Shamontiel Vaughn

Writing since March 2025• 112 stories contributed

Home & Texture Staff

Shamontiel is a full-time freelancer who has worked in print and online publishing for 20 years and completed 247 interviews in varying niches. She’s been an entertainment reporter, a fact-checker (primarily legal and medical topics), a real estate magazine editor and worked in three newsrooms. (As a night owl, the night desk will ALWAYS be her favorite shift.) If the native Chicagoan isn’t writing or editing, there’s a 99% chance she’s trying to get her dog to stop picking fights with squirrels and rabbits; dancing to Kukuwa Fitness videos; hanging out at the lakefront; or (since 2005) dissecting grocery store aisles to cook plant-based recipes. Find out more about her at ShamontielVaughn.com.

EVERYTHING MUST GO

homemade carpet cleaner solution

If you've ever lived on the lower level of a condominium or an apartment, chances are pretty high that you've woken up to someone stomping on the floor above you....

ketchup at home

The waiter arrives to your table with a basket of French fries and shrimp salad. When the server leaves, you may reach for the ketchup or the cocktail sauce. Maybe...

high-protein crock-pot meals

Processed food is convenient to pile up in the shopping cart. Just turn the oven or microwave on, heat it up and go about your workday. The problem is so...

high-protein good macro desserts

Whether you're working from home or physically in an office space, there comes a time when you look at the clock and it's your lunch break. But do you actually...

sugar cookies

Around the time ghosts and pumpkin carvings appear, so do sugar cookies. They may go into hiding while collard greens, yams and turkeys are put onto Thanksgiving tables. But after...

raw vegan recipes

Walking into a restaurant that serves raw food recipes may not initially sound appealing to some. Omnivores could picture Sylvester Stallone slurping down all of those raw eggs in the Rocky series....

white linen cocktail

Looking for a new spirit recipe to unwind? In the top-10 selling liquor brands in the United States, rum brands make it onto the list twice. And if Bacardi, Hendrick's...

dubai chocolate

Walk into a grocery store, and there are aisles of chocolate candy. It's especially obvious around Valentine's Day and Easter. This year, Dubai chocolate is in the sweet treat spotlight,...

healthy-meals

By now, anyone who has watched the news during the last presidential election has heard complaints about "the price of eggs." Grocery store prices have been on the rise long...

burnt-pot-cleaning

You had big ideas when you started that round-to-it meal. This was your chance to create the perfect mind-diet recipe. But now that you're halfway through the meal, the dog...

Clean Eating Recipes

Almost half (46%) of Americans plan to eat healthier in 2025. Money management is the only New Year's resolution ranked higher than healthy eating, followed by exercising more, losing weight...

clean oven racks

When the oven needs to be cleaned every three months, there's a sigh of relief for appliance owners with a self-cleaning feature. Press the button, lock the stove door, open...

Countertop Decorating Ideas

A cook with a chaotic kitchen equals instant chaos, and sometimes kitchen supplies can lead to just that. For example, no one wants to be in the middle of building...

dog room ideas

Around the holidays, parents are scrambling to find the best gifts for their children. And for kids (and adults) who have been begging family members to let them have a...

jewel tone design

When you first hear the phrase "jewel tone color palette" and "interior design" in the same sentence, it may bring up ideas of bedazzled purses and Barbie homes (or Jem...

soundproof room

Forty-eight percent of all disputes among neighbors are because of noise. While every city has its own idea of what level of decibels is considered to be "noise," it's difficult...

gingerbread house

Whether you were a Girl Scout who was staring at that gingerbread-house-building patch, a novice adult baker who wanted to show out at the next holiday party or baking is...

strawberry tequila

The holidays are here. While you've already decided on your Thanksgiving appetizers and your Thanksgiving dinner menu, or you've plotted on your Christmas potluck list, don't skimp on the drink...

blackstone griddle

At every cookout, there's one guy who stands near the person barbecuing and gives him (or her) unsolicited tips on how to do it better. Sometimes the original griller will...

sweet potato slips

Around the holidays, sweet potatoes and yams get a little more love than the lovely plant already does. For the rest of the year, white potatoes are the go-to for...

christmas potluck

Even with the great inflation spike of the past three years, Americans are surprisingly spending more money during the holidays. The average amount spent in 2006 was $907. This year,...

Dijon Mustard Substitutes

National Sandwich Day on November 3 has come and gone, but sandwiches are a favorite snack 365 days a year. While you're getting ready to make your next sandwich, you...

plants for butterflies

More than 100 million people in the U.S. deal with allergies each year. Common examples include seasonal allergies, eczema and food allergies. And while Black people are more likely to...

Milk Substitutes

Trying to live a vegan lifestyle can be complicated, especially for people who grew up in omnivore households. First, you have to get past the judgmental glances from family members....

Where Does Usher Live?

At the rate Usher Raymond IV is going, he is as much the face of Las Vegas as Elvis Presley. And after the Super Bowl LVIII earlier this year, the...

Easy, Delicious, Sugar-Free Mocktails

Everybody is not a fan of drinking liquor. While this is common knowledge, enthusiastic drinkers may not always respect this preference. Look no further than Duke Dennis' reaction to being...

5 Creative DIY Headboard Ideas

If you’ve ever had to call in sick and work from home, or you already have a remote job and just didn’t feel like getting out of bed one day,...

Bring Your Basement to the Next Level

If you’ve been to a nightclub or restaurant lately and balked at the price of alcohol, you’re not alone. The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) confirmed alcohol (and tobacco)...

Shamontiel Vaughn

EVERYTHING MUST GO

homemade carpet cleaner solution

EVERYTHING MUST GO

ketchup at home

EVERYTHING MUST GO

high-protein crock-pot meals

EVERYTHING MUST GO

high-protein good macro desserts

EVERYTHING MUST GO

sugar cookies

EVERYTHING MUST GO

raw vegan recipes

EVERYTHING MUST GO

white linen cocktail

EVERYTHING MUST GO

dubai chocolate

EVERYTHING MUST GO

healthy-meals

EVERYTHING MUST GO

burnt-pot-cleaning

EVERYTHING MUST GO

Clean Eating Recipes

EVERYTHING MUST GO

clean oven racks

EVERYTHING MUST GO

Countertop Decorating Ideas

EVERYTHING MUST GO

dog room ideas

EVERYTHING MUST GO

jewel tone design

EVERYTHING MUST GO

soundproof room

EVERYTHING MUST GO

gingerbread house

EVERYTHING MUST GO

strawberry tequila

EVERYTHING MUST GO

blackstone griddle

EVERYTHING MUST GO

sweet potato slips

EVERYTHING MUST GO

christmas potluck

EVERYTHING MUST GO

Dijon Mustard Substitutes

EVERYTHING MUST GO

plants for butterflies

EVERYTHING MUST GO

Milk Substitutes

EVERYTHING MUST GO

Where Does Usher Live?

EVERYTHING MUST GO

Easy, Delicious, Sugar-Free Mocktails

EVERYTHING MUST GO

5 Creative DIY Headboard Ideas

EVERYTHING MUST GO

Bring Your Basement to the Next Level

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