Blog Posts by Sunset Magazine

Jasmine, darjeeling, oolong: they're great for sipping, sure--but put tea in recipes, and you have a whole different way to enjoy its fragrance and flavor.

Smoked Tea Duck
Smoked Tea Duck
There's nothing like authentic tea-smoked duck, but the smoking process can overwhelm many home kitchens. Enter "smoked tea duck"--using lapsang souchong tea and uncooked rice to make a smoky, crispy crust for duck breast, which is then pan-fried in its own fat.

Ingredients
2 duck breasts, skin on (about 2 lbs. total)
1 tablespoon plus 1 tsp. lapsang souchong tea
1 tablespoon white rice
About 1 tsp. kosher salt
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon sel gris or other coarse sea salt

Preparation
1. Dry duck breasts thoroughly with paper towels. Using a very sharp knife, score fat side of duck in a diamond pattern, making slashes about 3/4 in. apart, to allow fat to render easily.
2. Put 1 tbsp. tea, rice, 1 tsp. kosher salt, and peppercorns in a

We have 5 ways to turn a bleak lawn and driveway into a lush, livable garden.

Put up some color panels
Step 1: Put up some color panels
Freestanding panels of thick, cranberry-hued glass (anchored in concrete) provide the illusion of privacy.

Add vivid plants
Step 2: Add vivid plants
Orange epidendrums and a photinia hedge with red new leaves flank the center panel. Dymondia, Mexican weeping bamboo, Pittosporum crassi folium 'Nana' cool the heat.

Build a pole fence
Step 3: Build a pole "fence"
Lodgepole pine posts, their bases also anchored in concrete, are staggered to allow light through.

Make the firepit multiuse
Step 4: Make the "firepit" multiuse
A concrete water trough doubles as a reflecting pool and an ice bucket for chilling drinks during parties. Gas jets in its back rim feed flames.

Add a sitting area
Step 5: Add a sitting area
This one occupies the part of the driveway just outside the garage; cushions top the built-in bench, while redwood strips freshen the cinder-block wall behind.

SEE THE BEFORE AND AFTER

Savor the fresh flavors of springtime with these easy dishes, ready in 30 minutes or less.

Artichoke Bruschetta
Artichoke Bruschetta
Fresh artichokes usually take a long time to cook, but if you slice them thinly and then sauté them, they cook up in a flash.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 large trimmed* artichokes (1 1/2 lbs.), sliced thinly
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 slices toasted ciabatta bread, cut in half diagonally
3/4 cup ricotta
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
6 basil leaves, thinly sliced

Preparation
1. Heat 3 tbsp. oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook artichoke slices, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with salt.
2. Put toasts on a plate and spread each with ricotta, dividing it evenly. Sprinkle with pepper and zest. Spoon some artichokes onto each slide and top with a bit of basil.

* To trim artichokes, snap off thick green outer leaves (about half

Blow the dust off winter with blooms gone wild, bike trips in the blossoms, gushing falls, and more.

Feel the mist on your skin
Feel the mist on your skin

Even if you've been to Yosemite a thousand times, visit in the spring and it feels like the first time all over again. The valley blooms with dogwood, the rushing falls reach out to you with their cold mist, and there's always the towering granite. Park your car (and leave it!) to stroll sun-warmed meadows with a hundred different shades of green.

Insider tip: "My spring ritual always starts with an early hike up the Mist Trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls," says park ranger Scott Gediman. "You get totally drenched in cold mist, but it can be perfect on a warm day. I always grab a sandwich and eat at the top of Nevada Falls. You really can't beat the view."

> Get more insider tips

A petal drive-by on the coast
A petal drive-by on the coast

For some of the best blooms on the Central California Coast, cruise along Shell Creek Road in Santa Margarita, where meadows

Make a great planting box for your vegetable garden.

Raised bed for vegetable gardens
Your guide to making a raised garden bed
A raised bed is one of the best ways to grow vegetables.

