Christmas with the in-laws is coming up, and while I love my in-laws to death, these folks have EVERYTHING. They always shower us and my BIL with gifts during the holidays because they have money to spare. They insist on us not bringing gifts, which we do anyways because it would be awkward for me not to coming from my cultural background. Getting gift ideas for them (plus a stocking stuffer for Christmas morning) is always like pulling teeth.

We threatened my MIL with a gift card to a restaurant if she didn’t mention something she’d like. Luckily, she caved for once and we’re getting her some gourmet mint tea in a beautiful Japanese styled tin. One parent down, one to go.

My FIL travels weekly for his company, and he likes to pack ultra light so getting him travel goodies is really hard. (You should see him move through an airport, it’s scary.) He also likes to cook, but my in-laws are very health conscious. Not a lot of bread, or salts, or oils, and they both hate sweets. We been getting him books from this cookbook series for the last three years (Indian, Thai, Chinese) and we could get him the Moroccan one as a last resort. But my husband and I were trying to think of something different this year.

Add on that we still need a stocking stuffer for both of them. We like it to be practical, something they’d use or eat. She likes vodka, and he likes gin, but I’d rather not resort to bottles of booze they already have lots of in their liquor cabinet.

Any ideas?

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To eat healthy, one should buy a cookbook on "light cooking".

To fix your computer, you will need to read the manual.

Take a right at the next street to get to the French restaurant.

To cook eggs for all of us, you will need a larger pan.

Where can you go to school to learn to be a chef?

It says to underline and label the infinitive phrases…
so for number 1 would i just underline "to eat" and label "verb" on it?
Please explain and show me how to do the rest, thanks.

My mother and I have been criminally harassed without any letup for 13 months today. This confused and derranged and deluded person has now gone too far. They consider ME the bully and have now written a book about ME and my mother. Here’s the book description.

The Bully by (xxxxxxxx Jr.)

Please note that the name of the "Bully" and the title of her cookbook has been changed
to protect the identity of this individual. She is not your typical bully. She is a business woman and author. Her weapon of choice is stolen words, stolen identities, harassing letters, racist comments and hijacked cookbooks.

Her playground is the internet and her victim is my Mother…What should have been a joyful celebration of her achievements, was completely destroyed by an unfair competitor who has harassed, bullied, hounded and stalked my Mother for over a year, for no apparent reason, but
becoming more successful than her. She has stolen several of my Mother’s cookbook titles, book covers and even her identity many times. I hope that this book will shed some light on the shadowy psyche of the "adult" bully that we are so often victims of. The purpose of this book is not to humiliate or reveal the identity of the bully, but to share our story with everyone who is interested in it, or who has suffered the underhanded attacks of someone like our "Bully". We wish to
show others that they are not alone in fighting against the vilest type of harassment that today’s society knows and suffers of. In our book, the lady who has caused us countless sleepless nights will be called Ms. Smith, which is a fictional name.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everything in her description is an outright lie. My book has been in print for 6 years and selling well. We have received much praise for our accomplishments until this bully arrived on the scene. My lawyer calls her a PITBULL WITH A BONE.

I hope one of our yahoo readers will buy this piece ‘o’ crap from ebay and turn the tables on them.
They warned me in Jan that they would steal my cookbook title and use it as a weapon against me and now they have fulfilled their threats. They have taken every worthy expression and supposedly trademarked and copyright protected it. My expressions along with my published work has been protected since 2005.

Perhaps some media exposure would teach them a lesson. ANy ideas. I live in Ontario, Canada

Interested to hear from my readers.

I posted a clip and this is the beginning!!

