Can someone take a look at the following paragraphs and give some suggestions so that they can be more fluent and gramatically correct?

Family Dinner at Spring Festival

In recent years, as economy thrives, more and more people prefer dining out during the Chinese New Year. Since it was too troublesome and tiring, my wife and I didn’t bother cooking at home either. Being cheap and convenient, dining at restaurants was a better option.

Unfortunately, we were told that suites of the restaurant had already been fully booked months ago, so we could only dine at home. My wife said, ‘You can take this chance to show your talent as a gourmet!’ ‘From the ancient times to the present, gentlemen keep themselves away from kitchens. We scholars always have high aims but low abilities.’ I smirked.

At Last I was still forced to be the chef for the family dinner in the year of ox. I first drafted a shopping list: three fresh fish, weighing half a catty each; two and a half catties of sliced lamb; three catties of fresh prawns and two catties of pork… I guessed two hundred yuan would do.

My wife’s parents both come from the northeast China and Mongolian hotpot is their favorite. My daughter and her husband are born in the 70’s, while my grandson is born in the 90’s. The teens nowadays are increasingly apathetic toward the celebration of Chinese New Year. When talking about all the customs of Chinese New Year, their mind simply turns blank. Therefore, I am going to give them a good revision during the family dinner.

"In recent years, as the economy thrives"

:‘From ancient times to the present’

"Finally, I was still forced to be the chef for the family dinner ,,,"

Don’t use the expression ‘catty’. Few people know its meaning. It is better to use kilograms or grams. One jin = 500 grams.

"My wife’s parents both come from northeast China"

My daughter and her husband were born in the 70’s, while my grandson was born in the 90’s

their minds simply turn blank

I don’t understand your last sentence. Perhaps ‘revision’ is the wrong word.

my step-father-in-law is rich, he is generous beyond believe, he feeds the homeless 5 nights a week, he loves his wife and her kids (and their wife’s and children), he owns his businesses (he doesn’t wear a suit or tie), he is a christian and is very devoted, he likes to cook (but has storage’s full of cookware and recipe books), he doesn’t wear cologne, he gives away watches that other people buy him… there are a lot of other factors… i’ll edit once i remember..

He is always so nice with us, we love that my "ma" has found real love after being in a love-less relationship for so long, he takes good care of her and loves her so much. We just want to get him something for Xmas that shows him how much we love him too. We’ve already agreed on a beautiful christina card with some good chosen words from us but what kind of gift would be nice for him?
i was thinking of some sort of Gourmet basket…

Basket is a good idea but here’s my take on it. Start with a bottle of non-alcoholic sparkling water and 2 wine glasses. Include a gift certificate for a dinner and movie date or a couple’s message at the local spa. If money isn’t an issue, a special motel would be in order. We have a nearby B&B that dresses up individual rooms like different countries. But if the sparkling water and glass basket is all you can afford, it still gets the point across that you appreciate the man he is and what he’s done for your mother-in-law and indulges him in what he probably wouldn’t spend money on for himself.

I am a fairly skilled cook, but would like to expand my ability and knowledge of cooking. I’d like to be able to prepare and plan gourmet dishes properly and without recipes. I’m not interested in attending a full culinary school. Books are great, but I would prefer an on-line alternative. Are there any good websites for this sort of thing?
I am a fairly skilled cook, but would like to expand my ability and knowledge of cooking. I’d like to be able to prepare and plan gourmet dishes properly and without recipes. I’m not interested in attending a full culinary school or a professional career in cooking. This is just a hobby and not worth the time and cost of culinary school. Books are great, but I would prefer an on-line alternative. Are there any good websites for this sort of thing?

*I’m not looking for full certification. I simply would like to find a good website that might list step by steps on all of the key techniques, information on what spices and ingredients mix well with each other, suggestions on how to create your own recipes, and a step by step guide that will help build your skills and abilities from home, one stage at a time.

