You guys, I want need to share this tip with you. I learned this little trick from Cooks Illustrated and it is BRILLIANT. I will always and forever brown meat this way.

You love some modern design.

Your indoor space is all the rage, but your outdoor space needs a little work. You want the party to spill over from your family room into the backyard? Then it’s time for a fire pit. It couldn’t be more ideal for hosting during cool …

Pallets. So hot right now (Hansel?). Reclaimed wood could not get any more beautiful… or free. The weathered character is unmatchable. The juxtaposition of raw, grey, sun-kissed wooden slats against your sea salt or mindful grey is rustic modern design aesthetic at its best.

Do NOT do what I did. Hand-me-down cordless drill. Zero “how-to” tutorials or mentorship. Pseudo-masculine infused confidence (the reason all things break before warranty). 10 minutes worth of power per battery, maybe. The amperage to drill through some mean cardboard. Or to effortlessly predrill through …

We closed on our first house the day before Halloween. House-buddy knew getting a makeover was his destiny, so he staged the house accordingly.

I love grits. LOVE them. But y’all, I’m going to be straight up honest here…I don’t like shrimp. I know, “what’s wrong with you? How can you have grits without shrimp?” Truth time: even eating good seafood, at the beach, I still can’t get past …

What does your table stand for? Is it only functional, or does it serve a deeper purpose?

I love a good, quick weeknight dinner. We’re talking a “just ran in the door from work or errand-running and my kid is screaming for food and it’s 6pm and I have nothing planned for dinner” kind of quick dinner. But being a culinary diva …

Do you think you don’t like tofu? I thought that for a long time too. It doesn’t really have much of a flavor in its natural state. It has kind of a squishy, egg-like texture. No thanks. Then I had crispy tofu. And my life …

(Read with House Hunters sterile RoboLady voice) We enter our perfect-for-entertaining open floor plan with high ceilings, hardwoods throughout and an updated kitchen for better resale (end HH voice). Mail, keys, wallets and coats are dang EVERYWHERE, or gone forever. Clutter is the proverbial endless …

I’m not trying to complain. On the spectrum, my toddler eats really well. He’s (almost always) willing to try new foods and (usually) likes (some) things. But he’s still a toddler and still has random preferences.