My mother gave me a hug. She assured me Hope would take good care of me. I didn’t even know of my mother’s sister until I found out she was going to come stay with me for the whole entire summer while my parents went on a business trip.
“John, she’s here! We have to leave!” Mom called excitedly, glancing out the front door. Dad hurried out into the living room, tying his tie. When I pointed out his untied shoelace, he muttered something I couldn’t hear. I twisted my hands round and round nervously.
The doorbell rang. Mom opened the door and hugged my aunt at once. When Hope stepped away, I finally found out what my aunt looked like. She had long wavy hair that was between light and dark with a reddish tint to it. Her eyes were a bright, sparkly blue. She wore a blue shirt and black shorts. Besides my mother, Hope was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my entire life.
I was a little shocked when Hope hugged me. I guess I should have expected it. Breathing in the scent of her perfume, I hugged her back. When Hope released me, she held me at arm’s length.
“Oh June, last time I saw your daughter she was knee-high to a grass hopper!” Hope said to Mom. “How did twelve years pass? Seems like just yesterday I held this tiny baby Margaret in my arms at the hospital.”
Mom suddenly pulled me into her arms. She kissed the top of my head and pretended to rock me like a baby.
“I don’t know, either. Bye baby,” she said, giving me one final hug. Dad tousled my hair and grinned.
“Be good, kid,” he said. I smiled and watched them walk out the door. When they drove away, Hope smiled.
“We’re going to have lots of fun, Margaret. Show me to my room,” she said.
"You can call me Meg," I said, helping her with her bags and walked up the stairs to the guest room. Hope looked around and smiled.
“Is that your room across the hall, Margaret?” she asked. I nodded and led her across the hall to my room. My walls were painted a light purple with a matching bedspread on my bed, my bookshelf was jammed with books, and a TV sat on my wicker dresser.
Hope smiled. She ran her fingers across my bedspread. When she sat down, I bent down to pick up my book up from the floor. Hope glanced at the words on the cover.
“You read Charles Dickens?” she asked me.
“I love a Christmas Carol. But my favorite is Great Expectations,” I replied, trying to find a spot in my bookshelf for the novel. Hope sighed and stood up.
“I’m going to cook dinner tonight,” she said. I smiled. Mom never cooked. Either Dad made dinner or we got takeout.
“What are we having?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I’ll have to look at my cookbook.” With that said, Hope went downstairs. I followed her. She was looking through one of Mom’s Betty Crocker cookbooks. Suddenly she smiled.
“I’ll make some good old-fashioned spaghetti and meatballs,” she decided. I sat at the kitchen table and started reading To Kill a Mockingbird, the required summer read I had to write a report on.
“What part are you at?” Hope asked after a while, stirring spaghetti sauce.
“Not very far. Just at the part when Jem and Scout meet Dill,” I said, turning a page in the old book.
“Sounds far to me,” Hope said, quickly tasting the sauce. I shrugged and marked my place. When I walked up to the stove, Hope put an arm around me. I leaned my head on her shoulder. I already loved my aunt.
Turned out Hope was a great cook. I ate so much spaghetti my stomach hurt afterwards. After a while Hope fished in the freezer and took out ice cream. She piled toppings high on one and handed it to me. She stated eating her own before she even reached the table.
When we finished, Hope took my hand and we went upstairs. I helped her unpack everything.
“We’re going to have the best night ever. Now go get your pajamas on,” Hope said. I ran to my room and quickly put on my light blue silk short-sleeved pajamas. When I went to Hope’s room again, she was wearing pajama pants and an old t-shirt. Her long hair was up in a ponytail.
“First we’re going to watch a movie,” she said, leading me down into the living room. Finally we agreed on a movie and cuddled up on the couch. Just as the movie started, we heard yelling outside. Hope stopped the movie and I ran to the window. All the neighbors were outside in the dark. Hope and I joined them.
“What happened?” I asked. Mr. Richardson from next door said the O’Malley family down the block got robbed.
after she says "you can just call me meg", whenever i accidentally typed margaret after that its supposed to be meg

I am looking for photography books (or websites) that shows detailed camera settings (such as suggested shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc.) for various settings, like taking pictures of the moon, streaks of lights, portraits, animals, sports, etc. Thanks!

