Lifestyles category, Page 117
Paralympic sled hockey hopeful inspired by friend facing similar challengesVideo
Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” plays in the background. Two young men – one in a wheelchair and the other with forearm crutches – are working hard. It’s a sweltering 90-degree day at Piff’s Power and Fitness in Youngwood. Personal trainer Lou Rocco bellows out instructions to one his clients....
Buffalo Sloppy Joes are a tasty twist on an old favorite
Sloppy joes are a great family pleaser, made from ground meat, onions, green bell pepper, tomato sauce. The onset of cooler evenings makes it a perfect time to add these sloppy joes to the fall dinner rotation. Ground buffalo is used in the recipe. It is also sold as ground...
Peeps to halt holiday production until spring of 2021, company says
Peeps fans will have to wait another year before they can pick up pumpkin, snowman or heart-shaped treats at the holidays. The Bethlehem-based Just Born Quality Confections recently announced it won’t be producing Peeps for the Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day so that preparations can be made for Easter of...
97-year-old Latrobe resident’s Facebook baking page going strong; cookbook in the worksVideo
At a friend’s suggestion, Mary Ellen Raneri of Latrobe posted a video on Facebook of her 97-year-old mother baking one of her time-tested recipes. That single video in March led to the “Baking With Lucy” Facebook page as a way for the pair to offer connection and encouragement to others...
Small breweries take advantage of liquor laws to create ‘Pennsylvania Loophole’ beer
Small breweries, like so many other businesses, have been hit hard by the health and safety restrictions of the covid-19 pandemic. Those who don’t have the means of selling their beer beyond pints and growlers are in an especially difficult position. “We’re just a small, family-owned brewery with a two-barrel...
YWCA’s 15th annual ‘Girls in Pearls’ fashion show goes virtual
Fashionistas can check out the latest in affordable fall fashion from the comfort of their homes, as the annual YWCA Westmoreland County Girls in Pearls Fashion Show goes virtual. Set for 5:30 p.m. Oct. 26, the 15th annual show will feature clients, customers and friends of the YWCA modeling clothing...
Red Sand Project activities call attention to human traffickingVideo
On Saturday morning, volunteers will be in front of the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg filling sidewalk seams and cracks with red sand. Hosted by the Westmoreland County Human Trafficking Task Force and Blackburn Center, the activity starting at 9 a.m. is part of the annual Red Sand Project initiative...
Delmont Historical Society to host log house cleanup dayVideo
With a host of plans for the log house at Shields Farm, the recently formed Delmont Historical Society will hold a Sept. 19 cleaning day to spruce up the inside and outside. Society member Vicki Walters said the public is welcome to come help clean the house’s interior, as well...
‘Shopopoly’ to showcase Downtown Pittsburgh’s business district
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s latest promotion is a Golden Triangle take on an iconic board game. “Monopoly” has become “Shopopoly.” Customers who visit stores from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and get a color-coded game card (available at the shops or in Market Square) stamped to be entered into...
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...
