GO BOLD

and social media, but now I love it as a creative outlet. I only use natural light and shoot with both my iPhone and my Canon 5D Mark III. My friend Marion Brenner takes pictures professionally and has been very generous with technical advice. 9 @.N. I aim to post a new Instagram photo every morning. Luckily my images have seemed to resonate with people. I especially love the community of young flower arrangers I’ve met via social media. 10 @.N. I go back to the studio to start making pots. I’m almost entirely self-taught as a potter, so my work is very much my own view of what is beautiful. 1 S.N. Lunch is usually quick, followed by a 20-minute nap. 2 S.N. It’s back to making more pots and shipping my orders. Packing fragile pots is an art I haven’t had luck delegating. 6 S.N. I stop work in the early evening and have a glass of wine with my husband, Wally. It’s sometimes hard to stop working, but my creativity really wanes by dinnertime. In fact, I rarely answer e-mails in the evening since I realize I might be a little cranky and I don’t want to send out an e-mail I might regret. I also try to have a strict cutoff at this point from social media. 7 S.N. Wally or I will cook dinner. Often, I pop out to load up the kiln for an overnight firing while things are cooking. 9 S.N. By this hour, I’m definitely heading for bed so that I’m ready to start all over again. Weekdays are packed, but weekends are my time to go out to dinner with friends or visit a museum for inspiration. Q

TEST KITCHEN

CONFIDENTIAL

EVER WONDER how to make cookies that are crunchy on the outside but chewy inside, or roasted vegetables that are seared just right? We’ve got these answers and lots more. We’re the Better Homes and Gardens® Test Kitchen. Come on in. Meet the talented team—and steal a few of our secrets.

The Test Kitchen is always buzzing. Culinary specialists Sarah Brekke, Sammy Mila, and Kelsey Bulat and freelance food stylist Constance Pikulas work away testing recipes.

TIP #1

TAKE THE TEMP

The color of baked bread can be deceiving— gorgeous and golden doesn’t always mean perfectly baked. The best way to check doneness is temperature. Fully baked bread is about 200°F in the center.

Back in 1928, the editors of BHG opened the state-of-the-art Better Homes and Gardens Testing-Tasting Kitchen to create and evaluate recipes to be published. It was the first “in-house” test kitchen of its kind, located steps from the editorial offices in downtown Des Moines. “It was a modern workshop as near as possible in size and equipment to what you would find in a real home,” BHG editors wrote in a 1929 feature.

It’s been 88 years since our first home economist tied on an apron. Today, we’re called the BHG Test Kitchen, and 60,000-plus recipes have passed our standards to be printed in our magazines and cookbooks, including our famed Red Plaid Cookbook now in its 16th edition.

Our kitchen has been remodeled and updated many times, but one thing remains: We fail so you don’t. We anticipate any difficult spots home cooks might encounter so we can make our recipes foolproof. We’re not just another chef show with fancy super cool equipment—we still make every effort to use the same everyday tools and appliances that you use at home. Bottom line: We do everything we can in our kitchen to make sure every recipe is delicious, practical, and reliable in your kitchen.

Test Kitchen director Lynn Blanchard sets eggs that were poached ahead of time in a steamer basket to reheat them before serving.

TIP #2

SEAR PERFECTION

You learned it here—how to make a roasted vegetable dish with the best browning! Toss veggies with seasonings and a bit of oil. Spread them, then stack another hot pan on top. Roast 30 minutes. Delish!

Pork chops are a

favorite at Better Homes and Gardens.

We did 17 recipes last year, including many methods from brining to coating with a vivid rub.