How to change posts showing / exclude posts in the area below Featured

Im using the newest version. I was wondering how to change the content of the area below the Featured Slider picture.

I want to exclude a certain category from the content area because I plan on not attaching any images to it, thus it wouldnt look good when it shows up. Is there any way to select which categories to display ?

Right now, I believe it shows all the “Recent Posts”

Mainly – I want to exclude a specific category from the “Recent Posts” category that displays on my sidebar and main page.

Thank you