This pic of a fire dancer in action was submitted with our #CoolCapture tag on Instagram by arlyn__.
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This image of the NYC skyline in a pool of water was shared with our cool capture community on Instagram by rdamon.
Have you been testing out your photography skills and have a snapshot you want to share? Submit your pics to our Cool Capture group or to Instagram by tagging them with #CoolCapture. Your pics might be featured on the GeekSugar homepage!
This image of a tropical sunset was submitted to our Cool Capture community group on Instagram by arlyn__.
Have you been testing out your photography skills and have a snapshot you want to share? Submit your pics to our Cool Capture group or to Instagram by tagging them with #CoolCapture. Your pics might be featured on the GeekSugar homepage!
Source: Instagram User arlyn__
Preparing healthy food at home is a tried-and-true weight-loss strategy — assuming you have the time, the energy, and an eye for portion control. A healthy-meal delivery service takes the guesswork out of the equation, but does it taste good?
Curious about how a strict regimen of premade meals could improve my eating habits, I jumped at the chance to try out a week's worth of Jillian Michaels Freshology Gold. This nationwide program delivers shipments twice a week and provides three meals a day, so you don't have to worry about what's for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The new program incorporates many of Jillian's recipes, plus a workout DVD.
Read on to see what I ate and how it tasted, as well as calorie counts and pricing info.
A top-of-the-line electric toothbrush isn't cheap, but the investment in my dental health is worth the price of my Sonicare Elite toothbrush. But similar to razors and razor blades, the costs really add up when replacing the toothbrush heads.
Sonicare's amazing electric toothbrushes range in price, from about $50 to more than $200. Though I have one of the midrange versions, the e-Series replacement heads are not cheap: it costs $30 for two.
I am a big fan of buying generic whenever possible, so when I saw Target selling an alternative replacement head from its Up & Up brand, priced at $45 for five, I thought, why not try it?
Happy National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day! In honor of the holiday, I'm sharing a contemporary update on what happens to be one of my favorite nostalgic foods.
I've said before that some of the best sandwiches evoke memories, and this recipe goes back when I was maybe 7 or 8, and my mom fixed me some waffles before realizing we were out of syrup. She improvised to make this sandwich, and "peanut butter and jelly waffles" soon became one of my favorite meals. Like the nonwaffly version, this PB&J is very easy to make and can inspire countless variations: almond instead of peanut butter, different flavors of waffles or even waffles from scratch, honey in place of jelly, Elvis-style with bananas, and on and on.
This time I used Eggo cinnamon waffles, which I highly recommend. The only requirement for this breakfast or lunch sandwich — and what sets it apart from a traditional PB&J — is using hot, toasted waffles, which melt the peanut butter in just the right warm and comfy way. To see my recipe, keep reading.
With its island ingredients and romantic moniker, the dark and stormy tastes like waiting out a thunderstorm on a Caribbean beach. Like a great vacation, a dark and stormy cocktail relaxes and surprises. Every time I mix one, I find myself tweaking the proportions ever so slightly, to achieve the ideal balance of spicy, sweet, and sour.
Similar to a moscow mule, a dark and stormy must be made with real ginger beer, not ginger ale, and very dark rum, such as Gosling's Black Seal. The lime juice is optional, though I think it adds a nice complexity; how much you add is a matter of taste. Learn how to make a dark and stormy cocktail.
Though its name might conjure images of cold Russian Winters, the effervescent moscow mule is one of my favorite warm-weather cocktails. Gaining popularity in the 1950s and '60s, the American-born drink started off as a way to promote vodka, which was still relatively unknown in the US.
A simple combination of vodka, lime juice, and the crucial topper of ginger beer — not the milder ginger ale — the moscow mule presents a cool, spicy contrast with every sip.
Photos: Nancy Einhart and Flickr User blmurch
Since the drink is often garnished with cucumber, I recently made a version with Effen's cucumber and vanilla flavored vodka, though regular vodka goes down just as easy. Learn how to make a moscow mule.
