On a chilly afternoon I'm sitting at my desk, looking at a giant picture of a chocolate pot de crème on my computer screen, yearning for a cold evening when I might concoct it, right down to the perfect three-pronged mint leaf. I learn that this high-styled dessert is, in fact, vegan. It was created by chef and cookbook author Lisa Slater, and is now pictured on the Women's Post website as a "Recipe of the Day." My eyes narrow. My initial yearning about-faces to a feeling that I've been dup...

It would be a fable to say that I adore children and dream of having a family someday; it’s just not my reality. I can’t scrounge up an inkling of a maternal instinct. Yet there was something (almost) tempting about the idea when I drove the Volvo XC70 T6 AWD — it’s the perfect car for parents. The XC70 has always been a dedicated family vehicle, but the new 2009 model has become the ideal family crossover vehicle. Volvo is known for its safety record, but has gone the extra step wit...

Thirty years after the introduction of the Dodge Caravan, the idolatry associated with the minivan — that sacred family vehicle — is no more. Overweight and thirsty, the minivan has been eclipsed by its mini-me: the Mazda5. Always on the cutting edge, Mazda foresaw changing consumer needs when they replaced the aging MPV with the 5 in 2006. Since its introduction, the Mazda5 has managed to carve its own little niche as a “Multi-Activity Vehicle.” The 5 has a distinctive look (admi...

The day I picked up the 2008 Volkswagen GTI, I felt five years old again — with a brand new toy. The GTI has received phenomenal reviews within the past year and I couldn’t wait to see what all the fuss was about. I was not disappointed. Every time I got behind the wheel of the car, I had a maniacal grin on my face and found myself in blind ignorance of posted speed limits. At first glance, you could mistake the GTI for the re-styled VW Rabbit; the only obvious exterior difference is th...

Even I, whose cell phone languishes unanswered, have become a techie: There’s nothing I like more than hooking up a new gadget, or network, or solving a problem with my satellite, laptop, iPod, or TiVo. I spend far too much time pondering the various bits of equipment I need to layer 1s and 0s in a series of grids over my new study, so I can access whatever information I want, whenever I want it, in whichever medium I need it. I wish they could all be visible, on a transparent, people-sized ...