FILE/AP

That was Jack LaLanne, when he turned 90, doing the talk show circuit to celebrate his birthday, turning down cake in his honor stating, “I never eat in between meals.”

But no one – not even the world’s first fitness guru, who had more spunk at 90 than I had when I was 1/3 his age – died Sunday afternoon at his home in California from respiratory failure due to pneumonia. He was 96. He underwent heart valve surgery in December 2009.

Jack implanted in my mind at an early age that as long as you keep moving, you’ll never feel old. “The Jack LaLanne Show” aired from 1951 to 1985, and I remember watching it in black and white, a show geared to housewives. He’d tell us kids to call our moms over to watch, or at least that’s how I remembered it.

I don’t know how or why it was on in my living room on 22^nd Street in Union City; neither of my parents were into exercise.

But then, at the time when Jack hit the airways, no one was into fitness, some even calling it dangerous. Athletes were discouraged from weight lifting, trainers believing that bulking up would slow athletes down.

Despite the critics, Jack came into our living rooms, often accompanied by his white German shepherd, Happy, and his equally-fit wife Elaine, and encouraged people to move.

“What are you doing just watching?” he’d say to us, sitting in our living rooms. “Get up and join me.”

And people did. The first gym I could drive to bore his name. The machines we still use today were inspired by him. He proposed the then-radical idea that women, the elderly and even the disabled should work out to retain and gain strength.

He lived by example, and never stopped telling people that if they eat right and exercise, they’ll always feel good.

Of course, the godfather of fitness pushed his body to limits, always seeming to live by his famous words, “Remember this: your body is your slave; it works for you.”

At age 60, he swam from Alcatraz to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, handcuffed and shackled and towing a 1,000-pound boat. The next year, he did a similar feat underwater.

At age 70, he towed 70 boats with 70 people from the Queen's Way Bridge in the Long Beach, Calif., harbor to the Queen Mary, again while handcuffed and shackled.

He did, these things, he said, to help people. Exercise was his religion; it was his job to preach.

Well into his 80s he continued his personal fitness routine of two hours a day beginning at 5 or 5:30 a.m. In earlier years, he started at 4 a.m. His show long over, he wrote a book at 95, “Live Young Forever.”

Well, he didn’t live forever, but he always lived young.

I’m forever inspired.

Why? Because you’re a good person. Reliable. And needy (aren’t we all?). You want someone to finish your dish first, and say “Oh my, who brought the Lumpia rolls with bamboo shoots?”

I know. I’ve been there. And I’ve impressed people with everything from coconut shrimp toast to swimming pool cakes, complete with diving gummy bears.

No matter the occasion, my home or theirs, I had a foodie show-piece. And I still do – but it doesn’t always come from my kitchen (shh).

Here’s a short cut that will get gushes from nibblers, yet won’t take you more than a few minutes: Whole Foods. Seriously. No one will know.

I recently arrived at a party with THE BEST phyllo dough wrapped goat cheese and mushroom appetizer that people inhaled so fast, no one thought to ask anything except “can I have the recipe?”

Um. Sure. I never said -- because no one asked -- that I can get a recipe, but perhaps not an exact duplication … because the nibblings they nibbled came from Whole Foods.

So, here’s a recipe for a goat cheese and phyllo snack that will make heads turn if you don’t finish it all before you set out. But please. Don’t stress yourself out … and just fake it.

