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Preparation While installing tile floors in the heart of your home has its benefits, it’s not always the best kitchen flooring type for every household. Typically made of composite materials like ceramic, concrete, glass, and stone, tile provides a solid, waterproof alternative to more commonly used hardwood floors. “Hardwood floors have traditionally been the choice flooring for American kitchens, but that’s changing as the technology of manufactured surfaces improves,” says renovation expert and former contractor Christopher Totaro of Warburg Realty....

Ingredients 1 box (15.25 oz) Betty Crocker™ Delights Super Moist™ Cherry Chip Cake Mix 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened 1 tub (16 oz) Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy Cherry Frosting 3 eggs Preparation Heat oven to 325°F. In large bowl, beat dry cake mix and butter with electric mixer on low speed until crumbly; reserve 1 cup. In bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan, press remaining crumbly mixture....

During our visit to Nagano area, one of the unique places we visited was Daio Wasabi Farm. It is the largest wasabi farm in the world at 40 acres (150,000 m²) and visitors are able to see how these plants thrive at the picturesque farm. Where is Daio Wasabi Farm Daio Wasabi Farm is in Azumino City, about 30 min by car north of Matsumoto. From Tokyo, it takes about 3....

Preparation When it comes us humans, it’s hard to imagine heading out the door without shoes on. As we’re constantly on the go, it’s a necessity of protection and comfort that we alter based on the weather. (Even babies are provided with adorable little booties.) But when our dogs are moving just as much as we do, should they also wear shoes on their paws? To get the answer, we spoke to Hyunmin Kim, DVM, veterinary staff manager for the ASPCA Community Medicine Department....

Dried wood ear mushrooms (きくらげ) are a type of black fungus that have the appearance of black trumpet mushrooms. Native to China, the fungus is called cloud ear fungus, wood fungus, black mushrooms, tree ear fungus, jelly ear, and kikurage. What Is Dried Wood Ear Mushroom Wood ear mushrooms (Auricularia auricula-judae) take their name from the fact that they grow on the sides of decaying trees. The broad, flat shape of the mushroom makes the tree look like it has ears....

Ingredients 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup) 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup) 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 fresh jalapeño or serrano chiles, seeded, finely chopped 2 cans (15 oz each) Progresso™ black beans, drained, rinsed 2 cans (14.5 oz each) Muir Glen™ organic fire roasted or plain diced tomatoes, undrained 1 1/2 cups water 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin...

Ingredients 1 cup 5-grain rolled whole-grain cereal or old-fashioned oats 3 cups Gold Medal™ white whole wheat flour 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup cold butter or margarine, cut into small pieces 1/2 cup dried cranberries, cherries or raisins 1 egg 1 1/2 cups buttermilk Preparation Heat oven to 375°F. Grease cookie sheet with shortening or cooking spray....

Preparation Cover paperScissors or paper cutterBone folderTissuesGlassine bagsSewing machine and thread Print your ceremony info onto cover paper.Cut each sheet to 5-by-10 inches.Fold the stack in half with a bone folder to create a 5-by-5-inch program.Place a tissue into a glassine bag, and stitch it all together at the top. 80-lb cover paper, $8 for 50 sheets; paperpresentation.com. Gutermann “Sparkle Metallic Thread” in silver and aqua, $2.75/55 yards; redrockthreads.com. Related Video

Ingredients 1 package regular active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons) 1 1/2 cups warm water (105ºF to 115ºF) 1 cup lukewarm unseasoned mashed potatoes 2/3 cup sugar 2/3 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 eggs 7 to 7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour Preparation In large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. (If you’ve just cooked the potatoes, use 1 1/2 cups of warm potato water.) Stir in potatoes, sugar, butter, salt, eggs and 3 cups of the flour....

Ingredients 2 1/4 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 cup half-and-half 1 teaspoon maple flavor 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 egg 1/2 cup chopped pecans, if desired 1/2 cup powdered sugar 2 to 3 teaspoons half-and-half or milk 1 teaspoon maple flavor 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, if desired Preparation Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 8- or 9-inch loaf pan....

Ingredients 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lb) 1/4 cup Italian dressing 1 tablespoon butter, melted 3 tablespoons Progresso™ Italian style bread crumbs 5 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese 2 cups uncooked penne pasta (6 oz) 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano, undrained 1 can (14.5 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained...

Ingredients 1 cup barbecue sauce 2 tablespoons white vinegar 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar 1 can (15 oz) navy beans, drained 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 4 boneless center-cut pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick (about 1 1/2 lb) Preparation In medium bowl, mix barbecue sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and beans; set aside. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salt and pepper over pork; place in skillet....

Preparation Wedding showers are meant to celebrate the two individuals who have decided to take their relationship to legal status. Showering them with a celebratory event, gifts for the home they’re creating together, and a whole lot of love is just part of the recipe for a successful wedding shower. For same-sex couples, the question often comes up of whether the shower should be shared, and that answer largely depends on the individual couple....

Ingredients 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 9 slices pineapple in juice (from 20-oz can), 1/4 cup juice reserved 9 maraschino cherries without stems 1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ yellow cake mix 1/3 cup canola oil 1 1/4 cups 1% milk 1 egg Preparation Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch square pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle brown sugar in pan. Arrange pineapple slices over brown sugar. Drizzle with reserved juice. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice....

Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons butter 1 small onion, thinly sliced 2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup chicken broth 2 tablespoons cornstarch 3 medium green onions, sliced (3 tablespoons) Hot cooked rice Preparation In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat....

Ingredients 2 3/4 cups Original Bisquick™ mix 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne) 1/3 cup cold butter 1 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes 1/2 cup milk 2 tablespoons butter, melted Additional butter, if desired Preparation Heat oven to 450°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix and red pepper. Cut in 1/3 cup butter, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until mixture looks like coarse crumbs....

Ingredients 1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ white cake mix Water, vegetable oil and whole eggs called for on cake mix box 3/4 cup butter, softened 4 oz (half of 8-oz package) cream cheese, softened 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/3 cup seedless strawberry jam 1 teaspoon vanilla Betty Crocker™ red gel food color 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries (about 10 medium) Whole fresh strawberries Preparation Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans)....

Preparation Your wedding party should be given a schedule for your wedding day or weekend, but what they’ll need is likely an outline of events that provides more information than what you’ve shared with guests but is less detailed than the production schedule your vendors received. The solution? Create a third timeline for your bridesmaids, groomsmen, officiant, readers, and parents. While it may sound a little crazy to have all of these different schedules floating around, the extra work will go a long way in ensuring the big day runs smoothly....

Preparation Sumac, the tart, dark red spice long associated with Middle Eastern cuisine, is experiencing a twenty-first century boost in vitality. This ancient food’s spike in popularity is due in large part to bestselling cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi, whose bold recipes demand a lot of the home cook’s spice collection. Ottolenghi’s work has encouraged cooks far beyond the Middle East to clamor for flavors that have typically remained close to the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia as part of their everyday fare....

Ingredients 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (20 squares) 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted 2 tablespoons sugar 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted 1 cup white baking chips 3/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened 2 egg yolks 2 eggs 1/2 cup sour cream 2 cups cut-up fruit or berries Preparation Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 400°F....