It started with an Olive Garden commercial featuring the Four-Cheese Stuffed Pansotti with Chicken. The little pillows filled with cheese and smothered in sauce. It looked delicious. And sinful.Oh, how I wanted it.And then I thought of those bread sticks. I love, love, love the bread sticks. I especially love to have a bread stick dunked in Olive Garden's Chicken and Gnocchi soup.

It's either the funniest thing I have ever read or the cruelest joke in the world.

tick. tick. Tick. Tick. TICK. TICK. TICK! TICK! Can you hear it? The sound of my biological clock ticking away? You should because apparently it's ticking faster than I thought.A new study out of Scotland rejects the idea (or at least my idea) that a healthy woman younger than 35 can get pregnant with relative ease.

Because all we really need to survive is one person who truly loves us. And you have her. I will wait for you. Always.It was in those words, a letter from Penny to Desmond

This week, we go Greek. Topped with feta and pine nuts.

What do I do that annoys you? I asked Mark. I mean really annoys you.He looked at me with that Do you really want me to answer that? face and thought for a second.You don't really do anything that annoys me, he said.

It was just an ordinary Tuesday. Mark and I were sitting on the couch, eating ice cream and watching The Biggest Loser. (Yeah, that's how we do it.)Then, as I was cheering on last season's Rudy, Mark turned to me. I have a goal for next year, he said.Uh huh.I want to run a half-marathon.

What the heck is Chinese barbecue sauce? my friend asked.I don't know ... Chinese barbecue sauce. It's whatever Curtis Stone said it was.Not really a good answer, especially since I decided to move up the Sticky Chicken Drumsticks dinner to this weekend.

There are no words. Just no words to describe celebrity chef Curtis Stone. The Australian accent, the tussled blond hair, the gorgeous smile. He is the definition of handsome. And he cooks! He cooks yummy-looking things that are also supposed to be healthy for you, like Chicken Cacciatore.

Marriage is all about compromise people like to say.Yeah. Right. If you define compromise as trade-offs.For example: Do you mind driving tonight? I want to drink.Sure but only if you take out the dog in the morning.

"What to get that friend who had it all but is now losing half of it."

I was this close to dying.A box of garlic cheese bread attacked me first, then the bag of frozen broccoli. What followed next might have been the ice cream ... or the Tony's pizza ... or that package of turkey sausage. The barrage was quick and furious.

Of course, California Day entails a pedicure ...

The rules in my house were very clear when I was growing up. The Christmas tree is put up and decorated the day after Thanksgiving; it was dismantled Jan. 6. There were no deviations. Well, except for that one year we had a real tree and it got knocked over several days before Christmas.Anyway ...