Even though my spouse affectionately refers to this as “burger helper,” I was thrilled with the outcome of this beef and noodle bake recipe from Cooking Light. It’s not nearly as decadent as it looks. First you saute some finely chopped carrots, onions and garlic with ground sirloin. Add a cup of tomato sauce. Then you mix that together with some cooked elbow macaroni. Pour it into a casserole dish. Then, make a cheese sauce on the stove with one cup of milk, a pinch of nutmeg, a touch of flour and lots of cheese (you can use 1% milk and reduced fat cheese if you care about such things). Pour that onto the pasta mixture, cover that with some more grated cheese and bake for about 20 minutes at 350. Before I added the cheese mixture, I pulled some of the tomato, beef noodle mixture out — it tasted great just like that — and chopped it up in the food processor for Isadora. She loved it! And, when the final dish was dolloped out, we loved that, too. Even better the next day for leftovers! Click here for full recipe. — Angela M.

I find wine tags as gifts a bit played (then again, we rarely host parties where actual stemware is involved) but I found myself really liking these Vino Tagz when I saw them in person at Click! Designer Modern-Twist really crammed as much use as they could into this little product: the tidy silicone tags look great and have a nice feel. The Vino Tagz box fits over the neck of a wine bottle for an instant companion gift. They can be personalized with a ballpoint pen and rubbed clean for reuse. And Vino Tagz can be used as modern napkin rings, too. Buy them in basic colors or in a variety of printed designs for between $12 and $14 at Click!, Velocity, and many other places online. –Mary T.

Last weekend, I dug up some dirt and planted some bulbs in our little Catskill garden. Not many, just a few dozen daffodils and alliums. The hope is that we’ll have something sprouting up in early spring to get our bees buzzing. Daffodils are great because they’re yellow (a bee favorite) and supposedly deer don’t like to eat them. Alliums are just beyond gorgeous. I have zero experience when it come to gardening, so I can only hope that I have done it correctly. It seems like the most important thing is make sure they’re deep enough and pointing up in the right direction. After spotting this bushel of bulbs at I fear I need more like 300 than 30! Oi.

What about you? Do you plant bulbs in the fall in hopes of spring flowers? Or perhaps you force them indoors for some winter blooms? — Angela M.

We should probably save this foxy clock for our holiday gift suggestion posts, but it’s too darn cute to wait to share. It’s from our favorite stationers, Sesame Letterpress and is made of a scallop die cut card stock and variegated ribbon for hanging, 5″. Made in Brooklyn. Pick up one at cursivenewyork.com for $30 and check out all the designs on flickr.

It’s still early November, but that hasn’t stopped the start of Christmas mayhem. The first of the holiday-themed commercials have begun, and websites are rolling out their Christmas gifts and decor. Over at Wisteria, I spotted these Angel Wing Mugs that debuted along with the store’s holiday products. (They’re a bit reminiscent of some other holiday-ish pottery.) While they’re perfect for Christmas, I think that the neutral color and hip design could work all year round. Pick up a set of 4 mugs for $29. –Erica P.

I knew my hardwood floors were noisy, but last night I finally recognized just how loud they really are. There is a loud creaking nearly every step of the way from one end of the apartment to the next. Is it possible that since they switched on the heat in my building, the floor boards have gotten creakier? Is there anything I can do? –Erica P.

I came for the lovely simplicity of letterpress cards with images of modern homes (find those on this page) and I stayed for the holiday collection. Pancake & Franks has just beautiful holiday cards that are subtly witty, too — black-eyed peas for peace, for instance, or a simple sprinkling of pine needles to evoke the season. They call their cards “little pieces of art” and it’s true. Even better, cards are printed on 100% recycled post-consumer waste paper. See all the collections here. –Mary T.

1. We know knitting isn’t that hard, but sometimes paying for someone else’s handiwork is nice. As Lynne wrote: “I realize that knitting isn’t so difficult, but there is no chance of me doing it myself - these look like a much better option!” See the cozy pillows that we’re loving.

2. Shelter junkies at heart, we’re not just excited about incoming President and his family, but also the decorating possibilities. Tula says: “I was pursuing the archives of the White House interiors over the decades, and it’s really been lacking post-Jackie O. The current Bush ‘aesthetic’ is beyond super stale. Let’s update it with some modern, eco-design — stat! And throw pillows! Man, does that pad need some good throw pillows.” Tell us what you’d like to see the new White House!

3. We dream of taking a groovy, self-sustained camper on a road trip. Jo says: “That said, Westies are very, very cool. Everything fits as it should and works as it should; they’re well-engineered little campers… Except for the lack of a toilet.” Check out the latest, high end version of this classic here.

4. We’re ready to try a new twist on old burger for dinner. Jamie writes: “Beef burgers are so heavy for dinner, turkey would be excellent.” Check out Mary’s lime cilantro turkey burgers for a yummy meal suggestion.

5. Tightly grouped wall art may work for some, but it turns some of you off. Tasha says: “That feels far too chaotic for me. Even a small amount of breathing room — say, 2″ around each piece — would be better, to me. I love each of those pieces in the photo, though!” Click here to see this idea and decide for yourself!

This is just incredible: Library of Congress photos of kitchens, at poppytalk.

See? We were right: WikiHow wants you to reuse old shower curtains.

“Zoe Murphy only just got her degree in printed textiles this year and already she’s making a splash in the British design world,” begins this post at More Ways to Waste Time. We are a wee bit jealous of Zoe Murphy! (And we love her style.)

More bug problems — or should we say solutions? Apartment Therapy tells you how to get rid of ants nontoxically.

Fifteen chickens, five ducks, one goose, and a great-looking coop and garden at Gardening Gone Wild.

See a source for beautiful, affordable art at Habitually Chic.

Here’s a fun roundup: best MoCo objects of the week at Moco Loco.

You like the Frank Lloyd Wright houses, now guess who made this chair in one of them, at Casa Sugar.

A thought-provoking guest post at No Impact Man: Would we shop the planet’s resources away if there was more fun to be had?

Happy shelves at sfgirlbybay — we do like to end the week on a happy note!

My husband has long dreamed of owning a vintage VW Westfalia camper van, and the enthusiasm is catching. We may have to upgrade those dreams now that we’ve seen the Verdier, a camper concept based on the classic Westfalia design (though not an actual VW endeavor) but with a hybrid engine and completely self-sufficient, sun-powered electrical system. Not to mention incredible style! (They have it staged with Wassily chairs as outdoor seating? Cool, but kind of hard to pack.) The Verdier’s solar panels would provide electricity to the on-board accessories; an on-board computer and GPS would track the sun’s movements for optimal power. The harsh downside to this dream? Price, of course — I’m reading that it could be upwards of $129,000. Oh well — at least exploring the Verdier site is fun. (There’s music, so turn the sound down if you’re at work.) –Mary T.

Want more? We do have the camper bug around here:
Eco-friendly campers from Tonke
Build your own teardrop camper
Mobile home gets chic