Kristin van Ogtrop's Blog, page 423

Hostess Seeks Easy Apps

There are a few key questions when it comes to determining what makes a great appetizer:

1. Can I make it ahead of time?

2. Are the ingredients easy to obtain?

3. Is the recipe easy/quick to follow?

4. Can I make extra (while I'm at it) and freeze some for my next party? 

5. Does it disappear within seconds of being served to my guests?

If the answer is "yes" to all 5 of these questions, I know I've found a go-to appetizer for the entertaining repertoire. A perfect example: these savory palmiers

Brush-N-Go Blush

Blush is an easy and quick way to brighten up your face in seconds--your skin instantly looks healthier. Though powder versions abound, a good cream blush (a great option for those with drier skin types or want a dewier finish) can be hard to find. Some are too greasy, others too dry, and some just seem to melt away, leaving you bare- and pale-cheeked by day's end.

Smashbox recently launched a genius product called Masquerade Cream Cheek Color & Brush. This little double-ended wonder has a...

Last Call for Your August Vote

Hi, Bookies:

We have a most fascinating book poll going on this month, gang—most fascinating. Normally at this point in the voting, so close to the end of the poll, one book will have a distinct lead. Not this month. The Big Love and The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake have been trading the lead since the start, changing positions hour by hour, and often tallying within one vote of each other. But Sarah's Key has a number of vocal fans, too, so it could still be the spoiler. In other words...

Do Car Dealers Just Not Want to Sell You a Car?

This week has been such a disorganized mess on the home transportation front, I hardly know where to begin.

We have two cars. One has 104,000 miles on it, and the other has 105,000 miles. No, we did not plan it that way. But the expense of fixing the cars has really begun to look like some sort of signal; actually, a giant flashing neon sign that says "GO GET A NEW CAR ALREADY!"

We won't get into the fact that my husband has an expired license, so he can't actually test-drive anything. Or the...

Using Old Things in New Ways

Being resourceful is a trait that goes well with someone pursuing a more simple, uncluttered, and organized lifestyle. If you are great at seeing all the many ways one object can be used, the one object can keep you from having to buy many single-use items.

Some of my favorite features in Real Simple magazine are the new uses for old things articles. Looking at everyday items in new ways is good for the environment, your budget, and your living space. Plus, it gives you the opportunity to...

Are Certain Questions Never Safe to Ask?

I was at my daughter's dentist yesterday, where a heroically patient hygienist was teaching my two-and-a-half year-old how to brush and floss her teeth. Marveling at the way this woman sweetly but firmly dealt with my toddler, I asked, "Do you have any kids of your own?" As the words were coming out of my mouth, I got a sinking feeling that I shouldn't have asked, and her response confirmed that sixth sense.            

She told me she'd lost twin boys when she was five months pregnant, and...

2-Ingredient Side Dish: Avocado and Dressing

The first of our 3-ingredient recipe guest posts comes from Jenny Rosenstrach, blogger behind Dinner a Love Story, former Real Simple editor, author of the soon-to-be-published cookbook Time for Dinner, and subject of a recent article in the New York Times (For Dinner, a Woman Chronicles What's Been.) Here is her best simple recipe:

It's not like I'm a competitive person or anything, but when I spied Real Simple's 3-ingredient dish cover story last week, the first thought I had was, I can...

Artist Sarah Ogren

Sarah Ogren is a mixed media artist in Illinois who has a very intriguing bio that I think you will find intriguing, "My work is often a reflection of my current life difficulties, triumphs, and questions with a childhood influence. I guess you could say I have a strong existential philosophy and I am using my art to figure out what life means to me. I often take conversations and experiences from my every day life and incorporate them into my work...expressed in the subject matter of a...

Artist Sara Hogren

Sara Hogren is a mixed media artist in Illinois who has a very intriguing bio that I think you will find intriguing, "My work is often a reflection of my current life difficulties, triumphs, and questions with a childhood influence. I guess you could say I have a strong existential philosophy and I am using my art to figure out what life means to me. I often take conversations and experiences from my every day life and incorporate them into my work...expressed in the subject matter of a...

You Do WHAT with Vaseline? New Uses for a Very Old Product!

Almost everyone has used Vaseline Petroleum Jelly at some point or another. Whether it was when you were a child, something you used on your child or something you still keep on hand to this very day, it's an enduring brand in America.

And this year it is the product's 140th birthday! (It was birthed by a 22-year-old chemist from Brooklyn named Robert A. Chesebrough.) To mark the event, the company isn't screwing with a good thing (we all remember New Coke?!), although it is rolling out some ...