Materials for a raised bed:

• One 6-foot-long 4-by-4 ($15)
• Six 8-foot-long-2-by-6s ($75)
• One 10-foot-long 1-inch PVC pipe ($3)
• Two 10-foot-long ½-inch PVC pipes ($6)
• 32 3½-inch #14 wood screws and 16 ½-inch #8 wood screws ($29)
• One 4- by 10-foot roll of ¼-inch-mesh hardware cloth ($15)
• Eight 1-inch galvanized tube straps (semicircular brackets; $3.60)
• 32 cubic feet (1 1/5 cu. yd.) soil mix ($100 in bags; look for combination of topsoil, compost, and potting soil).

With a table or power saw, cut the 4-by-4 into four 16-inch-tall corner posts. Cut two of the 2-by-6s in half. Cut the 1-inch PVC pipe into four 12-inch-long pieces and ½-inch PVC pipes into 6-foot-long pieces. Assemble pieces on a hard, flat surface.
> See full article

Assembly process begins

Assemble

Build bed upside down.

Mashed, roasted, grilled, fried, tossed in a salad--in these irresistible dishes, the potato isn't so humble.

Potato Salad with Artichokes and Asparagus
Potato Salad with Artichokes and Asparagus
This creamy, zingy side dish celebrates the bounty of spring.
> Get the recipe

Spiced Potato and Cauliflower Samosas
Spiced Potato and Cauliflower Samosas
These spiced potato and cauliflower samosas with two chutneys appetizer is baked instead of fried, and made with purchased dough instead of homemade to save time.
> Get the recipe

Meatball Shepherd's Pie
Meatball Shepherd's Pie
Spooned around the pie, mashed potatoes offer casual comfort, but they can be piped for a more formal effect. To lighten up the dish, you can substitute ground turkey for the beef.
> Get the recipe

Spinach, Leek, and Potato Soup
Spinach, Leek, and Potato Soup
Good old vichyssoise, but with spinach and without cream--so it's a beautiful electric green and kind to your waistline.
> Get the recipe

Chipotle-Corn Mashed Potatoes
Chipotle-Corn Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are good just about any way, but here they're smoky, filled with crunchy bits of corn, and irresistible.
> Get

Just how big an upgrade? That depends on you. Try on 3 personality profiles for inspiration.

For the shopper: The shopper's personality: "I can hang a new shower curtain, but anything more hardcore...well, isn't that what landlords are for?"
For the shopper
Shower curtain
Bamboo flowers silhouetted on 100% cotton.
> Get this shower curtain
Bath mat
Bath mat
Made with vetiver, it's naturally aromatic--just walk on it.
> Get this bath mat
Soap dish
Soap dish
Wine bottles, bulletin boards--now there's another use for the versatile cork tree.
> Get this soap dish
See more products for the shopper

For the DIY-er: The DIY-er's personality: "I'm not fazed by Allen wrenches or plumbing tape--just hand me that level and stand back."
For the DIY-er
Pendant light
The Astron fixture adds a retro accent.
> Get this light fixture

Hand-held showerhead
Hand-held showerhead
No more wrestling with a slippery "dial"--just flip the head over to change sprays.
> Get this showerhead

Towel bar
Towel bar
Rustic, dark bronze finish can read modern or salvage.
> Get this towel bar

This is tofu? Bean curd is bland no more in these flavorful dishes.

Grilled Tofu, Bacon, and Avocado Sandwiches
Grilled Tofu, Bacon, and Avocado Sandwiches
Charles Phan's Out the Door in San Francisco serves a non-traditional fried tofu banh mi with grilled zucchini and avocado. Andrea Nguyen, a cookbook author and cooking teacher based in Northern California, likes to change it up by marinating and grilling a slab of tofu and sliding it into a ciabatta roll along with the vegetables and bacon. Sriracha and a drizzle of the ginger-soy marinade add even more complex flavor.
> Get the recipe