Editor’s Tip: Don’t mix cacti and succulents in your dish garden—although they’re both desert plants, they have different water requirements.

⅓ cup butter 2 teaspoon anise seed 1 2-inch stick canela (Mexican cinnamon) or cinnamon ⅓ cup finely chopped piloncillo (Mexican dark brown sugar) or packed brown sugar ⅓ cup granulated sugar ⅓ cup whipping cream ½ teaspoon vanilla ¼ teaspoon orange extract 2 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel

1 ounce (2 tablespoons) cream cheese ¾ cup powdered sugar 3 teaspoon milk Candied Carrots 2 tablespoon butter 1 cup shaved carrots 2 tablespoon honey

This tasty trend takes things to a whole new level. Charcuterie chalets (as folks online are calling them) aren’t totally new, but we’re starting to see more of them as we get closer to Christmas—perhaps because people are still spending a lot of time at home and looking for new holiday traditions to start this year. To make your own charcuterie house, take inspiration from some of the most creative versions on Instagram....

2 ½ cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup shortening ¼ cup butter, cut into pieces, or shortening ½ cup cold water

2 cup all-purpose flour 4 teaspoon baking powder 4 teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon cream of tartar ½ cup butter ⅔ cup milk

1 cup whipping cream 2 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoon dairy sour cream 1 tablespoon orange liqueur or 1/2 teaspoon orange extract ½ teaspoon finely shredded orange peel ½ teaspoon vanilla

Highlights Design Editor for Boca magazine’s Florida Style & DesignWork appears in design magazines including Florida Design and Florida Home & Garden, among other lifestyle publicationsFood, travel, and art writer who loves bringing all those aspects together to highlight a city’s culture

Bright Ideas In coastal decorating, the emphasis is on light. Avoid heavy, dark wood tones in furnishings and flooring. Instead, look for beach-tone rugs and light wood varieties, such as oak, maple, and cork, in clear varnishes. Leave the windows minimally covered—or even bare—to bring in as much daylight as possible. Plenty of white in upholstery fabrics, window treatments, or kitchen cabinet paint will also enhance the breeziness of a space....

4 ounce unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped 1 cup sugar ¾ cup butter, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla ¾ cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed 2 recipes White Chocolate Topping ¼ cup crushed chocolate sandwich cookies with white filling Crust 20 chocolate sandwich cookies with white filling (about 2-1/4 cups) 3 tablespoon tablespoons butter or margarine, melted Topping crushed chocolate sandwich cookies with white filling White Chocolate Topping 3 ounce chopped white baking bar 1 cup whipping cream

Airy and elegant, the dining room appointments speak to the natural light that pours in through tall windows. Sand-color grass cloth, caned chairs, a white solid-ash table, and a graceful chandelier of glass discs provide a natural foundation for the blue-and-green damask that covers the chairs, as well as a rug of concentric squares in green and blue, and a pair of celadon lamps. The house is in Des Moines, where Reynal operates her design business, now in its 20th year....