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Banana bread checks all the comforting baked good boxes: It’s sweet, soothing, and saves once-fresh fruit from ruin. And unlike other popular baking projects (like homemade yeasted bread or from-scratch sourdough starter), banana bread bears almost no intimidation factor. Whether you’re Dame Mary Berry or have never baked a day in your life, you can probably pull off this scrumptious loaf. However, there are easy ways to upgrade your loaf to nail that perfectly moist and tender texture....

To find out the top new hair color trends for 2019 and help you make the most of any tweaks or major transformations, we turned to celebrity colorist Rachel Bodt of Red Door Salon and Spa in New York. Ahead, she shares the most in-demand hair color trends of the year. How to get it: Your stylist can accomplish this look by softening the root and then applying the blonde color as hair painting or foils, and Bodt advises not leaving a lot of space between the color....

Plant Name: Acanthus mollis Growing Conditions: Part sun and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide Plant Name: Asclepias tuberosa Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide Plant Name: Caryopteris selections Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 4 feet tall and wide Plant Name: Chrysanthemum selections Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 4 feet tall and wide, depending on selection Zones: 4-10, depending on type Plant Name: Crocosmia selections Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 2 feet tall and 1 foot wide Zones: 5-9, depending on type Plant Name: Dianthus selections Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: From 2 to 36 inches tall and 4 to 24 inches wide Zones: 3-10, depending on type Plant Name: Epimedium selections Growing Conditions: Shade and well-drained soil Size: To 2 feet tall and wide Zones: 4-9, depending on type Plant Name: Solidago selections Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: From 1 to 6 feet tall and 1 to 3 feet wide Zones: 3-9, depending on type Plant Name: Sempervivum selections Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 3 inches tall and 12 inches wide Zones: 4-10, depending on type Plant Name: Eupatorium purpureum Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist soil Size: To 7 feet tall and 3 feet wide Plant Name: Phormium selections Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 6 feet tall and wide Plant Name: Kniphofia selections Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide Zones: 5-9, depending on type Plant Name: Rosmarinus officinalis Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 5 feet tall and wide Plant Name: Perovskia atriplicifolia Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide...

The freezer section pick has been around for several years, but it’s currently enjoying a boost in popularity thanks to TikTok, because people on the social media platform are using the bite-sized morsels to whip up a ridiculously easy meal that’s been aptly dubbed, chicken wonton soup. Though it’s not exactly clear when this savory soup recipe first found its way to social media, TikTokers have been sharing different versions of it over the past several months....

It can be a bit overwhelming to choose the best type of gutter for your home design and regional weather. Rain gutters come in different styles, and they can be built with a variety of materials. In order to pick the right gutter system for your home, it’s important to understand the different types of gutter available. Here’s everything you need to know to decide between the various gutter styles and materials....

Health Benefits “Seaweed, a sea algae, is high in minerals and vitamins including iodine, copper, calcium, magnesium, manganese, vitamin B2, and vitamin C,” says Lisa Dreher, a registered dietician with the UltraWellness Center in Lenox, Massachusetts. “It’s also one of the few food sources of the less well-known mineral vanadium. Preliminary research shows that vanadium may improve the body’s sensitivity to insulin and decrease the body’s production of glucose.” Moreover, Dreher notes that seaweed contains unique phytonutrients and antioxidants needed to protect cells and DNA against damage....

Perhaps even more important than how you use your technology is when you use it. (Your boss isn’t going to want to see an Instagram post time-stamped from that afternoon meeting you were in.) And above all, remember to power off your gadgets and pay attention to the real people in your life—the ones who are right in front of you. To avoid giving offense when you’re online, we consulted Real Simple manners columnist Catherine Newman for social media guidelines to follow the next time you unlock your phone....

When cut properly, watermelon can act as a delicious and sturdy base, like pizza dough. And because there are so many ingredients that complement the sweetness and texture of watermelon, you can customize your pizza in so many ways, depending on what your palate prefers. If you’re looking to whip up a unique appetizer for your next gathering, you may want to make something that’s more on the savory side....

Unlike traditional hardwood flooring, which consists of solid wood planks, engineered wood planks consist of a thin top layer of hardwood glued to an engineered base. The word “engineered” is a technical term for wood boards that have been formed using wood pieces and adhesives. While there are many types of engineered woods, the most common is plywood. We’ve broken down the pros and cons of engineered wood flooring so you can see how it stacks up against traditional hardwood....

