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Preparation Husband and wife, Pete and Marlene Muraco, live with their three teenage daughters in a four-bedroom Tudor style home in San Jose, California. They love their house and plan on staying there for the long haul. But between busy work schedules and raising three girls, there hasn’t been much time to devote to sprucing up the space since they bought it in 2002—or for themselves for that matter. They eventually decided it was finally time say goodbye to the outdated décor and upgrade the space....

Preparation It’s a fact we all know well: Dust doesn’t quit. And while it may feel that dust returns almost as soon as you wipe it away, keeping it at bay—and maintaining those squeaky-clean surfaces—is actually easier than you thought. The secret involves consistency and working smarter, as opposed to harder. Ahead, tips from Melissa Witulski, a cleaning exert at Merry Maids, which will help you keep those dust bunnies from colonizing....

Preparation Take a trip to the farmers’ market and you’ll likely see a bounty of colorful summer produce—from juicy berries and peaches to ripe tomatoes and fresh corn. Or perhaps all you need to do to set your sights on delicious produce is take a trip to your garden? Right now, you’re savoring the best of summer’s fruits and vegetables every day, but we’re sure you’d like to save some for later—months later....

Preparation There’s nothing more frustrating than realizing that a good portion of your guest list didn’t bother to mail back their response cards-especially when you provided a pre-addressed and stamped envelope! While your outrage is understandable, you also have to realize your wedding might not be the most important thing to everyone on your guest list, so you may have to (gently) ask them for an answer. To help you handle this potentially awkward situation, we’re giving you the perfect wording to delicately ask late responders if they’ll be there to celebrate on the wedding day....

Preparation Destination weddings are all the rage for many reasons: They’re extremely adventurous and romantic, they can help you to significantly cut down your guest list, and they’re often less stressful to plan. But despite all of a destination wedding’s pros, there is one con, especially if you’re planning on saying “I do” in a foreign country-legally getting married abroad is a tricky business. To help sort out the details, we talked to Beth Helmstetter, owner and creative director of Beth Helmstetter Events, who has planned countless celebrations at home and abroad....

Ingredients 1 1/2 cups uncooked farro 4 cups water 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 can (14 oz) Progresso™ artichoke hearts, drained and quartered 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise 3/4 cup chopped red onion 1/2 cup (3 oz) mozzarella pearls or bocconcini (small fresh mozzarella cheese balls) Preparation In Dutch oven, heat Farro ingredients to boiling....

Ingredients 18 peppermint candy canes (2 1/2 inch), unwrapped 5 oz vanilla-flavored candy coating (almond bark), chopped 2 teaspoons crushed peppermint candy canes Preparation Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. Arrange candy canes on waxed paper in groups of 2 with ends touching to form heart shapes. In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave candy coating uncovered on Medium (50%) 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking time, until softened....

Ingredients 2 1/3 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 package (12 oz) white vanilla baking chips (2 cups) 1 package (8 oz) unwrapped Reese’s peanut butter cups miniatures 1 cup coarsely chopped small pretzel twists Preparation Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray cookie sheets with cooking spray....

Preparation While it’s easy for individuals to understand what causes them pain or anxiety, whether it be physical or mental, it’s harder to know what causes others harm. This can lead to selfish behaviors and a lack of consideration for someone else’s well-being. Researchers attempted to understand what motivates us to act in our own self-interest versus the interest of another person. According to a team of researchers from the University of Vienna and University of Oxford, it is currently unknown if humans are as good at learning to avoid others’ harm (which is known as prosocial learning) as they are at learning to avoid self-harm (otherwise known as self-relevant learning)....

Ingredients 4 teaspoons olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped (1 cup) 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 1/2 cups sliced carrots (4 medium) 1 cup dried lentils (8 oz), sorted, rinsed 1 carton (32 oz) Progresso™ chicken broth (4 cups) 1 carton (32 oz) vegetable broth (4 cups) 4 slices bacon, chopped 2 dried bay leaves 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2...

Ingredients 1 large baking potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 large dark-orange sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 2 medium carrots, sliced 1 medium parsnip, sliced 1 medium onion, chopped 1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced 1 (14 1/2-oz.) can ready-to-serve chicken broth 1 (14.5-oz.) can chunky tomatoes with garlic and Italian herbs, undrained 2 teaspoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley...

Ingredients 1 box (16 oz) Betty Crocker™ Supreme original brownie mix Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box 1/4 cup Betty Crocker™ Whipped vanilla frosting (from 12-oz container) 2 teaspoons Betty Crocker™ Decorating Decors stars Preparation Heat oven to 350°F. (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Line 9-inch square pan with foil, allowing some to hang over edges of pan. Grease bottom and sides of foil with shortening or cooking spray....

While I’m visiting my family in Japan, I’ve asked several blogger friends to blog-sit for me and today’s sitter is Ray from Work with Ray. I love visiting Ray’s blog and I know you will, too. He’s what I would call a “master of savory dishes.” A lot of Asian savory dishes tend to be brown color from the soy sauce and sometimes it’s not easy to capture the flavor in photographs no matter how delicious the food might be....

Ingredients 6 cups sliced strawberries 2 cups sliced rhubarb 1/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ yellow cake mix 10 tablespoons butter, melted Preparation Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, toss strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and cornstarch; spread evenly in baking dish. Top with cake mix, and pour melted butter over top, making sure to cover top with butter as much as you can....

Ingredients 3 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta (12 oz) 1 lb extra lean (at least 90%) ground beef 1 cup chopped red bell pepper 1 cup chopped poblano chiles 1 cup chopped red onion 1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso™ original taco seasoning mix 2/3 cup water 1 3/4 cups milk 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream 5 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2...

You may have encountered unfamiliar produce names when cooking Japanese dishes at home. While easily accessible in Japan, some may be difficult to procure abroad. What are they, how can you eat them, and what are suitable substitutions? Now that we’ve covered Japanese herbs and spices in part one, let’s look at some popular Japanese vegetables used in Japanese cuisine. Perhaps after reading this, you may be able to expand your Japanese vegetable dish repertoire!...

Ingredients 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice 3 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil 2 medium stalks celery, sliced (1 cup) 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup) 1 package (8 oz) sliced fresh mushrooms (3 cups) 1/4 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon pepper 3 cups Progresso™ chicken broth (from 32-oz carton) 3/4 cup chopped cooked ham or chicken 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 cup Yoplait® All Natural Fat Free plain yogurt (from 2-lb container)...

Ingredients 1 pound lean ground beef 1/2 pound ground pork 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup) 1/4 cup Progresso™ plain bread crumbs 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 egg Preparation Heat oven to 375°. Spray jelly roll pan, 15 1/2x10 1/2x1 inch, with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Shape into 1-inch meatballs. Place in pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until no longer pink in center and juice is clear....

Ingredients 1 cup Original Bisquick™ mix 3/4 cup milk 2 eggs 2 medium Granny Smith apples, chopped 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 containers (6 oz each) Yoplait® Original 99% Fat Free French vanilla yogurt Ground cinnamon to taste Preparation In medium bowl, beat Bisquick mix, milk and eggs with whisk until smooth. Spray 6- to 7-inch skillet or crepe pan with cooking spray or grease lightly with butter; heat over medium heat....

Ingredients 1 box (12.3 oz) Betty Crocker™ Banana Nut Muffin & Quick Bread Mix 3/4 cup milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 eggs Preparation Heat oven to 375°F. Grease bottom of 8x4-inch loaf pan with shortening or cooking spray. In medium bowl, stir muffin mix, milk, oil and eggs just until blended. Spread batter in pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and top of loaf is golden brown....