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Know Your Techniques: Rondelle and Diagonal

Camilla Salem — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:23:59 PST

Cutting cylindrical vegetables may seem pretty straightforward, but there are actually a couple of ways to go about it. Much like the mince or the brunoise, cutting a vegetable properly ensures great texture and flavor in your dishes.

The first cut is known as a rondelle, which is simply circular coins. Hold the knife perpendicular to the vegetable and slice evenly.

For a more elegant cut, angle the knife slightly and cut diagonal pieces from the cylindrical vegetable.

Which of these cylindrical vegetable cuts do you prefer? With what recipes do you use this cut?

Southern California Cool: Amber Lewis Take Us on a House Tour

Elka Karl — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:00:07 PST

My nominee for Elle Decor's Bloggers' Choice feature, Amber Lewis, is the founder of Amber Interiors, a design firm that mixes gorgeous textiles with one-of-a-kind pieces that reflect Amber's design philosophy that "chic should be comfortable and functional."

Amber started her career when she turned her love of mixing bold textures and patterns into a small textile and pillow company. After spending time at fashion school for textile design, Amber attended UCLA's Interior Design program and created her first interior design firm shortly thereafter.

LA born and bred, Amber adores her home city. She notes, "I grew up in LA, at the beach to be precise, so I have a love/love relationship with this city. I have traveled all over and I always love coming home. There is something about the weather in LA that is like nowhere I have ever been. It is 74 degrees pretty much every day, 365 days a year. We live outside of LA so it feels a bit removed from the hustle and bustle, but I know I am a 30-minute drive from the city or the beach. It's really a special place."

Amber's currently crazy-busy with multiple projects, and she's launching an online shop soon that will sell pillows, rugs, and extraordinary finds. Make sure to keep checking her blog for the launch date!

Amber recently took us along on a hour tour of her gorgeous 1960's California ranch-style home, which she and her husband bought from the original owner. Amber admits, "the decor and layout was awful but now it's open and airy and just what we wanted." See how she adapted the house to meet her aesthetic (and to look fashionable even while living with pets and a toddler) when you keep clicking!

From the Community: The Fab 15 Total-Body Circuit Workout

Fit Community — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:24:05 PST

Reader FitFabCities has a simple 15-minute workout for you - no equipment needed! She shared it with us in our FitSugar Community.

Want to know how Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie, Sofia Vergara, Penélope Cruz, Minka Kelly, and Brooke Burke get their killer curves? Well, their superfit shapes come courtesy of Gunnar Peterson. Gunnar is one of my favorite celebrity trainers, and he’s the go-to guy for actresses, models, musicians, and even professional athletes who count on being in amazing shape for their jobs.

Learn more about this workout after the break!

Get Great Benefits by Taking on One of These 11 Part-Time Jobs

LearnVest — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:15:46 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

“Underemployment” is a term that, compared to “unemployment,” more fully captures the lack of job opportunities.

The underemployed includes the unemployed as well as those employed part-time but wanting full-time work.

According to a recent poll, underemployment is currently at 18.1 percent. That’s down from 18.3 percent the month prior, and 19 percent a year ago. While these numbers are still high, there are opportunities to work part-time. You won’t make as much money as you would with a full-time job, but with many part-time positions, you’ll not only earn a salary but also score some great perks.

Related: the 10 Fastest-Growing Jobs

We’ve put together a list of 11 big-name companies that provide big benefits to its part-time workers. Whether they're offering free merchandise, health insurance benefits, or tuition aid, these employers certainly make it worth your while to work, even if you’re only putting in 20 hours a week.

Whole Foods

After part-timers have worked 400 hours, they get health, dental, and vision plans, as well as 401(k) retirement plans, paid time off, and a 20 percent employee discount. After working 6,000 hours, employees are offered stock options.

Target

Work at Target as few as two and a half days a week for six months, and you can become eligible for Target’s health care coverage. Employees also get access to other health benefits like free flu vaccinations, a 24-hour nurse hotline, and discounts for Weight Watchers.

Read on for more.

Glee-ful Highlights From Episode "Heart"

Lizzie Fuhr — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:00:21 PST

It's Valentine's Day at McKinley, and everyone gets in on the action in this week's episode of Glee. For the lesson, Mr. Schuester wants everyone to choose a great love song to perform, which means a lot of the action takes place in the relationship department. Finn and Rachel try to get everyone excited about their upcoming nuptials; Brittany and Santana deal with scrutiny of the nature of their relationship, and Mercedes and Sam may love each other, but they just can't seem to get it together.

At first, I was pretty excited that "Heart" was going to be an episode full of musical numbers, but it feels a little plot driven for my taste. Regardless, there's a lot happened this week, so get in on all details after the jump.

Jenna Lyons Dishes on Sequins, Hidden Talents, and J.Crew's Collaboration With Manolo Blahnik!

Allison McNamara — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:44:05 PST

We can't get enough of Jenna Lyons's perfect balance of masculine and feminine. Known for mixing the formal and the informal seamlessly, we found out Jenna's tip to styling sequins for day and how to try out Fall's head-to-toe prints. Plus, creating expertly polished ensembles isn't Jenna's only hidden talent. Want to know more? Watch today's Fab Flash! On Allison McNamara: H&M top.

Messed Up on an Interview? Ask For Another Chance

Emily Co — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:00:04 PST

If thinking about your last interview makes you cringe, you may want to ask your interviewer for a second go at it if you know you're qualified for the position. Apparently, it can work in some circumstances, according to Glassdoor.com. But you need to be honest and humble when attempting to ask for another chance. Another idea to get a second interview is to ask someone to step in for you. Perhaps a friend, colleague, or recruiter who is willing to vouch for you and your abilities.

