Blog Posts by Martha Stewart Living

Out, out! Darned, spot!

You know what they say: The unsoiled life is not worth living. Fine, we made that up, but we can all agree that life is more fun when we aren't panicking over lipstick smears and condiments gone rogue. A stain can be a bummer, but don't let it ruin your day -- or your top. Get our fixes for ketchup splatters, wine dribbles, pen marks, and more.

Chopping Block

A hot stove is a hotbed for cooking-related stains. If grease is the culprit -- think butter, oil, or mayonnaise -- first, treat the area with a dry solvent. Using an eyedropper, rinse with isopropyl alcohol; dry well. Spray a dish-soap solution on any remaining residue and soak the item in an enzyme detergent before washing.

Proteins such as blood and egg require a different fix. Should a runaway yolk or a chopping mishap leave you with damages, spray a dish-soap solution on the stain and let it sit before rinsing in tepid water. If a stain remains, treat the area with an enzyme detergent and wash according to

We've all experienced that familiar cookout culprit: a bowl of warmed-over, slightly soggy fruit salad that's 90% melon. No more! These fruit salad pops are an whimsical way to squeeze in some fruity nutrients between the hot dogs and ice cream. You know, if you're into that sort of thing.

Related: 10 Healthy and Delicious Smoothie Recipes to Try

Fruit Salad Ice Pops

1 peach, cut into 1/2-inch slices (1/2 cup)
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
3 ounces blueberries (1/2 cup)
4 ounces strawberries, hulled and halved ( 3/4 cup)
1 1/2 to 2 cups 100 percent white-grape juice

1. Arrange some of each fruit in eight 3-ounce ice-pop molds, making sure pieces fit very snugly. Pour enough juice into each mold to just cover fruit. Insert ice-pop sticks and freeze until solid, 6 hours (or up to 2 weeks).

Related: 31 Delicious, No-Fail Cookie Recipes

More from Martha Stewart Living:
Easy, Everyday Meatless Recipes
15 Kitchen Shortcuts That

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