I love a company that does more with social media than just tell me about sales, and this post from Angela Adams’ Facebook page is a great example:

During this mud-tracking season, we get a lot of questions about the best way to clean our wool rugs. We love the DRY CARPET CLEANING POWDER made by Oreck. Sprinkle, wait, vacuum, and amazingly, most stains come up right along with the powder. Rug magic!

I posted a comment asking if the powder would work for my cotton Angela Adams rugs as well, and right away someone from the company responded that, yes, it would. Thanks for the tip! — Mary T.

Straight from the garden of Dr. Moreau, Anthropologie’s Alligator Feet Pot Stand ($78) is my current obsession! The iron planter is deliciously gothic and would add a little Halloween to your home year round. The creepy claws-and-scales feet look so lifelike, that they seem just seconds away from slithering away with your leafy friend. The best part? Any plant accessorized with the Alligator Feet Pot Stand looks completely purposeful. Plant pretty petunias in it for an ironic contrast or, for those of us not blessed with green thumbs, a wilting flower looks oh-so-appropriate. –- Katie D.

The truth is that this soup was a complete accident. I wanted to serve roasted squash for Thanksgiving. So, I sliced up a kabocha and an acorn squash I found at the farmer’s market, added parsnips and cippolini onions to the mix, concocted a vinaigrette to drizzle over the top, and tossed the whole thing on a platter. And it was a huge hit. After dinner, I wrapped up the leftovers, and no one touched them. So, after 3 days, rather than pitching the lot, I thought I’d just see what happened if I tried to turn the mix into soup. I added some stock we’d made from the turkey, threw it all in the blender, and…well, it was the best squash soup I’d ever tasted. The roasting gave the squash this wonderful, full flavor, and the sweet onions worked their magic too. The parsnips kept the flavor of the squash from being too monotonous, and the vinaigrette I’d whipped up at the last minute just made it magic. Really, how could you go wrong with sage fried in butter, with balsamic vinegar?

If I’d only known how good the leftovers were going to be, I’d have served the soup at Thanksgiving! –Becki S.
Click for more squash soup perfection, after the jump!

You may remember the Walker Rock Garden, the house with the amazing backyard that I wrote about in 2009. Recent repainting and replanting at the house, which is just a couple blocks from my own, got me wondering, and now my suspicions are confirmed: the home’s owners, grandchildren of the original owners, can no longer keep the place up and are looking to sell. But here’s the good news: they are going to do everything they can to sell to someone who will not only agree to keep up the rock garden, but who will be enthusiastic about doing so and will still open the garden to the public on occasion. To that end, they have not yet listed the house but are doing some initial PR to generate interest and feel out potential buyers. You know who wants this house? Badly? So badly she can taste it? Me, me, ME. I walk by that house almost every day, and nearly every time think something to myself like, “I wish I owned that place and could prune those rhododendrons,” or “Imagine hosting a garden party on that incredible petrified-wood patio,” or “If I owned that place, I would replace that fence, and fix the fountains, and invite people to have their weddings there!” Alas, real estate is expensive, we already own one house, and for me, this may remain a pipe dream. But for you, perhaps…? Learn more about the Walker Rock Garden and how to contact the sellers right here. – Mary T.

Of course the obvious choice would be lemonade, which, trust me, I’ve considered. But I’ve got 32 juicy lemons to work through. How did I end up with such a fine cache of citrus? A dear friend and recent Arizona transplant had to strip her tree to avert the impending frost, so a big priority box of fragrant desert sunshine arrived on my doorstep! I’ve been entertaining quite a few options: homemade Limoncello, for one, has been appealing to me; but I’m not patient enough to wait the month-plus it requires. I could whip up a monster batch of Lisa’s rosemary lemon simple syrup and make cocktails and sodas; but I’m really looking for something more substantial, maybe something savory. Readers, what should I make? The best suggestion just may end up featured here as a future real life test kitchen… — Megan B.

Sick of Valentine’s Day’s signature saccharine sweet treats? Spice things up with a hot recipe from the Sriracha Cookbook, $10, slated for release today on Amazon. With 50 recipes designed to highlight the flavor of the cult favorite “Rooster Sauce”, the book may be the perfect way to turn up the heat with the fire chaser on your love list. –Sarah C.

Second only to the arrival of the occasional discarded refrigerator box, playing house in self-made forts was my favorite way to while away my childhood hours. Little Sarah would have loved (and probably ravaged) the Color Me House, and she definitely would have had a ball with this playhouse under the table, expertly crafted by Jean of The Artful Parent. The custom design would surely save time in hauling out and folding away would-be fort linens, and the craft itself would be a fun and creative project for kids and adults alike. –Sarah C.

Say what you will about the Kindle, the Nook or the iPad, but one on a shelf does not a library make. That’s why stagers, decorators and designers are still filling bookshelves with, of all things, books. A New York Times article showcases the lengths they go to, to specifying books that cover a certain genre to requesting that classics covers get an update to match the décor.

At Wonder Book in Frederick, MD — one of the stores cited in the article —you can satisfy your inner designer by buying books by the foot, as long as you’re not picky about the content. A foot of modern books wrapped in white or modern cloth hardbacks in shades of green will set you back $19.99. Kraft-wrapped hardbacks go for $29.99 a foot while the vintage club look — described as cloth hardbacks ranging from 80 to 150 years old — will set you back $49.99 a foot. — Sarah L.

Image: Trevor Tondro for The New York Times

Having trouble keeping the rise and fall of the Roman Empire straight? This 11×17 typographical poster from Etsy seller modernarks is part art, part history lesson. Just $15 for a ready-to-be-framed-and-studied — print. — Sarah L.

Now that I’ve been working from home more these past few months, I missed picking up an occasional espresso drink on my way into the office. I have a 15+ year old Krups coffee maker that does a decent job making drip coffee, but it’s nothing compared to a really good latte. I used to have a countertop espresso maker, but I gave it to a friend because I hated dealing with dragging it out and cleaning it. This holiday season, my sister brought espresso back into my home life by bequeathing me her Bialetti Musa stovetop espresso maker. I will admit, I was intimidated to use it, but after my first try, I’m sold! Here’s how I did it:

1. Fill the lower chamber of the espresso maker with water. Be sure not to cover the brass colored safety release valve.

2. Insert the metal filter basket into the lower boiler chamber.

3. Scoop coffee ground for espresso into the filter basket and lightly push down the grounds with the back of a spoon. (I’ve read several opinions about tamping the grounds – some say that tamping can clog the filter, other say it’s the only way to go. I decided to shoot for the middle.)

4. Place the rubber gasket on top of the filter basket, then the filter plate on top of the gasket.

5. Tightly crew the upper chamber onto the lower chamber.

6. Place the entire espresso maker onto a burner. Heat to boiling.

7. Once the water begins to boil, and you’ll hear it, let the upper chamber fill with brewed espresso (about a 45 seconds) and take it off the burner.

8. Finally, pour the brewed espresso into a cup and add milk and sugar, if you like.

Enjoy! – Rebecca F.

Related:
my awesome espresso machine rancilio silvia
how do you get your coffee fix?

Photo credit: Rebecca Firlik