Lifestyles category, Page 57
Fast love: 4 couples share their speedy romance stories
In life and love, the length of a couple’s engagement holds no hard and fast rules. The average engagement length for U.S. couples is 16 months, according to a study presented by the Knot in 2021, an increase in duration from 14 months in 2019. Retired co-pastors Lisa and Gary...
Delmont seed swap offers variety for backyard gardenersVideo
Darin Kuczek gets a lot of enjoyment out of his backyard garden. “I’m not exactly a ‘hippie-dippy’ guy, but I have a chair out there and after I get done working, a lot of times I’ll just sit for maybe an hour,” the Salem resident said. “I just really enjoy...
Out & About: Greensburg artist presents Black History Month exhibit
Greensburg artist Pamela Cooper said she was fascinated by bridges when she was a child. “When we traveled, I loved going over them,” she said. That fascination continued into adulthood, when bridges became the subject of a painting series. One of the bridges was among works Cooper exhibited during a...
How to tackle the Super Bowl spread with Kansas City, Philadelphia flavors
It’s cheesesteaks vs. barbecue, but there’s so much more. No matter which team you are rooting for to win Super Bowl LVII, make sure your food game is strong by incorporating some of the two competing cities’ authentic fare into a watch party menu. Philadelphia, known as the “City of...
‘Borg’ drinking trend gains popularity on TikTok
A new TikTok trend that promises a hangover-free drinking spree appears to be gaining in popularity, particularly on college campuses. The borg — short for “blackout rage gallon” — is an alcoholic drink made by filling a one-gallon jug about halfway with water and then adding up to a fifth...
How the ‘boneless wing’ became a tasty culinary lie
NEW YORK — One day in 2020, at the pandemic’s height, an earnest-looking man with long hair the color of Buffalo sauce stepped up to a podium in Lincoln, Nebraska, to address his city council during its public comment period. His unexpected topic, as he framed it: It was time...
Ex-Steelers tight end Vance McDonald’s Ligonier-area retreat lists for $5.5 millionVideo
When former Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Vance McDonald and his wife, Kendi, were hunting for a place to live and also to serve visitors as a spiritual retreat, they thought they’d found a little piece of heaven on earth in Ligonier Township. “Kendi and I are both Christians, and we...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Feb. 10-12
More sculpture “More Is More,” a juried exhibit of the Pittsburgh Society of Sculptors, is showing through March 10 in the Harlan Gallery in the Seton Hill University Art Center, 201 W. Otterman St., Greensburg. Featured pieces include floor and wall artwork, installations and works on pedestal, with a variety...
Chick-fil-A tests its first plant-based sandwich
Chick-fil-A is jumping on the plant-based bandwagon. The Atlanta chain said Thursday that it’s testing its first plant-based entrée — a breaded cauliflower sandwich — at restaurants in Denver; Charleston, S.C.; and the Greensboro, N.C., area. The test begins Monday. Chick-fil-A said its culinary team spent four years developing the...
Switching up salsas for the Super Bowl by adding fruit
Certain foods are inextricably linked with game day parties: chicken wings, nachos, chili, guacamole … and salsa. Bowls and bowls of salsa. And while you can always pop open a jar, homemade salsa is extremely simple to make. The only skill it requires is a willingness to chop, mince and...
Choosing safe Valentine’s flowers, plants for pet parents
If you’re sending your sweetheart cut flowers or a potted plant for Valentine’s Day, choose ones that are safe for their pets. One lick of a pollen-covered lily stamen can be life-threatening to cats, as my daughter Julia learned when her cat, Nyah, found her way to a beautiful and...
Valentine’s Day is a perfect excuse to make fudgy brownies
For many of us, it’s not really Valentine’s Day unless there is chocolate involved. What an excellent reason to mix up a pan of brownies. And these — these are the brownies you want to make. If I had to say which of my recipes were most popular, these One-Pot...
8-ingredient beef, bean chili hides Super Bowl surprise
A hearty and easy way to feed a crowd, chili is an ideal addition to a Super Bowl party. But to add interest to this savory winter staple, we reach for an ingredient from the baking world. This recipe from our book “Cook What You Have,” which draws on pantry...
