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Looking for a fun way to start the weekend? Might I recommend a delicious cocktail? It's called the YumSugar special, and it's a twist on the classic whiskey sour. The traditional recipe involves simple syrup and lemon juice, but our variation, created especially for us by the fabulous barmen at Jardiniere restaurant (we guest-bartended there!), uses honey and Meyer lemon juice. Any honey works, but if you can get your hands on honey that's infused with chestnuts or lavender, that will give the drink a subtle complexity. The libation is sweet but not overly so, and the strong flavor of the whiskey is balanced perfectly by the citrus.

It involves dry-shaking, so be prepared for an arm workout! Want the method to this delightful beverage? Keep reading.

While at Fancy Foods, we caught up with J&D's Foods, the masterminds behind Baconnaise. Cofounder Justin Esch revealed what's next in the world of cured pork: soon, Hickory BaconSalt will grace the top of every table at Denny's Restaurants nationwide.

In addition to Hickory BaconSalt's presence at Denny's, we also learned that Baconnaise is coming to the shelves of Wal-Mart.

Hickory bacon sprinkles atop a Grand Slam, and bacon mayonnaise for the middle-American masses; it'd be hard to dream up a better fit, don't you think?

Laura Brunow Miner created PictoryMag.com one year ago as a place for people to upload captioned photographs to one of her editorial themes. For the site's one-year anniversary, she teamed up with Levis for a special project: Secrets of Inspiring Women. I spoke with Laura, who shared her motivation: "I wanted to do a showcase on women and the unique challenges they face and their success stories."

The photo essays feature strong, spirited women figuring out how to succeed in their own skin. Anyone can submit one captioned photo to the theme "notes on being a women." Laura explained: "Some people were men showing respect for women in their lives, men talking about their amazing grandmothers or friends, and even some women talked about the role models in their lives. It was great to see the diversity." Laura considers the subjects ordinary women who have decided to make their lives exceptional. We're happy to present five of our favorite inspiring photos and stories below. And if you like what you see, check out the whole project here.

If you've never sipped mezcal before, I recommend you get your hands on a bottle of Ilegal. Made from the agave of Oaxaca, mezcal is like tequila's smoky cousin; Ilegal's offering, while smoky, is extremely sippable. It's enjoyable on the rocks and great in a cocktail. To experiment with mezcal, start with this drink: a delightful blend of potent mezcal and refreshing apple cider. Lime juice and Cointreau make the libation balanced in both acidity and sweetness. The combination of apples and ginger gives the drink a seasonal feel that's enhanced by the warming quality of the mezcal. Interested in the recipe? Keep reading.

As the author of three bestselling books, including What Your Mother Never Told You About Sex, Dr. Hilda Hutcherson has a lot to teach us. I caught up with the successful gynecologist, known for her message of empowerment, at K-Y Brand's booth at the Women's Conference last week and asked her what five things every woman should do right now to guarantee a healthier and happier sex life. Here are her tips!

1. Know your body: "As a gynecologist for over 20 years I've found that most women really don't understand their body parts and how those body parts. Learn your body by exploring it and finding out how it responds."
2. Realize you deserve sex: "In my practice I've found that there are many women who feel they don't deserve sex. They view sex as something that is for men, and something that they give to their partners. So they want to be good in bed, meaning that they want to wow their sexual partner. They want to blow his mind. You look at most women magazines and they talk about how to drive him crazy in bed. So we're taught to drive men crazy rather than to drive ourselves crazy. We need to make it wonderful for ourselves and know we deserve it too and that women need it as well for physical and emotional health."
3. Learn about sex: "Who's going to teach you about sex? Sex is so much more than intercourse. So educate yourself about all the various ways of having sex. Learning the techniques, by reading books or watching videos, is important."

To see the rest, read more.

How can you add more years to your life? Have more sex! That's what Dr. Oz told me when I caught up with him at this week's Women's Conference. The TV doc explained the health benefits of getting busy and the differences between the needs of men and women, while his wife Lisa shared some of their secrets to a happy sex life. Check it out now!

First Lady Michelle Obama used the platform of Maria Shriver's Women's Conference today as a chance to shine light on one issue: the plight of military wives.

Before Barack Obama decided to run for president, Michelle had a job she loved and small children at home. She needed some convincing before she got on board with the campaign, but once she did, Michelle decided to focus on women and be a voice for them. Michelle said that she felt "that every single woman I knew regardless of race, geographical location, income — we were all struggling to keep it together."

Once she got out there, something surprised her. "In the stories of the women I met I recognized my own story," she explained. But "there was one group of women whose stories were new to me – and whose questions I often didn’t have answers to." Those were the military wives. Michelle explained that this group of women deal with the same problems many women face — be it work-life balance, or trying to get ahead in your career — but to a magnified degree. She told the audience: "Try balancing work and family when your partner has a dangerous job halfway around the world. Want to talk about glass ceilings, try doing that when you keep moving and don't work somewhere long enough to get promoted?"

Find out what you can do to help after the jump.

It's hard to believe Jessica Simpson's been in the public eye for a decade. Interviewed by California First Lady Maria Shriver at this week's Women's Conference, an annual event held to inspire, educate, and empower women, Jessica talked about how she finds strength to deal with media scrutiny while sharing what inspires her.

Having just turned 30, Jessica has a fresh perspective on beauty and self-acceptance. I attended the panel last night; find out what I learned below.

On the impact of Photoshop: It's interesting to see yourself Photoshopped — it's the perfect version of yourself according to each editor. You think, "Oh they don't like that mole, or that bump in my nose." Even I look at an airbrushed photo and think I wish I was as beautiful as that picture of me.

On how she builds self-esteem: I write in a journal, and that helps me get to know myself. It's therapeutic for me.

On the power of mothers: The most inspirational person in my life is my mom. It's important for mothers to see a daughter as their child, but also as a best friend. My mother was my best friend. I really trusted my mother. I knew I'd have the best outfit because my mom helped me pick it out. And now we work on my clothing line together.

On her idea of a good date: I want to go on a date and eat a good meal. Give me good wine and a fried steak.

Find out more after the jump!

Today one of my favorite magazines, Food & Wine, launched its first-ever iPad app. The glossy's editor in chief, Dana Cowin, who was in the Bay Area earlier this week for the American Wine Awards, took some time out of her busy schedule to chat with me. For the app, Food & Wine reimagined 95 percent of the magazine's content. It plans on releasing six issues per year, starting with today's debut app, the wine issue. Right now iPad owners can download the wine issue for free; future issues will be about $3.99 each and cover the following special themes: holiday, healthy foods, travel, and chefs.

To learn more about the app and see how Cowin distinguishes it from Gourmet Live, keep reading.

The adorable and smiley Rachel Bilson was seated front and center at the Chanel Fashion Show today as she walked arm in arm with her buddy Jill Schwartz, wife of The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz. Rachel was sweet enough to let me bend her ear for a few moments (when I introduced myself she said, "I love PopSugar!") in between getting her photo taken. I really enjoyed speaking with her about Chanel, makeup, and fashion! To find out what she had to say, and to see more photos, read more.

The interview!