Most people never have to think about the fact that their food contains histamines, and for the most part, our bodies are able to break down the histamines in food and digest them easily. But for a very small subset of people, the ability to break them down is decreased or doesn’t work. They have what’s known as histamine intolerance, and should try to avoid eating high-histamine foods. What can cause histamine intolerance?...

If this rings true, you’re in good company. There’s a growing trend of people across the country who are choosing to drink less alcohol in general but aren’t necessarily seeking out traditional versions of sobriety with full abstention from all substances. Enter: the “California Sober” mindset. We’re exploring what it is, why it’s so popular, and whether or not this lifestyle is right for you. What Does California Sober Mean?...

Pink pineapples are shipped from coast to coast, thanks to online grocers and food distributors like Baldor Foods, Umamicart, Tropical Fruit Box, and more retailers, and specialty supermarkets, like Wegmans, also carry them. Once you get your hands on a pink pineapple, here’s what to do with it. What Is Pink Pineapple? “Pink pineapples are known for having a unique light pink color and a super juicy, sweet taste,” explains Andrea Xu, founder and CEO of Umamicart, an Asian grocer that sells pink pineapple (among many other products)....

With thousands of products on the market, understanding the right formula for your specific skincare and beauty needs can be confusing and even overwhelming at times. To make just one area of the beauty world a little more understandable, we spoke with experts to learn more about the different types of serum and what they can do for you. Consider this your essential guide. A hair serum offers many of the same benefits, but for our locks....

“The passport makeup trend blew up on TikTok when creator Georgia Barret did a version of soft glam for her passport photo,” explains makeup artist Kasey Spickard. “The trend is about defining and intensifying your natural features through contouring and brightening.” The reason why it’s so important to enhance your features is because “more subtle highlighting and contouring tend to get washed out on camera,” adds the pro. Ahead, he—along with Too Faced makeup artist Elyse Reneau—outlines exactly the right way to nail the passport makeup trend so that your passport photo doubles as a glamour shot....

Squeaky shoes are actually very common—for a couple of reasons, says Cleary. If you’re stepping into the shoe barefoot and haven’t quite broken in the pair, your shoes will squeak against your foot. “I have had this happen so many times,” Cleary, who runs the site shoeareyou.com, says. “The remedy is to wear tights or socks with the heels—if possible—until they are a bit more stretched out. Or, if the shoes are leather, the best thing to do is break them in to fit the exact size of your foot....

Modern cabinets mix with classic elements to fashion this hip kitchen. The homeowners saved on cabinetry by purchasing IKEA components that they built and installed themselves, saving the budget about $15,000. With the savings, the couple could afford to splurge on a 48-inch professional-style range. Browse more beautiful white kitchens in our Decorating Gallery. Grays can go cold and flat if you’re not careful, so choose soft, warm tones like this gray quartz-surfacing used on the countertops and island top and sides for a neutral kitchen you can live with for years to come....

Since this dental issue is often caused or exacerbated by very common lifestyle choices, it’s a pretty typical ailment. “Most people—87 percent—are at risk for [tooth sensitivity] at some point in their life,” says Monica Biga, an oral care expert with GSK Consumer Healthcare, Oral Health. So at least you’re not the only one, right? Biga is here to break down the most likely, everyday causes of tooth sensitivity and what to avoid, so it doesn’t get worse....

Why are these facts important? Because while longevity needs to be a factor in everyone’s retirement planning, it’s especially critical for women, according to an eye-opening Merrill Lynch report titled Women & Financial Wellness. The reality is that women are more likely than men to be alone and financially self-reliant in their later years. In addition, women may wind up spending some of their nest egg on a partner’s health or end-of-life care costs, further straining finances if they’re not adequately prepared....

More than a third of all checking accounts now include at least one fee-free withdrawal a week, meaning fewer people are paying ATM fees overall, says Greg McBride, senior vice president and chief financial analyst for Bankrate.com. Meanwhile, ATM networks have grown, cash usage has shrunk, and people are making fewer ATM withdrawals than they used to, he adds. Even when people do pull out cash, their withdrawals tend to be smaller—making ATM fees look even larger....

This Labor Day weekend only, the luxurious furniture and home decor brand McGee & Co. is offering shoppers a rare deal and knocking its prices down sitewide by up to 25 percent. The brand, known by most for being helmed by design duo Shea and Syd McGee, who star in their hit Netflix series Dream Home Makeover, goes on sale less than a handful of times per year, so we immediately took notice—and inventory....