch Several drops almond extract

2 8 ounce package softened cream cheese 1 10 ounce jar lemon curd

2 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut up (about 2-inch pieces) ¼ cup butter ¼ cup sour cream or milk ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

These admittedly unusual-looking gardening gloves can actually replace your spade and garden fork, thanks to their innovative design. The gloves are made with four sturdy plastic claws on each hand, each with a safe, yet pointy tip. This allows you to dig through soil and weed out unwanted plants like dandelions and crabgrass without any additional tools. While reviewers admit that they were skeptical about the gloves at first, they are now true believers....

Types of Sunlight for Plants Full sun, part sun, part shade—what does it all mean? Sifting through light requirements on plant tags and then lining those up with the conditions in your yard can be tricky. Here’s a rundown of terms and definitions commonly used in gardening. Full sun: six or more hours of direct sunlight per day. The sunlight doesn’t have to be continuous; a plant might receive 2 hours of sunlight in the morning and another 4 hours in the afternoon....

“Green is a perennial favorite, but the palette has come to the fore over the last two years,” says Patrick O’Donnell, international brand ambassador for Farrow & Ball. “This relationship has been heightened recently due to perceived benefits of how we respond to the palette, which, in the right shade, can be ultimately restful and calming.” Nivara Xaykao, Benjamin Moore’s associate manager of color marketing and development, credits the color’s recent popularity to a desire for more natural elements in the home....

We’ve dedicated a lot of time this year to testing the best products for your home, so we can say with confidence that you should pick up our favorite tested Lasko Tower Fan while it’s 25 percent off as well as this incredible large patio umbrella from our recent patio umbrella test while it’s 45 percent off. There are thousands of Prime Day deals you can shop right now, so we’ve sorted through them and picked out the top tech, cleaning, kitchen, and outdoor deals to add to your cart immediately....

To find the best hose reels, we put 26 picks to the test at our lab in Des Moines, Iowa. There, our testers used a pre-determined methodology to evaluate each pick based on six categories: setup, design, ease of use, portability, durability, and value. They were not aware of each pick’s price beforehand. We also consulted with Warren Eley, vice president of sales and marketing of Eley Hose Reels, to learn more about what consumers should look for when shopping for a hose reel....

The best outdoor furniture covers protect your patio furniture from wind, rain, dirt, and other elements to help your furniture last through multiple seasons. To come up with this list of the best outdoor furniture covers, we researched the category while considering factors like size, style, material, durability, and care to inform our product recommendations. We also consulted Deborah Young, owner of The Textile Expert, for additional insight. We selected the Covermates Prestige Outdoor Patio Sofa Cover as the overall best outdoor furniture cover because it’s made of durable 900D polyester with eco-friendly water-resistant backing and breathable mesh vents....

Selecting the Right Sweet Potatoes The secret to a mouthwatering sweet potato pie is picking the best possible potatoes at the grocery store. There are several kinds of sweet potatoes, so follow these tips and tricks for choosing the best ones for your pie. Scrape off a tiny bit of the peel with your fingernail. What’s underneath the skin is the perfect guide.Look for the darkest orange you can find, or even red sweet potatoes (they may be labeled yams)....

How Long to Grill Steak, Lamb, Pork, and Veal There’s nothing like a burger on the grill. Of course, our direct and indirect meat grilling charts will teach you a whole lot more than that. Just about every steak grill time is included on both charts, along with instructions for lamb, veal, and pork. Our direct grilling temperature chart even includes suggestions for kabobs! Steak cooking times will be a mystery no longer because just about everything you need to know for grilling steak and meat is right here....

Recently, our Des Moines, Iowa-based team put 11 beach towels to the test, and the Better Homes & Gardens Cabana Beach Towel Set took the top spot in the Best Set category. The towels come in a pack of four, and each one measures 38 x 72 inches. They’re all made from 84 percent cotton and 16 percent recycled polyester. Plus, the towels have corner loops for easy hanging once you’re done using them for the day....