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<rss xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title>Ventura County Star Stories: Lifestyle</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/lifestyle/lifestyle/</link><atom:link href="http://venturacountystar.com/news/lifestyle/lifestyle/" type="application/rss+xml" rel="self"></atom:link><description>Ventura County Star Stories: Lifestyle</description><language>en-us</language><category>lifestyle/lifestyle</category><item><title>Short story writing contest gets under way
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/24/short-story-writing-contest-gets-under-way/</link><description><![CDATA[As usual, deep in the heart of summer, the Ventura County Writers Club is gearing up for its ninth annual short story contest.  ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/24/short-story-writing-contest-gets-under-way/</guid><category>lifestyle/lifestyle</category></item><item><title>Four-day Comic-Con highlights genre's games, films, collectibles 
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/24/comics-fans-flocking-to-san-diego/</link><description><![CDATA[ The most passionate Spider-Men, Storm Troopers, Harry Potters and other pop-culture fanatics are headed south for their annual pilgrimage. Comic-Con, the country's biggest comic book convention, begins today at the San Diego Convention Center.  ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/24/comics-fans-flocking-to-san-diego/</guid><category>lifestyle/lifestyle</category></item><item><title>Teen turns welding of recycled horseshoes into paying proposition
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/24/hot-hobby-blossoms/</link><description><![CDATA[ Alex Goldberg's garden thrives, although the recent heat wave put a bit of a damper on just how much time the 14-year-old actually has spent this summer putting his entrepreneurial green thumb to work.  ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/24/hot-hobby-blossoms/</guid><category>lifestyle/lifestyle</category></item><item><title>Implanted pumps give hearts the chance to grow stronger
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/24/implanted-pumps-give-hearts-the-chance-to-grow/</link><description><![CDATA[  Doctors have begun pairing heart pumps with high doses of cardiac medication in hopes that more aggressive therapy will shrink flabby, enlarged hearts enough to avoid a transplant, or at least enable patients to survive longer without one. At a few hospitals in the U.S. and Britain, they're also testing an experimental steroid-like drug on pump recipients that might spur heart muscle to rebuild.  ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/24/implanted-pumps-give-hearts-the-chance-to-grow/</guid><category>lifestyle/lifestyle</category></item><item><title> Pediatricians say some kids may need to lower cholesterol with drugs
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/24/no-headline---ld3fcstatins24/</link><description><![CDATA[ Beverly Morgan of Arlington, Texas, was 16 when she started taking the popular cholesterol-lowering drug Vytorin, but she eventually abandoned the medication.  ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/24/no-headline---ld3fcstatins24/</guid><category>lifestyle/lifestyle</category></item><item><title>Protein may be key to kinetic vision
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/24/no-headline---ld3fchealthbriefs24/</link><description><![CDATA[ A team of researchers at Osaka Bioscience Institute in Suita, Japan, has identified a protein that is necessary to efficiently transmit visual information to the brain  ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/24/no-headline---ld3fchealthbriefs24/</guid><category>lifestyle/health</category></item><item><title> 'Swing Vote' and Watermark get sneak previews
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/ld1fcappetizer23/</link><description><![CDATA[At Watermark in downtown Ventura, the sign over the restaurant's vintage bronze doors juts out over the sidewalk like a theater marquee.   ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/ld1fcappetizer23/</guid><category>lifestyle/food</category></item><item><title>Sugar shouldn't be replaced when canning
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/sugar-shouldnt-be-replaced-when-canning/</link><description><![CDATA[  My wife saw a canning episode on &quot;Good Eats&quot; and now she wants to do that. She was wondering if, when the canning recipe calls for sugar, it can be replaced with artificial sweetener?  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/sugar-shouldnt-be-replaced-when-canning/</guid><category>lifestyle/food</category></item><item><title>Grilled chicken breasts can stay moist
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/grilled-chicken-breasts-can-stay-moist/</link><description><![CDATA[ Serious grillers usually steer clear of skinless, boneless chicken breasts because they know that high heat tends to dry out the meat.  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/grilled-chicken-breasts-can-stay-moist/</guid><category>lifestyle/food</category></item><item><title>Here are some appetizing little munchies
