Blog Posts by Good Housekeeping

Holiday shoppingFor people like me, there's nothing like being out with the crowd trying to get the best deals, but I know it might not be everyone's cup of tea. Here are my insider tips for surviving the hectic holidays - and making it out of the mall unscathed.

Prioritize Your List You've likely already researched what's on sale for the holiday season (and hopefully checked out stores' inventories of the items on your list). Now rank your purchases by priority. If there's a must-have on your list, start your spree at the store that has it.

Be Mindful of Holiday Hours End your shopping excursion at the mall where stores are open the latest. You don't want to miss out on deals in the stores that don't stay open as late for the season.

Dress Appropriately I know it'll be cold outside, but don't bundle up too much. When you're out there shopping, you'll warm up quickly. Instead of carrying a purse, wear a small bag over your shoulder or a pack around your waist. There's nothing worse than

Here's one way to avoid a stressful holiday time crunch: Start baking Christmas cookies now! That's what I do. Certain cookies lend themselves quite well to baking, freezing and thawing - the trick is just finding the right recipes. That's where we come in: Here are our 9 best Christmas cookie recipes for baking and freezing until the holiday, plus a few extra cookie-freezing tips I use in my own kitchen each year.

1. These go-to Gingerbread Cutouts get their signature spiced flavor from molasses, nutmeg, clove, ginger and cinnamon.

Gingerbread Cutout Cookies

2. Spritz cookies are a Christmas classic! Don't have a cookie press? Transfer the dough to a resealable plastic bag, snip the corner and pipe shapes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, instead.

Spritz Cookies

3. These two-toned Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Stick cookies look and taste like candy canes!

Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Stick Cookies

Related: 30 Best Christmas Cookie Recipes

4. Give the standard thumbprint cookie a sweet-tart twist with our Chocolate-Raspberry

Burnt turkeyWe all know that gut-wrenching feeling: You're preparing the perfect meal when you realize you're missing an ingredient or misread the recipe. Luckily, there are easy fixes to common blunders, which means your mistake can be your little secret. Next time you "mess-up" in the kitchen, try one of these 11 solutions to turn your cooking catastrophe into a delicious dinner.

1. You Overcooked the Turkey

Don't worry that the star of your meal is ruined. That's what gravy is for, says Angela McKeller, an Atlanta-based chef and author of Passion on a Plate. Serve slices of turkey with the gravy already poured on top to moisten the meat. If only the skin is burned beyond the desired golden brown, peel it off. Your guests shouldn't second-guess what happened, but if they ask, remind them how much healthier turkey is without the fatty skin.

2. You Poured Too Much Wine in the Sauce

The result won't be the same, but it can still be equally delicious. "If it's in a stew or braised

Freeze your leftovers for later or save them for lunch America Recycles Day was November 15th and this year's theme was "Feed People, Not Landfills." Here in the United States we throw away 14% of the food we purchase. That equals an average of 470 pounds of food in the trash at a cost to a family of four of nearly $600 per year. There's no need for me to tell you that this is a big waste of money but did you know that it's also hurting the environment? When excess food, leftover food, and food scraps wind up in a landfill, they decompose and become a significant source of methane - a potent greenhouse gas.

Here are 10 tips to help you reduce food waste in your home:

1. Know the expiration dates of the food you have in your kitchen and use it up before it expires.

2. Just as they do in the grocery store, rotate foods in your fridge and cabinets so that the oldest items are in the front where they'll be used up first.

Related: 10 Time-Saving Commandments of Grocery Shopping

3. Take advantage of your refrigerator's

Styles that flatter — and flaunt — your figureRSVP "yes" to every party this season, and have fun dressing up in outfits that flatter - and flaunt - your figure.

Manage Your Middle

You won't have to worry about sucking in your stomach in this floaty paisley-print blouse ($109, Lauren Ralph Lauren) - the chiffon skims over any rolls. To offset the flowiness on top, pair with slim cigarette pants ($119, Talbots) in festive cranberry silk. Tip: Make a sheer boatneck top your new best friend; it flashes skin without being too revealing, emphasizes always-svelte collarbones, and plays up dazzling earrings.

Paisley-print blouse, $109, Lauren Ralph Lauren; macys.com. Dupioni ankle pants, $119, Talbots; talbots.com. Brilliant Blast earrings, $65, Sorrelli; opensky.com. Festival ring, $95, Jules Smith; julessmithdesigns.com.

Showcase Your Shape

Showcase Your Shape

No LBD can compete with this curve-celebrating sapphire stunner: The cummerbund-style bodice visually nips in your waist while the portrait collar highlights your décolletage.

Create your own holiday cookies using store-bought dough Pressed for time, but still want to do holiday baking? In just 15 minutes, you can turn slice-and-bake dough into Christmas cutout cookies. All you need is a 16.5-ounce roll of Pillsbury sugar-cookie dough, some flour, and a little hands-on action.

1. Add Flour

Break the roll of dough into pieces. On a floured board, knead in 1/2 cup flour, a little at a time, working dough until smooth. Don't be afraid to put some muscle into it.

2. Roll and Cut

Form dough into a disk. Lightly flour the rolling pin and your surface, then roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut out cookies (simple shapes work best). Reroll and repeat.

Related: Healthy Holiday Snacks

3. Dress 'Em Up

Transfer your cutouts to a cookie sheet. For the easiest decoration ever, sprinkle them (use a teaspoon or your fingers) with colored or clear sparkly sanding sugar.

4. Chill, Then Bake

Freeze the cookies on their sheet for at least 30 minutes (it helps maintain their shape), then bake as

Be happy all year long

Do these every day - or whenever you'd like - for an instant lift.

1. Give Your Sweetie a Stealth Hug
Tiny acts of love - a favorite meal, a mushy text-message, or an unexpected touch - make us see ourselves as kind and supportive partners. In fact, we get the bounce in self-image even if we do something nice our spouses don't notice, a Swiss study of 102 couples found.

2. Include the Barista in Your Thank-Yous
In case you missed the news that reflecting on your blessings is like Miracle-Gro for your mental health, a new English study reports that keeping a daily gratitude list reduces anxiety as well as therapy does. Be specific: "To say, 'I am grateful to the coffee barista' is less effective than consciously thinking about the fact that she remembers that you like a tall latte with low-fat milk," says Robert Emmons, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis.

Related: 15 Easy Ways to De-Stress

3. Take a Grace Break

It takes quick decision-making to get the best deals on Black Friday. Read on for product-specific advice from experts at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute (GHRI) to help you be a smart shopper - in a hurry.

HDTVs Vizio E3D470VX Smart TV

• TVs aren't just TVs anymore. If your family loves online content like watching Netflix or shows on Hulu, you may want to consider investing in a smart TV. These advanced sets offer a slew of extra features, including Internet browsing, Skyping with a built-in webcam, games, streaming video and more.
• Wondering if it's worth the money to spring for a 1080p TV? If you're planning to get a set that's 32 inches or smaller, you probably won't notice the difference; 720p should do the trick in that case. For anything larger, or if anyone in your family is a gamer, 1080p is likely worth the investment.
• LCD TVs that offer LED backlighting will display dark scenes better. LCDs in general offer brighter picture and are more energy efficient, while plasma sets