In a special Mother's Day installment of their weekly instructional series on Chinese painting, Blue Heron Art's Henry teaches us to paint Chinese Carnations in watercolor, with calligraphy highlights done in ink with a brush. His grace and accuracy with both the watercolor an ...more
Corn on the cob is delicious but chewing threw all the little silk hairs is not. Next time you prepare corn try running a wet paper towel over the corn after removing the husk for a silk free corn eating experience. Tired of fuzzy corn? After shucking the corn, remove any rem ...more
If you love Filipino style chicken adobo and the "How to save a life" song, then you'll love this recipe. Follow along or sing along with this cooking how-to video to learn how make chicken adobo at home. Serve the chicken adobo with a side of rice. Prepare Filipino style chic ...more
In this tutorial, we learn how to make a simple silicone mold. You will first need a silicone base, which is an off white liquid. You will also need the hardener, a thickener, and a thinner. To build the mold, cut a paper cup in half, then fill the container with rice. Measure ...more
Bring a little magic and wonder into the lives of those around you with this easy magic trick. The best part is all you need is an envelop, pen and someone willing to reveal their age and birthday. Make sure to play up the suspense. Amaze friends and family with your astoundi ...more
Don’t be fooled by the use of a vegetable, carrot cake is a delicious dessert that seems to go hand-in-hand with Easter and spring bakes sales. If you’ve made them before or this is your fist time start out the season with this classic cake. This moist cake will be perfect fo ...more
Review these simple steps to learn how to make an origami rice dumpling. You can use green paper as shown to make it look quite realistic. This simple but clear display of paper folding can teach you how to make seemingly edible objects with origami.
In this Cajun cooking class on video, learn how to make boudin sausage. Our expert chef and caterer, Karl James, will walk you through the process step-by-step, including what ingredients and equipment you will need. Although this is a complicated recipe that takes some practi ...more
You have your gift and a card and now all you need that special cake for mom on Mother’s Day. You’ve tried other cakes now try a hat cake. This festive and spring inspired hat cake is sure to make this year’s Mother’s Day a memorable one. Show your mom how much you appreciate ...more
This video was about how to create an origami rice ball. First, take a piece of square paper and turn it so that the corners are in the form of a compass. Now fold the paper's top corner and bring it towards the bottom. Then unfold it and fold the left edge to to right edge. N ...more
This popular Hawaiian plate lunch item is easy to make at home. Watch this how to video as our host shows you how to prepare Spam musubi. For this Hawaiian recipe you will need: Nori sheets, fried Spam and sushi rice. Spam musubi makes a great snack or meal.
Kids will get a kick out of this fun and sweet treat. Make these candy sushi ahead of time as a surprise or better yet get the kids to help to create their own colorful snacks. These bite size treats will add a twist to any afternoon snack. Add playful flair to your next part ...more
Here is a take on a cheap but very romantic valentines gift that your loved ones would truly enjoy. Here's how to make your perfect chocolate dipped strawberries. Gather the ingredients that you'll be needing: a batch of chocolate chips (dark and white chocolate) and 16 oz str ...more
Have some time to kill between classes? Entertain your friends, or make new ones with this number prediction trick. Just make sure you have a calculator on hand and you’re ready to bring joy and amazement to the table. Your friends will think you can read minds when you use o ...more
In this video series, watch our health nut expert Kara Denholm prepare her favorite curry with vegetables. Kara will show you each step in the process of completing this tasty dish, including how to cook rice, how to chop the garlic and onions, when to add the spices, and how ...more
In this gourmet cooking class on video, learn how to make the perfect risotto, a toasted rice dish that incorporates broth, vegetables and cheese. Famously touted as the dish most often flubbed by contestants on the popular cooking show Hell’s Kitchen, risotto isn’t really tha ...more
A rose is a rose is a cake. With this delectable how-to, you'll learn how to decorate a cake with arresting rose flowers and elegant scrollwork. To follow along, you'll need the following tools: Flower Nail No. 7 Tip: 2 Tip: 5 Tip: 12 Tip: 104 Tip: 352 8 x 3 in. Round Pan Fa ...more
Giving a speech in front of a large crowd doesn't need to be the nightmare everyone imagines it to be. We speak to many people every day and yet it is still very common for a person to be nervous when delivering information in front of several people. This fear can be overcome ...more
If you want to see what it really looks like to make rice crispy treats with regular people and people in the kitchen just like you probably have then this video will do just that. RKTs are easy to make but can be a little tricky if you don’t know where you keep the pans. Ste ...more
If the letters on your laptop keyboard are faded or dirty, cover them with strips of washi tape. A high-quality, decorative tape made of rice paper based in Japan, washi tape is an extremely versatile craft tape known for its eye-pleasing decorative patterns and low-adhesive q ...more