A milky mix of brandy, cream, and creme de cacao, the brandy alexander is often referenced but rarely ordered. Rumored to be a favorite drink of John Lennon's, this classic cocktail has had a song written about it (Feist's "Brandy Alexander"), and in an episode of Mad Men, Peggy orders one to get her through an unsuccessful date.
After hearing so much about brandy alexanders, I finally made one for myself — and quickly drained the glass. Though on the sweeter side, this drink isn't as dessert-like as you might think; with smooth yet potent brandy, it pleases much like a white russian.
Scotland and Kentucky get the glory, but Ireland is no slouch when it comes to crafting fine, sippable whiskey. For potent proof, try an unblended whiskey like the oh-so-smooth Redbreast 12 Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey ($45). Like single-malt Scotch, this Irish whiskey is aged — 12 years, in this case — in a single batch, not blended. But that's where the similarities with smoky Scotch end, because the flavor leans much closer to caramely bourbon.
The reasons behind the different flavor profiles don't really matter; it has to do with the aging and distilling processes. What's important is that if you're normally a bourbon drinker like me, you'll want to add Redbreast to your after-dinner sippin' repertoire. The delightful honeyed flavor has a slight edge of earthiness, but nothing so mossy as to make it hard to drink neat.
Usually I like a splash of club soda in my whiskey, and Jameson or other Irish whiskeys taste lovely in an Irish whiskey highball, but Redbreast is just too good for me to muddle with anything but a clean glass.
Will you be drinking Irish whiskey for St. Patrick's Day?
In New Orleans, red beans and rice are a weekly tradition, typically served on Mondays. I love to eat them every year on Fat Tuesday. But one thing remains a constant: a hearty meal slow-cooked on laundry day.
Historically, Monday was wash day in early 1900s Louisiana. The laundry took all day, so women would cook the beans and meat while the laundry dried. Today, most restaurants in New Orleans still feature red beans and rice as the Monday special.
My laundry day is Sunday, but it's just as suitable for red beans and rice cooking. It takes a little advanced planning, soaking the beans starting Saturday night, but once you've gotten that out of the way, it's ridiculously easy: put all ingredients in a pot and cook for three hours.
I like to make a lot and eat the leftovers throughout the week, since the flavors only improve with time. I do, however, like to make the rice fresh each day; this method leaves it just a little bit wet, which is the perfect complement to the thick, spicy gravy of beans. Get the recipe now.
I'll never turn down a raw oyster, but when it comes to wooing someone with a cozy, baked version of the supposed aphrodisiac, this creole recipe is absolutely seductive. These oysters often get me invited back to parties (as long as I bring the oysters) and succeed in winning over oyster haters.
Shuck your own oysters and serve them on the half shell, or buy a couple pints preshucked and bake them in ramekins or a casserole dish. Once the shucking is out of the way, this dish is incredibly easy, somewhat sultry, and just a little bit rich. Try it as a side dish or even as a main course. Here's how to bake up some oysters.
I pretty much adore anything coconut, so when a lactose-intolerant friend introduced me to her version of hot cocoa, made with powdered coconut milk, I became obsessed.
Believe it or not, I'm usually lukewarm on hot chocolate, but I've fallen in love with this "cocoa-nut" recipe. The basic makeup comes from Alton Brown, just swapping powdered coconut milk for powdered milk and subtracting the cayenne, since I think it would clash with the coconut.
Even if you only fill your mug a quarter of the way with the mix and just add water instead of hot milk, this cocoa is creamy, rich, and irresistible. Serve up a couple of cups for a Valentine's night in, and even add a nip of liquor if that's your thing.
Welcome to the dog days of award season. Hot on the heels of Martin Scorsese's successful write-in campaign for Blackie, the canine star of Hugo, here's a look at the rest of the pooches vying for an honor from the first-ever Golden Collar Awards.
Handed out by Dog News Daily, the Golden Collar Awards will take place on Feb. 13 at the dog-friendly Hotel Palomar in LA. Who are you rooting for? Check out the full list of nominees.
