Kansas City Star: FYI / Living

Last Bite | Balsamic Grilled Hangar Steak

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:00 CDT

Hangar steak, a flavorful cut, can dry out easily and turn tough if overcooked. Chefs Justin Hoffman and Robert Brassard, who teach at the student-run Broadmoor Bistro in Shawnee Mission School District's Broadmoor Technical Center, apply a savory marinade to tenderize the meat.

Flint Hills farm rides a rabbit revival

Thu, 24 May 2012 05:00 CDT

In the heart of Kansas cattle country, a small family farm is producing the most sought-after meat rabbits in the nation. re Hare Barn, near tiny Leon (population 640) in the southern Flint Hills, has acquired cult-like status among chefs near and far.

On the prowl for vintage treasures

Fri, 25 May 2012 06:00 CDT

After binge-reading a stack of House Beautiful magazines, musing over $1,200 Chinese porcelain lamps and $75 faux-malachite place mats, I felt the familiar malaise of Room Envy. You know, the yearning for a perfectly feathered nest, despite having few resources to direct toward such a project.

A new mission to find soldiers lost to history

Fri, 25 May 2012 05:00 CDT

Having peered at the Platte River and scuffed though the Wyoming sage, the elderly gentlemen declared that it was the spot.

They're charged up for electric cars

Fri, 25 May 2012 09:00 CDT

The car of the future is so fast it can snap your head back. It's so economical it costs as little as 3 cents per mile -- with no emissions. And it's so quiet the one car maker felt compelled to invent a new way to let pedestrians know it was coming.

Fruit juice targeted in the war on obesity

Fri, 25 May 2012 13:00 CDT

Over the last decade, the nation's war on obesity has targeted some fairly obvious culprits, including fast food, pastries, fried foods and soda.

Dear Abby | Fish for men in a bigger pool

Fri, 25 May 2012 13:00 CDT

Q. Dear Abby: My friends and I are women in our late 40s and early 50s. Some of us are married, some are single. Individually or as a group we have taken classes, volunteered, gone on cruises, gone to clubs and bars -- you name it.

Jeneé Osterheldt | Is Raven gay? Who cares?

Fri, 25 May 2012 05:00 CDT

A Cosby kid might be gay. Stop the presses. Clutch your pearls. Or get a life. Last week, the National Enquirer, the same rag that posted a picture of Whitney Houston's open casket, did its very best to out actress Raven-Symone as a lesbian. They called it a "gay-shocker."

Top 10 U.S. beaches, according to 'Dr. Beach'

Fri, 25 May 2012 09:19 CDT

Coronado Beach in California leads the top 10 beaches in the United States in a college professor's survey. What are your favorites? Click on the link below to upload your photos and make your case.

Monday FYI | Tributes to Loved Ones at Local Cemeteries

Fri, 25 May 2012 16:20 CDT

Vatican says it has caught person who leaked documents

Fri, 25 May 2012 03:00 CDT

The Vatican said Friday that its police is holding a suspect in connection with the "illegal" possession of classified documents.

Cuban church official tells Ladies in White they are now political group

Fri, 25 May 2012 03:00 CDT

A Cuban Catholic Church official told the Ladies in White on Friday they are no longer a humanitarian group and that the government is unlikely to let them go to the Vatican even if Pope Benedict XVI grants them an audience, spokeswoman Berta Soler said.

N.C. county backs down, allows protest of anti-gay sermon

Thu, 24 May 2012 03:00 CDT

Catawba County, N.C., officials have backed down after initially denying a request from marchers who want to use county facilities this weekend to stage a protest against a preacher's anti-gay sermon.

The magic (and science) of macarons

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:00 CDT

Ethereal to the tongue, bright and pleasing to the eye, the dainty Parisian pastries known as macarons are tiny bites of luxury. Dissolving in the mouth, they give way to fillings of beguiling and delicious variety.

Beverly Hills Hotel has sheltered celebs for 100 years

Fri, 25 May 2012 08:00 CDT

Stand on the Beverly Hills Hotel's red carpet, leading into its chandeliered lobby, and you can't help but visualize a century's worth of celebrities, royalty, politicians, musicians and actors who have stayed there, from Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor to Madonna, Reese Witherspoon and Katy Perry.

Reusable summer party ware gives hostesses an excuse to have another party

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:00 CDT

When you're planning this year's outdoor shindigs, skip the party aisle at the store.

Christian-based programs cover medical costs

Sat, 19 May 2012 13:00 CDT

"To carry each other's burdens" is prescribed in Galatians 6:2.

Come Into My Kitchen | Making cupcakes for a good cause

Tue, 22 May 2012 13:00 CDT

Kristy Schieszer creates goodwill with the good food she makes with daughters Avery, 11, and Sophia, 9.

