It is no secret that I love to cook.  So I happily agreed to be the MC at an upcoming event sponsored by a magazine I read, Taste of Home.  Drop your whisks, grab your friends, and join me for an evening of fun at the Taste of Home Cooking School show, presented live on  Monday, October 10th.  During this interactive two-hour event, you’ll watch top expert culinary Kristi Larson demonstrate ten new recipes you can easily recreate in your home.  Armed with new culinary tips and techniques, you’ll be sure to impress your family and friends with these sophisticated yet surprisingly easy-to-make dishes.  Not only will you leave the event with new recipe ideas, you’ll also go home with a valuable gift bag!  We love swag bags and I have been told that their gift bags include an assortment of products and coupons, including two Taste of Home magazines.  And while you’re there, you can enter for a chance to win one of many exciting door prizes.  I am excited to be the emcee for the evening so join me at The Taste of Home Cooking School and let’s get cooking!  Tickets are $20 at the door and more information can be found at www.tasteofhome.com.

Holiday Inn Wilsonville
25425 SW 95th Avenue
Wilsonville, OR 97070

Doors open at 4:30, show starts at 6pm.

Did you know that besides bowling and all the great family entertainment at Big Al’s, they also have Live Music every Friday in Vancouver!?   And…I’m going to be host the concert on Friday October 7^th at Big Al’s Vancouver and hope you come out and say “Hi!”.   Tank Mango will be taking the stage at 8pm, and I’ll be hosting a game of 80’s trivia at 7pm before announcing the band.   After a busy week it will be great to kick back and hear some live music in their gorgeous sports bar do some bowling, and  play some games.  Big Al’s is the next generation of entertainment located at 16615 SE 18th Street, Vancouver Washington, 360-944-6118.

Here is the concert schedule for the next few weeks:

OCT 7
TANK MANGO
8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
*** Join host Nicolle Camarata for trivia beginning at 7:00 p.m.!***

OCT 14
COMMON GROUND
8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

OCT 21
90 BELOW
8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m

One thing people love most about the holidays is getting together with family and friends.  But with all the other things to do on your holiday list cleaning your house for Norman Rockwell style entertaining may not be possible.  No time to dust or disinfect?  No problem…here is how you can fake a cleaning house courtesy of Real Simple Magazine.

The Kitchen

• Reserve one side of sofa cushions to be shown to guests. Before company arrives, flip over the cushions to reveal good-as-new fabric. Viola!
• Stack books, catalogs, magazines and mail in neat piles or arrange them in a deep decorative basket.
• To disguise windows in need of washing, pull curtain panels closed.
• Fold a clean blanket neatly and drape it over a stained sofa. Strategically placed throw pillows can also camouflage soiled upholstery.

The Kitchen

• When the dishwasher is full and the sink is overflowing, stow dirty dishes in the oven and silverware in a big stockpot .
• Cover up the lingering aroma of last night’s supper by boiling nutmeg, cloves, or cinnamon and orange peels in a sauce-pan on the stove.  It will smell Christmas-y.
• Declutter the refrigerator by taking down notes, drawings, and magnets and throwing them in a plastic bag. Sort through it later, and by later I mean never.

The Bathroom

• Light a candle. Everything looks better (and cleaner) by candlelight.
• Hang a fluffy bathrobe on top of damp towels dangling from the hooks on the back of the door.
• Hang fresh guest towels. The humidity in this room makes textiles look droopy, even after a recent machine washing.
• Mound cosmetics and hairstyling products in a container underneath the sink. In a pinch, pile them in the tub and close the shower curtain. Cross your fingers that guests don’t snoop.

The Home Office

• Stash stray office supplies, like pencils and pens, in decorative stationery boxes or filing containers on your desk.
• Rearrange crooked books so that all spines are facing the same direction and the titles all read from top to bottom.
• Temporarily hide wayward Post-it notes and to-do lists underneath the keyboard.

