As the weather turns colder (finally), your alcoholic musings might turn to traditional winter beverages such as hot toddies, Irish coffees or a few nips of brandy from the cask of your neighborhood St. Bernard. But just because it’s getting frosty is no reason to turn your back on that…
Some folks treat weight loss as a private matter, quietly undertaken with the help of a personal chef or a diet book and a low-profile scale that neatly tucks into a bathroom cabinet between weight checks. Others need the accountability of a group, complete with motivational speeches, calorie calculators and…
If you watched the Disney Channel in the late ’80s, you might remember Cannon Movie Tales, which were low-budget musical versions of fairy tales filled with famous faces: Helen Hunt in The Frog Prince, Rebecca de Mornay in Beauty and the Beast, Diana Rigg in Snow White. My all-time favorite,…
Like no other piece of apparel, purses have become an instant announcement of status and wealth (the ubiquitous Louis Vuitton), and they can even offer a comment on societal issues (Anya Hindmarch’s I’m Not a Plastic Bag) or a satirical smirk (Longchamp’s Ceci est un It Bag). The trinkets–and secrets–that…
We can’t imagine what it’s like for a child to have to live up to a famous (or infamous) surname such as Gotti, Trump, Brando or Astaire. Legacies like those come with a lot of baggage, but also a lot of opportunities–take, for instance, the singing siblings Sofia, Melanie, Amanda…
Soon we’ll begin looking back to the 1990s with the same fondness we have for the 1920s–both were periods of liberalism and prosperity followed by stock market upheaval and conservative backlash. But one thing the ’20s did much better than the ’90s was fashion: Women stopped wearing corsets and started…
Merritt Martin, your usual recapper, has let her personal life interfere with her TV watching schedule, so I have been drafted to fill in for her this week. With 10 designers remaining, and Heidi’s ominous warning in previews that “one OR MORE of you will be out,” we were really…
I don’t tell a lot of people this, but paddling is a secret desire of mine. I fantasize about it quite often–the broad, flat paddle finding its mark over and over again, swiftly propelling me through a sweaty but satisfying adventure. Yes, a good canoe outing is an absolute pleasure…
Though great fans of Muppets, it never really occurred to us to take puppets seriously. Sure, their cute songs offered preschool lessons (sharing, potty training), but puppets didn’t strike us as something that adults would ever call thought-provoking. Then, 10 years ago, Charlie Kaufman wrote a film–Being John Malkovich–that changed…
Are you hipper if you drink your sake warm or cold? What’s so special about honjozo-shu sake? Is sake a wine, a beer or a spirit? Get the answer to these questions and others at Kenichi’s Japanese-themed sake tasting, held in coordination with the Dallas Opera’s production of Madame Butterfly…
Teenagers have long answered the mall’s siren song, but now their little siblings can tag along too: Every Tuesday in August, Pottery Barn Kids is hosting a story time book club. Don’t forget to pick up the Book Club card on your first visit and get your card stamped at…
David Bowie’s film career hasn’t exactly been illustrious, but he’s carved out a niche for himself playing a range of odd characters such as Pontius Pilate, Nikola Tesla, Andy Warhol, a vampire and an alien. Another addition to the list is his bizarre turn as Jareth the Goblin King in…
Things you don’t want to hear at a picnic: “Does this egg salad smell off to you?” “I thought you packed the forks!” “Watch out for the…dog poo.” Things you do want to hear at a picnic: “Would you like another serving of lobster remoulade salad?” “I adore this plum-barbecued…
Fudge-covered, peanut butter-filled pretzels in vanilla malt ice cream rippled with fudge and peanut butter: This is the description of Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream. As much as I like frozen confections, I think sometimes Ben and Jerry are just trying too hard. Give me the simple richness…
I’ve learned a lot from books. From Sarah, Plain and Tall, I learned the words “squall” and “ayuh” and that storybook stepmothers aren’t always evil. The Newbery Medal-winning novel tells the story of Jacob Witting, a widowed Kansas farmer who places a classified ad seeking a wife and a mother…
Why do projects such as Biosphere 2 capture the imagination? Is it because they resonate with the thrill of the possibility of exploring and settling other planets or moons? Or is it the plethora of potential scientific discoveries that powers our fascination? Or could it be a deep desire to…
While exploring the great outdoors, we have encountered drunkards with loud speedboats, a-holes who pump their window-shaking bass late into the night, screaming children on wheelie shoes and proles who can’t be bothered to transport a used condom or spit cup to the nearest trash can. Guess we can at…
Many of the most comforting foods are also the most ancient: bread, beer, wine, cheese. These foods are also astounding in their range, from simple, everyday varieties to expensive, handcrafted examples. But to Americans raised on Kraft Singles, browsing a case of specialty cheeses may be overwhelming. But have no…
Comedian Eddie Izzard jokes that Europe’s “where the history comes from,” because in America we tear down anything more than 30 years old. I guess Europeans would also chuckle at our historic home tours; after all, they can tour Le Donjon du Faucon Noir, a castle built in the 990s…
Last night I had the strangest dream…about Joan Baez. I dreamed that she married a guy she met in jail, that she went to Woodstock six-and-a-half months pregnant and almost changed her name to Rachel Sandperl. And also that she fooled around with Steve Jobs and got to see the…
When young college English majors are looking for a brooding, introspective, poetic prince, we fall a little bit in love with Hamlet. But by the time we hit 29–and have worked through a string of emotionally unavailable, singularly focused, potentially homicidal men–we realize why Ophelia killed herself. Though we haven’t…
If you’ve cooked over an open fire in the last 400 years, you’re probably familiar with Dutch ovens. This versatile pot lets hungry outdoors folk enjoy soup, stew, hash, bread, cobbler, pie and more. (Memories of my childhood are filled with campfire meals of Spam ‘n’ taters and pan de…