Sometimes asking for a second interview may work for you, because the employer may view it in a positive light and respect your attempt. Glassdoor says:

It takes courage to request a second chance and some employers may admire that, said Tashana Sims-Hudspeth, a Columbus, Ohio-based human resource manager who also teaches on HR and being successful in college. She suggests an approach that includes an apology, a general explanation of what went wrong, and a request for a second chance. The candidate must be very clear how much they want to work at the employer and then use their personal judgment on giving a detailed explanation on what contributed to their bad performance.

If you were told that you weren't picked because another job candidate had a skill you didn't possess, Keystone Associate’s Pennell Locey says you should take a six-week class to brush up on the skill, or gain the experience through volunteering for a two-month charity project. After you've gained the knowledge or the experience, write back to the hiring manager to let them know that you have put in the effort to attain the missing skills and experience they were looking for. If you do possess those qualities, Locey encourages job seekers to write a brief follow-up email and cite one or two examples that highlight them. Personally, I think there's no harm in trying for a second chance and that the worst response you can get is a "no." As long as you go about it with finesse, reaching out to employers again might leave them with a good, and more memorable, impression of you, and they may potentially keep you in mind for future positions.

Oh Please! Worst Gym Pickup Lines

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:51:19 PST

It's Valentine's Day and maybe you have found love at the gym (I met my hubby in a yoga class!) While there's nothing wrong with a little harmless flirting during a workout, some people take it a little too far. Sometimes Cupid's arrow really misses the mark. To celebrate these awkward blunders, we've rounded up some of the worst pickup lines overhead at gyms. Maybe one of these has been used on you?

Read on for some cringe-worthy come-ons:

I know milk does a body good, but baby, how much have you been drinking?
Your daddy must have been a baker, because you've got a sweet set of buns.
You look like a cool glass of refreshing water, and I am the thirstiest man in the world.
Do you have tickets? [you say, "Tickets?"] Yeah, do you have tickets? Tickets to the gun show. [he flexes biceps]
I know an activity that’s fun and burns 350 calories an hour . . .
Are your legs tired? Because you've been running through my mind all day long.
Do you squat here often?

Keep reading for more cheesy gym pickup lines.

Whitney's Chris D'Elia Is Back With More Relationship Advice

Annie Scudder — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:00:09 PST

Single and looking for eligible, normal guys? Don't move to LA, says Chris D'Elia, who plays a lovable and hilarious boyfriend on NBC's Whitney. That's some of the advice the standup comedian dished out in response to our readers' questions. Yesterday he addressed your Valentine's Day dilemmas, and today's he's back to tackle general dating and love debacles.

Is it fair to barter TV shows with my fiancé? As in, two hours of The Bachelor equals half of a football game?

Chris: Look, I don't like football, but if I did and I wanted to watch it, then I would expect to have to sit and watch something like The Bachelor, and I would try my best to get into it, or at least find why she liked it. The other alternative is like, "OK, I want to watch football you want to watch The Bachelor, then let's agree on something else." But then neither of you get to watch what you want to. For The Bachelor, I'd want to watch Dexter.

Where do normal men hang out in LA? If you can solve this mystery (preferably with a chart that includes days of the week, locations, and "type" of guy) I guarantee you could sell it for millions in addition to making this single lady very happy.

Chris: I don't think that's a fair question. I think people move to LA because they're not normal.

What's the best way to suggest to any man that he needs to get some new clothes?

Chris: The worst thing you could do is beat around the bush, or side step it. You got to just say it. But I had an ex, and she was like "you got to get Converse," and she kept saying it - "get Converse." I was finally like, "OK, I'll get a pair of Converse." And I got a pair of Converse. I got those regular Chuck Taylor ones, but I literally got every single color of the Converse, and I wore them all the time. And a year later, she was like "All you wear is Converse." So you have to be careful with that, you'll create a monster.

Why do men need their man caves?

Chris: I think that men think they need their man caves. They don't really do. They think they want them, and then the second they do get them and they have alone time and time away from the girl, and the girl is really cool with giving them alone time, then that's when they, or at least I, start to think, "So, why are you so cool with me being alone? What's wrong with me that you don't want to be with me every second."

How can I ask my husband to do housework without sounding like a task master?

Chris: Don't make a list. Don't pin anything up on the fridge. I'm a dude, obviously, and when I'm not in a relationship, I don't do any of that stuff. I don't do laundry until I want to. But if I live with a girl, you have to do it when she wants to or when we want to, which sucks. That totally messes up my day. So just come out and just say it. Just have a good attitude about it and don't wait until you get frustrated.

How would you describe your perfect woman and how could she attract your attention?

Chris: Tweet at me. That gets my attention. The number one thing is, you have to have a good attitude. Find the humor and the fun in things that aren't even fun. The two things that turn me off completely are negativity and if a girl's cheap. I mean, I'll pay for everything, but if a girl just mentions it, that's a turn off. That and DON'T WEAR FLIP-FLOPS. It's terrible. I mean come on. Put something on your feet. What if you have to run away? You're dead.

I'm moving in with my boyfriend next month and it's the first time I'm living with a man. What should I prepare for? Get the answer and much more advice from Chris below!

Guy-Approved! Chick Flicks They'll Actually Watch

BuzzSugar — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:45:32 PST

Men have a reputation for not being the biggest fans of Valentine's Day as a holiday - or the mushy films that often accompany it. But have no fear, because there are a few gems that you can convince him to watch this weekend. How do we know? We polled the guys at PopSugar HQ! Read on to see their secret favorite chick flicks and why their picks are guy-friendly.