1. 1 pound Portobello mushrooms
2. 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, plus 4 tablespoons, melted
3. 1 medium shallot, minced
4. 1/2 pound white button mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced 1/4 inch thick
5. Salt and freshly ground pepper
6. 2 garlic cloves, minced
7. 1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
8. 2 teaspoons finely chopped thyme
9. 1/2 cup fresh mild goat cheese (3 1/2 ounces)
10. 8 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed

1. Stem the Portobellos and cut the caps in half. Using a sharp paring knife, cut off the black gills from the undersides of the caps. Slice the caps crosswise 1/4-inch thick.
2. Melt the stick of butter in a large skillet. Add the shallot and cook over low heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the Portobello and white button mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and their liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, parsley and thyme and cook for 2 minutes longer, stirring. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a food processor and pulse to a coarse puree. Scrape the puree into a medium bowl, stir in the goat cheese and season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 400$#176;. Lay 1 sheet of the phyllo dough on a work surface; keep the rest covered with damp paper towels. Brush the phyllo sheet with melted butter and cut it lengthwise into 4 even strips. Place 1 level tablespoon of the mushroom filling in a corner of one of the strips, about 1/2 inch from the top. Fold the corner down to form a triangle. Continue folding the triangle onto itself, across and down, until you have a neat phyllo triangle. Set the triangle on a large rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining phyllo, melted butter and mushroom filling. Brush the triangles with melted butter and bake for about 20 minutes, or until browned and crisp. Let cool slightly before serving.

Before you think I’m crazy, consider how many times your teen asked you for your credit card number so he could buy an Xbox game, required reading list book or some other special must-have that could only be found online.

And, for nondriving teens … online purchases may save you a trip to the mall.

The Bill My Parents Mastercard works like a regular credit card, except you pre-load it with what your teen is allowed to spend, tied to, say, an allowance.

You can set controls so certain types of purchases (hmm) are unallowable. You can even get a text message or email alert whenever your teen uses the card so you have the option of knowing what he’s buying. Parents also have the ability to lock the account.

Another upside is it keeps cash out of teens’  and 'tweens' hands. For some kids, not having access to cash is a big peace of mind for parents who have less than angelic teens who use money for things that aren’t, well, bought in stores.

There’s a monthly $3.95 fee, a little steeper than I think it should be. I’m giving it a trial run, because, simply, I don’t like my kid having cash in his pocket. The card gives me some peace of mind. And if it’s lost or stolen, I’m covered.

In my household, we’re in the trial run phase; I’ll keep you posted how it goes and if we keep it long-term.

Oh – this card doesn’t affect credit ratings, yours or your teens. See www.billmyparents.com for more information.

But once in awhile I come across a recipe that’s easy and yields cookies that are pretty, decorative and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.

Recipes for Stained Glass Cookies are all over the Web, but this one from RealSimple.com is hands-down the best I’ve seen. And it's easy.

Check it out. I plan to this weekend.

Stained Glass Cookies

Makes 36 to 48 cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 6 to 8 ounces assorted fruit-flavored hard candies, such as sour balls or Life Savers—unwrapped, sorted by color, and crushed (about 1 cup total)

Directions

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes; beat in the egg, vanilla, and salt. Reduce speed to low and add the flour, mixing just until combined (do not over mix).
2. Divide the dough in half, shape into two disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.
3. Heat oven to 350° F.
4. On a lightly-floured surface, roll out each piece of dough to an ⅛-inch thickness. Using 2- to 2 ½-inch cookie cutters, cut the dough into shapes and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart. Using a ¾- to 1-inch cookie cutter, cut out the centers from each cookie. Reroll and cut the scraps as necessary.
5. Spoon ½ to 1 teaspoon of the crushed candy (depending on the size of the cutout) into the center of each cookie. Bake until just golden at the edges, 7 to 9 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
6. Store the cookies, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Before and after courtesy of Stella Luca salon

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It has been 12 plus years since I stepped foot in to a salon and entrusted them to hair, save for my quarterly coverups.

Today that changed.

Following weeks of consultations and independent research, I appointed a salon in the quaint town of Chester, to do the dual-deed: the traumatic trim and the rewarding relaxer.

My decision on this salon was further cemented by a 20 percent off coupon applicable to the Brazilian Blowout or Brazilian Express, Keratin-based treatments which uses a naturally occurring protein--keratin-- to relax the curl and remove the frizz--allegedly.

