Blog Posts by Oprah.com

By Lynn Andriani

There's a reason most people make pesto from basil. Its bright, flowery flavor makes it a natural for everything from pasta to bruschetta to grilled chicken. Jekka McVicar, an English herb expert who travels the world to find new and exotic herbs, agrees: "Basil is such a king when it comes to pesto." Although McVicar hasn't had much success with other herb pestos (mint pesto "doesn't have the same oomph"; coriander pesto "was revolting; the coriander went all slimy on me"), she has found another green that rivals basil when it comes to pesto: arugula.

RELATED: How to Grow Your Own Herbs

It isn't an herb, technically, but no matter. "Arugula has oomph, because it has that wonderful meaty, peppery flavor. That, combined with nuts, is just superb," McVicar says. The essential ingredient in McVicar's arugula pesto is lemon-the combination of the juice and zest's zing with the almost spicy arugula "is just magic," McVicar says. She serves arugula pesto on pasta, as a dip

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Photo: ThinkstockQuestions about hairstyling, color and maintenance? Don't worry-O beauty director Valerie Monroe has the answers. She gives you the straight (or wavy, or curly) story on how to keep your hair looking its best.

RELATED: Summer Hair: Your 3 Step, No-Heat Plan

Q: My hair keeps breaking; how can I prevent split ends?

A: This is one of those questions I'm asked with startling regularity-like three times a day. And I think there's a good reason: Unless you're a haircare zealot-by which I mean you see your stylist without fail every six weeks for a trim, you never overshampoo or overstyle with heated tools, and you wouldn't go near a chemical treatment-some breakage and split ends are inevitable. But a few suggestions from master stylist Barry Reitman at Kevin Josephson Salon in Beverly Hills can help:

RELATED: The Best Products for Every Hair Type

• Use a moisturizing shampoo and rinse-out conditioner, concentrating the product on your split ends.
• Rinse with cool water to seal the hair's

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Photo: Alessandra PetlinBy Arianna Davis

Fifteen years ago, pastor Susan Sparks didn't even go to church. She was an attorney for Citibank, drafting contracts and defending litigation claims. After hours, she exercised her natural talent for making people laugh, performing stand-up in small comedy clubs around Manhattan. But when she went to bed at night, Sparks felt an absence of purpose: "My parents taught me to leave things better than I found them," she remembers. "I used to lie there and think, What did I leave better today?" So she quit her job, packed a bag, and set off to find her true calling.

RELATED: Who Are You Meant to Be?

"I was raised in a very conservative-and alienating-Baptist tradition down South, and that was all I knew," Sparks says. "I wanted to sink into new religions." So she spent time with a Hindu family in India, meditated with Buddhist monks in Nepal, and visited an imam in Cairo. But her turning point came at Mother Teresa's orphanage in Calcutta, where she met a 5-year-old deaf

Read More »from Career Changer: Why she quit law to preach

Photo: Courtesy of Elna BakerBy Elna Baker

Because my older sister Tina was marrying a Turkish Muslim instead of a fellow Mormon, the Mormon bishop at the microphone had been instructed not to use religious words in his sermon. "There is something...divine about marriage," he stumbled awkwardly. I stood nearby in a red bridesmaid's dress, looking out at my mother's pious Mormon relatives and my father's Mexican relations, among them two aunts who had smuggled in vodka in their water bottles. Across the aisle sat Mustafa's Turkish family, the women in colorful headscarves. The night before, at a traditional henna ceremony, my mother and I had locked eyes as Tina's head and face were covered with a black and gold veil, her hands bound with cloth bags. We're an open-minded family, but we also saw Not Without My Daughter.

