Dee Power

After the agents, editors, and the marketing departments at publishing houses have all made their decisions about what will be published, in what quantities, and how the finished product will look, there is one final decision maker who ultimately decides what books will be presented for sale to consumers: The buyer for the bookstores.

Say "TV dinner" and it brings to mind aluminum foil trays holding portions of meat, potatoes and vegetables, each nestled in its own little compartment. The food may or may not have been tasty but it was filling, fast and didn't strain the household budget. Today there are a myriad of choices in prepared frozen dinners.

Fruits are the ripened ovaries of plants. A flower blooms, is fertilized and seeds produced inside the ovary. The tissue surrounding the ovary is called a pericarp and may be edible as is the case with apples or hard and dry as is the case with nuts. A simple fruit means one flower produces one ovary which results in one fruit.

Buffalo, or bison, as it's sometimes called, is leaner than beef. The filet cut is tender because it comes from the same basic area on the buffalo as the filet mignon comes on a steer. Since there is so little of the filet, only about 10 lbs. on a 1500 lb. live buffalo, it is a pricey cut of meat. Cooking buffalo filet is similar to cooking beef filet mignon.

Body and hand lotions commercially produced contain ingredients which are good for preserving the lotion for a long shelf life but maybe aren't so good for your skin. Make your own lotions so you know exactly what it contains.

Freezer burn is caused by meat being exposed to extremely cold dry air: The exact conditions inside your freezer. The meat turns leathery and a gray-brown color. It's safe to eat, in that it won't harm you or make you sick, but the meat is chewy with an odd texture.

Adding dried lemon rind to salad dressings, dips and yogurt gives it an intensely lemony flavor not possible with just lemon juice. When you're on a weight loss program, adding lemon peel ads flavor but no calories.

Pork steak is a less-tender cut of meat which usually demands moist slow cooking. Very thin pork steaks are sometimes tenderized by pounding them even thinner, coating with flour and then pan frying. Thicker pork steaks benefit from browning to seal in the juices and then simmering in liquid until tender. A marinade adds flavor and helps tenderize the meat if the marinade is acid based. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions to the pan. Saute until translucent, about three or four minutes.

A press release is simply an announcement of a newsworthy event, information that is timely, entertaining, interesting, or helpful. A punchy headline is critical in getting your press release noticed. Releases can be distributed by email, snail mail, or fax. Do not use attachments with a press release. Most editors...

The game of golf is steeped in history. Golfers are appreciative of the game's history, and enjoy learning about the great players of the past, and the memorable tournaments. Just watch any major championships on TV: there are always segments about prior championships played on that course, who won, and...