Not So Husband-and-Chief

Over the past seven or so odd years, President George W. Bush has convinced a lot of people that he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. And, now, he probably just sealed the deal with the person closest to him: his wife, Laura. In a recent interview with daytime talk-show host Rachael Ray, the First Lady confessed that the husband-and-chief wasn't to keen on remembering Valentine's Day. "There's a White House florist, so they always send up flowers and he signs the card," she said. As for this year, Mrs. Bush said the two will probably share a romantic dinner together. Hey Laura, if your reading this, get him a subscription to the greatest marriage magazine on the planet here

FDA Approves Diet Pill

Is this the holy grail of pills? Oh yeah, Viagra already won that title. Is this the silver grail? For the first time ever, the FDA has approved an over-the-counter diet pill. The drug is called Xenical and is sold by GlaxoSmithKline PLC. It's said to only work in conjunction with diet and exercise. We know, this is probably a deal breaker for a lot of you. If you're still reading this, you may like to know that it's said to help lose an extra 2-3 pounds for every 5 pounds lost through diet and exersice. How? Xenical blocks about a quarter of fat you consume and passes it through the body. Side effect: about 50% of all patients who tested Xenical had loose stool. Not everyone is excited about this approval either. In this Washington Post article, Dr. Sidney M. Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group called the approval "the height of recklessness."

We're curious, would you try Xenical? E-mail us here and let us know.

Aguilera's Naughty Sunday's

It's not the most religious way to celebrate your Sunday's, but Christina Aguilera and her husband Jordan Bratman have found a way to keep their marriage of just over one year spicy--by getting naked. Not so far-fetched to believe for the once aptly named Xtina, during her "Dirty" days, Aguilera admitted on the Ellen DeGeneres show that even after one year, "You have to keep marriage alive, spice it up." Ellen gave her cautionary reply to the saucy songbird saying, "Not with grease--that could splatter," which Aguilera replied, "Well, unless you want the grease." Hot...
For a continuing first hand account on marriage, read April Yayoi Johnson's online entries regarding her first year of marriage beginning this Sunday night. You might learn something.

Valentine's Idea for Every State

Are you still searching for the perfect Valentine's date idea? USA Today just posted a piece on "50 Dates in 50 States". Since it's the largest national newspaper in the country, these things may be crowded now, but you never know. So what do they suggest? For residents of North Carolina they suggest a private picnic on the grounds of the VanLandingham Estate. In South Carolina they suggest a cooking class for two at Charleston Cooks! In Washington they recommend a sunset kayak tour from Orcas Island in the San Juan archipelago to nearby Obstruction Island. And in California an early morning hot-air balloon ride over Napa Valley wine country. To check out their recommendations for your area or for more details about the above mentioned ideas, click here.

Dr. Scott Haltzman on Today Show

If you're not a regular viewer of the Today Show, they've been running a series on the state of marriage. Our very own Dr. Scott Haltzman was on to offer his expert advice. If you missed it, don't worry, you can view it here Also, if you haven't noticed, we have a box on our homepage for Dr. Haltzman. He's seeking couples for a new book he's writing and would love to hear from you, our readers. Lastly, if you'd like to hear what advice Dr. Haltzman has offered our readers, click here. He writes every other Why Do I... column for us.

Romeo and Juliet Unearthed?

The AP is reporting that archaeologists have unearthed what could be humanities oldest story of doomed love or Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." In a town 25 miles south of Verona, where the love story took place, the two skeletons were found locked in a romantic embrace. Lead archaeologist Elena Menotti says the two are believed to be a man and a woman and are thought to have died at a young age. Although the Romeo and Juliet possibility is far fetched, experts will study the skeletons to determine the age of the two. Details of whether the two will be considered for a future cover of Hitched magazine is also up for debate. E-mail us with your thoughts. Here's a link to the full article.

Jackass Takes The Plunge

Still a little bit shocking, but one female was able to turn a jackass into a husband. Missy Rothstein, 26, became Mrs. Bam Margera Sunday in a wedding ceremony that included a performance by rocker Iggy Pop, appearances by skateboard legend Tony Hawk, former Smashing Pumpkin guitarist James Iha and an MTV camera crew filming the final installment of Margera's MTV reality show "Bam's Unholy Union," which will be shown in early April. The "Viva La Bam" star married his former childhood friend in front of 350 friends and family members. Hitchedmag.com is always looking to hear from you. Tell us your story of marriage and we just might feature you as a "10 Things" couple.

Final Potter Book Out July 21

I guess if you're a true Harry Potter fan you've probably already heard that the final installment of the Harry Potter series is taking over the world midnight July 21, 2007. So I guess this is just a warning to spouses who are married to Potter fanatics. Then again, we're sure you've already heard from your significant other how the book has already been pre-ordered, or how you're going to be at the bookstore at midnight when it comes out (sorry, you don't get a choice). What's remarkable is that book seven, titled "Deathly Hallows", almost instantly topped Amazon.com's best-seller list, beating out an Oprah book when the date was released. That's some kind of magic. Click here for more details.

Super Bowl Worthy Nachos

In case you've been living under a rock for the past two weeks, this Sunday is Super Sunday. The Bears and Colts will battle it out for football supremacy. To become a champion, however, you must bring your A-game. That goes for hosts too. So don't try and pawn off your wimpy cheese and chips nachos. Go for something bigger, er Super! This article offers several recipes for the ultimate nacho experience. We've pasted one of the more interesting recipes below. Click here for the full article with all the recipes.

CREAMY CRAB NACHOS
Yield:6 servings
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 ounces asadero or Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1/4 cup sour cream
1 pickled jalapeño, minced, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons pickling liquid from jar of pickled jalapeños; see cook's notes
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted and ground
8 ounces cooked frozen crab, picked over well to removed any shell
Optional: 1/2 cup sliced artichoke hearts
5 ounces tortilla chips, about 3 dozen chips
1 pickled jalapeño, thinly sliced
Garnish: minced green onion tops
Cook's notes: Use caution when working with fresh chilies; wash work surface and hands thoroughly upon completion and do NOT touch face or eyes.

Procedure:
1.Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2.In bowl, mix cheeses, sour cream, jalapeño and pickling liquid, garlic and cumin. Add crab and artichokes, if desired, and stir to combine. Mixture can be prepared several hours ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before assembly.
3.Spread each chip with layer of crab mixture. Place chips on heatproof baking dish or platter. Sprinkle with sliced jalapeño. Bake 5 minutes in preheated oven, or until cheese melts and is bubbly.
4.Garnish with green onion tops and serve immediately.
Nutritional information (per serving): Calories 568 (68 percent from fat), protein 10.1 g, carbohydrates 39.9 g, fat 42.9 g (saturated 11 g), cholesterol 56 mg, sodium 781 mg, fiber 2.4 g
Source: adapted from "The Border Cookbook" by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison (Harvard Common Press, $21.95)

Change in Food Portions

In the last 20 years, a lot has changed. Heck, in the last 2 years we've experienced changes in our world. For starters, Toyota is entering NASCAR and how did we ever survive online boredom before YouTube? Well, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute have put together a slide show illustrating how food portions have changed over the last 20 years. If you've ever seen Super Size Me you know where this is going. In a nutshell, our servings are way bigger than they used to be and we tend to eat what we're served. Click here to view the slide show