(The Blowout supposedly lasts 3-4 months, while the Express has a lifespan of about 6-8 weeks, perfect for experimentation.)

So shaking in my shoes--yes I wore heels and a dress--I tip-toed in the salon and met my potential nemesis: the stylist.

Her name was Amanda.

Her chair turned into a psychologist's couch. "I haven't cut my hair in 12 years because I'm still scarred by going to the barber in elementary school, blah, blah, blah."

She listened to my rant and very matter of factly suggested we relax first (in more ways than one) and trim after when I can see the length.

I was then ushered me to the shampoo station in which she applied the Brazilian Express, right over the sink. The smell closely mirrored a Tootsie pop.

Amanda then escorted me to her seat for the ultimate transformation.

Using a round brush, she proceeded to blow out my hair to seal in the keratin. At this stage in the game,  I would have made a great static cling costume.

Then came the ironing process, which I dubbed semi-permanent press (working for a paper and all.)

Amanda expertly worked a ceramic flat iron through my hair, a process in which I was perhaps purposely faced away from the mirror.

Upon completion and now facing forward, the initial shock normally would have made my hair stand on ends, but remember that's why I was there in the first place.

I guess you could say I was literally blown away.

I finally had long hair, if only for a day.

Bringing me back down to Earth, Amanda suggested the T-word again. She took the "fried ends," and showed me exactly how much she would cut.

Snip. Snip.  Cut-and-dry.

The whole process took less than two minutes.

The procrastination: 12 years.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

But my guess is the return of my curls.

Relaxed and trimmed.

Note: In the name of competition, The Braziliain Blowout keeps good Keratin company. For example, there's Keratin Complex "smoothing therapy," by Peter Coppola http://www.keratincomplex.com/ and KeraSmooth, Anti-Frizz treatment http://www.bioionic.com/kerasmooth.html. For furtehr inforamtion see http://www.brazilianblowout.com/

They all promise to deliver frizz-removing results.

So far, so good.

Now to investigate the rumors of formaldehyde.

Stinkbugs haven’t been around Bergen County, where I live. But they were everywhere else – all over Morris County and South Jersey … So I gave advice and did my research with humor  -- and a “thank god it’s you and not me” – approach.

Photo: iPhotographGod.

Well. The buggers have made their way to Bergen. And OMG – they are a horror.

I just moved (and unmoved and back again – long story) to my new pad in Rutherford. And in the midst of unpacking, organizing and decorating … there they were.

Having see a billion pix of the critters, I knew with absolute certainty I was eye to eye with a stinkbug. Wow. They are so freaking uglier in person. Thankfully I knew not to squish it – them – they hang in packs!

So, based on advice from a commenter, I dashed to the bathroom to grab my hair spray. Plenty of people have said to immobilize them with hair spray, then douse them with Windex or soak them in Dawn or drop them in rubbing alcohol…

Ok, well the hairspray did not work. Bergen County stinkbugs are apparently immune to Garnier. In fact, when I sprayed them? They flew – flew!! – at me liked those crazed Wizard of Oz monkeys.

But I think I damaged them a bit. They fell and crawled and then stopped. People have said they do move slow … but the hairspray pissed them off and made them aggressive for a bit.

Once they were slow/stopped, I felt confident enough to pick each one up with a tissue. I drowned them in Dawn foam, sprayed them with Windex, then flushed them away once I knew for sure they were absolutely dead.

I know, I know. I could’ve just gently picked them up while they still had a pulse and flushed them away. But I couldn’t bring myself to touch them while they were still breathing. And I was so terrified of the squish – and odor – that I didn’t want to take a chance.

So. Hairspray. It ultimately slows them down and even stops a leg or two from moving --- but sprayers beware – it can get them flying. And you definitely don’t want that. The Dawn, Windex, drown combo does kill them. I’ve heard hot sauce does too, as will a taser or shot gun … but I went with what I had on-hand.

