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Look who came to the holiday party all prettied up, slathered in a rich, creamy cheese sauce, topped with crisp bacon and crushed Ritz? It’s a grand Holiday Mac & Cheese Pimiento Casserole!

Everyone’s favorite basic macaroni and cheese can be made festive, too. For the next holiday event, make this your signature dish. It’s simple, easy and perfect!

While fussing around on Quirk's Tumblr, I stumbled upon this wonderful video on the blog Lauren Reads YA. 

Lauren put together a great recap of Ransom Riggs' visit to Boekhandel Den Boer in Baarn, The Netherlands. Bestselling YA author Tahereh Mafi is also in the video. 

Have a look, and be sure to follow Lauren on Tumblr! 

Photo via Flickr

With all the running around for the holidays, sometimes you can forget the most important things. Sometimes it’s a kid, other times, it’s an important part of your holiday tradition.

If Hanukkah arrives and you are without a menorah or candles, you will have to make your own. So here’s an excerpt from the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Holidays by David Borgenicht and Joshua Piven, to teach you how to make menorah candles out of crayons.

Yes, crayons.

The first two books in Charles Gilman's Tales From Lovecraft Middle School series are currently in bookstores everywhere, with the third title, Teacher's Pest, due out this Spring. 

We're currently hard at work on the fourth title in the series, Tales From Lovecraft Middle School: Substitute Creature, and we're looking for a model for the cover!

Here are the details from our art director, Doogie Horner:

We're looking for a woman to be the cover model on a book cover called Lovecraft Middle School: Substitute Creature. It's the 4th entry in a middle grade fiction series about a middle school where a bunch of the teachers and students are secretly monsters, inspired by the novels of H.P. Lovecraft.

Model Description: Female, 35-50 years old. Should look like a substitute teacher: bookish, shy, like a quiet librarian or cat lady. The kind of woman who wears her hair in a bun. Should be pretty, but also kind of average. Long face and thin nose a bonus.

Note: We will use Photoshop to turn you into a terrifying ghoul! The book cover is lenticular. Held at one angle, you will look like yourself. When the book is turned though, you'll transform into a terrifying ghoul [through the magic of Photoshop].

We're shooting sometime in December, or possibly early January, at a studio in Philadelphia. Should take about 4 hours. Pay is $150.

If interested please email two recent headshots to [email protected] Please write Lovecraft Middle School in the subject line of your email.

If you’re looking for a special event dish that doubles as a family meal, this Beef Stew Puff Pastry Pot Pie is the perfect all-occasion entrée.

This is a classic, wholesome, unpretentious stew with succulent cubes of beef simmered in a thick broth enhanced with wine. To make it even more inviting, top the whole dish with a crisp, flaky and buttery puff pastry crust. Make the beef ahead to cut the cooking time. Bake the pastry crust 20 minutes before serving. You will love the warmth and hearty flavors from this all-in-one simple and splendid stew. Serve with salad greens, a good bottle of wine and enjoy!

With the release of the new Bond film Skyfall, I cannot help but nostalgically recall many of the insane physical feats James Bond exhibits in the Bond films.

For example, who hasn’t wanted the chance to maneuver on top of a train and try to get inside one of the cars? Possibly while fighting someone? Of course, it’s easier said than done. I’d probably lose my balance instantaneously, and fall from the speeding train. I’m definitely more of a fit for a Jackass film, rather than a James Bond one. .

Oh well, these exciting instructions from The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht doesn’t stop me from dreaming of succeeding nonetheless!