Blog Posts by Martha Stewart

This easy all-purpose yellow cake takes just a bit longer to make than one from a packaged mix, but is it ever worth it. An instant test-kitchen favorite, it is absolutely delicious and will rise to any occasion.

Cake

1 stick unsalted butter, softened, plus more for cake pans and parchment
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
5 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

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

1. Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment; butter parchment as well. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat

Read More »from The Only Yellow Cake Recipe You'll Ever Need

Martha Stewart
Give fine hair a mega-boost with these tips from expert stylists.

Your Shower To-Dos

Before you even turn on the faucet, use the pads of your fingers to gently massage your scalp using a technique that mimics squeezing an orange. Elizabeth Cunnane Phillips, a trichologist at the Philip Kingsley Clinic in New York City, says, "Palpating the scalp increases blood flow and kick-starts the exfoliation of pores that harbor excess sebum." Use a volumizing shampoo and conditioner loaded with rice or wheat protein, which strengthens and expands the diameter of the hair shaft. And remember, your roots are naturally hydrated by scalp oils, so only condition ends.

Related: Simple Steps to Beautiful Skin

Boost Body for Now

To pump up the volume, eschew sticky hairspray and set your style with a starch-based dry shampoo, which is formulated to zap slippery sebum and lift hair right at the roots. Swear off styling products loaded with heavy waxes and silicones, which will only make lifeless locks

Read More »from 7 Styling Tips for Fine Hair that Will Change Your Life

Let's be honest -- when things get hectic, you probably skip working out. Take a new approach. Rather than wait for a large block of time to magically free up, get your fitness in five-minute spurts. We've created a range of exercises that provide a big impact in a limited amount of time. Choose one activity for each time of day, and give it your all for five minutes. By the end of the day, you'll have 30 minutes under your belt.

More from Martha Stewart:

Simple Steps To Beautiful Skin

Everyday Tips for Beautiful Lips

Natural Beauty Remedies You Already Have At Home

Healthy Breakfast Juice Recipes

Read More »from 5-Minute Workouts You Can Do Right Now!

Martha Stewart

It is rumored that this soup was a favorite with a Chinese empress and the concubines in the Forbidden City.

Related: Simple Steps to Beautiful Skin


Yield:

Makes 4 servings


Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 
  
• 1/4 cup wheat berries
• 
  
• 1/4 cup barley
• 
  
• 1/4 cup brown rice
• 
  
• 1/4 cup buckwheat kasha
• 
  
• 1 pound watermelon rind cut into 4-inch-long strips (about 3 cups of watermelon rind)
• 
  
• 7 1/2 cups spring water
• 
  
• 1/2 cup rock sugar broken into small pieces
• 
  
• 2 green tea bags

Related: Natural Beauty Remedies You Already Have at Home

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, combine the five grains, watermelon rind, and 6 cups of spring water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low, and simmer until the liquid is reduced to 4 cups, about 50 minutes.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the rock sugar, tea bags, and 1 1/2 cups of spring water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then simmerRead More »from The Secret Soup Recipe that Made Chinese Empresses Beautiful (You'll Never Guess What's in It!)

Martha Stewart
Get smooth, soft hands and beautifully glossy nails without going to a high-priced salon.

Hydrate Rough, Cracked Hands
Whether you're an avid gardener or just genetically predisposed, chapped hands are nothing to applaud. To keep skin flexible and to prevent painful cracks, avoid washing with alcohol-based cleansers or chemical solvents, which will strip natural oils. Instead, use a product that relies on citrus like Permatex Fast Orange Pumice Lotion Hand Cleaner, $2.50 for 7.5 oz. In the shower, massage palms with a gentle sugar scrub to whisk away dead cells and calluses that'll keep products from penetrating, then apply a reparative cream loaded with glycerin, which helps skin retain moisture. For an even deeper treatment, coat hands in cream before bed then swaddle your paws in breathable cotton gloves.

Related: Simple Steps to Beautiful Skin

How to Strengthen Brittle Nails
While weak, brittle nails can be attributed to heredity and normal aging, there are a few external

Read More »from 10 Tips and Tricks for Cheap, Beautiful Manicures & Pedicures at Home

Martha Stewart Living

The last time you made a necklace, it probably involved macaroni. Here's an idea inspired by a project on the blog Cucumbersome.com. Turn an old shirt into a piece of wearable art that's quite grown-up.

More from Martha Stewart:
DIY Face Masks and Scrubs
5-Minute Workouts To Do Right Now
Healthy Breakfast Juice Recipes

Tools and Materials
Soft cotton T-shirt
Ruler
Scissors or rotary cutter

Martha Stewart Living

More from Martha Stewart:
Natural Beauty Remedies You Already Have at Home
Everyday Tips for Beautiful Lips
More Accessory How-Tos

T-Shirt Necklace How-To

1. Lay the shirt on a flat surface; cut off the hem and discard. Then cut the body of the shirt horizontally into strips approximately 3/4 of an inch long. (They will actually be loops.)
2. One at a time, pull the loops open and stretch until the fabric starts to curl. Stack the loops on top of one another so that all the T-shirt side seams are in the same spot.
3. Once you have the thickness you desire, wrap the seams with a scrap piece

Read More »from Turn a Shabby T-Shirt into a Stylish Necklace

Braids have a timeless appeal -- and they're easier than you think. Just three simple weaves go into even the most elaborate of braided creations. Learn them and your hairstyling options are endless.

More from Martha Stewart:

Simple Steps for Beautiful Skin

5-Minute Workouts to do Right Now

DIY Face Masks and Scrubs

Read More »from Four Fabulous, Trendy Braids You Can Do at Home

Try these sweet, tender vegetables in a salad, side dish, or stir-fry, or eat them raw as a snack. Garden or English peas must be shelled before eating. Edible-podded peas include the popular sugar snap pea and its kin, as well as flat snow peas. Before it grows pods, the pea plant produces pea shoots, dainty, curling tendrils that are edible.

In Season:

Sugar snap peas, snow peas, and garden peas are available during spring and fall.

What to Look For:

Choose plump, crisp pods with a bright-green color. Pea shoots should be entirely green and leafy. Pick them in the morning, when they're most sturdy; gently pinch some off, taking care to leave the main stems of your pea plants intact.

How to Store:

Refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 3 days. Pea shoots don't keep for long. Plan to use them the same day you pick or buy them. Store in the refrigerator.

More from Martha Stewart:

Easy, Everyday Meatless Recipes

10 Healthy and Delicious Smoothie Recipes to Try

Read More »from 10 Ways to Eat All Kinds of Peas