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When you’re the daughters of a Food Network star like Ree Drummond, the pressure is on to show your own chops in the kitchen. And as it turns out, it’s a bit of a contentious topic at the Ranch as to which sister is better behind the cutting board. In a recent Instagram Live video on The Pioneer Woman Magazine’s account, Paige and Alex, get to discussing their cooking talent — and like most siblings, their views doesn’t completely align....

Last month, Ree Drummond’s daughter Alex Drummond became engaged to her boyfriend Mauricio Scott. Needless to say, we’ve gone into overdrive scoping out all the sweet photos (like the one above from Parker Chase Photography) from the couple’s proposal day at Dallas’ Nasher Sculpture Center. Now, we’re excited to learn that Alex has asked her little sister Paige a very important question: “Will you be my maid of honor?” As recently detailed in an article by Kelly O’Sullivan on The Pioneer Woman’s website, Paige asked her little sister to take on this special role on her wedding day with a handwritten note and Veuve Clicquot champagne....

Have you ever wondered how professional chefs manage to slice and dice onions all day long without being reduced to an ocean of tears? Are they really just that good? Yes and no. As food science whiz Alton Brown recently shared on Twitter, one of the best ways to cry-proof your onion chopping endeavors is through ventilation—something professional kitchens have in spades. Recognizing that most home kitchens don’t have industrial vent hoods, the undisputed king of kitchen hacks came up with a workaround....

Sorry baseball, but the coronavirus pandemic has Americans looking to the skies for a new national pastime. Interest in birdwatching is reportedly soaring as Americans emerge from quarantine with a newfound appreciation for the outside world. According to the Associated Press, downloads of bird identification apps have soared, and preliminary numbers show sales of bird feeders, nesting boxes, and birdseed have spiked. “The world of birds is so much more vibrant and active than I’d ever realized, and once I paid attention, it just hit me in the face,” Conner Brown, a 25-year-old law student turned birder, told the AP....

Country music star Brad Paisley is embarking on a very different type of tour this month. The Grammy-winner and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, have pledged to donate one million nutritional meals as part of a Feeding America initiative called the “Million Meal Donation Tour,” which kicked off in Detroit last week. The two-week tour will take the couple to food banks in 16 major cities including Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Atlanta, Miami and Nashville....

There’s nothing we love more than a folksy kitchen hack. So, you can imagine our delight when Peter Sawkins (the baby-faced winner of the last season of The Great British Bake Off) revealed that he knows his cakes are done baking when he hears them “sing.” Dan Jakes at The Takeout was one of many food writers struck by the idea, so he reached out to the chief cake whisperer himself for a little more insight into the trick....

With parts of the Gulf Coast still struggling to rebound from Hurricane Ida’s historic wrath, the company behind some of America’s favorite cleaning products company is helping like only they can. This week, Clorox announced a multi-million-dollar donation of its disinfecting products to Convoy of Hope to aid with the colossal recovery process. CloroxPro, the professional products division of The Clorox Company, will be working with Convoy of Hope to help with Hurricane Ida recovery efforts as well as ongoing disaster relief as hurricane season continues to unfold....

Survey Your Surroundings “Before choosing a color for your front door, take your home’s existing palette into consideration—the siding, trim, shutters, etc. You’ll want a shade that creates a cohesive look,” says Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams. For inspiration, just turn to the landscape: “If you have a backdrop of trees, consider colors that complement nature, such as navy or black,” she says. Test the Front-Runners “Sample your options before making a final decision,” says Wadden....

It’s always with the best intentions that we read those care labels before we throw our new sweater, blouse, or delicates in the wash. We vow to always do them justice by washing only when needed and, when washing is necessary, to follow the care instructions to a T. But you know what they say of the best laid plans. Whether your successful laundering is thwarted by accident or laziness, some errors are easier to overcome than others—and I’m convinced not laying flat to dry might just be one of the most overcome-able of all the wash-and-dry errors....

A glass of wine with dinner is a wonderful thing, but if you only indulge in a glass or two, you’re bound to have a good part of the bottle leftover. While leftovers can be wonderful, wine does have an extremely limited shelf life. According to Mary Catherine Edmondson, Wine Director at Lutie’s and Commodore Perry Estate in Austin, Texas, there’s a good reason. “Once opened and exposed to the air, wine begins to oxidize, just like fruit would,” she says....