I can totally understand the urge to shoot – despite the hole in the wall and the cops dropping in. Stinkbugs are so so gross. I think they’re worse than roaches… probably better than bed bugs though.

Gross. Bed bugs. I hope I never have first-hand advice ….

I cried when I threw that sweater into the Goodwill bin. But now I’ll never have to do that again. Who knew that shrinkage could be reversed?

It can. I forget who first tipped me off to it, but a little research found a common thread for a cure.

Here’s a few ways to try courtesy of ehow.com; momsbudget.com; kottke.org; one of my friends; and someone on Twitter whose “handle” I forgot.

Method 1:

• Fill your tub with a few inches of warm water and add a generous amount of hair conditioner.
• Gently work the solution through the entire sweater, kneading it as you go. Pull it out of the water and place on a stack of bath towels (since the sweater will be soaking wet) and then gently stretch the sweater into the former shape.
• Allow to dry in a cool room. Repeat if needed. Then fully rinse the conditioner, and lay flat to dry.

Method 2:

• Soak the garment in warm water with a mild soap for about 10 minutes. This unlocks the fibers in the wool.
• Lay the garment out on some towels in a cool place. Stretch the garment out to its original dimensions. The stretching pulls the unlocked wool fibers away from each other.
• Allow it to dry. The absence of heat from the drying process allows the wool fibers to set in place without locking together and shrinking the garment again.

Method 3 (for cashmere)

• Fill your sink with warm water, add a tbsp of hair conditioner. Submerge the sweater and let it soak for half an hour. Then gingerly tease the fibers apart - this can be time consuming and tedious - but it works! Once you have teased out the fibers, gently stretch out the wool in all directions. Finish with a cold water rinse and lay out flat to dry.

Method 4:

• Fill your bathroom sink with lukewarm water and add 1/3 cup of hair conditioner. Add the sweater and let it soak for about 10 minutes to unlock the wool fibers.
• Let the water drain, but don’t rinse out the sweater. When the sink is empty, gently press the sweater against the basin to remove any excess water. Do not wring it.
• Lay the sweater out flat on an absorbent towel. Put another towel on top of it and press down on it hard to blot out as much water as you can.

Method 5:

• Prepare a cool, dry room. Close windows and blinds during sunny weather, or wait until night. Run fans or turn up the air conditioner.
• Soak the sweater. Be sure to use the coolest water you can comfortably hold your hands in (you'll need to handle your sweater to stretch it, so this is important). Hold the sweater under water long enough to make sure it's fully soaked (until bubbles stop rising to the surface of the water).
• Gently wring the sweater out by hand by pressing and folding, rather than twisting the fabric.
• Hang the sweater in the prepared room. Stretch out a dry towel beneath where it's hanging to catch any drops of water that may still fall.
• Aim fans to blow on the sweater. Wait a few hours.
• Use your hands to stretch out any sections that haven't yet stretched sufficiently, especially parts like cuffs or sleeves that won't have been weighted down.
• Lay the sweater on a flat surface, on top of a spread out towel. If it needs any further stretching, use hand weights to stretch the material out and hold it in place. Let dry.

Sadam Ali after his successful Pru Center fight last month

Leopoldo Arrocha at the Aviator. He lost, but should've won. He's a boxer to watch, a true journeyman.

Brooklyn is home to a lot of boxing gyms -- and boxers who live there, or used to. But it’s a world generally closed off to the general public, the regular people who go to AC or Vegas – and now Newark – to see a fight.

The Aviator is no Pru Center, where the press gets tables, wifi and ziti. But it has that boxing gym feel that can’t be experienced in a big arena. It’s like an old-time neighborhood fight club, but with lots of air conditioning and not a trace of smoke.

The up-and-coming and trying-to-get-back pros take their corners in a ring that seemed smaller and more crowded. Celebrities there are not TV stars or anyone from the NFL, but boxers of some level of greatness who are pointed out and even step into the ring to wave amidst rounds of applause.

