Blog Posts by Good Housekeeping

Safety Alert

Our hearts go out to all our family members, friends, colleagues, and readers who are facing the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. If you're among the many experiencing a power outage please be careful to avoid carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning from portable generators, fire from candles, and electrical shock from downed power lines.

• The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA), and US Fire Administration (USFA) are warning that you should never use portable generators indoors, in basements, garages, or close to a home, even if doors and windows are open. The exhaust from generators contains high levels of carbon monoxide (CO) that are in fact greater than that of multiple cars running in a garage and can quickly incapacitate and kill. Remember that carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless and can kill in mere minutes. Also be sure that any electrical cables you use with a generator are free of damage and labeled safe for outdoor

Let's face it, sometimes you're really NOT in the mood for some lovin'. But just because you've been feeling pretty turned off lately doesn't mean that you can't turn yourself right back on! In fact, revving-up your sexual engine can be as simple as modifying your diet, changing some bad habits, going to bed earlier or reading a racy book - or two! So get ready, ladies. Here are the top 10 ways to fire up your sexual desire.

Stimulate your mind1. Stimulate Your… Brain
When it comes a woman's sexual desire, there may be no organ more powerful than the brain. Just look at the recent success of the male stripper movie Magic Mike or the erotic Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, which is said to be saving people's sex lives around the country. Women are finally allowing their minds to wander into fantasyland without feelings of guilt or shame. And any woman can tell you that once her mind is set on getting some lovin', the rest of the body will soon follow!

Related: Boost Your Sexual Confidence

2. Get Some

Celebrate Halloween with easy-to-make desserts that are almost too cute to eat.

Spooky spiders and marshmallow ghostsSpooky Spider and Marshmallow Ghosts
Spooky Spider: This chocolaty Halloween treat takes only a few minutes to put together and makes a fun project for trick-or-treaters of any age.

Marshmallow Ghosts: Sweet and chewy, these marshmallow ghosts are a playful Halloween treat.

Related: Dazzling DIY Halloween Decor

Fruit-based dessertsTrick-or-Treat Sweets
Cobweb Crisps
Pear Ghosts
Apple Jack-o-'lanterns
Brownie Goblins

Related: Cute Pets in Costume



Cobweb cookiesCobweb Cookies
To conjure up a devilish-looking dessert, frost slice-and-bake sugar cookies with white royal icing. Then, starting at the cookie's center, pipe circles of black icing; create cobwebs by alternately dragging a toothpick from the center to the edge, and from the edge to the center.

Related: No-Carve Pumpkins

What goodies will you be munching on this Halloween? Let us know in the comments!

More from Good Housekeeping:

• 10 Ways to Spice Up Your Relationship
  

How to clean up after a natural disaster

While disasters can last a few minutes or several hours, the damage they leave can take months to clean up. Hurricanes and heavy rainfall can cause flooding in your home, which can lead to mold growth. Even though mold may seem harmless, its spores can cause serious health issues. Once floodwater recedes in your home, action needs to be taken immediately to remove the mold. While you may try to salvage everything, you have to inspect each item and consider if it's worth your time and money to save. Here are ways to determine what's salvageable and what isn't.

Fabrics that can't be cleaned and dried thoroughly or pieces that have visible discoloration, irreversible shrinkage, or are contaminated with sewage are unsalvageable. Among these items are mattresses, carpeting, and plush toys that aren't easily cleaned and sanitized.

However, pieces that can be cleaned, sanitizied, and dried completely are salvageable. First, these items should be sorted by washing method and cleaned

Trick or Treat!

Here's the thing about Halloween candy: At 80 calories apiece, a fun size peanut-packed bar is a perfectly innocent treat. But the trick, at least for me and most people I know, is to stick with just one bar. With all the candy lying around, it's so tempting-and all too easy-to swallow hundreds of extra calories over the course of the night, not to mention the days that follow. So in order to avoid weeks of candy binges and sugar comas, here are a few healthier ideas for Halloween giveaways that will leave your kids happy and your waistline intact (that is, if they're willing to share).

1. Wonderful Pistachios "Frankenweenie": Packed in Halloween-themed individual bags, pistachios are delicious, fun to eat, and loaded with antioxidants and healthy fats. "Frankenweenie" bags can be found in Walmart stores nationwide.

Related: Tricks for Eating Halloween Treats without Gaining Weight

2. Angie's Authentic Kettle Corn: Popcorn is a surprising source of whole grains. Each

Safety Alert

As Hurricane Sandy continues to bear down on the east coast, millions of residents are finding themselves without electricity. Whenever any of my friends and relatives lose power in a storm, they call me for advice about what to do with the food in their refrigerators and freezers. Here's what to do before as well as during and after a weather emergency.

Before the Storm

• Stock up on canned food, bottled water, batteries, and dry ice.
• Group food together in the freezer to help it stay cold longer.
• Freeze any items that you don't need right away such as leftovers, milk, and fresh meat and poultry to keep them at a safe temperature longer.
• Have coolers on hand to keep perishable food cold if the power's out for more than 4 hours.
• Buy or make as much ice as you can store in your freezer to use in the refrigerator or in a cooler if you lose power.

When You Lose Power

• Open the refrigerator and freezer doors as little as possible. If you keep the doors

Stuck inside? Beat cabin fever with five films the whole family (teenagers included!) will love.

Monsters, Inc.Monsters, Inc. (2001)
In the city of Monstropolis, power is generated by extracting the screams of children when they are scared by monsters in their rooms at night. However, it turns out that the monsters themselves are also scared of children! When one innocent little girl accidentally winds up in Monstropolis, things start to take one wild turn after another. One of Pixar's earlier efforts, this film features the brilliant voice-over work of Billy Crystal and John Goodman. Rated G.

Related: Best Microwave Popcorn

Ice Age (2002, 2006, 2009)
TV's Ray Romano voices the character of Manfred, a wooly mammoth who is trying to migrate south to escape the ice age. His loner ways are soon ended when he is joined by an annoying sloth and an untrustworthy saber-toothed tiger. The three undertake a perilous journey to reunite a orphaned human baby with her tribe. This popular film generated two

Carbonara

A cozy pasta dinner makes for wonderful comfort food on cool autumn evening. We had a great time coming up with new super-fast and tasty pasta dishes for fall. If you want to give one of them a shot, follow these handy tips that'll take your weeknight dinners from meh to mouthwatering.

1. If your pot is wide and squat instead of tall and narrow, break spaghetti strands in half before dropping them in the water. This way all the pasta hits the water at the same time and cooks evenly; plus, the shorter strands make slurping them easier and neater.

2. Always check the doneness of your pasta before draining and serving. Package directions aren't always perfectly accurate. Best way to check the doneness of pasta? Try a piece!

Related: Whole Wheat Pasta Taste Test

3. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a gigantic 8- or 10-qt. pot just to cook a pound of pasta; however, you should be aware that the less crowded the pasta is, the less attention it needs and the