Here are some online cooking classes-
http://distancelearn.about.com/od/isitforyou/a/CookingClasses.htm
http://www.cookingschools.com/online/online-culinary-schools-programs.html
http://www.worldwidelearn.com/online-courses/cooking-classes.htm

Or you could just try progressively more difficult dishes-
http://www.grouprecipes.com/tags/difficult/recipe/1/rating
http://www.epicurious.com/

Good luck!

Success Without a College Degree?
Six Hot Shots Who Made It
Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor

Many think the only way to succeed is through education. While piling on the degrees can earn you piles of dough — and debt — it’s not the only option.

Some of today’s most successful people don’t have a college degree. But what they lack in academic credentials, they make up for in tenacity, brains, guts and strong business sense.

Richard Branson
In 1970, Richard Branson founded Virgin as a mail order record retailer, and not long afterward he opened a record shop in London. Two years later, the first Virgin artist, Mike Oldfield, recorded "Tubular Bells." Since then many household names, including Ben Harper, Fatboy Slim, Perry Farrell, Gorillaz, Lenny Kravitz, Janet Jackson and The Rolling Stones have helped to make Virgin Music one of the top record companies in the world.

Branson sold the equity of Virgin Music Group — record labels, music publishing and recording studios — in 1992 in a $1 billion deal, but he remains chairman of Virgin Group, which today includes Virgin Atlantic, Books, Games, LifeCare, Limousines, Megastores and Hotels.

Barry Diller
Barry Diller started his career in the mail room of the William Morris Agency after dropping out of UCLA after one semester. He was hired by ABC in 1966 where he created the ABC Movie of the Week, pioneering the concept of the made-for-television movie.

At age 32, he became president of Paramount Pictures, which produced a string of successful television shows (Laverne and Shirley, Taxi, Cheers) and feature films (Saturday Night Fever, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Beverly Hills Cop) under his helm. From 1984 to 1992, he was chairman and CEO of Fox Studios and was responsible for creating the Fox Broadcasting Company. Today, Diller is the chairman of Expedia and the chairman and CEO of IAC/InterActiveCorp, which includes Citysearch, Evite, Home Shopping Network, Lending Tree, Match.com and Ticketmaster .

Matt Drudge
Pundit, blogger and radio personality Matt Drudge is best known as the proprietor of the Drudge Report Web site. "The only good grades I got in school were for current events," he has said of his education. Drudge opted out of college and floated among a number of odd jobs including convenience store clerk, book salesman and grocery store sales assistant.

In 1989, he moved to Los Angeles and took a job in the gift shop of CBS studios, eventually working his way up to manager. The inside scoop he learned while in this position was allegedly part of the inspiration for founding his gossip rag The Drudge Report. The tabloid made gained notoriety when it was the first to break the news of a relationship between White House intern Monica Lewinsky and President Bill Clinton in 1998.

Janus Friis
Named to Time Magazine’s 2006 list of 100 most influential people, Janus Friis holds no formal education. He worked at the help desk of CyberCity, one of Denmark’s first ISPs and later worked at Tele2, the leading alternative consumer oriented pan-European telecom operator. It was at Tele2 where Friis met Niklas Zennström, with whom he co-founded the file-sharing application KaZaA and Skype, the peer-to-peer telephony application. In early 2006, Friis and Zennström sold Skype to eBay for $2.6 billion.

Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray’s career started at Macy’s department store, first at the candy counter and then as the manager of the fresh foods department. Ray quickly followed with stints in gourmet markets and restaurants in New York. At gourmet food market Cowan & Lobel, she began a series of cooking classes — 30 Minute Meals. Those classes became so popular that she was soon doing weekly segments for the evening news.

Today, Ray is an Emmy-winning television personality who hosts a nationally syndicated talk show and four different programs the Food Network, publishes her own magazine, and has written multiple cookbooks.

