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Kitchen cures

Have you picked up that nasty cold or flu virus getting passed around the office? Before heading to the corner drugstore for a package of your favorite medicine, you may want to consider taking a peek in your pantry. Chances are you have several things on your shelves that can help ease your cold and stomach flu symptoms.

Worth the hype?

You know something’s big when it overshadows a presidential address. Nearly two weeks ago, Apple unveiled its new iPad tablet in San Francisco and stole the day’s headlines. Why not? The hype had been building for months. Beforehand, some pundits went so far as to say the Apple tablet could revolutionize the publishing and health care industries.

From the head to the page

Tired corporate speak may tell you to “think outside the box,” but that happens to be where Kyle Strahm does his best work. The horrific, humorous and often bizarre world in Kyle’s head comes to life in elaborate detail on panels and pages through his career as a comic book artist.

Chillin' grillin'

If you have a hankering for a thick Porterhouse steak seared on an open flame with just a touch of seasoning and a toasty baked potato on the side, what are you waiting for? A little cold shouldn’t stop you from enjoying some fresh-grilled meat. According to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, nearly 60 percent of grill owners use them year-round, and Jim Brewer is definitely one of them.

It's a doll's world

Although she doesn’t look it, Barbie is now a half-century old (her official birthday is March 9, 1959). Of course, the fashion diva has had a few makeovers, but that doesn’t matter to those who loved her as a child and love her now. And even if you have some less-than-fond thoughts on this international icon, you’ll want to head down to the Toy and Miniature Museum in Kansas City to see the special Barbie exhibit on display until the end of the year. It really has something for everyone.

From despair to dancing

Growing up part of a Methodist church in Savannah, Mo., Kelly Kibirige was in church plays with the pastor’s sons. Tim was kind and gracious, she remembers now. Fred had a big personality that made you laugh. She grew up and moved away but ran into Tim again in the early ’80s, when she was working at a school for disabled children in Columbia, Mo. It didn’t surprise her to find him there, putting his musical ability and kindness to work through music therapy.

Sylvia Says: Eco Coffee Cup looks sharp, cuts waste

It looks like a disposable paper coffee cup, but pick it up and you’ll know right away that this is something very different. The new Eco Coffee Cup by Smart Planet, designed as an earth-friendly alternative to disposable coffee cups, holds 12 ounces of coffee and is microwave and dishwasher safe.

Religion in brief for Feb. 6, 2010

One mean omelet

Mixing a 1970s TV celebrity chef, a New York City secretary and a cookbook into blog fodder sounds like a recipe for disaster, but in the movie “Julie and Julia” it blends beautifully. The movie chronicles the story of Julie Powell, a New York City secretary and blogger who challenged herself to sauté her way through Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” “Hey,” I thought. “I can do that! I can write and cook at the same time.” So in honor of Meryl Streep and her Oscar-nominated performance, I decided to give it a shot. I would pick a recipe out of the consummate culinary compendium and try my hand at a Julia Child recipe.

Julia Child's omelette recipe as prepared by Tamara Clymer

Making kids smile

A trip to the dentist can be an intimidating experience for a child. Many of the children in St. Joseph’s Head Start centers wouldn’t know this, though, because they’ve never been to the dentist. Even at such a young age, this has taken a toll on their teeth.

Despite best efforts, Grammys still don't click with young viewers

The “biggest night in music” still seems of little interest to young music fans. Despite the fact that the Grammys serves as a pinnacle achievement for musical artists, the awards show itself doesn’t register as must-see TV for the younger generation.

Online opportunities

Between layoffs and pay freezes, more and more people are seeking a college education. The problem is that many can’t quit their full-time jobs to go back to school. Others have been out of school for so long that they feel uncomfortable returning to classrooms full of 20-somethings.

Better late than never

If, just 42 days into winter, you’re sick of all the snow and cold, rest assured you’re not alone. I’m sick of it, too. And I’m a cold-weather person! This year, winter seems never-ending. It’s already gone down in the history books as the fifth snowiest winter on record and the 10th coldest — and we’re not done yet. The first official day of spring is still 48 days away. Which is too bad because I’m already dreaming of putting the coat away in favor of a jacket, pulling out the pots to plant the first few flats of pansies and cleaning the winter grime off the patio set. So, when can I get started? When is spring going to show up?

The felt gourmet

“Dip, dip,” says 18-month-old Scarlett Robison as she dips a small sushi roll into a container. Her mother, Karen Robison of St. Joseph, says sushi is one of her daughter’s favorite foods. The colorful rolls are homemade, soft and easy to hold. But the best part, at least for Scarlett, is you can throw them on the floor. That’s because this is homemade felt food, an increasingly popular toy for children and a surprisingly successful home business for Mrs. Robison.

Abbey art

The hallways of St. Benedict’s Abbey are lined with art, beautiful but tucked away from the rest of the world. It made sense, then, for the Atchison, Kan., abbey to present some of this art to the public in “Thirty-three original works,” an exhibit scheduled to remain open until mid-March at St. Benedict’s Abbey Art Gallery.

Religion in brief for Jan. 30, 2010

Sylvia Says: Sure, you could buy mberry ... but why?

If you’re ready for something wildly different for your taste buds, get a packet of the new mberry Miracle Fruit Tablets and throw a flavor-tripping party. Don’t worry, this is nothing illegal. The tablets contain no drugs, sugars or additives, but through a completely natural phenomenon they “turn ordinary foods into the extraordinary, turning on your taste buds and seducing your senses.”

Got to get them into your life

Technically, Beatlemania occurred when John, Paul, George and Ringo made the trans-Atlantic flight from England to America in the early 1960s and proceeded to change the music world forever. But if you ask Marty Scott, co-founder of the Beatles tribute Liverpool Legends, that mania never subsided. When the group isn’t performing as Branson’s must-see act, they tour the country and the world bringing the Beatles’ legendary catalog to thrilled fans. And anywhere they go, there are Beatles tribute bands. Whether they’re in Chile or Japan, they’ve witnessed groups singing the Fab Four’s songs phonetically with little knowledge of the English language.

Bacon mania

A slightly spicy, smoky aroma wafting through the air was our first clue that the Bacon Explosion had arrived. We quickly gathered around the table as if for a Thanksgiving feast and fixed our eyes on the platter holding the meaty masterpiece. “It’s like a dream for my taste buds and a nightmare for my cardiovascular system,” said Blake Hannon, one of the News-Press reporters who was on hand to sample the Explosion.

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