On February 1, 2012, as Black America began celebrating the first day of Black History month, the community lost one of its most familiar icons. Don Cornelius, host and creator of Soul Train, presumedly committed suicide, dying from a gunshot wound.

Mardi Gras, "Fat Tuesday", is the last day of the Carnival season as it always falls the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Most visitors will plan to arrive no later than Saturday, February 18, 2012 in order to enjoy an extended weekend of festivities.

Raised in Colombia and the Netherlands, Ingrid's fascination with food, cooking and style began as a little girl. She started cooking with her mother, a Cordon Bleu chef, at such a young age that she needed a stool to reach the stove.

Miami Culinary Tours was created by local foodies, who believes that great food equals a great experience. The company offers two very popular Miami food tours. One is called the South Beach Food Tour and this tour takes guests to try a wide variety of cuisines. The first stop is traditional Colombian cuisine followed by Peruvian where the group taste ceviche and pollo a la brasa. The tour then continues with Cuban, Argentine, Italian and Spanish tastings. Participants experience in addition to the food an Art Deco historical and architectural dynamic lesson.

The origin of the dish and its name is somewhat disputed. One claim is that the dish was created out of a mistake made by a fourteen-year-old assistant waiter Henri Charpentier in 1895 at the Maitre at Monte Carlo's Café de Paris. He was preparing a dessert for the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, and his companion Princess Suzanne (daughter of Edward, Prince of Wales, who was the son of Queen Victoria). It was his favourite meal.

Ratatouille is usually served as a side dish, but also may be served as a meal on its own (accompanied by pasta, rice or bread). Tomatoes are a key ingredient, with garlic, onions, courgettes (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant), poivron (bell peppers), carrot, marjoram and basil, or bay leaf and thyme, or a mix of green herbs like herbes de Provence. There is much debate on how to make a traditional ratatouille. One method is to simply sauté all of the vegetables together. Some cooks, including Julia Child, insist on a layering approach, where the eggplant and the zucchini are sautéed separately, while the tomatoes, onion, garlic and bell peppers are made into a sauce.

Coq au vin French pronunciation: [kɔk o vɛ̃] (lit. 'rooster in wine') is a French braise of chicken cooked with wine, lardons, mushrooms, and optionally garlic.

The wedding ceremony takes place as a "festival", especially in small village communities, since it is an activity covering the whole village. While some of the ceremonies held during different stages of the wedding can be considered as a feast and entertainment, others resemble an "elegy". Traditionally (in Turkey, at least), henna night, or kina gecesi (kuh-NAH GE-je-see) is a women's party that usually takes place the night before the wedding.

Note: This recipe is especially for kids with lactose intolerance, who need to limit or avoid dairy products.  This recipe comes from Kidshealth.org.

Note: This recipe is especially for kids with lactose intolerance, who need to limit or avoid dairy products.  This recipe comes from Kidshealth.org.