Coco Morante

This should be a spooky activity, not a scary ordeal.

When it comes to gardening, I have more of a knack for killing plants than producing any kind of successful harvest. As such, it has befallen my husband to take full charge of tending to our summer garden, and his most treasured plant is this enormous, enthusiastic pumpkin vine. Its produce will be of the Halloween carving variety, not so great for eating. Luckily, I’ve still got some plans for its smaller, younger leaves, which as it turns out, are edible and popular in many cuisines.

Before watching Brendan McDermott’s series of knife skills lessons, I thought I knew my way around a chef’s knife. You guys, I was wrong. In under two hours, this mini class taught me more about slicing and dicing than decades of trial-and-error experience in my home kitchen. Watch it right now and you’ll see exactly what I mean. Oh and best of all? It’s completely free. Brendan McDermott has cred to spare when it comes to culinary instruction.

Renters, rejoice! There’s a fun way to give your kitchen a little chalkboard love without painting a wall, drilling holes, or spending a lot of money. A trip to the craft store will provide you with the tools for this fun, easy DIY chalkboard, perfect for scribbling grocery lists, menu plans, or notes to your housemates. When my husband and I first moved into our apartment, we discovered something unfortunate about the walls.

When it’s cold and wet outside, be on the lookout: That’s the time when ants are on the march towards your kitchen, looking for warmer, sugar-stocked climes to hide out in for the winter. The solution? Make a bottle of this potent natural spray to use on your window and door frames, baseboards, and anywhere else the little critters tend to sneak into your home. There are plenty of ways to prevent ants from taking over indoors.

Have you ever noticed that the nicest kitchen towels have a nifty little loop, perfect for hanging on a kitchen hook? It’s easy to add a loop to any towel yourself, making it that much more functional. Even better, this is a DIY you can knock out in all of a few minutes.