The 2012 John P. Health Challenge Begins April 2!

workoutAre you ready for the winter to be over? And by that, I mean are you ready to don a bathing suit and show your almost naked body to the world this summer? Me neither. So that means its time for another John P. Health Challenge!

Next Monday we’ll begin and this year the challenge is only 30 days. In the past we tried 2 or 3 months, but that was just too hard to stick with for a lot of people (including me). Besides, all of the behavior modification occurs in the first 30 days, so if you can stick with it for 4 short weeks, you’ll be golden!
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50 Unique and Best Gingerbread Houses

I’m a sucker for creativity and crazy technical skills when it comes to food (or anything for that matter). So I compiled a list of fantastically creative Gingerbread “Houses” and creations for the holidays. Some of these have tutorials so you may make them on your own, while others are just edible masterpieces that looks far too impressive to munch down on.  

Since the range of the houses is so big, this gallery of Gingerbread Houses are not in any particular order.  Enjoy this feast of Gingerbread!

Happy Holidays from everyone at Livid Lobster!

A Photographic Journey to the Dallas Farmer’s Market

Last weekend I took a trip to the Dallas Farmer’s Market with Lorelle VanFossen and Cali Lewis. While we were there we enjoyed the sights, sounds and free samples of one of the largest Farmer’s Markets in the world.

I had taken along the trusty Canon 1D camera and was snapping away while wandering around. So I thought I would share some of the photos that I took which turned out well. I hope you enjoy! Please let me know if you do. ;-)
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5 Amazing Examples of Watermelon Carving

Here in Texas it is HOT outside! I mean it’s still nearly 100 degrees at midnight during the summer. So, it’s no surprise that Watermelon is a favorite around these parts. If you keep it in an ice chest for a while before you carve it up it makes for a cool refreshing treat!

But there are chefs out there who are using watermelons (and other fruits) for much more artistic purposes! And I was amazed to see some of the things these people can do in a very short time.

Here is Vid Nikolic going to work on a watermelon.


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Trip to the Indy 500, Day 1 – Indian Casinos, McDonald’s Over the Highway and Throwed Rolls

When I started my 900+ mile drive from the Dallas area to Indianapolis, Indiana I traveled north through Sherman Texas and on up into Oklahoma. I had been hearing about the Choctaw Indian casino for a long time so thought I’d go check it out while I was going by.

Choctaw Casino Here I Come!

I’ve been to another Indian casino in Oklahoma that I didn’t like that much, so I was shocked when I got to Choctwa! It was fantastic! I would honestly say its as nice as half of the casinos in Vegas. And it is brand new and gorgeous! And good lord, the Pool area was amazing! Just check out this clip I shot with my iPhone.


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John P.’s 5 Minute Avgolemono Soup Recipe

A few of you may have had the opportunity to sample my Avgolemono soup, possibly after I posted the recipe about 3 years ago. But now I’ve put together a video demonstrating exactly how to make it. You can get the full details as well as a whole bunch of other recipes over on a new site that Cali Lewis, my wife Holly, and I are launching called – MyRecip.es!

You can follow us on Twitter (@MyRecip_es) for notifications when we post something new, or… if you know us personally and you would like a place to put your own recipes you can come talk to one of us and we’ll make room for you to put your recipes up with ours.

The logic behind the site is that we wanted a single repository where we could put up our favorite stuff so we can access it from anywhere, on any device, and easily share with friends and family. As a result we’ve created a very simple system and you can access each person’s recipes with a single pretty link. For example:

Now, here is my famous Avgolemono Soup video. Bon appetite!


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Flaming Cocktails! The Blue Blazer

Russell “Rockstar” Davis, from RockstarBartender.com, was kind enough to make this completely awesome flaming tequila based cocktail while I videoed it on a Canon 5D Mark II with a 15mm fisheye lens on it. The results are simply fantastic. If you’ve never seen anyone pour flaming liquid 3 feet through the air before, well… let me just say it’s a sight to behold!

Russell also made another special concoction for us on video, and I’ll get that posted as soon as I get a chance to edit it. I have a LOT of photos and videos that need editing right now, but I’ve also got a lot of other stuff going on, so it might take some time to get everything out. But I know you’ll all enjoy this one!
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Tutorial: The Inside Out Cheeseburger (Yep, Cheese on the Inside!)

Here is just a little video I threw together with my friend AJ Wood while demonstrating how to use a few of the effects in iMovie. Nonetheless, I’ve had a lot of complements on my cheeseburgers ever since I learned how to make them from the guys working the grill at Whole Foods Market in Plano, TX.

You see… what you do is put the cheese on the inside! Yeah. Take a look.

SOLVED: 10 Hot Dogs to a Package vs. 8 Hot Dog Buns to a Package!

Hot-dog-prank-callMUCH thanks to Terry G for forwarding this video on to me. Before I saw this, my stomach was all tied up in knots and I was just an anxious mess. I mean the fact that there are always too many hot dogs, and not enough buns, has been clearly unacceptable!

Come on people! Why can’t Oscar Meyer and Wonder just call a truce and negotiate a settlement on what the proper number of dogs and buns to a package should be! As the person from Kraft said in this video by John Hargrave, “…sir we don’t work together with Wonder….” Well, that’s obvious! But maybe you should my friend! Maybe you should.
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