One of the great truths in this world is that cake is good. Sure, people may claim that pecan pie or Blue Bell ice cream or turtle brownies are their favorites, but few Southerners would turn down a slice of red velvet or Mississippi mud or white cake with lemon filling. Whether celebrating birthdays or baptisms or marking a funeral, few occasions in the South are complete without a cake. Blackberry jam cakes, Coca-Cola cakes, Texas sheet cakes, Hummingbird cakes, and coconut versions fill the tables at Southern picnics and potlucks and, of course, parties, so Southerners are pretty much experts at cake....

So you’ve had a few unexpected house guests show up. Normally, we’d encourage extending gracious hospitality. Sure, a few remarks from your mother-in-law about your tuna casserole might wear on your patience or even tempt you to close up the guest room for the season, but she is family, after all. In the case of pests, however, we’re calling for an immediate eviction. A pest control problem can quickly escalate from a minor annoyance to a full-on infestation....

Your kid has a bake sale, and you’ve got six dozen cookies to make. Your book club is coming to your house, and you need to make two pound cakes. It’s the holidays, and you need to prepare the dessert spread. All of these events require one thing: softened butter. But what is softened butter, anyway? Butter is soft (or “room temperature”) when you can press it lightly with your finger and make a small indentation....

Vegetable oil is essential for frying chicken, sautéing, baking quick breads, and so many other dishes. Many recipes call for vegetable oil, but is it a healthy option? First, let’s define what vegetable oil is. It’s a general term that refers to a blend of plant-based oils such as canola, corn, soybean, peanut, safflower, and sunflower. Because many plant oils are combined to make it, the cost of vegetable oil is generally very low, compared to other oils made from a single source, such as walnut oil, or olive oil....

In 1939, a Texas inventor named J.B. Lee came up with a tool that made creaming corn incredibly quick and easy. Not only was the gadget convenient, cooks also soon found its unique cutting method took creamed corn to a different level. There are many recipes for Southern creamed corn. Most versions have some take on whole kernels cooked down with cream or milk, flour, bacon grease or butter, onion, spices or sugar, all in search of the velvety consistency that we associate with the dish....

At the first signs of warmer weather, Southerners pour into garden centers ready to liven up their yards and porches for the season. The first item on the list? Ferns—and lots of them. When it comes to the best fern variety for porches, Pam Clark of Birmingham-based Leaf & Petal says it’s hard to go wrong, assuring “almost any fern that you can put in the ground, you can put in a pot....

A divided Texas Senate came together to recognize the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” Opal Lee last week, inviting the 94-year-old activist to the Senate Floor to celebrate her “determination and lifetime of work to make Juneteenth a national holiday,” with the passage of Senate Resolution 19. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also announced his recommendation to have a portrait of Lee made and added to the chamber. “Ms. Opal and her legacy will now live in the immortal halls of history and the Texas Capitol,” State Senator Beverly Powell’s office said in a news release....

For a spirited stay in Music City, travelers have been setting their sights on the Graduate Nashville. Things become even more festive during the month of December when the hotel’s Dolly Parton-themed presidential suite—also known as the “9 to 5” suite–gets dressed up for the season with Dolly-inspired decor. Everyone’s favorite country queen is known for her sparkles and sequins, touches of dazzle that translate perfectly to holiday décor. Visit in December to find the suite filled with a faux green Christmas tree—trimmed with tinsel and shiny ornaments, of course—as well as a white tree hung with bright pink baubles....

It’s unnameable—that element that turns a bar, restaurant, or venue into a place as comfortable as your own living room. It’s a feeling that stands in contrast to the behind-the-scenes work that goes into starting and maintaining a place with that kind of warmth. But somehow Callaghan’s Irish Social Club in Mobile, Alabama succeeds at all three. It’s disguised as a humble pub, complete with old-school wooden booths; a mottled, checkered, Kelly-green linoleum floor; and walls covered in historical photographs and vintage beer memorabilia....

The Victorians loved Boston ferns (Nephrolepisexaltata), and they’re still popular today, especially on Southern porches. Sometimes called sword ferns, Boston ferns reach two to three feet tall and wide and form green or bluish-green fronds that arch gracefully as they grow. Gardeners can enjoy Boston ferns on a porch, grow them outside in dappled shade, or pot them near a window that gets bright, indirect light. With the right care, these plants can thrive for years....