Daycation: Things quiet down in winter in Ohiopyle
The streets of Ohiopyle bustle with visitors during the warm months, as people flock to the Fayette County community for its recreational opportunities, scenic views and dining options. In the winter, it’s a different story. Many days, there’s hardly a soul to be seen along Main Street in the tiny...
Out & About: Westmoreland County prayer breakfast stresses core values
“Love, Listen, Learn and Lead” was the theme of the Westmoreland County Chamber Annual Prayer Breakfast, held Jan. 27 at Ferrante’s Lakeview in Hempfield. Those values were separately explored in a series of spiritual readings. “Love” was covered by Heather McLean, outreach coordinator for Mental Health America of Southwestern PA;...
Route to Super Bowl is long, dangerous for Mexican avocados
SANTA ANA ZIROSTO, Mexico — It is a long and sometimes dangerous journey for avocados destined for guacamole on tables and tailgates in the United States during the Super Bowl. It starts in villages like Santa Ana Zirosto, high in the misty, pine-clad mountains of the western Mexico state of...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Feb. 3-5
Limbs and rectangles “Fleshy Limb Filled Rectangles,” an exhibition by Kenneth Nicholson, will open Saturday at StopWatch Gallery & Studio, 323 S. Main St., Greensburg. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. The show features oil paintings and drawings of figures and portraits, which the artist says are “aggressively disassembled and...
YWCA Westmoreland opens Black History Month programs with art show
The YWCA Westmoreland County will begin its Black History Month programming Saturday, with the opening of an exhibit of work by Greensburg artist Pamela Cooper. The featured drawings, paintings and sculptures are a survey of her life as an artist and as a Black woman, Cooper said. “They reflect work...
Psychedelic churches in U.S. pushing boundaries of religion
HILDALE, Utah — The tea tasted bitter and earthy, but Lorenzo Gonzales drank it anyway. On that frigid night in remote Utah, he was hoping for a life-changing experience, which is how he found himself inside a tent with two dozen others waiting for the psychedelic brew known as ayahuasca...
Green comet makes closest approach to Earth in 50K years
The so-called green comet will make its closest approach to Earth in about 50,000 years late Wednesday/early Thursday, but whether you’ll see it in the skies above Western Pennsylvania is debatable. “Unfortunately, we’re going to have increasing cloudiness overnight,” said Lee Hendricks, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in...
Switching up salsas for the Super Bowl: 3 recipes with fruit
Certain foods are inextricably linked with game day parties: chicken wings, nachos, chili, guacamole … and salsa. Bowls and bowls of salsa. And while you can always pop open a jar, homemade salsa is extremely simple to make. The only skill it requires is a willingness to chop, mince and...
Mad Mex in Oakland closes because of staffing challenges, lease situation
Despite being surrounded by thousands of college students, Mad Mex in Oakland could not find enough employees to remain open. After nearly 30 years in business on the corner of Atwood and Bates Streets, the restaurant has closed. “I can’t tell you how many people have said to me, ‘There...
This is the ‘trendy’ Italian meat with 1,000 years of staying power
LOS ANGELES — Rounds of sliced-thin, pink, white-speckled mortadella are popping up on sandwiches, on charcuterie plates and even in the occasional cocktail in Los Angeles, but it’s hard to view any food item depicted in ancient Roman carvings as a flash in the pan. The Italian deli meat that...
It’s cookies and beer time for Nancy B’s and Allegheny City Brewing
Imagine tasting a sweet humungous Nancy B’s Bakery chocolate chip cookie in a brewed liquid form. That’s right. Nancy B’s Bakery of West Homestead has collaborated with Allegheny City Brewing in the North Side’s Deutschtown neighborhood for a dessert beer for a fourth year — only this time they are...
Pittsburgh’s Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor celebrates its 1923 founding
Here are two scoops. Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor in Pittsburgh’s Strip District is marking the 100th year of its founding. And it’s also no longer for sale. “Klavon’s is a piece of Pittsburgh history, and I feel like not enough people know about it,” said Desiree Hanchar, of Fox Chapel,...
