Lifestyles category, Page 117
Living with Children: Don’t ask them, tell them
A grandmother in Arkansas says her adult children have great difficulty telling their children what to do. They turn instructions — more accurately, what they think are instructions — into questions and then wonder why their kids don’t seem to appreciate their timidity. Grandma’s email made me think of a...
Hard seltzer remains an ‘it’ drink
I know I am revealing my age when I say that the last time I remember an alcohol craze like this it was wine coolers. I was barely scraping legal when they were super-hot in the 1980s, but I knew there was an “it drink.” The most recent “it drink”...
‘Ultimate’ mac ‘n cheese uses 4 cheeses, crumbled cracker topping
My love of certain cheeses is no secret in this test kitchen, yet I’ve never had much interest in cooking that ultimate comfort food, mac ‘n cheese — well, except for the lobster mac ‘n cheese recipe I shared in April. That’s one great dish. Yet when I stumbled on...
Enjoy these spicy wings this Labor Day weekend
These sweet and spicy chicken wings are baked in the oven and then crisped under the broiler. It’s perfect for the upcoming holiday weekend or anytime. I separated the drumettes from the flats for easier serving. Microwaving the potatoes for the potato salad shortens the cooking time and means there’s...
1 last chance to visit Kennywood, Sandcastle, Idlewild
Labor Day has become the unofficial end of summer. This year, it also marks the final weekend of 2020 to visit Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, Sandcastle Water Park in West Homestead and Idlewild & SoakZone in Ligonier Township. In past years, there were things to do celebrating Halloween and...
5 tips for keeping your fall mums happy, healthy and beautiful
Those fall mums look so good at the garden center or grocery store that you splurge on a few big pots for your front porch. But after a couple of weeks, they no longer look so good — the blooms are browning and the unopened buds are drying out. What...
New Kensington record store reopening over Labor Day weekend at new location
A New Kensington record store will reopen this weekend in a new location designed with social distancing in mind. AJ Rassau, owner of Preserving Underground with his wife, Sarah, is spreading his store’s grand reopening over the Labor Day weekend to keep the crowd from becoming overwhelming. Preserving Underground is...
Taco Bell removing 5 more menu items including Mexican Pizza, but adding some, too
The bad news is Taco Bell is removing five more menu items — in addition to the dozen announced earlier this summer. The good news is the chain also is adding two things and says it won’t revamp the menu anymore this year and teased there may be more “plant-based...
The Laser Loop, a former Kennywood favorite, is for saleVideo
Are you loopy enough to buy a roller coaster? Now, you can. The Laser Loop, an attraction at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin from 1980 to 1990, is for sale. You’ll need to negotiate the $490,000 asking price, which does not include the cost of dismantling the ride, transporting it...
Food Fights Club offers monthly challenges, Pittsburgh dining discounts
Food Fights is cooking up some friendly competition among local restaurants. The new online subscription club will offer exclusive member discounts and host competitions to determine the best restaurants in Pittsburgh. The initiative was created by Diana Rua, a 25-year veteran of the service industry and event producer of Pittsburgh...
Canine Companions for Independence provides dogs for people with disabilitiesVideo
Jessica Gardner rolls herself in her power wheelchair to the dryer. But with cerebral palsy, it’s difficult to pull the clothes out. Her best buddy comes to the rescue. Ford, a Labrador-golden retriever cross, has been by her side for four years. The two were matched through Canine Companions for...
Fort Ligonier plans online auction, sale of new ‘1762’ whiskey
Instead of an in-person event, Fort Ligonier’s annual Cannon Ball will be an online auction this year. The auction site will go live at noon Friday, with bidding open through 8 p.m. Sept. 18. The online auction will feature exclusive items including print No. 2 of “Flash Point,” signed by...
Graeter’s Ice Cream hosts ‘Cones For The Cure’ fundraiser for pediatric brain cancerVideo
Six-year-old Elena left notes in her mom’s briefcase and her dad’s backpack. There were many written messages from the little girl before she died from brain cancer in 2007. “She hid some between books on the bookshelf, in the corners of our dresser drawers or between dishes in the china...