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/here-are-some-appetizing-little-munchies/</link><description><![CDATA[If you failed to nab a ticket for the Kevin Costner soiree Saturday at Watermark in downtown Ventura, no worries: Greg Kurtz, who as the restaurant's executive chef is overseeing the appetizers-only menu for the event, shares some of his recipes here.  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/here-are-some-appetizing-little-munchies/</guid><category>lifestyle/food</category></item><item><title>Rising prices are fueling changes in the menu
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/rising-prices-are-fueling-changes-in-the-menu/</link><description><![CDATA[ According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Consumer Price Index for all food is forecast to increase 4.5 percent to 5.5 percent in 2008, as retailers continue to pass on higher commodity and energy costs to consumers.  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/rising-prices-are-fueling-changes-in-the-menu/</guid><category>lifestyle/lifestyle</category></item><item><title>Frugal food with flair
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/frugal-food-with-flair/</link><description><![CDATA[Recipes for some food dishes.  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/frugal-food-with-flair/</guid><category>lifestyle/food</category></item><item><title>Cafe Society: Being a food judge can be a sticky deal
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/being-a-food-judge-can-be-a-sticky-deal/</link><description><![CDATA[Monday is baked foods entry day at the Ventura County Fair. Given my blue-ribbon track record in recent years (uh, that would be zero), I think that I'll skip getting up at 3:30 that morning to whip up a loaf of bread to drop off at the Home Arts building on the way to work.
   ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/being-a-food-judge-can-be-a-sticky-deal/</guid><category>lifestyle/columnists</category></item><item><title>Love of spontaneity is key
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/love-of-spontaneity-is-key/</link><description><![CDATA[ t must be osmosis that accounts for Jacqueline Civet's rare cooking talent. After all, she displayed absolutely no interest in cooking as a child.  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/love-of-spontaneity-is-key/</guid><category>lifestyle/food</category></item><item><title>'Two Fat Ladies' now fit your small screen
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/two-fat-ladies-now-fit-your-small-screen/</link><description><![CDATA[ Two fat ladies, a motorcycle with a sidecar, and more bacon, cream and butter than is good for anyone.  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/two-fat-ladies-now-fit-your-small-screen/</guid><category>lifestyle/food</category></item><item><title>Micro microwave for under a desk
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/no-headline---ld3fcquickbites23/</link><description><![CDATA[ If your new dorm room is the size of a shoe box, the iWave Cube might be just the microwave for you  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/no-headline---ld3fcquickbites23/</guid><category>lifestyle/lifestyle</category></item><item><title>Camarillo family puts passion into their vines and wines
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/camarillo-family-puts-passion-into-their-vines/</link><description><![CDATA[ Recently, I attended the Ventura County Wine Trail kick-off at the California Welcome Center in Oxnard. As I wandered through and tasted the different wines from our area, one winery made me stop in my tracks and really take notice.  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/camarillo-family-puts-passion-into-their-vines/</guid><category>lifestyle/food</category></item><item><title>Try Curried Shrimp Couscous for easy midsummer entree
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/try-curried-shrimp-couscous-for-easy-midsummer/</link><description><![CDATA[ When summer weather is at its finest, it's natural to want to avoid the kitchen. But easy summer eating doesn't have to rely on takeout (which usually comes at a high financial and nutritional price).  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/try-curried-shrimp-couscous-for-easy-midsummer/</guid><category>lifestyle/food</category></item><item><title>Saturday pirate party will benefit symphony 
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/saturday-pirate-party-will-benefit-symphony/</link><description><![CDATA[ A house in the hills of Westlake Village will be transformed into a pirates' grove on Saturday, when Kathy Smiley and Cheryl VanGelder host Have a Swashbucklin' Good Time, as part of the New West Symphony League's summer fundraising campaign, The Pleasure of Your Company.  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/saturday-pirate-party-will-benefit-symphony/</guid><category>lifestyle/lifestyle</category></item><item><title>Eggplants like it hot, so they love summer
</title><link>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/no-headline---ld3fcmarket23/</link><description><![CDATA[With their deep-purple skins, eggplants look like something out of a fall catalog in which the clothing is described as being &quot;aubergine&quot; &#8212; another word for eggplant &#8212; in color.  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0000</pubDate><guid>http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/23/no-headline---ld3fcmarket23/</guid><category>lifestyle/food</category></item></channel></rss>