me and my best friend are making a bucket list for the 2K11 summer
so far we have ….
Go to a concert
Go-carting
Have a food fight
Stay up 24 hrs, then 48 hrs.
Lazer tagging
Camp in the backyard
Paint fight
See who can stay the longest at walmart
Have a bonfire
Scavenger hunt
Cake contest
Make a snowman not outa snow
Go paint balling
Hit up the fair
Teepee 7 houses
Give someone a haircut
Movie weekend
Dress up as pirates and go see pirates of the carrobean
Stay the night at a hotel
Mall scavenger hunt
Complete makeover at the mall
Disguise ourselves and stalk someone at the mall
Ninja day
Huge talent show
Dress up as snooki and see what people say
Mud football
Make a YouTube video
Dress a dude up as a chick
Minute to win it day
Dress up as power rangers for a day
Go bowling
Go put putting
Go to sky zone
Walk to apple bees
Red white and boom
Go Christmas caroling
Pretend to be homeless , and see how much money we get
Go conoeing
Burry a time capsule
Make a chalk mural
Have a big cookout
Have a tye die party
Have a hawaii luau
Mess with people at the drive in
Go zip lining
Prank day
Pool hopping
Yes man day
Photo shoot
Steal a street sign?
Have a fashion show
Get drunk
Set up a disaster date
Have a tea party
Play sand volleyball
Tampon/pad someones house
Stand on the fountain in the pond of my backyard
Hit up a teen club
Lemonade stand
Have a huge water balloon fight
Flag football
Rock climbing
Building something huge outa legos
Sleep in my playhouse in my backyard
Make a homemade slip and slide
Go skinny dipping
Get a professional massage
Get a job
Have a water gun fight
Catch fire flies
Kiss as many strangers in one day as possible
Devote a whole day to making a cookbook
Learn how to duggie
Learn how to solve a rubics cube
Dress up as wizards and go see Harry potter
Have a silly string fight
Switch phones for a week
Dirtbiking or four wheeling
Go to a midnight pre mere of a movie
Get a underwater camra and spend the day taking pictures with it.
Go ice skating
Make a summer scrapbook
Play baseball with apples
Play hide and seek flashlight style
Build a huge fort with baskets
Play the penis game in the mall
See how many people will take pictures with us at the mall
Have a black light party
Learn how to fish

Okay so I need like 50 more ideas. No going to the pool , traveling, volunteering. Not much money so please make it little to no cost. I have a pool , so if that gives you any ideas …. Thank you soooooso much )))))))) !!!!!

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All the cookbooks say you should let Yorkshire pudding batter stand for at least an hour after mixing. We all agree that a good Yorkshire pud should be light. I’d have thought that putting it in a hot oven immediately after mixing would trap more air in it. What am I overlooking?

