Just as Cirque du Soleil redefined what a circus act is, magician Joel Ward has brought contemporary style to the venerable show biz art of magic.His high-energy, highly original actcombines classical magic with modern touches, running the gamut from comic audience participation to interactive sleight of hand to flashy Vegas-type illusions. Introduced to magic at [...]

You will need: 1/2 cup bread crumbs 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary and thyme 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 (7 bone) rack of lamb, trimmed and frenched 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon cracked seed mustard   [...]

How many products in nature are there that can give you as many health benefits as honey does? Certainly there are some, but not that many. Honey is one of these food products that different people have had various opinions on because it is full of glucose and fructose, the so-called simple sugars. Being a [...]

Fall is a time that evokes memories of delicious food…at least for me it is. The nippy temperature drop always evokes memories of certain special foods that haven’t been eaten in what seems like years. What’s even worse is that I usually don’t realize how much they have been missed. One of my favorite fall [...]

A step by step guide to cooking a better bacon explosion. When I first heard about the Bacon Explosion after reading about it on The BBQ Addicts site I knew it was a stroke of genius. Meat sushi…how brilliant! At the time, I never thought I’d ever make one. But life is full of unexpected [...]

Joanne Renaud is a graduate in illustration from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Before moving to Southern California, she studied graphic design at Central Washington University and art at the University of Ulster in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She presently lives in Los Angeles, and is agented by Tugeau2. Recent clients include Simon [...]

In the Beginning Was the Recipe… I was looking for my mother’s recipe for Mincemeat Cake. It was not in the yellow binder where I keep the family recipes copied out by my sister in her meticulous art school handwriting and decorated with whimsical drawings. The recipe wasn’t in the manila folder where I keep [...]

Jenna Petersen started writing full-time in 1999 when her husband said, “You’re only happy when you’re writing, why don’t you do that?” In 2004, her dream came true when her literary agent called to say she’d just sold to Avon. Since then, she’s been a Waldenbooks Mass Market bestseller, a Bookscan bestseller and won the [...]

THE SECRET OF LIFE IS … CAKE A slice of cake when it’s your birthday is a treat, but a slice of cake for no particular reason is a delightful surprise that turns an ordinary day into a celebration. Life just goes better with cake. Black Hound, a New York-based supplier of sophisticated sweets since [...]

I don’t have a lot of pots and pans.If I had to, I could put dinner on the table with just one pot and a paring knife.And I’d have no problem eating with mismatched utensils if necessary.But take away my spices and it’s a whole other story. I grew up in a household with a [...]