Indice dei contenuti per October 2021 in Real Simple

CHOOSE WISELY Color isn’t a good indicator of ripeness or flavor. Texture is. No matter what the apples are destined for—brown-bag lunches or holiday pies—look for fruit that feels firm with no squishy spots, says Jürgen David, a pastry chef and instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education. Many grocery store apples look extra shiny because they’re treated with a thin spray of wax, which is edible. For optimal taste and texture, you can try removing the wax with hot water. Best for Baking Pink Lady apples are the top grocery store choice for Amy Traverso, author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, because they retain their shape during long stints in the oven. “They hold up well in pies and crisps, and the skin keeps its pink color when baked…

ODDS ARE YOU CAN’T START YOUR DAY without coffee. Or your afternoon. Or your evening. Americans drink as many as 646 million cups of the stuff every day, and a lot of coffee-related waste results, whether we brew at home (pods, filters, grounds!) or buy from the local café (cups, straws, stir sticks!). Here’s how to get your caffeine fix without breaking the planet. Get to Less HOME BREW TIP #1: USE FEWER FILTERS With a drip coffee maker, most waste comes from the filters and grounds. Aim to buy only paper filters, which can be composted. Better yet, get a reusable mesh or washable cotton version (such as the Reusable Coffee Filter, $13.50 for 2; shopwithgoodintent.com). Used grounds can go into the compost, or you can dry them and…

K.B. ASKS… I love to feed the wild birds and watch them frolic in my fountains, but my neighbors’ cats come over my six-foot-tall fences to stalk and kill them. I’ve asked the neighbors to keep their cats out of my yard, and they say they can’t. What can I do? By some estimates, free-ranging cats kill 2.4 billion birds a year. Bell collars don’t seem to help, but colorful collar covers ($12; birdsbesafe.com) may. They make cats look like court jesters, and they stay home because they’re so humiliated. Not actually: They make cats more visible to birds. Ask your neighbors if they’d try them—or buy them and offer them as gifts. Instead of luring birds with a feeder or fountain, try planting seed- and berry-bearing flora; they’ll attract…

Can This Marriage Be Duveted? A blanket hog and his shivering wife end their nightly cold war. BY RORY EVANS IF YOU’VE STOOD at a carnival and watched someone take a long, thin paper cone and rotate it around a big spinning drum of sugar until it builds into a fluffy cloud of cotton candy, you are familiar with the mechanics of my husband, Jamie, interacting with covers. Only—from my cold vantage point on the bald side of the bed—the result is not nearly as sweet. I used to wake up several times a night to clutch back my share, and in the morning, I’d feel groggy and resentful that, not to get too Macbeth, he hath murdered my sleep…and my mood. But then, while browsing hygge boards on Pinterest,…

EIGHTY-EIGHT KEYS of ebony and ivory made no sound in our house for two years, except to quibble in various tones when swiped by the dustcloth. My children’s efforts at the keys had literally played themselves out, and the piano had become a neglected, obtrusive object in our living room. One day I asked myself an uncomfortable question. What if I got rid of the piano? The first answers delighted me. We could finally arrange the living room furniture properly. Less dusting. Then my thoughts tarnished: ending a family legacy, never playing “Heart and Soul” in my home again, the possibility of regret. The piano, more than any other instrument, I suspect, is passed down generation to generation, its weight pulling on the branches of the family tree. My mother…

The smells that come from the kitchen. Fresh bread baking, chicken soup simmering, an onion cooking in butter—they make any space instantly cozier.MOLLY YEH, HOST OF FOOD NETWORK’S GIRL MEETS FARM Imperfection, even when guests are over. There’s nothing less inviting than perfectly fluffed pillows or a couch you’re afraid to sit on. I have a 3-year-old, so at any moment in my apartment, you’ll likely find Magna-Tiles underfoot. “Pinterest perfect” is a thing of the past.AYA KANAI, HEAD OF CONTENT AND CREATOR PARTNERSHIPS AT PINTEREST My house feels most like a home when it’s filled with friends and family (furry and otherwise!). Also, I love colorful moments like art, furniture, and candy. The centerpiece of my living room is a bright yellow sofa next to a floral lounge…

ON THE WEB 31 Last-Minute Halloween Costumes Instead of staring down the picked-over costume aisle at your local store, try one of these treats on for size. From classic getups to punny disguises, these DIY costumes will have you looking festive in a pinch. Get inspired to dress up at realsimple.com/costumes. BEHIND THE SCENES Emily Henderson STYLIST & INTERIOR DESIGNER @em_henderson Next big purchase: Vintage doors and salvaged sinks for my farmhouse renovation. Your daily uniform: Levi’s shorts, an airy blouse, and sandals. Coziest home item: We have a massive, floppy floor pillow near our fireplace that people mistake for a dog bed. It’s actually where I lie down and read page-turners on the weekends. See Emily’s bedroom design for the REAL SIMPLE Home on page 94. ON QVC…

Relatable Romance Love and longing are at the center of Sally Rooney’s latest. Alice, a best-selling novelist, befriends Felix, a warehouse worker in the small town she’s moved to after a nervous breakdown. She trades extensive emails with her longtime friend Eileen, who is mainly concerned with her own feelings for the childhood friend who’s stringing her along. Beautiful World, Where Are You is a thoughtful look at that time in every young adult’s life when they are searching for love—and themselves in the process. Book Club Winner We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza is a timely conversation starter with a knockout premise: Riley, a Black news anchor in her hometown of Philadelphia, is a rising star whose best friend since kindergarten, Jen, is a…