RELATED: The Benefits of Having an Unconventional Family

My siblings and I had nontraditional Mormon childhoods, raised in Spain and London around all kinds of people. On holidays we alternated

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Photo: ThinkstockBy Lynn Andriani

I consider myself pretty savvy when it comes to food myths-or at least when it comes to debunking them-which is why I figured out awhile ago that putting an avocado pit in guacamole does not keep it from turning brown. But a new book, Lobsters Scream When You Boil Them: And 100 Other Myths About Food and Cooking by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, helped me to understand why. It seems that the pit trick does work, albeit in a tiny way: It limits the oxygen exposure for the guacamole that's directly underneath the pit. Alas, the rest of the dip will turn brown as the avocado's compounds absorb light. So, how do you keep guacamole from browning? Read on...

RELATED: 6 Popular Health Myths-Busted

There are four keys to keeping your guacamole green, and they all stem from keeping oxygen away from the mashed avocado: (1) Don't make it ahead; (2) make sure there's a vitamin C-rich acid, like lemon or lime juice, in the mix; (3) keep it chilled once you do make it; and

Read More »from 3 Food Myths (and What You Can Learn From Them)

Photo: ThinkstockBy Corrie Pikul

The last time you dropped a can of stewed tomatoes on your foot, what did you yelp? We bet it wasn't "banana split!" or "lox!" or some other neutral word. A popular study that came out a few years ago confirmed what most of us instinctively know when it found that participants who swore while their hand was submerged in a bucket of ice water were able to endure the pain longer than if they didn't swear, or if they shouted nonnaughty words. However, new research suggests that cursing comes with complications, especially for certain women.

RELATED: The Hidden Benefits of Anger, Cursing and Negativity

A small yet interesting study of 34 middle-aged women (some with rheumatoid arthritis, some with breast cancer), published in the May issue of Health Psychology, found that the women who frequently swore in the company of others turned out to be women who were less likely to feel that people sympathized with them and felt their pain (and this had the power to make them feel

Read More »from Why We Should Swear Like Nobody's Listening (When We Need To)

Photo: Lara Robby/Studio D

Recipes created by Emily Malone

The world's most versatile dip now comes in dozens of flavors, from artichoke to chocolate. Here are our favorite new varieties, plus five-minute recipes to make your own.

Athenos Cucumber Dill Hummus

Fragrant dill makes this Hummus a natural accompaniment to smoked salmon, cucumber crudités, or rye bread.

$3; supermarkets

Do It Yourself:
Leave out the water when making the classic recipe and add ½ peeled, seeded, and chopped cucumber and ½ cup fresh dill (or 1 Tbsp. dried).

RELATED: Start Your Meal Off Right: 45 Satisfying Salad Recipes

Photo: Lara Robby/Studio DGood Neighbors Simply Zero No Fat Hummus

With just simple ingredients-like chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, and salt-this hummus has only 30 calories per serving and can take the place of mayonnaise on a sandwich.

$4; supermarkets

Do It Yourself:
Leave out the tahini and olive oil from the classic recipe, and use a total of 3 Tbsp. each water and lemon juice and an extra ¼ tsp.

Read More »from 6 New Takes on Hummus—and How to Make Them at Home

Photo: Courtesy of Sheyna.comBy Amber Kallor

Making your own jewelry can be a chance to express your creativity and personal style. But for those of us who don't have the dexterous hands of a jeweler, securing a clasp or tying a microscopic knot on a homemade bracelet or necklace can be more frustrating than stress-relieving.

RELATED: 10 Sleek Wooden Accessories

If you fall into the latter category, Sheyna.com, a design-it-yourself jewelry site, might be the perfect solution. With over 5,000 chains, charms, beads and stones to choose from, ranging in price from $5 to $5000, you can get your arts and crafts vibe going at any price.

RELATED: Some Assembly Required: 4 Ways to Get Crafty and Give Unique Gifts

The best part: Clicking and moving your mouse are the only skills needed to design your dream jewelry. Just select individual pieces from the gallery (or a ready-made design from the shop that you'd like to alter) and pull them onto the drag-and-drop digital sketchpad. This tool even builds your jewelry on a

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