Hamilton (left) and Hirsheimer (right). Photo: Andre Baranowski

You know this feeling: you charge into the grocery store, crinkled list in hand, full steam ahead with the cart. Paper towels, laundry detergent--you're on a tear. "Chicken" is on the list, and you know that means chicken thighs, because thighs are what you always buy. "Pasta"--that means your usuals, linguine or penne. And so on: potatoes (always Idahos), rice (always Carolina), cheese (always Jarlsberg), down the list. There's nothing wrong with food shopping this way; we all do it. But Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton, friends for 20-something years and co-writers of the seasonal cooking journal Canal House Cooking, have found a way to break out of this habit and make shopping for dinner much more fun.

About three years ago, they began food shopping for each other. It started as a favor, but now it's a game. They don't do it all the time, just every so often, and when they do, those normal conventions of what they always buy go flying out the window. No boneless, skinless anythings. Why buy chicken thighs when you can get the whole bird? Pasta: how about something different, like pappardelle? Into the cart go breasts of veal, ruffly savoy cabbage, ground lamb. "Doing the grocery shopping can be kind of dreary," Hamilton says, "especially if you're in a store that's not particularly inspiring." But shopping for a friend gets you excited about grabbing things.

I am the crazy lady in pumps racing down the street after work to get home to my kids...only to burst through the door to find them splayed out on on the floor watching Toy Story 3 for the tenth time. The problem: how to have the kind of traditional school-is-out family summer fun--say, a trip to the beach or a monopoly marathon--when you don't have the full day to spend together? 

Photo: Thinkstock

First there was MySpace. Everyone said to try that. I did and a bunch of creepy, upsetting males emailed me. So I switched to Facebook to connect with people I actually wanted to talk to. Then I tried LinkedIn to meet other people who might one day give me a job. Then I did Twitter, because I wanted to seem "relevant" and not old and befuddled, despite the fact that my Twitter posts portray me as just that. (Example: 20-inch suitcases: better to pack small and not have enough clothes? Or big and have to haul clothes?)  So a few weeks ago, when Google started its own social networking site, Google Plus, I threw up my hands. I can't keep up. I am actually irrelevant, and I am okay with it. But should I be hobnobbing with the glitterati at a cocktail party (or hanging at the make your-own-phony espresso machine at work), I want to be able to keep up with the conversation of those in the know. Thus I made up this cheat sheet of "talking points"  that will enable anybody to sound reasonably cogent when it comes to your online social life.

Photo: Courtesy of Givenchy

Self-tanner is a smart alternative to spending days baking in the sun, but applying it can be tricky, especially to your face. (Not to mention the Oompa Loompa factor). That's why we're glad we found Givenchy's Mister Radiant. This weightless clear gel is filled with gold and bronze beads that distribute color as you rub it in--leaving you with a subtle glow minus the commitment and the streaks. Plus, it gives enough coverage that skipping foundation--especially appealing on hot, sticky days--is an option.

Givenchy Mister Radiant, $36

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When Claudia Kincaid, heroine of From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, grew tired of the injustice of having to both empty the dishwasher and set the table on the same night and bored of the sameness of every week, she devised a plan to break free from the monotony of everything. That plan involved running away from home to hole up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and for many readers of E.L. Konigsberg's 1977 children's classic--I include myself among them--a museum-based slumber party has long represented the ultimate escape fantasy.

I still haven't figured out a way to sleep in a bed that is also an 18th-century work of art, but the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is offering an opportunity Claudia Kincaid would have schlepped across the country for.

Photo: Thinkstock

The simplicity of sangria--a little fruit, a little wine, and there's your fiesta--is part of the drink's allure. And I'll take a cold glass of the traditional version any summer day (here's Art Smith's sangria, which was served at the Oprah Show farewell dinner). Still, playing with the recipe, whether by swapping in a different fruit or alcohol, or introducing a completely new flavor, can be fun. Here are six food bloggers' creative takes on the classic.

Lambrusco Sangria from Chow.com
Be delicate when you stir otherwise you'll kill the bubbles.

Raspberry Thyme Sangria from Food Republic
Muddled raspberries and thyme go nicely with Prosecco (if you like your sangria spritzy) or Rose (if you prefer it more full-bodied).

Sake Sangria from Daily Loaf
Peaches and plums play up the flavors in sake and plum wine.

Sangria and Iced Coffee from the Women's Health blog
A non-alcoholic version that blends coffee, juices, fruit and soda water.

Summer White Sangria with Pink Peppercorns from Food52.com
Let muscovado sugar, cinnamon, pink peppercorns and mint leaves work their magic on fresh, ripe fruit and wine for a good half-hour before drinking.

Starfruit Sangria from Serious Eats
A cross between spiked lemonade and sangria, this drink can be made with club soda or ginger beer.

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