Are you hosting a barbeque this summer, and want to impress your carnivorous neighbours? Grill the perfect steak! Begin by marinating your meat with this simple recipe. Then, learn to light your barbecue with just the right amount of charcoal and newspaper - and cap your grill to adjust the flame’s heat. Discover the fine points of placing, rotating, and flipping your steak, and see how to tell when your steak is cooked through. Make sure to let the juices cook the meat once it's off the coals!
Assignment:
Share a photo of your perfectly grilled steak!
For career photographers, better product photos mean better clients! In this first lesson of Phillip McCordall’s Product Photography In Depth course, get an overview of professional product photography techniques. Learn how to position products and how to achieve studio-quality lighting with a low-cost method for diffusing light. Most importantly, learn how to eliminate lens flare. These basic techniques help create photos that result in sales, and an expanding client base for photographers!
Assignment:
Take a photograph using the tips you've learned, and share it with us! Don't worry if you don't have fancy equipment!
Learn how to dance salsa - one step at a time! This introductory online dance class will teach you the basic counts and steps of salsa dance for both the lead and the follow. If you’ve never danced the salsa or want some extra help mastering the basic steps, this lesson will be perfect for you. After watching the whole salsa series, you’ll be ready to salsa the night away in a dance club or on the ballroom dance floor.
Assignment:
Share a Curious Card with a photo or video of yourself performing your new Latin dance skills.
Holy Guacamole! It’s time for a fiesta. Try this easy recipe for fresh and delicious guacamole that is sure to impress even your choosiest of friends. Learn how to prepare each ingredient (avocado, onion, garlic, tomato, lime, hot peppers and spices) so the flavors meld together in the final product. Join in on the fun and enjoy this delicious topping for chips, nachos, burritos, or hamburgers!
Assignment:
Now that you know how to make fresh guacamole - try it out for yourself! Let us know how it goes by sharing a picture with the Curious community.
Helmets are extremely important when doing cycling of any kind! Protect yourself from serious injury by wearing a properly fitting helmet. In this lesson from Art’s Cyclery, Luke demonstrates a proper helmet fit, explaining that you want the fit and the retention system to be enough to hold the helmet in place. Learn where the chin straps should go, and how tight they should be. Finally, since helmets are designed for protection, learn what to look for the next time you’re in the market.
Assignment:
Disappointed by your doodles, and wish you could draw better? Drawing well is about your hand being able to do what your brain tells it to do. And if your hand doesn’t have much practice at creating certain shapes or lines, the end result of your sketching may not look at all like it did in your mind’s eye. But drawing is a skill and the old saying “practice makes perfect” still applies—learn how to improve your drawing skills with this lesson from Drawing Teachers. Michael shows you a beautiful and interesting way to practice drawing shapes and lines.
Assignment:
It's summertime, and the living is easy... and the fruit is ripe! So why not add some fresh fruit and herbs to your mixed drinks? Joe, a Curious.com employee, teaches you the recipe for a basic (and adaptable- any juice will do) lemon and mint cocktail. This lesson includes instructions for creating homemade simple syrup, as well as a non-alcoholic alternative version of this delicious minty-fresh beverage. This drink is perfect for a hot day or a hot party.
Assignment:
If you’ve been daydreaming about an Italian vacation, make your dream a reality and start planning your trip! As part of your preparation, learn some helpful words and phrases from Learn Italian Easy. With this lesson, begin assembling your vocabulary by learning some basic Italian greetings, like “hello,” “goodbye,” and “goodnight.” You’ll also learn common titles for people, and other useful expressions. So, "buon divertimento" and good luck!
Assignment:
Want to know what makes for a good pair of running shoes? This informative lesson with Dr. Hasenbank breaks down the three major areas of your shoe: the forefoot, the mid-foot and the rear-foot. Learn three fail-safe tests, one for each area, to evaluate your shoes and know when it’s time to get a new pair.
Assignment:
You've bought a bouquet of flowers at the store, but how do you take that jumble of stems and turn them into a beautiful flower arrangement? In this lesson, uBloom teaches a very literal shortcut: cutting the stems short to fit in a low vase, bunching all the blooms together and inserting stems at angles to support one another. This technique makes it easy and fun to arrange flowers nicely, and the lesson includes tips on tools you'll need and how to prepare the the water and flower food.
Assignment:
Show us a photo of your flower arrangement! Prefer not to purchase a fresh bouquet? Try faux-flowers or flowers plucked from your garden.
Make super easy and fresh homemade hummus in mere minutes. With a can of garbanzo beans, a short list of ingredients, and a quick whirl of your blender or food processor, you have a protein rich garbanzo bean dip that's great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Best of all, when you make hummus at home, you can adjust the flavors just the way you like. Garnish and serve the Middle Eastern way -- it's an art!
Assignment:
Learn to make easy homemade hummus and share a photo of your delicious final product!
The object of the game of blackjack is simple - to get as close as you can to 21 without going over. But there are many ways to reach a blackjack, and even more ways maximize your winnings and minimize your losses. This lesson takes you through the basics of casino blackjack. Learn how to approach a table and change your money, how and when to place bets, and the options you have as the game progresses. You’ll also learn hand signals and blackjack etiquette that will keep you out of trouble.
Assignment:
Author Joyce Maynard shows you how to make her famous apple pie, as featured in the upcoming film adaptation of her novel, “Labor Day.” No need for fancy equipment or expensive ingredients: this pie should be made with human hands alone. Once you’ve tested out the original recipe, make it your own and share your finished creation with friends and family.
Assignment:
Learn how to make Joyce's pie and share a Curious Card with a photo of your delicious creation!
Don’t know how to tip the waiter or waitress after some supremely good service? In this lesson from Marty Brandl’s Math Tips, learn how to break down more complex percentages into manageable mental math. Using the tips and tricks outlined in this tutorial, estimating tips, taxes, and discounts will be as easy as elementary school arithmetic.
Assignment:
Share a Curious Card with a photo demonstrating your new tricks for calculating tips, tax, and discounts.
What does every mom want on Mother's Day? A homemade gift! In this lesson, learn to make a DIY Mother’s Day card and picture frame. The lesson begins with making a greeting card from paper and stickers. Next, learn how to paint and decorate a custom picture frame. Grab some glue and glitter, and get to it! Fill up the box with a few goodies and mom-friendly treats, and show your mom how awesome she is!
Assignment:
Watch the lesson and share a photo of the card or frame you made for your mom!
Store-bought salsas are convenient, but this Mexican side is oh-so-much better when made fresh—and it’s so easy! In this lesson from Watch Learn Eat, learn how to make homemade salsa with a few basic ingredients. It’s just chopping, stirring and seasoning, with an optional easy trick for a thicker salsa.
Assignment:
Just in time for Cinco de Mayo! Watch the lesson and share a photo of your delicious homemade salsa!