Blog Posts by Martha Stewart Living

Martha Stewart Living
Kimberly Rider, an eco-designer based in the San Francisco Bay Area and author of "The Healthy Home Workbook: Easy Steps to Eco-Friendly Living," shares her simple 10-step program to a healthier and more Earth-friendly living space.

Related: Eco-Friendly New England Home

1. Inspect Your Beauty Products 

Look at the ingredients of your personal-care products. Educate yourself, research the chemicals, and read what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has to say about them. Be aware that there is a healthy, petrochemical-free alternative to nearly every product you use, from shampoo to deodorant.


Related: Natural Beauty Remedies You Already Have at Home

2. Assess Your Clothing
Ask yourself: Is the fabric natural? Has it been chemically treated? Was it mass-produced? Consider buying from companies with small production lines so you're not contributing to the waste generated by factories. And buy vintage! That's the best way to recycle clothes.


3. Look at the Food You Buy

Strawberry shortcake never tasted so good -- or so nuanced. Heavy cream is steeped with basil then whipped, infusing it with its essence. Cover the cream with plastic wrap while it steeps to ensure that the basil flavor doesn't evaporate.

Shortcake is best served within 4 hours of baking but can be stored, untopped, at room temperature for up to 8 hours. Basil cream can be refrigerated for up to 1 day; whip just before using. Berries can macerate for up to 3 hours.

Strawberry Shortcake with Basil

2 1/4 cups cold heavy cream, plus 2 tablespoons, for brushing
20 large basil leaves, plus 1/3 cup small or torn basil leaves
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more if needed
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
Salt
2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups sliced strawberries (1 pound 4 ounces)
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Related: Exciting Uses for Spring Strawberries

1. Bring 1

Memorial Day is just around the corner, which means that grilling season is almost upon us! Bring your A-game with these 6 quick tips.

1. Bring steaks and pork chops to room temperature before grilling them. Keep fish and chicken refrigerated.

2. Season foods generously on both sides with salt and pepper.

Related: Easy, Impressive Grilling Recipes

3. Be sure to preheat the grill to medium-high before you begin.

4. When searing foods, always keep the lid open.

Related: 15 Kitchen Shortcuts That Will Change the Way You Cook

5. Don't flip food often or move it around (unless you are doing so to avoid flare-ups).

6. Let steaks, chops, and chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.

What are your favorite grilling tips?

More from Martha Stewart Living:
Easy, Everyday Meatless Recipes
10 Healthy and Delicious Smoothie Recipes to Try
Favorite One-Pot Meals for the Family
Bacon, 46 Ways to Cook and Eat It

No need to hit up IHOP for your fix. You'll be flipping flawless flapjacks in no time if you follow these tips. Whip some up for Mother's Day brunch -- or anytime!

1. Before you ladle on the batter, wipe the excess butter from the hot griddle using a folded paper towel. This will ensure perfectly browned pancakes.

2. Use all-purpose flour in the batter. Bread flour yields tough, chewy pancakes; pancakes made with cake flour turn soggy when crowned with syrup. You can experiment with flours that don't affect the structure of the pancakes, such as cornmeal, buckwheat flour, or whole-wheat flour. Substitute half of the all-purpose flour for any one of these.

Related: Bacon, 46 Ways to Cook and Eat It

3. Never whisk the batter until smooth; leaving lumps of unmoistened dry ingredients will result in fluffier pancakes.

4. Flip the pancakes just as the surface bubbles begin to burst. Flipping them after all the bubbles are gone produces a flatter pancake.

5. If you are adding ingredients

We've got seven clever and organic remedies for indoor and outdoor plants, plus green gardening tips from Martha Stewart, whose passions include gardening and organic choices. From your hanging planters all the way down to the soil in the ground, Martha gives tips to make sure every aspect of your garden is green.

More from Martha Stewart:

9 Organizing Tips That Will Change the Way You Do Laundry Forever

30 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do

Martha's Ultimate Organizing Solutions

15 Kitchen Shortcuts That Will Change the Way You Cook

19 Tips for Perfect Laundry Every Time

Martha Stewart Living
By Taylor Combs

Do you ever look around your house and wonder: Where did all this stuff come from? We asked the organizing experts at Martha Stewart which items they see piling up in people's homes and the best ways to repurpose or remove them. Are you hoarding any of these? Click through for the 10 things you need to stop hoarding right this moment, and for our decluttering tips.

Read More:19 Tips for Perfect Laundry Every Time

1. Paper and Plastic Shopping Bags
After a celebrity-size shopping spree, bags can quickly pile up. Unless you know you'll use them, get rid of them.

Decluttering tip: Reuse paper bags to carry your lunch to work, or use plastic bags as mini trash-can liners. Recycle any excess totes before they pile up.

Read More: 15 Kitchen Shortcuts That Will Change the Way You Cook

2. Boxes
It can be tempting to hang out to the decorative boxes that come with gift sets or as product packaging. But unless you really use it for storage or

After a few seasons on the porch, your furnishings may start to show their age with rust marks, mildew, or stains. These general care tips will ensure that your chairs, tables, and cushions look beautiful for years to come. Outdoor woven fabrics generally undergo a chemical treatment during manufacturing to increase stain and moisture resistance, regardless of whether they are made from synthetic fibers, such as vinyl-coated polyester or acrylic, or from cotton blends.

More from Martha Stewart:

Martha's Ultimate Organizing Solutions

Top 50 Everyday Money Saving Tips

Clever Ideas for Better Outdoor Living

Martha Stewart
Don't let these commonly held false beliefs stop you from living a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

Organic Food Is Always Best
Wait one minute. From ice cream to salsa to peanut butter, the organic supply keeps proliferating. So have the places that sell these foods; mainstream retailers now account for nearly half of all organics sales. But along with growth comes change -- and often confusion. We dug up the facts, stats, and expert opinions to answer the burning questions about this important issue.

Get the 101 on Organic Food

Buying Organic Is Always More Expensive
Not so. Growing consumer demand continues to drive down the price of organics, but many conventional foods remain cheaper. To help balance out the extra cost, consider these tips.

How to Save Money and Still Eat Organically

Natural Cleansers Aren't Tough Enough
Think again. If green-cleaning problems have you stumped, read on. These easy solutions will keep your momentum going strong.

Get the Facts

Green Travel