Lifestyles category, Page 111
O Cannoli Tree, O Cannoli Tree: Harmar baker has new holiday confection
Forget about those sugar plums dancing in heads this holiday season and make way for a new Yuletide treat: the Cannoli Christmas Tree. A cannoli tree may seem like something out of a debaucherous dessert dream. But Char Hixson, proprietor of Char’s Creative Confections in Harmar, is baking them up...
Holiday window display competition in Pittsburgh to support artists, causes
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is adding a twist to holiday window displays with a contest this season. “As a retail store, your window displays are one of the most important marketing tools you have,” said Suzanne Mauro, a Pittsburgh-based retail consultant. “They can make someone passing by, enter your store...
Get a pair of rare, collectible sneakers in newly opened Neecs Sneaks in GreensburgVideo
Silver and gold, stocks and bonds, are all tried-and-true investments. But Nico Giannilli of Unity is betting his financial success on another hot commodity — sneakers. Not the worn-down, smelly footwear you schlep around in, but the pricey, celebrity-endorsed kicks that go for big bucks. Giannilli, 24, has been amassing...
For baking season, a primer on an essential: vanilla
I used to take vanilla for granted. Then, I was making chocolate chip cookies one day and ran out of vanilla extract. So I left it out. It was like leaving salt out of the recipe. The cookies lacked the round, full flavors they usually had. I realized vanilla was...
Living with Children: What ‘Hand in Hand’ parenting gets wrong
“Hand in Hand” parenting is the latest iteration of progressive (nouveau, unverified) childrearing. I became aware of HIH several weeks ago, courtesy of a grandmother whose daughter and son-in-law are practitioners. She was both amused and appalled. Intrigued, I went to the HIH website (handinhandparenting.org) to see for myself. The...
Some Pittsburgh-area restaurant owners have outdoor dining covered amid pandemic
With the colder weather here to stay, many Downtown Pittsburgh restaurants have decided to cover outdoor spaces for continued dining to help accommodate state-mandated capacity requirements. Some outdoor dining structures resemble mini-greenhouses. Others look like plastic domes. Bakersfield Pittsburgh has tents, heaters and picnic-bench seating on Penn Avenue. At Bourbon...
Stay in the car to see Santa during holiday happenings
Pandemic precautions mean kids may not get to sit on Santa’s lap this year. But there are several area options for families to have a drive-thru encounter with the jolly old elf, in a socially distanced take on the holiday tradition. Unity Instead of its usual Deck the Tree holiday...
Where to find cut-your-own Christmas tree options around the Pittsburgh region
Still looking to cut down your own tree this Christmas? This interactive map shows some of the places in the Pittsburgh region growing real trees you can select and cut your own fresh evergreen. Those on the hunt for a tree are advised to call first or check the location’s...
Prantl’s has new owner, plans new location in North Huntingdon
The last five years have been quite a ride for those baking Prantl’s famous Burnt Almond Torte — also known as “the greatest cake America has ever made.” The Huffington Post made that declaration in 2014, a year before a string of new developments at the business, which now has...
Crabtree race organizers run with ‘Ugly Christmas Sweater’ theme
Things are expected to get ugly Dec. 12 in the village of Crabtree. But that’s just fine with Julie Watkins and Kathy Kuhns. They’re organizing the second annual St. Bartholomew Church Ugly Christmas Sweater 5K and 2-Mile Walk for 11 a.m. that day. About 150 participants came from as far...
Equine therapeutic center in Cook Township plans drive-thru holiday Winterfest
The STAT Ligonier Therapeutic Center will spread some holiday cheer with a drive-through Winterfest, from 6-9 p.m. Dec. 18 and 19. “We were thinking about how so many Christmas events have been canceled, and we wanted to do something for the kids and the community,” said founder Catherine Markosky. The...
Pittsburgh Pothole Filler made to satisfy sweet-and-salty popcorn cravings
The creative minds behind Pittsburgh Yinzer Greetings have found a way to make potholes palatable — literally. Just in time for holiday gift-giving, the company has teamed up with Sarris Candies to introduce Pittsburgh Pothole Filler. The sweet-and-salty treat features fresh-popped popcorn, dunked and drizzled in rich dark chocolate in...