A group of industrious, like-minded friends built this amazing DIY metal motor home from scratch, converting an old semi into luxury-style living. The Japanese-style RV is equipped with a hydraulic lift system which converts the seemingly one-story truck into a Zen two-story ...more
Video: . Step 1: Ingredients Fresh raspberries (1 Cup 16 tbs) Milk chocolate chips (1/4 Cup 4 tbs) Unsalted butter (1/2 Oz) 35% cream (1/2 Cup (8 tbs) Beans or rice (1 Medium) Step 2: Directions GETTING READY: Now that we have all of the ingredients, let’s start with inser ...more
I love me some salad, but I'm also kind of a big baby when it comes to eating them. The greens have to be perfectly crisp and fresh, which is why I'm such a nut about storing them properly, including rethinking how I use my refrigerator, using a paper towel or dry cloth to wra ...more
If you've never heard of or eaten temari sushi, then you're in for a treat. These pretty sushi balls are good for parties and festive gatherings, and even though they are so colorful and striking, they are not hard to make. Just like every other type of sushi, they are customi ...more
Lemon peels have long been known for their ability to be home remedies for cleaning and medicinal needs. In the kitchen, they are equally as useful and can transform many common dishes and drinks into more memorable ones with just a hint of citrus. To give you some ideas, belo ...more
For those of us without rice cookers, conventional wisdom tells us that the stove is our only real option (unless, of course, you dabble in microwavable rice). However, if you're only using the stove for cooking rice start-to-finish, you're missing out on the easiest way to ma ...more
This is a create creation as a toddler toy. My girl loves this toy, she even wanted to take it to bed at night ... Sometimes, some of the most simple toys are some of the most like toys. This toy is cheap and can be completed in 10 minutes at most. Video: . Step 1: Gather the ...more
This is the easiest cookie batch you'll ever bake, I promise. And no, take-and-bake cookie dough doesn't count. With this recipe, it'll take you less than 20 minutes to go from your sad, cookie-less life to cookies in your absolute favorite flavor... of cake. You see, this "r ...more
These cake eggs are a gorgeous treat that also makes a delicious April Fool's Day prank. Getting a fairly humdrum breakfast of boiled eggs and fruit and discovering that it's cake instead is an eggcellent surprise, isn't it? If you want to make these for Easter instead, then t ...more
The drinking straw isn't just there to help you make annoying noises when you get to the bottom of your soda. That little tube of plastic is extremely versatile and can make your life a lot easier with a little know-how. Curious? Read on to find out more. Bendy or straight, th ...more
Sprinkles are a gateway to excitement, whether it's a birthday party with friends or an ice cream sundae by yourself. It may seem like these colorful creations can only come from the grocery store, but it's actually pretty easy to make beautiful sprinkles in your own kitchen. ...more
We're all for heaping piles of shredded cheese on our tacos, but what if all that cheese could actually be the taco shell instead? Since this was perhaps one of the more profound food questions we've had in a while, we wasted no time getting to the kitchen and tackling this ch ...more
There's nothing in this life that we love more than making one ingredient or one food tool do multiple things. It saves money! It saves time! It makes us look smart at cocktail parties! Without further ado, here are several ways to save money, waste less food, and make the mo ...more
Video: . For the first prank you're going to need an empty container, preferably black, a smoke bomb and a lighter. I gotta say though this prank is not for just anybody so prank at your own risk. Let me show you how its done, first apply some hot glue on the bottom of the smo ...more
Let's set the scene: you're at home, it's late in the evening, and you have a hankering for those deliciously decadent chocolate-wrapped squares of ice cream goodness. You could drive to the store and pick up the usual pack of Klondike Bars in the ice cream aisle... or, you ca ...more
Contrary to popular belief, sushi is not the raw fish that one gets at Japanese restaurants, but the rice that comes with it. It's hard to tell whether this popular misconception led to or came about because of the primary flavors that we think of in sushi are the fish. We oft ...more
We are huge BLT sandwich fans. We are also huge sushi fans. After a morning spent heatedly debating which of the two we would like for lunch, we ultimately decided that we wanted both. Thus, we created what we're not-so-cleverly calling 'The BLT Sushi Roll." Pieces of thick r ...more
As a child, you probably spent some time trailing an adult at the grocery store. You lovingly eyed the aisle with brightly colored fruit snacks, reaching for the tempting boxes, placing them discreetly in the cart only to be told, "No! That's JUNK FOOD. You can't have it." Do ...more
If you're here, you're probably one of the seven people dedicated to making Mac n' Cheetos a permanent part of the Burger King menu. For the rest of you that stumbled onto this page out of sheer curiosity, Burger King's Mac n' Cheetos were deep-fried, creamy macaroni and chee ...more
If you drop your smartphone in water, take it apart as much as you can and place it in rice. It's been the most recommended method of cell phone rescue since the days of clamshells. In fact, it's usually the only thing recommended when searching for "how to save your wet phone ...more
