Culinary Flair

When it comes to the well-dressed table, culinary expert Deborah Fabricant sets her own standard.

Fabricant of Corona del Mar will be the Art of Entertaining Theater’s featured speaker at the 1996 Southern California Home & Garden Show, which runs today through Aug. 25 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Fabricant, who has more than 20 years of experience in cooking and entertaining, likes to have fun at the dinner table, such as becoming a human centerpiece for this table.

“What I do is show people entertaining can be beautiful and easy,” says Fabricant, “and it must be done with a sense of humor. If the souffle falls, call it a flourless chocolate cake with fruit.”

Fabricant will speak on the well-dressed table, speed scratch cooking and living well as the best revenge for seniors. She is scheduled to appear today at 1 and 6 p.m. and at other times throughout the show.

More than 700 exhibitors will feature home-related products and services at the show. There will also be a garden festival, a car garden, an animal kingdom and an antique collectible fair.

General admission is $6.50 (ages 15 and over); seniors (55 and over) $5; children (8-14) $3. Children under 7 are admitted free with a paid adult.

Call (714) 549-9802.

Aromatics

Don’t just freshen or cleanse the air, diffuse it with essential oils.

Drawing on the benefits of aromatherapy, the ScentBall and Carscenter fill the air in your home or automobile with botanical extracts, which have been known to reduce stress or invigorate the senses.

To use the ScentBall ($15, comes with 10 disposable inserts), place five to 10 drops of your favorite essential oil on the cotton pad insert and plug it into an electrical outlet. The Carscenter ($15, with 10 disposable inserts) has an adapter for the cigarette lighter.

The six oils cost from $9 to $19. Jump Start is a blend of peppermint, spearmint and rosemary. Cruise Control is a mix of bergamot, bay and lime. Back Seat Boogie brings together jasmine, rose and vanilla. Good Day Sunshine stimulates with its blend of fir, spruce and oat moss. Sugar Magnolia is citrusy with neroli, lemon and patchouli, and Crimson and Clover has floral notes of ylang-ylang and vanilla.

All of the products can be found at Bare Escentuals, 591 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, (714) 640-0860.

Modular Office

Individualize your office space with Ethan Allen’s modular Radius desk system.

There are three desktop styles in the collection, including the crescent shape (about $2,099), which has two functional pedestals for filing and storage and a pencil drawer.

The computer armoire (about $2,199) has a pullout keyboard tray, two adjustable shelves, a lateral file drawer and drop-down book tablet.

The ergonomic chair (about $709 to $779 in leather, starting about $529 in fabric) has a swivel base and extra padding for comfort.

All of the pieces have a primavera veneer and can be found at Ethan Allen Galleries in Costa Mesa, (714) 646-2400; Lake Forest, (714) 770-0909; and Santa Ana, (714) 835-3444.