Lifestyles category, Page 208
Turn a plain brown paper bag into the perfect popcorn maker
Microwave popcorn is a great idea—in theory. But most packaged options have a long list of unnatural ingredients and don’t taste very good. This fun recipe turns a plain old brown paper bag—the kind you might use to hold your lunch—into a microwave-safe package for popping corn kernels. Make sure...
Passion fruit is a tart, tropical MVP ingredient
I’ve gone on record here as an avowed Anglophile who thinks there are plenty of things that Brits do better than us. Scones. Tea. Cooking competition shows. I have something else to thank them for: Introducing me to the wonders of passion fruit. In the few weeks I’ve spent across...
Politics burnout craves a newsbreak
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Hi, Carolyn! I try to keep informed with politics and the state of the world, but I’m getting so, so tired. I have depression and anxiety and struggle to deal with my daily first-world issues — how do people deal with watching the world...
Mother abandons fulfilling volunteer gig at the soup kitchen
Dear Carolyn: For the holidays this year, my mother was torn about her regular “gig” — volunteering at a local community center serving as a “soup kitchen.” She has volunteered there for many years for the less fortunate. My mother ultimately decided never to return to the soup kitchen. She...
Level Green furniture builder wins customer service award
Penn Rustics, a Level Green company that offers hand-built furniture made from solid wood, has been awarded a “Best of Customer Service” badge from Houzz, an online forum for architecture, interior design and decorating, landscape design and home improvement. The custom rustic furniture company was chosen by the more than...
Tom Davidson: For the love of ‘Truck’ and the weather
My latest son could be born at any time. That’s what my wife and I have been saying for the last two weeks. Any time will likely mean Tuesday, but that’s a guesstimate at best. It’s made work and life interesting as I continually pelt her with “Are you OKs?”...
Husband opts out of Valentine’s Day the moment they’re married
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: Valentine’s Day is coming and once again my husband will do nothing for me. He said, after we got married four years ago, he shouldn’t “have to” anymore. This was a huge shock since, when we were dating and engaged, he would...
Ohiopyle State Park celebrates season with annual WinterfestVideo
Skiers, sled riders and snowman builders all are hoping a significant amount of the white stuff is still to come to the region before the winter season ends. So is Barbara Wallace, environmental education specialist with Ohiopyle State Park, where the annual Winterfest is set for 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb....
Beverly’s Birthdays founder gets surprise party from ‘Returning the Favor’Video
Megs Yunn is used to throwing birthday parties for others, founding Beverly’s Birthdays in 2011 to ensure homeless children in the region get to celebrate their special day. Mike Rowe, who spearheads “Returning the Favor,” which streams on Facebook, thought it was time for Yunn to have a celebration of...
Can Hempfield’s Gigi Thomas ‘Bake It Like Buddy?’ Tune in to find out
Hempfield professional baker Gigi Thomas, owner of Gigi’s Signature Bakery, and her husband, non-baker Randy Thomas, will appear on “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro’s television show “Bake It Like Buddy” at 9 p.m. Feb. 16. The couple will compete against another husband and wife team from Chester, Pa., according to Discovery...
A cookie in a skillet? Skeptical? Just try it
A cookie in a skillet? We admit this Internet phenom made us skeptical—until we tried it. Unlike making a traditional batch of cookies, this treatment doesn’t require scooping, baking and cooling multiple sheets of treats; the whole thing bakes at once in a single skillet. Plus, the hot bottom and...
Buffalo Wild Wings offering free wings if Super Bowl goes into overtime
Are you watching the Super Bowl? Do you like wings? Do you like free wings? If Super Bowl LIII - featuring the New England Patriots vs. the Los Angeles Rams — goes to overtime, everyone gets free wings from Buffalo Wild Wings. The chicken wing chain says everyone gets free...