The Flatbush Avenue venue had a typical card that ranged from small timers with 4 rounds, to the 10-round main event for the New York State Featherweight Championship. But that was the only thing typical. The ring card girls displayed the rounds with penciled sheets and the announcer had crazy hair and looked like a musician. The main event was delayed an hour due to a missing ambulance and the hot dogs and beer were sold from a folding table, bake-sale style.

For me, it was just another awesome Brooklyn experience. Again I was there, in Brooklyn, by accident, or rather riding along with my boyfriend’s adventure to interview Sadamn Ali, who should have fought that night but couldn’t find an opponent willing to fight him.

Ali – a 2008 Olympian – is a boxer that just might be on the road to greatness. I watched him win a unanimous decision over a tough Jason Thompson last February, and saw him knock out Julias Edmonds on the Zab Judah card last month at the Pru Center. He fights fast, with slick combinations. He floored Edmonds –- knocked out just once in 14 fights -- three times.

A Brooklyn native with his own gym on 5th and Bay Ridge, Ali is just 21 years old. He was the first Arab American boxer to represent Team USA in the Olympics, and the first New Yorker to make the team since former Heavyweight Champ Riddick Bowe. Ali is handsome and polite; people want his autograph. He’s not signed with a promoter, and looks to his father/manager for advice.

He’s the perfect candidate to bring professional boxing back to Brooklyn. And Havoc Boxing, who brought the card to the Aviator, is the perfect promoter. Havoc is back to the promotion arena (they’re known more these days for trunks and shirts) and has an interesting boxing philosophy: they want to put on shows, like those old-time fight clubs where, as A.J. Liebling, once noted, “youngsters had a chance to learn their trade and journeyman to mature their skills.” Judging by what I saw, they’re on the right track.

The event was not without hiccups. But that’s OK. It’s really just how Brooklyn is – unpredictable with a mix of greatness and hiccups, old and new.

I’m sure I’ll see more fights at the Aviator – Havoc’s next show is scheduled there for Oct. 30 --even if just to say “Last night? Oh, I went to the fights in Brooklyn.”

And I know I’ll see more of Sadam “World Kid” Ali. He’s back at the Pru Center Saturday night fighting Lenin Arroyo on the under card at the Adamek-Grant match, a Main Events promotion. Catch it on PPV at 9 p.m. or head out to Newark and see it live – you won’t be bored for a second.

I never give men’s cologne much thought because basically, I hate it. OK, there is something about Old Spice, and the commercials are just making it that much more appealing. But generally speaking, men shouldn’t have a commercial scent. Women shouldn’t either; there’s probably two scents I can be near that don’t give me a headache.

But apparently, there’s a cologne to fit your work style -- if you’re a man that is. And if you’re scenting up wrong, who knows what the repercussions might be? Or the missed benefits?

For instance, if you wear Burberry Sport, you’ll be more alert, according to Men’s Health and Dr. Hirsch. Why? The citrus scent boosts beta waves in your brain. The article says this is perfect for people working the night shift. But who doesn’t want more beta waves? I say it sounds like a good choice anytime, except, perhaps, before bed.

Do you work long hours? Then Nautica’s Sea Spray is your choice. I don’t really understand the reasoning; best to read it yourself. Or just spray on blind faith.

People who work with numbers should dab on Bond # 9 Andy Warhol Montauk. That’s a very confusing name. But then, people who work with numbers have a very confusing job.

If retail’s your thing, Eternity Aqua by Calvin Klein is your scent. The cedarwood aroma will help you stay calm and cheery, according to Men’s Health, which credits a Japanese study.

And if you carry your job stress with you all the time, Diesel Only the Brav Iron Man Limited Edition will help you shake it off and get some sleep. Why? Lavender.

There’s no info for wordsmith types, so newsroom folks, you’re out of luck.