Lifestyles category, Page 146
10 plants sure to please this holiday season
There was a time when poinsettias, paperwhites and amaryllis were the only three traditional plants being offered for the holidays. The details of growing and enjoying those plants are covered below, but there are some other interesting things to grow indoors for this festive season. There’s nothing wrong with the...
New Western Pennsylvania Food Guide ready for ordering
The 2020 Western PA Local Food Guide, a directory of farmers markets, restaurants, wineries, retail stores and other businesses that produce or support local food in the region, will be available before the new year. Orders can be placed for free delivery by visiting constantcontact.com. It also can be downloaded...
Downtown Greensburg merchants host holiday open house
Merchants in downtown Greensburg will hold their 51st Annual Downtown Greensburg Holiday Open House and Customer Appreciation Day from noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 15. Mary Wilmes, owner of Penelope’s gift shop on South Pennsylvania Avenue, says the store has participated in the event for over 30 years. “At least...
Cranberry Ricotta Cake makes holiday mornings merry
When is cake an acceptable breakfast choice? When it’s Christmas or New Year’s, or brunch anytime, or basically any day in December. There’s nothing like this incredibly delicious cranberry-streaked cake to make your whole Christmas season feel special. The ricotta cheese makes this recipe super moist and the plentiful cranberries...
No-bake wreaths make simple addition to holiday cookie tray
Corn flake cereal gets all dressed up for the holidays with these super cute and easy no-bake wreath Christmas cookies. All you need is 5 ingredients and about 15 minutes, and you’ll have dozens of adorable little wreaths ready to serve on their own, or add to any holiday cookie...
Holiday foods you love to hate can actually be delicious
Since 1913, when the first one was mail-ordered in the U.S., fruitcake has been the symbol of the holiday gift you give away as soon as you receive it. The weighty brown cake, studded with neon colored chunks of fruit that could decorate a house if they were strung alongside...
Pittsburgh pastry chef recalls stint on holiday baking showVideo
Fairmont Pittsburgh pastry chef Dwight Penney is home for the holidays, after being eliminated Dec. 9 from Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship. Penney, 30, of Dormont, was among 10 original bakers competing for a chance to win $25,000 and the title of Holiday Baking Champion on the popular show’s sixth...
Amid the holiday hustle and bustle, take time to care for yourself
This is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but often it’s the most stressful. “The season to be merry is also the season for stress and anxiety,” says Jyl Glunt, a health and wellness specialist at the Excela Health Well-Being Center-Mind Body Health. “Shopping, decorating, parties,...
Plant-based Beyond Burger now available at all Sheetz stores
The plant-based Beyond Burger is now available at all 597 Sheetz store locations, making Sheetz the first continental U.S. convenience chain to offer the plant-based burger in partnership with Beyond Meat. The burger is “a protein packed, 100% plant-based meat option but with the same delicious taste and texture of...
Out & About: Candlelit ‘Dinner for 8’ thanks Hanna’s Town volunteers
A group of people who usually serve others were thanked for their efforts during Westmoreland Historical Society’s annual Dinner for Eight, held Dec. 3 in the tavern at Historic Hanna’s Town in Hempfield. Dinners were a core group of volunteers who assist in various ways at the ever-expanding complex, which...
Out & About: Westmoreland Society chooses 2 pieces for the museum
The permanent collection of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art is increasing by two pieces, courtesy of the Westmoreland Society. During their annual dinner Dec. 6 in the Greensburg facility, members voted to purchase “Divine Plan,” a 2003 mixed-media piece by Tina Williams Brewer, and “Flourish,” an oil on canvas...
Out & About: New Excela hospice program helps kids deal with grief
“What do I do with the sad that I feel?” Excela Health Hospice is helping children deal with that question through its Neighborhood Kids grief support program. Attendees at the hospice Neighborhood Christmas event, held Dec. 5 at Rizzo’s Banquet Facility in Crabtree, were given an introduction to the program....