Last Bite | Dip into some squash with Zucchini Hummus

Fri, 18 May 2012 08:00 CDT

Local chef Amber Shea Crawley's cookbook "Practically Raw" demonstrates how raw foods can be tasty and easy to prepare. "For this light hummus, the mild taste of the zucchini all but disappears behind the assertive flavor of sesame seed" from the tahini, Crawley says.

KC bartenders revive the tang of old-time 'shrubs'

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:00 CDT

Sour is an essential cocktail component. That's why, every day, bartenders across Kansas City squeeze mounds of lemons and limes. But look closely and you'll see another ingredient quietly adding its own tang to drinks -- shrubs. These complex and bright syrups made from fruit, sugar and vinegar are making a comeback.

Gifts for grads

Fri, 25 May 2012 08:00 CDT

This oversized, heavy-duty cloth laundry bag is printed with instructions for washing clothes. Fill it with detergent and clean towels for extra credit.

Architecture A-Z | G for green roof and green wall

Fri, 25 May 2012 08:00 CDT

Here's another entry in our elemental, alphabetical guide to Kansas City's built environment.

Design Notebook | Global textiles are casual and worldly

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:00 CDT

If there is one trend that I am loving, it is the use of global prints in textiles for the home, fashion and art.

Star Magazine interview | Hilda Fuentes, CEO of Samuel Rodgers Health Center

Wed, 23 May 2012 11:00 CDT

Hilda Fuentes is chief executive officer of Samuel Rodgers Health Center in Kansas City. In January, the community health center, which has eight locations, opened a state-of-the-art facility at 825 Euclid Ave.

John Hall: A historian of bush league baseball

Fri, 18 May 2012 05:00 CDT

On the first night of July 1951, the Carthage Cubs shuffled onto rickety buses that would take them from Jaycee Park to the YMCA in Pittsburg, Kan. Their manager barked at them for losing both games of a doubleheader to the Pittsburg Browns.

Put a pretty finish around flower beds

Fri, 18 May 2012 06:00 CDT

Every picture needs a frame. Garden edging is important: It frames flower beds, sets them apart and gives them style, character and contrast. It also marks transitions. In any garden, edges deserve careful attention.

Use metallic accents in your home for a glamorous, futuristic feel

Thu, 17 May 2012 13:00 CDT

If your contemporary living space is getting a little too comfortable, mix it up by adding subtle metallic accents for an ultramodern twist.

The ABCs of chalkboard paint projects

Fri, 11 May 2012 08:00 CDT

Chalkboards may be old-school, but they're the newest accent in home decor. House + Home gleaned an A-to-Z array of chalkboard paint info from Martin and Restoration Emporium, a vintage store in the West Bottoms where a hallway of chalkboards greets shoppers.

Drawing Board | Getting back to the front porch

Fri, 11 May 2012 16:00 CDT

We love our porch. In all but the harshest weather, we treat it as an extension of our home. It adds about 200 square feet of usable space, bumping us from a house that's a bit too small to one that's just right.

Design Notebook | Wallpaper can stretch beyond walls

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:00 CDT

It seems that wallpaper has been around forever, or at least for 2,000 years, dating back to when the Chinese started to hang decorated rice paper on their walls. Since then, wallpaper has been popular, reflecting designs and patterns that change to suit the fashion of the times.

Carolyn Hax | Mom's approval is not forthcoming

Fri, 25 May 2012 16:00 CDT

Q. Dear Carolyn: My husband and I are in our 40s, have twin girls and would like one more child. We are working on the third child, and the only reservation is telling my mother. She is a college-educated woman in her 60s who seems to have some odd definition of the number of children a person should have.

Billy Graham | To find God, we must turn toward Christ

Fri, 25 May 2012 16:00 CDT

Q.DEAR BILLY GRAHAM: My yoga teacher is interested in all kinds of religions, and she says that what we need to do to find God (or "spiritual enlightenment," as she terms it) is to empty our minds of everything, and then we'll experience the divine. Is this what Jesus taught? -- P.J.

Billy Graham | Reconsider your need for God

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:00 CDT

Q.DEAR BILLY GRAHAM: I don't necessarily disagree with what preachers say about Jesus and everything, but I honestly don't feel any need for God. What would you say to someone like me? -- Z.W.

China TV blames Dalai Lama for Tibet immolations

Fri, 18 May 2012 16:00 CDT

China has released a documentary accusing the Dalai Lama of orchestrating a wave of self-immolations by Tibetans, its most elaborate attempt so far to shape international opinion about the protests against Chinese rule.