Post-holiday storage tips will make decorating a snap next year
When this article comes out, you may have just unpacked and displayed the last of the holiday decorations. And, while the last thing you want to think about when admiring your menorah or twinkling tree is storage options, the time will eventually come when the holiday decor must be repacked...
Greensburg Garden Center crafts unique items for annual greens sale
There are a lot of good reasons to shop Greensburg Garden Center’s annual Christmas greens and decor sale. Offering everything from trees, wreaths and roping to kissing balls, table arrangements and hanging baskets, along with other handcrafted decorative items, it’s one-stop shopping, said center president Carla Rusnica. It’s also one-of-a-kind...
Goodbye, ugly Christmas sweater — hello, holiday-themed mask
Forget the ugly Christmas sweater — the holiday-themed mask is the hot, new look this year. “We can’t even keep them stocked,” said Beth DeNillo, manager of Bella Unique Boutique in downtown Greensburg. “They’re very popular,” she added. “Our customers are saying, ‘If we have to wear them, we might...
Living with Children: Don’t be afraid of your children
“Are you afraid of your child/children?” I query folks who testify to children who frequently engage in flagrant antisocial behavior — tantrums, brazen disrespect and belligerent disobedience being the top three. I cannot recall an exception to parents — hundreds and counting — answering “Yes.” Therefore, it seems that fear...
Send a holiday card, support a worthy local cause
Even with some people turning to electronic holiday greetings, sending cards by mail is still a treasured tradition. Americans purchase approximately 6.5 billion greeting cards each year, including 1.6 billion Christmas cards, according to the Greeting Card Association, an industry trade group. That makes Christmas cards the most popular type...
Pittsburgh’s Sammy’s Famous Corned Beef to reopen Downtown
The popular “Sammy’s Special” sandwich — a large portion of hot corned beef, topped with Swiss cheese, coleslaw and Russian dressing on freshly-baked bread – will be available once again. Sammy’s Famous Corned Beef reopened with dine-in and pick up on Tuesday. Located on Liberty Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh, the...
McDonald’s McRib sandwich to make its annual appearance
The long wait is almost over for hungry McRib lovers. McDonald’s is bringing the cult favorite sandwich back to restaurants on Wednesday. This will be the first time since 2012 that it will be available at all of the fast food chain’s 14,400 outlets nationwide. McDonald’s brings back the McRib...
‘Luminary Night’ to kickoff holiday festivities in Greensburg
Greensburg will celebrate its 51st annual Luminary Night beginning at 5 p.m. Dec. 3. About 400 luminaries will light the way for visitors along Main, Otterman and West Second streets and Pennsylvania Avenue, and a Christmas tree will illuminate the South Pennsylvania Avenue Parklet. The Downtown Greensburg Project, which organizes...
TribLive Taste Test: Sheetz Project Happy Hole-idayz Doughnut AleVideo
Beer brewed with doughnut holes? Why not? Today’s TribLive Taste Test subject was the brand-new Project Happy Hole-idayz, a collaboration between Sheetz and North Carolina brewery Wicked Weed. Each batch is supposedly brewed using a pound of the convenience store chain’s Shweetz doughnut holes, with notes of vanilla frosting and...
Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster donates Thanksgiving meals to seniors
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster fondly remembers Thanksgiving dinners growing up. “The older people would always be served first,” said Smith-Schuster on Tuesday. He’s making the sure the seniors are taken care of this year, especially when they might not be able to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and...
Living with Children: It’s not too late to turn things around
Question: We have a 10-year-old daughter who runs our family. We allowed her to begin dictating to us when she began talking and it’s just gone slowly downhill ever since. She manipulates us with shrieking tantrums, disrespect and downright refusal to do what we tell her to do. We must...
Toy safety group releases annual list of top 10 ‘worst’ toys
BOSTON — Cute plastic animals with tiny accessories that pose a choking hazard, Black Panther-inspired claws with the potential to cause facial or eye injuries, and green slime that could be harmful if swallowed: These are just some of the items on an annual list of potentially dangerous toys released...
For rookie Thanksgiving cooks, expert tips to avoid disaster
NEW YORK (AP) — After Christopher Hughey tweeted that he’s tackling his first Thanksgiving turkey this year, the advice started rolling in. Brine it. Don’t bother. Try “spatchcocking” — grilling the bird split open. Remember to turn on the oven, and expect that something will burn. “One extreme is that...
