In my pantry right now, there among the cans of tomato paste and chicken noodle soup, is a box of rich, decadent sipping chocolate, a bag of dried porcini, and a little tin of handmade candied violets. In my closet, a pair of fancy velvet heels and a gorgeous cashmere sweater mingle with the cotton shirts and clogs. Tucked away in a drawer, a small vial of a favorite, very expensive perfume waits for the special day that I will dab it on my wrists. Besides being wonderful and special, all these things have one other thing in common: I never use them. And lately I've been thinking that this has got to change. More

Do you have trouble remembering to take your lunch when you leave for work or school? There are few things more frustrating than spending the time to pack yourself a healthy, delicious lunch only to forget it in the morning rush. Here are five little tips to help you remember. More

Even if you are making a transition to glass containers for your lunches and leftovers, chances are you still have a small stockpile of plastic containers in your kitchen. And no matter how thoroughly you scrub them, there comes a point where they start to smell a little...stale. If you have any plastic containers that could use a little spring cleaning, here are six ideas to freshen them up — without resorting to harsh chemicals.

How long will chicken stay fresh in the refrigerator? How long can you keep grapes on the countertop? Is it okay to freeze cucumbers? There is a certain amount of common sense when determining if a given food is past its prime (and you can always try a smell test) but for general guidelines and planning purposes this infographic from Visual.ly is incredibly handy. Check out the full graph below with shelf life guides to over 30 uncut, unopened, and uncooked fruits, veggies, meats, condiments and other typical fridge foods:

Anyone who has cooked a meal has had to come to terms with the fact that while it may have taken hours (days even) to create this meal, it will likely vanish down the throats of their loved ones in a fraction of that time. In fact, if it didn't vanish quickly and with a certain amount of relish, we would worry that it wasn't good and that our efforts had been wasted. The very reason why we create our lovely meal (hunger and deliciousness) is exactly what will destroy it. More

Q: Are there any phone apps that will help me keep track of prices and sizes so that I can be a better comparison shopper at the grocery store? I frequent three different grocers in my town (and Costco every few months), and such an app would be very handy.

Sent by Jena

Let's face it: Breakfast can fall into a real rut sometimes. And while almost anything can become a picture-perfect breakfast with the addition of a runny-yolked egg ("Put an egg on it!") what if you want to branch out and leave eggs behind? Maybe the grains, too? No grains, no eggs — what's left? Quite a lot, actually — starting with this heavenly avocado pudding. Read on for this and 9 more breakfasts that take a break from grains and eggs.