Gift-wrapping this season trends jazzy but sustainable
The trend in gift wrapping this holiday season is toward jazzy yet sustainable options. Consider beautifully folded fabrics or understated, brown or green masking paper topped with colorful washi tape or sprigs of green instead of easily crushed store-bought bows. “There’s a lot of fun stuff going on in gift...
Out & About: Saint Vincent College presents Handel’s ‘Messiah’
It’s customary to stand for the “Hallelujah Chorus,” which concludes George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah.” Conventional wisdom says that Great Britain’s King George II stood in awe during the 1743 London premiere of the work. And when the king stands, everybody stands. Though the chorus is only 4 to 5 minutes...
Out & About: ACS ‘Real Men’ celebrate successful fundraising effort
The American Cancer Society’s 2019 Real Men Wear Pink campaign in Westmoreland and Fayette counties kicked off Aug. 22, with 12 area men each vowing to raise $2,500 by the end of October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. On Dec. 2, some of the group and other campaign supporters gathered...
Out & About: Hospital auxiliary members enjoy annual holiday fete
Members of the Westmoreland Hospital Auxiliary gathered Dec. 3 at the Unity home of Ann Albanesi for their annual holiday auction and cocktail party. Guests arrived with arms full of items for the auction and children’s books for Books for Babies, a program that provides a book for siblings of...
Out & About: Festival of Lights reflects beloved holiday poemVideo
Visit the Ligonier Town Hall community room through Dec. 10 and you’ll be walking in a winter wonderland. The Ligonier Valley Historical Society has taken over the space for its 37th Festival of Lights, which opened Dec. 6 with a “Toast the Trees” reception. Guests descending the steps to the...
Remember When: Dec. 9
100 years ago Police raid slot machine owners The first results of the planned police drive on slot machines and punch boards in New Kensington netted two arrests. Both men arrested were store owners on Fourth Avenue. 75 years ago East Deer trims Redcats A packed house at the East...
Living with Children: Encourage good behavior … even during the holidays
Question: I’m already dreading the holidays. Our 8-year-old is a very excitable child and our family is expected to attend numerous holiday get-togethers at the homes of family members. When he’s included in events where there’s lots of excitement and anticipation in the air, he has a reputation for becoming...
Travel tip: Kennedy Space Center planning ‘Holidays in Space’ event
If your December travel plans includes a trip to Florida, stop at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island for Holidays in Space. This year, the annual event harks back to the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space missions of the 1960s. Guests will enter the complex through an...
Learn how to sow seeds of shrubs, trees in the winter
If you’re looking to increase the number of trees and shrubs on your property and you’re up for a challenge, now is a great time to start new trees and shrubs from seeds. Yes, it’s an exercise in patience, but it brings big rewards for generations to come. Winter sowing...
10 things that annoy us about the holidays
It’s that holiday season. The trees are up, laden with keepsake ornaments. The little lights are twinkling. The stockings are hung by the chimneys with care. Presents are wrapped, adorned with ribbons and bows. Nice and all, but seriously, the holidays aren’t all fun and games. Here are 10 things...
All aboard for a memory-making holiday train excursion
Children’s book author Chris Van Allsburg said “The Polar Express,” his classic holiday story, “began with the idea of a train standing alone in the woods. I asked myself, ‘What if a boy gets on that train? Where does he go?’ ” In the story, the boy boards the train...
The best evergreen ground covers for a slope
Question: We are looking for some ground covers that stay green all winter long. We have a steep slope behind the garage that currently is filled with clumps of daylilies. We like them, but they die back in the winter. We’d like to plant some type of evergreen ground cover...
Doug Oster offers his annual gift guide for gardeners
It’s always fun to put together the annual gift guide for gardeners. They (we) are easy to buy for, so here’s a list of some of my favorite things that will make you a hero when they unwrap these unique gifts. • Growing vegetables and flowers from seeds is fun,...