The Kids’ Room

• Stow pajamas under the pillow. This way, they’re off the floor and ready for later.
• Put blocks in a handled shopping bag and hang it on a hanger inside the closet.
• Put homeless stuffed animals in extra pillowcases. Or prop them up behind shams.
• Pile books neatly on the floor, largest to smallest, next to a chair or a desk.
• Spritz a deodorizer spray around to eliminate odors.

The Laundry Room

• Fold clean towels neatly and put all lingerie items in a mesh bag.
• Fold up and place the ironing board tuck in the far corner of the room or behind the door.
• Pile any laundry that needs to be folded in baskets or storage containers.
• As for dirty clothes awaiting washing, simply toss them in the washer.
• Wipe down dirty washer and dryer tops.

Your Facebook page changed a few days ago.  But Mark Zuckerberg isn’t done with you yet.  Here are more changes they announced that are coming soon.

#1.) The Timeline.  Facebook is planning to do a massive overhaul of your profile so it shows your entire life on a timeline.   Remember that wall post you made in 2007?   No?   Facebook does, and now it’ll be there as you scroll back in time.

–You can also go back to the years before you were on Facebook . . . before Facebook existed . . . all the way back to your birth.

–And you can add photos and memories, and make Facebook a scrapbook of your whole life.   At first it’ll just be an option, but eventually it’ll be the default.

#2.) There’s More to Do Than “Like.” Instead of having just a “Like” button for everything, Facebook and other developers can create buttons that say anything.  For example, you could click a button to say you’re “Watching” something on Netfilx.

–You’ll also be able to watch shows on Hulu or Netflix, listen to music on streaming services, and read stories on major sites at the same time as your friends, without leaving Facebook.  Just not yet in the U.S. . . . privacy laws make that illegal right now.

#3.) No More Farmville in Your News Feed.  Right now there’s the main news feed in the center, and the scrolling feed on the right.  The main one will have stuff like relationship changes and photos.  Stuff like FarmVille will be smaller and on the side.

In this economy, you’d think people would be tempted to fudge their resumes to increase their chances of getting hired.  And you’d be right.

–A survey by a national temp agency called OfficeTeam found that people have been doing just that.

–One out of five people surveyed said they know someone who lied on their resume.

–The most common lie job applicants tell is about their previous job duties.  58% of resume liars embellish their responsibilities at their old company.

–The next most common lie is on education, with 34% of dishonest resumes embellishing that part.  Next are employment dates and job experience.

–But the liars aren’t fooling as many people as they think.  43% of hiring managers say they think applicants are often dishonest on their resumes.

–One red flag is when you describe your skills in an ambiguous way.  Phrases like “familiar with” and “involved in” could mean you’re hiding your lack of real experience in that area.

Last year I got a call from a couple people who were about to open a swanky bar here in Portland and wanted my help finding authentic pictures of the area back in the 1930’s along with some “prohibition” artwork.  As a shopping expert I get a lot of strange orders for quirky finds but this challenge was one of the hardest.  That bar opened up and turned out to be quite the hot spot and now they turn one!  Circa33 opened its doors last October and the Belmont neighborhood made this haunt a quick favorite.  Now Circa33 is celebrating with a Hoppy Birthday party.  Everyone is invited to the party that is sure to be a great time and Circa 33 co-owner, Josh Johnston said, “we figured that a Fresh Hop Brew-Fest is an annual tradition we could get behind and our one-year anniversary is the perfect occasion to start.”  Fresh hop beers are made with hops picked off the vine within 24 hrs, thus giving these beers an extremely fresh, complex flavor profile.  Come try some for yourself at Circa33’s Hoppy Birthday Party Saturday, October 1st from 4pm to midnight. The evening will feature over ten local brewers with their seasonal fresh hop beers available but come early as these exceptional kegs are rare and won’t last long!  There will also be great food and live music by Trash Can Joe starting at 7pm.  Event mugs & tokens will be available at the door.  Come celebrate the last year at Circa33, cheers!