Lifetime’s ‘Love You to Death’ delves into Munchausen syndrome by proxy
LOS ANGELES — It’s easy to judge the incidents that inspired the Lifetime movie “Love You to Death” as extreme cruelty and abuse. It’s a case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy when a mother forces her healthy young daughter to pretend she is ill so she can reap the rewards...
What’s Brewing? Don’t judge a beer by its glass
There are a lot of odd-looking glasses from which to drink beer. There are tall glasses that you might accidentally slam against your front teeth until you acclimate yourself to the approach. There are behemoth beer mugs that will have you feeling like you’re drinking and lifting weights at the...
Pittsburgh chef, former Steelers player team up for ‘Taste of the NFL’ to benefit food bank
In a way, Scott Walton and Andy Russell have been a part of the same team — only at different times. Russell was a linebacker and part of the “Steel Curtain” defense for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s until he retired from professional football and went into business. Walton...
Point Park University student turns assignment into benefit for kids
Point Park University student and grandmother Christina Wonnacott, 65, saw a way to turn a classroom assignment into a way to help others. “I needed to create a four-minute film for my screenwriting class and thought, ‘Why not make a promotional film that an organization could use to increase awareness...
No Steelers? No problem. Super Bowl Sunday is all about the food
When you’re a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, Super Bowl LIII is all about wings — and chips and dips, pizzas and guacamole — but not so much about football, at least not this year. So while New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams fans will be cheering for their teams at...
‘Cubcake Wars’ to help Norwin Lions support Kitty Sack Project
The Norwin Lions will hold their seventh annual Cubcake Wars fundraising event from 1-4 p.m. March 3 in the Norwin High School cafeteria. Numerous bakers will make “cubcakes,” available for a $2 donation, all the while competing for best cubcake, best decorations and most funds raised for best in show....
My friends say my boyfriend is ‘tough to like’
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: My boyfriend and I are going to visit some friends who have invited us to join them at their lake house. A few months ago, my friends told me my boyfriend is “tough to like.” I realize his sense of humor isn’t...
Human trafficking happens everywhere, Blackburn Center program notesVideo
Local residents may be surprised or shocked to learn that human trafficking happens in Westmoreland County. According to Human Rights First, human trafficking enslaves nearly 25 million people a year worldwide, exploiting victims for sex or labor, sometimes both. The Blackburn Center is collaborating with Reunion Presbyterian Church and the...
Out & About: Students take the lead at county prayer breakfastVideo
Students were in the spotlight for the 44th annual Westmoreland County Prayer Breakfast, held Jan. 25 in the Ramada Greensburg Hotel and Conference Center. The breakfast brings together community members from area business, education, government and labor, and each year focuses on one of those sectors. For the first time,...
Out & About: ‘As I See It’ offers glimpse of artists’ vision
Artists have the ability to see and interpret the world in unusual ways. Greensburg Art Center is giving those of us who don’t have such abilities to see through those special eyes via “As I See It,” a member exhibition running through March 1 in the Hempfield gallery and workshop...
Out & About: Ruffed Grouse Society banquet aids feathered friends
Forget the black tie, here come the denim and flannel. The banquet facility at Rizzo’s Malabar Inn in Crabtree became a sportsmen’s paradise on Jan. 25 for the 28th annual Conservation and Sportsmen’s Banquet hosted by the Ruffed Grouse Society Western Allegheny Chapter. A large part of the event is...
Out & About: Trolley ride connects 2 Saint Vincent gallery shows
The Neighborhood Trolley trundled around Saint Vincent College on Jan. 24, carrying visitors between openings in two campus galleries. In the Saint Vincent Gallery, they found “a visual reminder to slow down, linger over and reflect upon the world as it exists around us,” according to curator Andrew Julo, in...
Resented by sister since the day she was born
Adapted from a recent online discussion Dear Carolyn: I ruined my sister’s life the day I was born, which was cute back then, but we’re almost 50 now. Starting with childhood, most decisions I make (hair, clothes, musical instrument, sports, college, career, house, etc.) somehow ruin her day. She gets...