Jeff Valdez
Named one of AdAge’s Marketing 50 in 2005, Jeff Valdez grew up the youngest of nine children in a housing project in Pueblo, Colorado. As a young adult, he moved through several jobs and ended up as a drummer with a lounge band called Wildfire. Valdez later returned to Colorado after about 10 years of touring and opened a comedy club where he did stand-up. In 1990, he threw his hat into the political ring and made a failed bid for mayor of Colorado Springs. But in 2004, he launched Si TV, the first all-English language network targeting a Hispanic audience.

Anna Wintour
Best identified by her trademark sunglasses and pageboy hairstyle, Anna Wintour is an icon of the fashion world. She reportedly attended North London Collegiate School, but never graduated. She started in 1970 working in the fashion department of Harpers and Queen in London. In 1976, she was named fashion editor of Harper’s Bazaar, followed by a brief stint at New York Magazine, three years as creative director of American Vogue, and finally named editor of British Vogue in 1986.

In 1998, she became editor-in-chief of American Vogue. Wintour’s work style is so notorious, the novel "The Devil Wears Prada" and its subsequent motion picture are said to be based on her. In recent years, she’s focused on many philanthropic endeavors including raising more than $10 million for AIDS, putting Vogue’s support behind women-owned businesses in Kabul, Afganistan, and promoting various post-9/11 campaigns.

Sources: Virgin Group Web site, "Tavis Smiley" on PBS, FoodTV.com, Washington Post Company Web site, Museum of Broadcast Communications, Time.com, BusinessWeek.com, Hispanictrends.com, Skype.com, Vogue.com

Nope, not at all. If your entrepreneurial skills enable you to start and grow your own company you can be the CEO even if your are illiterate.

However if you are so fortunate to do this it is a good idea to hire people with college degrees and surround yourself with intelligent, capable, reputable people. That will help you stay in a position to keep hiring the best and improving your company.

Bill Gates, Dave Thomas, Howard Hughes, Sam Walton and Mary Kay Ash are a few who’ve done it without college degrees.

My doctor recommended the diet by Dr. Mercola. He has a book out called "The No-Grain Diet". It isn’t as harsh as Atkins, but allows lots of low-carb vegetables, and very little fruit, at some point (like Granny Smith apples).

Problem is, his recipes are so gourmet, I would spend my entire day shopping and cooking.

I need a no-frills easy low-carb diet menu. Does anyone have any suggestions for a low-carb menu? Thanks in advance.

you could buy the lean body carb watch meal replacement sachets. total nutrition in a low cal formula. you dont need to eat anything else with this.

or have soupy meals. my dietician says to keep stock handy. put chicken and veg pieces in stock. let it come to a boil. 0 fat and power-packed.

Anyone know the recipe or name of this dish? Its like a bake ziti with a white sauce. It was by no means healthy. It had a bunch of eggs, butter and Parmesan cheese. I have made it before from a cookbook I had. I believe it was in the book -
"The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines, China, Greece, Rome, Delicious Recipes From the Cultures That Most Influenced Western Cooking"

This is by no means healthy, but certainly is delicious!

Penne with 5 Cheeses

Kosher salt
2 C. heavy cream
1 C. crushed tomatoes in thick tomato puree
1/2 c freshly grated Pecorino Romano (1 1/2 oz.)
1/2 c. shredded imported Italian fontina (1 1/2 oz.)
1/4 c. crumbled Italian Gorgonzola (1 1/2 oz.)
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1/4 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 pound imported penne rigate pasta
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil in a stockpot.
Combine all the ingredients except the penne and butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
Drop the penne into the boiling water and parboil for 4 minutes. Drain well in a colander and add to the ingredients in the mixing bowl, tossing to combine. Divide the pasta mixture among 6 shallow ceramic gratin dishes (1 1/2 to 2 c. capacity) Dot with the butter and bake until bubbly brown on top, 7 to 10 minutes.

