Be my Valentine, forever after...

Is it too early to think about Valentine's Day 2009? Maybe. Is it too early to think about personalized gifts expressing your appreciation? Never! Sure, there's a lot of fluffy junk out there that serves only one purpose - to fill the gift merchants' pockets. However, personalized gifts can be a whole 'nuther story - it's the thought, that counts, right? How about writing a love poem yourself? That "Cyrano de something" guy was pretty successful with that strategy - look it up! (Hint: Steve Martin) ;-) Then, send it in a gorgeous glass bottle to your honey! Engraved jewelry, silver boxes, hearts on a key chain - all great stuff! But guess what... Now they deliver absolutely fabulous gourmet meals (several courses) to your doorstep - all you do is heat them in your oven. No planning, shopping, prepping, cooking, serving, washing dishes - which makes these packages quite a bargain! I made a page with lots of tips on personalized (Valentine) gifts. Some require a little bit of planning ahead - so go and check them out soon. Chef Keem's Personalized Gift Ideas

Cooking Disasters - Part 1

That reminds me of the day when I cooked seafood samples for a large in-store audience at Whole Foods Market. I flipped 2 full pans simultaneously (with greasy hands) and they both slipped out of my grip and sailed smack-dab into the shocked crowd, splashing mahi-mahi all over their shoes. (I am now self-employed.) Bonnie made a fabulous lens about "Cooking Disasters"!

Christmas Eve - aren't we forgetting something?

Ironically, the last thing we want to think about on Christmas Eve is death, murder, danger, bombs, children screaming in pain, and the like...right? But we should make it a priority. Especially on Christmas. These brutal realities of war are daily occurrences for many thousands of our fathers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters in Iraq and Afghanistan. How can we possibly enjoy a peaceful Holiday without a mere thought or prayer for our troops? How can we possibly form the right thoughts in our minds without being thoroughly informed about the realities of life for our loved ones in arms? On this Christmas Eve of 2008, I made a Squidoo lens with war videos by Casey Porter. He took it upon himself to show us what's really going on in Iraq, by letting the soldiers and images speak for themselves. Watch these videos! It's the least you can do for our troops - as a Christmas present. Stop the loss - Iraq war realities on video. Photo courtesy of takomabibelot. Thank you.

Thank you for the dance, JaguarJulie!

Merry Christmas, dear Squidoo buddies!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

George Eckrich has vegan problems!

George is a master baker - he developed the wonderful Whole Foods Market bread bakery! A few years later, he brought an outstanding product to America: Dr. Kracker flat breads. Originally created in Germany by Dr. Karg, these healthy crackers can now be found in almost every supermarket across the USA. Good for George, and good for us, of course! George Eckrich and I both live in Austin, Texas and we're friends. This super-friendly guy has helped me a lot with good advice, over the years. George knows bread. Trust me on that one. Some time ago, I had made a Squidoo lens on Dr. Krackers. Meanwhile, George has picked up a vegan life style and he wrote a candid article about it. So, I made a new Squidoo page featuring George's experiences and I'd like for you to take a look: Dr. Krackers and George Eckrich

Learn "Spanish" in under 60 seconds. Really!

Ready? Go! Say... S as in "Scam" P as in "Put-on" A as in "Asinine" N as in "Nonsense" I as in "Idiot-proof" S as in "@&%#" H as in "Hey, this ain't funny!" There. Learned it. It takes a liiiitle bit longer to make a Squidoo lens. It takes no time at all to make a Squidoo Zazzle Gallery Showcase!

The Temperer's New Clothes

Nice cooking clothes - don't you think? Wrong! A hot oil splash would singe through them leopard patches quicker than you can say "meow"! I know it's hard to shed the "little black one" for a stiff chefs coat, but Miss Keemie has the solution for you: Shop at Chef Keem's new fancy chef apparel page. That was easy, wudn't it? It's pretty incredible what you can find these days on the chefs clothing market. Of course, these "European-style" "Bistro" "Executive" "Asymmetric" "Pullover" (!) rags won't make a great cook out of a burger flipper, but it sure 's nice to pretend... Go take a look: Chef Wear and Cooking Clothes