Tag: Lifestyle

10 Simple Habits to Foster This Summer

Summertime is an opportune time to focus on making improvements in yourself and your life. The days are longer, the schedule is more relaxed, and there is time and space to review, reflect, and retool the areas of your life that could use some refreshing. When it comes to making improvements, often the key is…


Is Vegetable Flavoured Ice Cream the New Way to Get Your Vitamins?

Vegetable-flavoured gelatos starring cauliflower and pumpkin have stirred up heated debates this week at Australia and New Zealand’s largest horticulture conference and trade show, Hort Connections, where innovative businesses used foods that would’ve otherwise been thrown away to address food waste. Three thousand attendees there sampled two flavours that were a harmonious combination of salty…


Carrot Aioli: It’s Better Than Grass

Nearly 2 percent of the land in the lower 48 states is lawn. In most populated areas, the percentage is much higher. It’s fair to say that most of us have too much lawn and not enough garden—especially this time of year, when you keep getting ambushed by little plants at the farmers market. You…


5 Decor Swaps to Keep Your Home Cooler This Summer

As the temperature outside rises, the annual quest for a cooler home begins—but without spending a fortune on our utility bills. Try incorporating these home-cooling design moves. By swapping out heavy textiles for airy fabrics and setting up effective cross-ventilation, you can create a cooler house without touching the thermostat. Here’s how to design your…


Two New Travel Insurance Gotchas

Over the years I’ve devoted lots of ink and pixels to travel insurance, but recent developments with a Boston-area tour operator have raised two new—or at least new-to-me—potential pitfalls. Both deal with a subject once more prominent than now: failure to pay legitimate claims. And to understand the situation more clearly, I’ll start with a…


Bern, Switzerland’s Classy yet Fun Capital

The sidewalk along the Aare River is congested with wet and happy Swiss, hiking upstream in swimsuits just to float back into town. I join them—marveling at how this exercise brings out the silly in a people who are generally anything but goofy. Every hundred yards a railing with concrete steps leads into the rushing…


Six Steps to Take Before Offering to Buy a Home

Dear Monty: We are first-time home buyers. We didn’t plan on buying a home for several years. We recently learned that we will soon receive a substantial gift. Our benefactor conditioned the gift on a home purchase. We both have satisfying careers and secure positions but need more knowledge or experience in buying a home….


These Barbecued ‘Ribs’ Are Budget-Friendly, Extra Meaty and Delightfully Hands-Off

As a Texas girl, I’ve got a special affinity for ribs—but they can be so pricey! My recipe for country-style ribs makes cooking ribs at home easier and cheaper than ever. Besides calling for a cost-effective cut of meat, the best part about this recipe is how hands-off it is. You season your ribs, throw them in…


Transport the Taste of France to Your Plate at Home

I’m not eating much meat these days, but occasionally I have a major longing for a steak. And since I was recently in Paris and had a version of this nostalgic, delicious dish, I can’t get it out of my mind. A tender filet of beef, with its lean texture, is accompanied by a cheesy, creamy sauce….


Pay Down, or Pay Ahead? It Can Be Confusing

Years ago, I learned a lesson I won’t have to learn again. It was that poignant. It was during a time when mortgage interest rates took a nosedive and we benefited by refinancing our high-rate mortgage. The transaction closed in late August with the first payment due in October. Rather than take a month off…