New book offers revealing look at Revelation

Fri, 18 May 2012 16:00 CDT

The remarkable thing about the End of Times is how timeless it is. Harold Camping, the subject of mockery last year with his ever-shifting predictions about the Apocalypse, was only the latest in a long line of hectoring prophets. Every age, every culture, possibly every person endures that existential panic, a vision of the final high-stakes conflict.

Same-sex marriage issue divides President Obama, many black ministers

Thu, 17 May 2012 05:00 CDT

Civil rights or sin? When it comes to gay marriage, as recently supported by the first African-American president, many black pastors in the Kansas City area see sin.

New Jersey city teaches military cadets lessons in diversity

Fri, 11 May 2012 13:00 CDT

Jersey City, N.J., is one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse places in America, and a group of cadets from the U.S. Military Academy visited the city as part of a class on peacekeeping and reconstruction called Winning the Peace. The class ends in a three-day crash course designed to make the future officers -- and, ultimately, the soldiers under their command -- more sensitive to cultural differences.

Welcome to the 1990s, again

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00 CDT

It might be 2012, but interest in the 1990s is so hot the decade is trending on Twitter.

Dear Abby | Remember service members on Memorial Day

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:00 CDT

Q. Dear Abby: Would you please remind your many readers that the greatest gift we can give to America's fallen is the gift of remembrance? The legacy of those who have died for our freedom -- from the Revolutionary War to the present -- is something that strengthens and unites Americans. I would like every child to say, "I know why I am free, and I know who died for my freedom."

Some grads enter job market picky, picky, picky

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:00 CDT

Having read the survey of college graduates that found nearly 1 in 4 would not take a job that didn't allow them to make or receive personal calls at work makes you wonder if they live in the real world.

Caption contest | Back in the day

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00 CDT

This photo is, as you might guess, from a different era. It will be featured in an upcoming exhibit at the Johnson County Museum in Shawnee. We'll tell you more about it next week.

Dear Abby | Don't let guilt change your plans

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:00 CDT

Q. Dear Abby: My sister "Ruth" and I spent most holidays dining out together after our families grew up and left home. Ruth died last year, and her daughter "Lara" began inviting me for holidays "so I wouldn't be alone." I have tried to decline, but she persists. She insists that I should be with her instead of with friends, although her plans are always tentative and often change at the last minute.

A-list status isn't enough to drive perfume sales

Tue, 22 May 2012 13:00 CDT

To witness the odd power of celebrities at the fragrance counter, look no further than two of today's top women's perfume stars: One is a teenage boy. The other, deceased.

Dear Abby | Peeping neighbor gets the message

Tue, 22 May 2012 13:00 CDT

Q. Dear Abby: From time to time I have read letters in your column about Peeping Toms. You might find our experience interesting.

Too thin? Too fat? Enough already

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:00 CDT

I am not a skinny white girl. But I am skinny. And I'm half white.

Kara Laricks rises to 'Fashion Star' status

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00 CDT

A few years ago, Kara Laricks quit her job as a fourth-grade teacher in the Shawnee Mission School District so she could pursue her dream of working in fashion. That risk paid off in a huge way last week, when Laricks won the first season of NBC's "Fashion Star."

Dear Abby | He proposed but is still married to another

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00 CDT

Q. Dear Abby: I'm a 42-year-old woman who has been living with my boyfriend, "Matt." He has asked me to marry him, and I said yes. The problem is, Matt is still married.

Powell Gardens' 'Fairy Houses & Forts' inspires the imagination

Sun, 20 May 2012 00:00 CDT

That one looks like a beehive, Winnie-the-Pooh-ish but about 12 feet tall. Or is it a giant, fissured egg?

Dear Abby | Bridal shower spinning out of control

Sun, 20 May 2012 13:00 CDT

Q. Dear Abby: I agreed to be maid of honor at my best friend's wedding. I am now planning her bridal shower and just received the guest list from her mother and the groom's mother, "Alicia."

He brings cool to library

Sun, 20 May 2012 13:00 CDT

The Library Guy. That's what we call him.

A hoodie suits Facebook and its CEO

Fri, 18 May 2012 05:00 CDT

Facebook doesn't wear a blazer.

Dear Abby | Cursing brings delicate friend to tears

Fri, 18 May 2012 13:00 CDT

Q. Dear Abby: I'm 19 and have a dear friend, "Emily," who is offended by cussing. She literally has never said a curse word in her life. When I'm around her, I never use swear words because I respect her and her friendship.

Kara Laricks rises to 'Fashion Star' status

Thu, 17 May 2012 15:42 CDT

A few years ago, Kara Laricks quit her job as a fourth-grade teacher in the Shawnee Mission School District so she could pursue her dream of working in fashion.