If you're a chocolate lover, then ganache is like the sweet cherry on top. It's not necessary, but when you dollop some on a cake or a cupcake the dessert instantly transforms into chocolatey heaven.
Love candy? Want to make it? Then candy melts, or candy wafers that you can pour into a mold and melt into any shape you desire, are your best and easiest bet for making beautiful confectionary creations.
Remember when Lady Gaga came out with her shocking video for "Bad Romance"? Amongst a whole bunch of crazy costumes (armadillo shoes, a bear cape, X-ed out boobs), she wore a black chiffon mask during the "falling diamonds" scene.
A holiday dinner should be delicious and memorable, but for the cook it should also be uncomplicated and not time consuming. The most important part about the holidays is enjoying time with your family, right?
If the only shu mai you've ever eaten has been either at dim sun at a Chinese restaurant or out of a box, then you're doing it all wrong. Make shu mai - without breaking a sweat - by checking out this simple recipe by Mark Bittman.
Jazz dancing - or heck, any kind of modern dance - without pirouettes would be quite born indeed. Pirouettes, or jazz turns with one leg extended outward, are fancy and beautiful, very ballerina-like in their smooth and graceful execution.
Get into the Christmas spirit this holiday season by crafting! But don't worry - we're not talking about super complex and time-consuming crafts like crochet scarves or those fugly Christmas sweaters your grandma used to knit for you.
A high waisted skirt is one of the most flattering skirts you can wear. Because it's cinched in directly at the smallest part of your midsection - your waist - you automatically get an hourglass figure silhouette.
During the holiday season, we're surrounded by naturally vibrant, jewel-toned colors. From your robust evergreen Christmas tree to the sparkling purple and red ornaments on it, bright and bold make the holidays beautiful.
Most snowmen sadly melt even before Christmas even starts (and some turn yellow towards the bottom, but let's get into that later), but this cupcake snowman will stay firm and cute...until you stick it into your mouth, that is.
If you want a tight, lean stomach and obliques so sculpted you'd make Jillian Michaels jealous, then the only way to get what you want is to complete alternating days of cardio with strength training.
Like a mixture of Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj is a woman of very confident and sometimes brash style. Whether it's her multicolored wigs, colored contact lenses, or pin up girl makeup with a neon streak, she knows what looks she loves and rocks them.
Google Maps never looked better on the Android mobile OS than on the new Samsung Galaxy Tab. Watch this video to see how to use the Maps application, including how to use Google Street View. Also, check out how to use the Places app for finding your way to nearby points of interest.
November is national Novel Writing Month, which means if you've been dreaming about penning a bestselling science fiction or fantasy thriller since you turned 10, now is the time to put pen to paper.
Shrimp skewers are delish, and go especially well with some fresh made marinara sauce. But sometimes you want a deeper, richer flavor in the meat itself.
Still using those boring plastic coasters that you got at a sale at Ralph's? Add some personal style to the mix the next time you serve your friends some soda by making your own coasters!
Jazz walks are basically regular walking combined with a tiptoeing motion that makes the walk like a cat strut. Jazz walks are beautiful and sexy ways to transition from one part of your routine to another, and they're also great as coreography of their own.
Winged eyeliner is a makeup look that girls either love or don't attempt to try because it seems to hard. As habitual winged eyeliner wearers Lauren Conrad and Blake Lively prove, winged eyeliner is extremely sexy and also elongates and brightens your eyes.
Cutting beef for a stir fry is entirely different from cutting a slab of steak to grill. Stir frys are made from a mixture of many bite-sized ingredients, so meat likewise has to come in small chunks.
Slosh sled dragging is, as you may guess, dragging a weight. Like dragging a sleigh with your brother sitting on it during the winter, slosh sled dragging operates on the same principle of pull and, well, pull.
First things first: The Mat is a large, well, mat that acts as a fondant tool for pastry chefs. You roll the fondant on, flatten it, and use the mat to apply the fondant layer evenly to your cake.
