2010 Summer

It's not Summer quite yet but rather warm in many parts of the country already! While I enjoy hot weather more than my smooshy pooch, let's get all species ready to beat the heat. And that includes the kitties.

While dogs usually get more face time with the sun, I'm still keen to keep cats chilly in the upcoming months. If your kitty spends significant time outside, use a squirt bottle spray or impromptu bath to help her to not overheat (if she's up to it). Some felines are more finicky about this process, so there's a simpler way to get her cool and wet. Find out what it is when you read more

After making a savory version of French toast topped with tomato jam last weekend, it occurred to me that, when preserved, tomatoes are well-suited for both sweet and savory applications, too. Tomatoes are technically fruit, and when they're ripe they possess a level of sweetness that rivals a sassy nectarine. This means the seedy red rounds are ideal contenders for a traditional fruit jam style, spread atop bread or toast. But unlike most fruits, tomatoes also register high in glutamic acid, an umami provider that contributes to a savory, rounded flavor — so they're just as dreamy when reduced to peppery, vinegar-tinged preserves, then served atop meat roasts or crackers.

Make the most of the tapering tomato supply by preparing either — or both — jams when you read more.

I love seeing all your cute pets in Pet Pic of the Day, but I've got a special challenge for our Dress Up Extravaganza! group in the spirit of the season. Please add photos of your furry (or feathered or fishy) friends enjoying the warm weather — sunkissed paws playing in parks and beaches — whatever makes you think of Summer, I want to see it. After all, it's almost over, so time is running out to get out and enjoy it!

To learn how to join and contribute your cute and outdoorsy pics, just read more

It may be approaching Fall, but at Bay Area farmers markets, tomatoes are even more prolific than they were in the early days of Summer. One particularly delicious variety that’s thriving right now is the Early Girl tomato. Early Girls are typically grown using dry-farming, a sustainable, water-saving technique that’s supposed to produce a more concentrated, intense flavor. They also have an unusually short maturation period — they're typically ripe within 50 days of transplanting.

The 'maters, which are a favorite of Alice Waters, have a vibrant red color and a bright, sweet flavor. Because they're so delicious on their own, it's best to enjoy them in preparations that require minimal cooking, to highlight their fresh-from-the-garden juiciness.

Here are a few ideas for enjoying your Early Girls:

• Marry them with a little olive oil and minced garlic and toss with fresh fettuccine for a light and flavorful dinner.
• Combine them with cilantro and jalapeno for a zesty pico de gallo.
• Use them in a flavorful tomato-fennel sauce and serve over grilled swordfish.
• Grill up some bread and toss together diced Early Girls and fresh basil for an elegant bruschetta.

Have you ever come across Early Girl tomatoes?

Source: Flickr User Ajith_chatie

Forget burqinis! These women bared nearly all on a beach in Dubai today. Though the Islamic country has jailed tourists for sunbathing topless, dress codes for foreigners are loosening in some areas. Last year Paris Hilton assured us there were no legal ramifications for stepping out in a bikini while filming her reality show in Dubai. Maybe she was right?

I have already declared my love for pork and berry recipes, and now I have to add chicken smothered in raspberry BBQ sauce to the top of my berry tempting list. Initially, I thought my recipe experiment had failed, since vinegar and lime juice made the simmered sauce a touch too tangy. Rather than add more to it, I left it overnight in the fridge, and thankfully the sweetness from the berries finally came through. Coating each side of the chicken with sauce as it cooked did get my grill a little messy, but the sugar from the raspberries and onions caramelized for an even more delectable and crispy skin. Don't say goodbye to Summer just yet; try this new take on barbecue sauce by reading more.

Did your pets do anything exciting this Summer like head to the beach or stop and smell the roses, perhaps? If so, I wanna see! The special challenge for our Dress Up Extravaganza! group in the spirit of the season is still going on, so please add photos of your furry (or feathered or fishy) friends enjoying the warm weather — whatever makes you think of Summer fits right in here! After all, it's almost Fall, so time is running out to get out and enjoy it!

To learn how to join and contribute your cute and outdoorsy pics, just read more

After an OnSugar user requested advice for traveling abroad alone, I turned the question over to all of you. Whether it's for traveling to the rural edges of a countryside or a city center, here are your lessons learned from experience.

• "Stay at smaller, boutique hotels. Of course you can get good customer service anywhere, but I found that the staff at these hotels took more of a personal interest in what I was doing (but not in a creepy, needing to know way, more in a advice-giving way). Maybe I am just paranoid, but I also felt safer knowing that they recognized the people staying at the hotel and would have been more likely to notice if, say, I didn't come back for two days or something." — lilkimbo
• "If you're visiting a non-English speaking country, make a point to learn some local words and phrases like "Hello, How much? Water? Toilet? Thank you." They're useful during emergencies and the locals are more willing to help you when they see you make an effort." — provocative
• "Toilet paper and granola bars. TP can be used for its obvious purpose and also as a tissue, a plate, and a thousand other things. Granola bars because then no matter the travel hold ups or otherwise you have something to get you by. Also, when you get a bad belly from travel foods or water your body always does better with something bland and familiar." — mrsld
• "Email your itinerary to a friend/family member in the United States and have a rule that you'll check in via email everyday or every other day." — ocgrl527
• Bring a laptop/iPad, or not: Spacekatgal suggests splurging for an iPad to double as a computer, but lilkimbo says consider where you're going first. "I've heard from countless travel agents that having a piece of technology like that makes you a huge target for crime," she said. "I would just go with a basic smartphone because it is nice to have maps at your fingertips."

Add yours below!