–Ina Garten

1) A Guide to Arab Democracies

2) A Journey through the Mind of Dennis Rodman

3) Amelia Earhart’s Guide to the Pacific Ocean

4) Career Opportunities for History Majors

5) Contraception by Pope John Paul II

6) Detroit – A Travel Guide (with a forward by H. Mainhardt)

7) Different Ways to Spell “BOB”

Dr. Kevorkian’s Collection of Motivational Speeches

9) Easy UNIX

10) Canadian Tips on World Dominance

11) Everything Men Know About Women

12) French Hospitality

13) Bob Dole: The Wild Years

14) How to Sustain a Musical Career by Art Garfunkel

15) Mike Tyson’s Guide to Dating Etiquette

16) Mormon Divorce Lawyers

17) Popular Lawyers

18) Staple Your Way to Success

19) Tasty Bile Recipes

20) The Amish Phone Book

21) Gypsy Sports Heroes

22) Gourmet Recipes From Michigan

23) Chic Mormon Hairstyles

24) Remarkable Texans

25) Around the World in a Peugeot

26) Fat-free German Cooking

27) English Tanning Secrets

28) The Charm of the South

29) Swiss Beaches- A Guide

30) Spicy Irish Cooking

31) Brilliant Spanish Military Campaigns

32) Great Cars of Russia

33) Advances in Chinese Human Rights

34) Investing – The Albanian Way

these are pretty good…….

My boyfriend and I are both sixteen, and we’ve been dating for a long time. We always get each other really adorable gifts. His favorite candy is M&M’s, so for his last birthday, I bought him personalized green M&M’s (we have an inside joke about the green ones), and I got him a bunch of gourmet cupcakes and balloons and stuff.

For Christmas, I already this necklace made for him that has an anchor on it and like another tag that says "only you can hold me down". His family has a yacht and he sails and scuba dives over the summer, so that explains the anchor. I also got him two v-necks, a t-shirt, and a flannel from Urban Outfitters, and I’m baking him a bunch of different Christmas cookies and making chocolate covered pretzels and stuff.

I want to get him one more big gift, but I don’t know what. Money is not an issue, and don’t tell me I shouldn’t be spending so much money on him – we always spoil each other. (Both of his parents are doctors, and he works at a dentists office.) Anyway, I want it to be Original.

Please don’t tell me to cook for him, I do that all the time.
Don’t tell me sex…I do not view that as an actual gift.
Pictures in a frame or a scrapbook is girly, as well as that coupon book idea.
No mix CD’s, or anything simple like that.
I want something he’ll actually use.
He already has an iPod touch, and his parents are getting him a laptop for Christmas…so those ideas are shot. He doesn’t like video games that much.
He plays hockey, but doesn’t like any specific hockey team…so sports tickets would be difficult.
Most of the bands he listens to are old (like The Beatles), so concert tickets would be difficult.

Any ideas? Please please(:

thats so cuteee:DD
it’s good to know that people can prove wrong that whole teenage love thing(;
buuut, for gift ideas- a jersey to any hockey team since he doesn’t have a favorite, or an autographed puck or something. you could get him nikes or something too:P ahah, i can’t really think of any other suggestions. sorry, but i hope it helps!

Once there was a girl who wanted a boyfriend. Her mom wanted to help her, so she set up a blind date for her daughter.

When the girl got back from the date she said "That was the worst night of my life!"

"Why is that?" her mom asked.

"He owns a 1922 Rolls Royce!"

"Isn’t that a good thing?"

"He’s the original owner mom!"

———–

A mild-mannered man was tired of being bossed around by his wife so he went to a psychiatrist.

The psychiatrist said he needed to build his self-esteem, and so gave him a book on assertiveness, which he read on the way home.

He had finished the book by the time he reached his house.

The man stormed into the house and walked up to his wife.

Pointing a finger in her face, he said, "From now on, I want you to know that I am the man of this house, and my word is law! I want you to prepare me a gourmet meal tonight, and when I’m finished eating my meal, I expect a sumptuous dessert afterward. Then, after dinner, you’re going to draw me my bath so I can relax. And when I’m finished with my bath, guess who’s going to dress me and comb my hair?"