Beat Rhyming is an advanced version of Beatboxing mixing in melody and drums with some sound effects. If you're curious how to create some of the unique snare hits, bass drum hits and how to drop your rhyme while still keeping a simple beat going on underneath check out this great video tutorial!
What the heck are green tomatoes? They sound kind of weird, but really they're just unripe tomatoes. Green tomatoes are especially hard and taste unbelievable when they're fried.
The Prodigy were one of the first groups to really grasp the potential of electronic music and bring it to the forefront of pop, and they are still fucking legend on the electronic scene. If you have Ableton Live 8, check out this video to learn how to produce their classic song "Voodoo People" in Ableton, including what samples to use and what to do with them.
This video will teach you how to make a chiptune-style lead synth track using Reason 4. Chiptunes are basically electronic music songs made out of 8-bit sounds, mostly from video games. The synth lead you will be making in this video is not, as such, a true chiptune, it's better because it doesn't cling dogmatically to outdated technology.
Michael Jackson's musical legacy will be sorely missed and greatly remembered. Commemorate this talented artist by dressing up as him for Halloween. But don't just buy a Michael Jackson costume, don a wig, and call it a day (or a night).
This may come as a shock, but there are more styles of pancakes than just the sweet, fluffy one topped with butter and maple syrup. In fact, pancakes need not be sweet at all.
In terms of Halloween costume popularity, we think dressing up as Snooki from "Jersey Shore" only falls behind going as a vampire and as Lady Gaga. After all, the Jersey gal has a whole lotta fun personality and personal style to work with.
With Halloween costumes retailing upwards of $100, it's easy to get into debt just because you're feeling in the festive dress-up mood. But Halloween costumes are only worn once (maybe twice) and are almost always made of cheap fabric that rips and tears easily.
If your A/C in your car turns on but isn't blowing any cold air, you might have one of a few problems. In this video you will learn how to check the compressor, the pressure in the system, and how to add refrigerant if it's low.
If you're willing to burn then this video is willing to teach you how to tone both your upper and lower body in almost no time. But chiseled abs and a high, round butt don't come easily.
If all you imagine is the saggy cafeteria lady at your school when you think about hair buns, then you've got some learning to do. Check out this hairstyling tutorial to learn how to create a glamorous and flirty romantic bun with lots of curled, loose tendrils.
The world first knew it as Weave Sync, but Mozilla has moved Firefox's in-house synchronization project out of its Labs, giving it a new name. Check out how Firefox Sync, which will be included in Firefox 4, matches up your preferences, bookmarks, passwords, history, and open tabs in this How To video.
We all love our cuddly companions, but sometimes they develop bad habits that make owning them difficult. Whether they refuse to stay in their crates or like jumping up onto visitors, dogs sometimes have habits that their owners would be better off without.
Did you know that chapstick dries your lips out? Sounds counterintuitive, given that chapstick claims that it prevents chapped lips, but chapstick actually contains an ingredient in it that parches your skin.
Chicken crispitos are a dish that's easy to make with the most delicious results. The dish only requires a few ingredients, including scallions and pickled jalapenos, which mix for a spicy and cheesy chicken dish.
When it comes to Halloween, you can go all out with your macabre self and have fun being sinister and it'll be totally normal. So instead of settling for cheapo fake scars, bruises, and tears that you buy at Halloween discount stores this time of year, why not make your own?
Take a trip to the breezy seaside town of Amalfi, Italy without ever leaving your own home by checking out this video recipe for an Almalfi Coast inspired egg noodle pasta with tuna and mascarpone sauce.
Cooking eggs is one of the simplest and most basic kitchen skills you can possess. But what works for one egg may not work for another. In fact, different types of eggs sometimes require different preparation methods.
Stretching before and after a workout helps loosen muscles so rather than building bulk you're builidng lean legs and arms. Combine the benefits of stretching with balancing on one foot and you've got a nearly perfect exercise.