Art Rooney Awards Dinner and Auction held onlineVideo
The 47th annual Art Rooney Awards Dinner and Auction has gone virtual. Like so many nonprofits, the event could not be held live because of the pandemic. Organizers compiled a video with messages from the honorees, along with showcasing the football jerseys, golf packages, spa certificates and hotel stays that...
Living with Children: Tantrum tips
As just about everyone who has lived with a child for more than two years knows, the most potentially dangerous thing one can say to a toddler is “no.” That single syllable strikes deep into the core of the reptilian portion of the toddler brain, arousing a reaction that dwarfs...
27th annual Labor Day crafts festival will still go on at Westmoreland Fairgrounds
Things will be a little different this year at the annual Pennsylvania Arts & Crafts Labor Day Retail Marketplace, but it still promises attendees a good time. About 150 vendors will set up at the 27th annual sale, from Sept. 4-7 at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds in Mt. Pleasant Township. That’s...
Frank Lloyd Wright home in Phoenix sells for $7.25 million
PHOENIX — A Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in Phoenix has sold more than $7 million. The Arizona Republic reported Monday that the David and Gladys Wright House sold for $7.25 million. The group of buyers include businessman Jim Benson and architect Bing Hu, who apprenticed at Wright’s Taliesin West school...
Chef and writer J. Kenji López-Alt cooks up a kid’s book
NEW YORK — Pipo is a young girl in a new book for kids who insists that pizza is the best food on Earth. Prompted by her mom to prove it, Pipo goes across her neighborhood testing alternatives: tagine, red beans and rice, bibimbap and dumplings. Her new conclusion: Pizza...
What to do with all that squash? Slice it, dice it, bake it, fry it
Most gardeners, from beginners to old pros, plant summer squash because it grows fast and can be harvested early and throughout the growing season. It’s the vegetable plant that keeps on giving. It is close to peak harvesting season for gardeners. That means many have too much zucchini, crookneck or...
Almond flour substitutes in healthier chocolate chip cookie
It can be tough to maintain healthful eating habits in stressful times, when the snack you hanker for probably begins with “chocolate” and ends with “cookie.” Chef Nicole Burgess offers some help through a recipe she developed for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, observed Aug. 4. Burgess, the pastry chef...
Tie one on — it’s National Bow Tie Day!Video
Tying a bow tie might not be an essential skill right now, with weddings postponed, galas canceled and takeout replacing fine dining for many. But the day will come when the pandemic fades and normal activities resume — and in the meantime, the ritzy fashion accessory deserves a nod, because...
Tarentum woman, 19, becoming 3rd owner of Merle Norman Cosmetics studioVideo
Mary Lee Naccarato first learned of Olivia Grace Fertig from a newspaper story. She was so impressed by the young woman that Naccarato offered her a job at her New Kensington Merle Norman Cosmetics studio. Just over a year later, Naccarato, 73, of Washington Township is retiring, and Fertig, 19,...
Twisted Thistle, Lingrow Farm to host farm-to-table dinner in Gilpin
Two Leechburg-area businesses are partnering to present a rural farm fresh dining experience. The Twisted Thistle in Leechburg and Lingrow Farm in Gilpin will host Farm 2 Table, an al fresco supper event on the grounds of Lingrow Farm on Saturday. “The primary reason that Twisted Thistle ever opened was...
Animal Friends to benefit from sales of BrewDog beer showing adoptable canines
Cheers to your furry friends. Scottish craft brewer BrewDog has teamed locally with Animal Friends in Ohio Township as well as Gigi’s Shelter Services in Ohio to showcase adoptable dogs looking for forever homes. The brewery created Street Dog and Street Dog AF (alcohol free), beers of its Punk IPA...
Western Pa. mobile fashion boutiques to be part of national virtual marketVideo
Beth Buenaventura started her fashion business with a mobile truck. She then added to a brick-and-mortar boutique. Thursday, it will be transformed into a virtual shop. Buenaventura, owner of Fresh Nostalgia, a women’s clothing and accessories store in Downtown Pittsburgh, said her company will be one of nearly a dozen...