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Could you please help me, I am about to submit my first assignment for lenses in photogrpahy, Could you please tell me if there is anything wrong with the lenses i have chosen for the 10 different scenarios..
This is my assignment
For each of the following hypothetical photographic assignments you have
the following equipment at your disposal (note that you do not have any zoom
lenses):
Two small format DSLR cameras with full sized 35mm sensors
20mm lens
24mm tilt-shift lens
35mm lens
50mm lens
90mm tilt-shift lens
100mm macro lens
135mm lens
300mm lens
Neutral Density Filter
Polarising Filter
Two quick cycle portable flash units made specifically for your cameras
Transportable studio flash gear
Tripod
Monopod
Nominate which of the above mentioned equipment you would use for each of
the following 10 scenarios and give a brief explanation of why you made
those choices:
Scenario 1
A large art gallery has hired you to photograph every individual framed painting in the gallery for an upcoming exhibition. They require colour accurate copies of the artwork for use in a catalogue.
A – 90mm tilit shift lens – You can be at floor level and shoot large paintings and correct for perspective because you’ll be looking upwards. Polorizer to eliminate reflections, Tripod to eliminate camera shake
Scenario 2
An advertising agency has hired you to photograph individual “pack shots” of a range of packet soups. The soups come in small rectangular boxes, which have a glossy finish. They want the pack to look heroic and important.
A – 24mm tilt shift lens to make the soup look herioc and important, Polarising filter to minimise reflections on packaging, Tripod to eliminate camera shake
Scenario 3
A men’s magazine has hired you to shoot an action outdoor fashion feature of a male model in the centre of a large city wearing various business suits. They want lots of movement in the images and are happy with some motion blur.
A – 300mm Telephoto lens because this would give you great still shots with motion blur background.
Tripod to eliminate camera shake
Scenario 4
A sports magazine wants you to photograph an afternoon football game and they get you a press pass, which allows you access to the playing field. They want high contact physical shots with frozen action.
A – 300mm telephoto lens this will give you high contact physical shots while being a safe distance away. Tripod to minimise camera shake
Scenario 5
A lifestyle magazine wants you to shoot a cover shot of a woman in a large, bright, modern city apartment. The woman is to be the main focus, but they would also like some of the atmosphere of the apartment to be evident.
A – 135mm wide angle lens would give a great focus on the model while having the apartment be in the shot too. Tripod to eliminate camera shake
Scenario 6
You have been hired to photograph a wedding in a church. The light is bright enough to avoid having to use a flash and the minister has allowed you access to all areas
A – 50mm ens great for up close and personal shots on there big day
Scenario 7
You have been hired by a gossip magazine to shoot “social” shots at a gala movie premier one evening. The location is inside a dark Rococo (ornate) cinema and you have a press pass and are free to mingle with the “stars”. The editor requires a collection of posed and candid shots as the crowd parties through the night.
A – 135mm lens because this will deliver high quality images in low light conditions
Scenario 8
A book publisher has hired you to photograph Italian food in their studio for a new cookbook. The studio has large windows along one wall and lots of working space. They want the entire book shot from above, looking down on the food with an “aerial” perspective.
A – 100mm macro lens for high quality close up images
Scenario 9
A book publisher wants you to travel through France to photograph a book on wine. They want farm and regional images, as well as shots inside the cellars and manufacturing areas. They are on a tight schedule and have a limited budget, so you will be travelling alone in a small rented car without an assistant. You have only three weeks to cover all viticulture areas before the autumn harvest.
A – 135mm lens for cellar and regional images, 300mm lens for farm animals this lens would be greatbecausee you can get a great shot from a good distance away and not disturb any animals and 2 cameras 1 for backup
Scenario 10
A fashion magazine wants you to photograph the latest trends in makeup. You will be shooting female models in a studio and they may be accessorised with the latest earrings and other jewellery, but the makeup is the star. They are looking for striking, close-up images with vivid colour and texture
A – 300mm lens would deliver high quality portrait pictures of the models, Tripod to eliminate camera shake and studio flash light gear.
Thankyou xxx any helpwouldd be greatly appreciated

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Somebody asked for a cake recipe not containing leavening or baking soda I think they said. Here is the answer I gave; you think it was just too long and unhelpful?

Here is a recipe that I found online that I think I’ve used before, and it is similar to recipes in books I have that I have used before. Also, where it says shorning, you could use either butter or vegetalbe shortening. I prefer butter, but veg short is cheaper, also I don’t know what you have. 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1/2 cup shortening 1 cup milk 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 eggs Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9×13 inch pan. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream sugar and shortening until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beating just to combine. finally, stir in vanilla. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 to 45 minute (I think part of the answer was no there, but I think I said, it is easier for me to get you a recipe online because it is easier to copy and paste)
sust easier to copy and paste. If you don’t like this recipe, you could surfe the wb and find plenty of cake recipes or cookie ones not containing baking soda, or if you have cookbooks at home you could find plenty."

so I am moving out of my parents place to an apt with a roommate, my best friend. between the two of us we have all furniture appliances.
I have: a L couch, lazy boy recliner, lamps, some random "party light", a george forman G2 grill, a hand blender, cookbook(s) DVDs, a tv+dvd player(for my room), a will+games and controllers, a bed a night table, a dresser, a laptop, bedding, blankets, towels, (shampoo/conditioner, hair products…) a sewing machine(that convert into a small table)
she has: plates, bowls, cups, forks, knifes, spoons…, microwave, toaster, sandwich griller, baking sheets etc, pots, skillets/pans, dinning table/chairs, a BIG box of frozen waffles. spices, cooking utensils, a main tv, dvds, a ps2, a coffee table(to put the tv on) a bookself, a sewing machine and table….
… that all I can think of for now….
I set up the electricity for the day we get the apt.
what else is there? lol besides changing all my adresses info. we are not having a land line since we both have cell phones. lol

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