Why are people so afraid of risotto? Contrary to what a lot of home cooks seem to believe, it's really not a difficult dish to make yourself. Sure, there's a lot of stirring involved, but it's not nearly the culinary beast it's made out to be. The real deterrent to making home ...more
Ethylene is an invisible, odorless, naturally occurring gas that aids in the ripening process of fruit. As a fruit produces more ethylene, it begins to create enzymes which help break down cell walls and starches, making the fruit softer and sweeter over time. If it weren't fo ...more
Great news: you don't have to give up grains if you're avoiding gluten. Whether you've got celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or simply choose to avoid gluten, you probably keep a wide berth between your diet and grains. But not a lot of people are familiar with the fact tha ...more
If you're a child of the '70s, then you'll probably remember Pop Rocks, those fizzy little candies that created such a buzz. They went out of style in the States for a while, but now they're back with retro status. I was surprised to see them in my kids' Halloween bags a few y ...more
You're in the middle of cooking and a car alarm, cute kitten, or neighborhood brawl made you step away from the stove for a few minutes longer that you should have. It happens to almost every home cook. Most of the time, nothing dramatic happens, but every now and then, you en ...more
Many of you have heard of "ricing" cauliflower. If you haven't, you're missing out making this one-note vegetable into a variety of main and side dishes. The ricing process is so simple, fast, and easy that even the most novice cook can swing this. One you complete this prep s ...more
Prepare this yummy easy vegan chocolate cake which serves 8. It only takes 15 minutes to prep and 45 minutes to bake. A very simple cake made with items already in your cupboard. Be ready to shock your non-vegan friends! 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar ¼ cup cocoa pow ...more
Be it happy hour, a Super Bowl party, or just a gathering of friends, buffalo wings are a universal favorite. Since they're usually prepared for large groups, there is always a mix of both those that aren't counting their calories and others who are. Don't Miss: Buffalo Chick ...more
I am writing this quick post in response to the recent earthquakes and tsunamis that are affecting Japan. As soon as the news broke, and we began to hear of tsunami warning for our area, I immediately realized how under prepared I was for a natural disaster. The thing that dro ...more
My husband's and my daily schedules are constantly changing. Frankly, it's complete chaos sometimes, so I can't plan to have elaborate dinners on the table at six o'clock every day. And by the time we actually get to eating in the evening, we've become so hungry that our moods ...more
Will the predicted apocalyptic date—December 21st, 2012—really be the end of the world? In this ongoing five-part series, we examine what would happen if zombies, nuclear weapons, cyber wars, earthquakes, or aliens actually destroyed our planet—and how you might survive. End ...more
Dinner is meant to be enjoyed after a long day away from home—it shouldn't cause stress or fuss. But for many, that's exactly what a home-cooked meal represents, especially on a work night. The prep work, the steps involved in following the recipe, the numerous amount of bowls ...more
At this point, you probably think that you've read everything there is to read about different ways to prepare eggs. There are the usual ways (scrambled, soft-boiled, hard-boiled/steamed/baked, sunny-side up, poached, the "overs") and the more unusual ways (in clouds, crispy p ...more
NFC, or near-field communications, is a hardware feature that has been built into most Android phones for the last four years. It's essentially a low-power data connection that can be used to initiate a quick command by bringing your device within range of a compatible receive ...more
Last week, I showed you why your refrigerator is one of the best tools in the kitchen when it comes to saving money and preserving food at its tastiest. But did you know your freezer is another underutilized ally in the cooking game? Chances are, you've been using your freeze ...more
Eating vegetarian isn't just for vegetarians. There are plenty of reasons, health and economics-wise, to consider forgoing the meat for a meal or three. Rather than get deep into the world of fake meat (although there's many a tasty alternative to be found there, to be sure), ...more
Fight me all you want, but it ain't a party without alcohol—whether it's a Halloween party, Christmas party, dinner party, or even a damn wedding. (If you think that people will stick around after dinner for a dry wedding, then you're sorely mistaken.) And while we'd all love ...more
The last few months of WikiLeaks controversy has surely peaked your interest, but when viewing the WikiLeaks site, finding what you want is quite a hard task. Despite rumors of easy access via the Kindle and iTunes App Store, there currently is no way to view the leaked docum ...more
Summary Editing the academic essay can be a laborious task if you don't first develop a plan for revision. Students struggle with this part of the process because they have been taught that editing and proofreading the essay means checking for grammar. Editing means evaluatin ...more
Ever since high school, I've been preparing my own taxes. Each year it gets more and more complicated, which results in me filing later and later, avoiding it until I have the time or just can't wait any longer. I even resorted to using TurboTax online to help do some of the g ...more