MY MOTHER-IN-LAW is an Italian mama in the Sophia Loren mode, glamorous and generous, beautifully dressed and an effortlessly excellent cook. (Is Sophia Loren a good cook? I don’t know, but I imagine she is.) When I first met Iolanda 20 years ago, I was a kitchen novice, hungry to learn but thoroughly intimidated working alongside her. Whenever I asked for a recipe to follow, Iolanda shook her head. She added a little of this and a little of that. Delicious meals came together by eye and taste. Every time my husband, Dave, and I visited his parents in Montreal, I served as her sous chef, picking parsley off the stems, turning battered zucchini blossoms in bubbling oil, and stirring creamy sauces destined for a tangle of pasta, jotting…

Before You Adopt Pets with special needs—a chronic illness, physical disability, neurological issue, or vision or hearing loss—are less likely to get adopted. Which is a shame, because they can be especially rewarding. Before committing, think about what obstacles might arise and how you’d overcome them. If you rescue a dog who has to take medication multiple times a day (and you don’t work from home), could you pay a dog walker to administer the meds while you’re out? If you adopt a blind pet, could he manage your stairs? If you’re unsure about the financial, time, and emotional investments, consider a trial run by fostering a pet with special needs. Be Nosy at the Shelter When you’re at a shelter or adoption event, keep a level head (despite all…

SOMEWHERE, A FEW years back, in the frantic rush of escorting my daughter to a seemingly endless round of classes—piano, rock climbing, swimming, tae kwon do—I realized I couldn’t remember the last time I’d learned to do something new myself. There I was, touting to her the benefits of trying a broad range of activities—no matter whether she stuck with them or got any good—when Mr. Role Model himself was lodged in a rut of midcareer competence, content to sit on the sidelines scrolling through his Instagram feed. So I went on a learning binge, attacking a list of pursuits, from singing to surfing, that I’d long harbored a secret desire to do. Mastery was never my aim; I simply wanted to try. I croaked out ungodly sounds that surely…

LIVING ROOM This long, narrow room has two distinct sitting areas, which are connected by a broad golden stripe that runs the length of the ceiling. The clever paint treatment also distinguishes the living space from the adjacent entryway. HOW WE HANG When you’re putting up art, don’t limit yourself to the walls. For an unexpected and modern approach, suspend frames from the edges of shelves. This adds dimension to the display on the wall unit. Natalie Papier @home_ec_op “I always feel most comfortable in spaces that are bold and energetic but grounded in warmth, with wood tones and cozy textiles. A room should feel playful and reflect the people living in it.” KITCHEN & DINING ROOM Wooden accents, leather seats, and a swooping marble pattern bring an organic warmth…

#RSLOVE I only bake with salted butter. Many professionals don’t do this, but I think it adds the perfect seasoning to my baking and enhances the flavor. @PIEGIRLBAKES I hate warm-from-the-oven cookies. Everyone thinks I’m nuts, but I like a cold cookie. @ANNEPAL221 I don’t like potatoes. I can’t begin to tell you how many “You don’t like potatoes?” conversations I’ve had. In 2020, there was a streak of 10 days in a row! People are truly puzzled. (And yet: I like sweet potatoes.) SANDRA LYNN WAKASHIGE, WINNETKA, CALIFORNIA I drink milk right out of the carton. It is my milk. I am the only one who still drinks milk—it is mine and only mine. It is my delicious, cold comfort food. CYNTHIALYNN JONES, MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE Lobster is extremely overrated.…

1 A BETTER WHEY That block of tofu wants to fry up all crispy, but it needs your help getting the sog out. Place it in this cute bamboo press to remove excess water 20 minutes before cooking. TO BUY: Tofu Turtle Press, $30; kikkerland.com. 2 BRIGHT IDEA Chunky neon pencils won’t dry out, bleed through paper, or smear text like a highlighter pen can. Plus? No plastic will end up in a landfill. TO BUY: Couleurs Fluos Highlighter Pencils by Caran d’Ache, $4 each; cwpencils.com. 3 HEADACHE BUSTER Stow this lifesaver in the freezer and wrap it around your noggin when you feel the tension creep in. The segmented icy pouches contour to your head and chill the pain away. TO BUY: Headache Hat, $40; theheadachehat.com. 4 USE YOUR…

Marrying a cabinetmaker has its perks even beyond the six (!) kitchens he’s built for us. Thanks to Jamie, I know that hammers generally stink, and if you really want to get something done right, you use a drill. His meaty pro-style drill scared me, though, when I switched between the drill bit and the screwdriver bit and put my fingers too close to the angry, Demogorgon-like chuck. But those fears went away the second Jamie gifted me the Worx Power Share Switchdriver (who says romance is dead?!). This light, cordless baby has two chucks that rotate with the press of a button. The overall effect is to make me a capable badass—not merely the wife of one.…

Red Pepper Walnut Knots ACTIVE TIME 20 MINUTES TOTAL TIME 1 HOUR, 15 MINUTES MAKES 16 KNOTS ½ cup drained jarred roasted red bell peppers¼ cup walnuts2 tsp. olive oil1 ½ tsp. fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)½ tsp. ground cumin¼ tsp. kosher salt1 small clove garlic, smashed1 7.3-oz. pkg. frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed1 large egg, beatenDried oregano, toasted sesame seeds, and flaky sea salt, for serving PROCESS peppers, walnuts, oil, lemon juice, cumin, kosher salt, and garlic in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. UNFOLD 1 pastry sheet on a clean work surface. Press seams with fingertips to smooth out. Spread half of red pepper mixture over pastry, leaving a ¼-inch border. Fold in half toward you and press borders with fingertips to seal. Place…