They’ve done lots of scientific studies over the years to figure out what turns women on.  Here are the five big findings that’ll make women uncontrollably drawn to you (according to Science)…so get on it!

#1.) A Deep Voice.  Deep voices aren’t just signs of manliness, studies have also found they’re more memorable.  And women are biologically attracted to men who stick in their memories.

#2.) A Feminine Look.  Women look for LESS masculine men when they want to settle down.  Because there’s a better chance those guys will stick around.  So full lips and gentle cheek bones beat a square jaw and big muscles.

#3.) Wearing Red.  A study out of the University of Rochester found that men who wear red are perceived by women to be better looking and higher status.

#4.) One Mood.  Women are LEAST attracted to moody men.  They preferred everything else:  Guys who looked content, proud, or powerful.

#5.) Scars.  A man with a scar on his face is more attractive to a woman in the short-term, because he looks BRAVE or DARING.  Women look at men with scars on the face for one-night stands, though . . . not long-term relationships.

Here’s a collection of five different studies that found different traits scientifically proven to turn men on.  Enjoy . . .

#1.)  Not Being Funny.  At least, don’t be funnier than the guy.  Men want a woman with a sense of humor . . . but that means laughing at HIS jokes more than making your own.

#2.)  Full Lips.  A study in England found that when women wear lipstick, men look at their lips for an average of seven seconds . . . and spend less than two seconds on looking at their eyes and hair combined.  So, prominent lips attract men.

#3.)  Brown Hair.  A study by a social dating site called Badoo found that men overwhelmingly prefer brown and black hair to blonde hair. 

#4.) Wearing Red.  When a woman wears red, it gets a guy’s attention AND makes him start feeling a little juiced up sexually.  And that’s all subconscious, so he’s developing an attraction to you and doesn’t realize it’s happening.

#5.) Long Arms.  In a study out of Sydney, women with long arms were perceived as more attractive than women with long legs.  In fact, no other trait corresponded to men rating women attractive as much as long arms.

Every woman I know thinks that guys with bald heads are sexy!  Real sexy.  So, I never understood why so many men obsess about the thought of losing their hair.  But if you want to have a full head of hair scientist have been hard at work compiling a list of foods that may help.  Kidney beans, prunes, green peas, and shrimp contain vitamins and minerals that can help battle hair loss.  As well as walnuts, pumpkin seeds ans steel cut oats.  They possess iron, zinc, omega 6 fatty acids which research shows is essential for hair growth.  Eggs are on the healthy hair diet because of the B-7 in them which fights against hair loss.  The final two foods, which don’t sound as good is sardines and calf liver.  Yes, calf liver.  Those are the top ten things you should have on your plate if you want to keep your hair on your head.

Today on the show I told you about fashion, grooming, and dating coach, Rachael Lorenz (founder of ‘She Should Have It,’) and her upcoming event.  Rachael has been helping men attract and keep the woman of their dreams for over a decade.  In her new upcoming workshop – entitled, “She Should Have It: The Dateable Man,” Rachael will teach guests the fundamentals of building and maintaining an image that can help build confidence in appearance from the inside out.  The workshop will take place on September 28th from 6:00pm – 8:00pm at Jillian Rabe LLC (1030 NW 12th Ave in Portland).

With titles given from clients and colleagues including, ‘God’s Gift to Women,’ Lorenz finds that, “The most common styling errors are those that evolve from a general lack of focus on detail.”  Working with her clients on recognizing basic, but key, hints and tips to shaping up their presentations, Lorenz is a firm believer that there is always a good reason to uncovering why impression goals are not being met and how to pro actively make efforts to remedy that.  Attendees of September 28th’s workshop will receive not only interactive consultation from Rachael, but also from featured guest, Jake Hanover (actor and 3rd generation representative of Mario’s,) who will share some of his personal styling tips as well.