"The funeral director," said his wife.

—

How To Ask A Man To Do Something

Always remember these six important rules when asking a man to do something:

1. Make sure the man is conscious.

2. Crash the hard drive on his computer and line the bird cage with the sports section.

3. Be brief! Limit your nagging speech to two, three hours, max.

4. Reward him for cooperative behavior. Offer to cook him something that doesn’t have a peel-back cover.

5. Punish him when he refuses to cooperate. Microwave his remote on high power for 55 minutes.

Rotate 1/4 turn, and microwave again for another 35 minutes.

6. Use "would you" or "will you" instead of "you’d better" or "do as I say and no one will get hurt."

—–

One day three blondes were walking down the beach when they saw that something had washed up on the beach.

The first blonde shouts, "Look it’s a dinosaur!"

The second blonde says, "No stupid. It’s the Titanic. Duh."

The third blonde chuckles. "You’re both dumb. It’s obviously a genie in a bottle." So she proceeds to pick up the bottle and rub it. Sure enough! A genie pops out!

The genie streched and looks around to find the three blondes. "Normally," the genie said, "I would grant three wishes, but since there are three of you, you each get one wish."

The first blonde steps forward. "Ok, I don’t like being a dumb blonde so I want to be 50% smarter."

The genie bobs his head and says, "Done." He turns her into a brunette.

The second blonde says, "I don’t like being a dumb blonde either so I want to be 100% smarter!" The genie turns her into a redhead.

The last blonde ponders her wish for a moment and finally says, "I LIKE being a dumb blonde. I want to be 100% dumber."

The genie turns her into a man.

—-

To be happy with a man, you must understand him a lot and love him a little.

To be happy with a woman, you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.

—

Walking up to a department store’s fabric counter, a pretty girl asked, "I want to buy this material for a new dress. How much does it cost?"

"Only a kiss a yard, " replied the smirking male clerk.

"That’s fine," replied the girl. "I’ll take ten yards."

With expectation and anticipation written all over his face, the clerk hurriedly measured out and wrapped the cloth, then held it out teasingly. The girl snapped up the package and pointed to a little old man standing beside her. "Grandpa will pay the bill," she smiled.

-
Ok, a blonde walks into a building and goes up to a lady and says "Can I have a cheeseburger, fries and a shake?"

The lady looks at her dumbfounded and says
"Miss, this is a library."

So the blonde moves closer and whispers,
"Can I have a cheeseburger, fries and a shake?"

Thanks for lightening up things. At first I did not get the last one but did in the end.

Do others find theseannoying? There seem to be two types 1. Which is the most luxurious, butler services, gourmet cooking hotels in the city or 2. Which is the VERY cheapest, even if you are sleeping in a dirty dorm, hotel in the city. Most of us are looking for something between these two extremes. safe, clean, courteous and reasonably priced. There is an article on Yahoo today about making your tourist $ go further in these days of the dropping $, saying that you can stay in a room in a luxery hotel in Bangkok for $270/night, believe me there is good accomodation available at $60 and OK at $30

There are as many styles of travel as there are travellers. And, I try to be non-judgemental of those who choose a different style from my own…
The problem is this: Travel is not a passive experience. Travel is not something we get done to us, like a haircut or a massage. Travel is not something out there that we find on the road. Good travel is life-changing travel. But good travel is a creative act, a fusion of the traveler and the world.

So instead of trying to rack up trips, instead of trying to see every place on earth before you die, I say go for for quality instead of quantity. Pick one place you think you’d love and go there completely. Too many people out there, from luxury travelers to backpackers, seem to just be traveling for bragging rights. They’ll hit dozens and dozens of countries and have nothing to show except a few posed shots with “the locals.”
Anything else smacks of your own form of elitism. If someone enjoys getting a small taste of 100 places, or an emersion in 2 places, good for them.