Lifestyles category, Page 136
Easy-to-grow succulents come in a variety of shapes, sizes, textures
A long greenhouse bench is filled with an array of succulents at Soergel’s Garden Center in Wexford. These varieties are indoor plants that have become increasingly popular over the past several seasons. Randy Potter is a general manager here and wears many hats at the nursery. One of his jobs...
Elderberries are beautiful landscape plants and medicinal, too
Question: Everyone in my family takes elderberry syrup in the winter because there’s evidence that it is antiviral and helps fight against the flu. We’d like to start growing our own elderberries and making our own syrup. Are there particular varieties we should grow? Answer: Elderberry (Sambucus spp.) plants have...
McKeesport Candy Co. among locations chosen to wholesale Clark candy bars
McKeesport Candy Co. hit the Clark Bar lottery. Only a select number of businesses were chosen by Boyer Candy Co. for distribution of the sweet piece of Pittsburgh history. Jon H. Prince, owner of McKeesport Candy Co. and candyfavorites.com, said customers won’t be able to buy the bar there, as...
Most popular Valentine’s gifts in each state
OK, guys. By now you either have your Valentine’s Day gift or … well, good luck. But what presents are guys around the country buying the most? The folks at the online store All About Gifts & Baskets used sales data and a survey to customers to put together a...
Make the best breakfast in bed this Valentine’s Day
On any given weekday, breakfast might mean a simple cup of coffee and perhaps a piece of toast — still warm if you’re lucky — gobbled up as you leave a trail of breadcrumbs to the door. But Valentine’s Day is a special day meant for spending with the one...
For the ultimate grilled cheese, use both stovetop and oven
Grilled cheese is the ultimate comfort food, an adult treat that harkens back to childhood. I never met a grilled cheese sandwich I didn’t like. Where I grew up, there was an old-fashioned drug store with a lunch counter. When the weather was good, my best friend and I would...
Distillery owner looks to boost Somerset County agritourism
Somerset County will soon have a new distillery. By spring 2021, Maximilian Merrill plans to open Ponfeigh Distillery Inc. in Somerset Township. “This is a $3.4 million project,” he says. The distillery will be located along Stoystown Road, following renovation of a long-closed 84 Lumber site. “There will be a...
What’s Brewing? A tasting plan for upcoming Pittsburgh Winter Beerfest
How about a few, new brews to warm up these gloomy February days? The Pittsburgh Winter Beerfest is once again being presented by Fat Head’s Brewery and will be held at the David Lawrence Convention Center Feb. 28-29. Tickets are on sale now. Thousands of people will attend and proceeds...
Want to sleep at Ikea? You can on World Sleep DayVideo
A trip to Ikea is always special. And now it doesn’t have to end at closing time. The Swedish furniture store is letting a few lucky members of its Ikea Family spend the night. But only at select locations — the Ikea Brooklyn (New York) and Ikea Costa Mesa (California)...
Out & About: ‘Pasta Palooza’ benefits humane society mission
If you’ve ever wondered what a “Pasta Palooza” looks like, you’ll have to attend the Humane Society of Westmoreland County’s next Have a Heart Buffet. Held Feb. 9 at Ferrante’s Lakeview in Hempfield, the annual event featured a hearty meal of tortellini, rigatoni and stuffed shells with both meatballs and...
Primanti Bros, East End Brewing team up for a Valentine’s beer
Primanti Bros. and East End Brewing are pairing for another beer just in time for Valentine’s Day. The new brew, “Almost in Love,” is to be released Tuesday morning at the Primanti Bros. restaurant in Market Square. Diners will be able to crack open cans of the chocolate-cherry stout flavored...
Retailers try clothing rental, but will it be a good fit?
Renting clothes could be the future of fashion — or it could just be a fad. But traditional retailers can no longer afford to wait on the sidelines to find out. That’s why a growing number are now offering customers the option to rent clothes for a monthly fee instead...
Ligonier’s popular ‘Soup’s On’ is savory, sipping, shopping fun
Editor’s note: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce is rescheduling its Soup’s On! event for April 18. Ticket holders who cannot attend on April 18 can contact the chamber office at 724-238-4200. One pleasure among winter’s chill is the enjoyment of comfort foods, perhaps chief...
Out & About: Love was in the air at Action for Animals event
Love was in the air at the 14th annual Love Is in the Air — Celebrating the Human-Animal Bond event hosted by Action for Animals Humane Society. About 125 guests gathered Feb. 8 at Rizzo’s Banquet Hall in Crabtree to show their love for animals served through the organization. In...
How couples can decorate together
Sharing a home with someone you love can be wonderful. But decorating together isn’t always easy, especially when your tastes aren’t the same. Interior designer Penny Drue Baird draws as much on her doctorate in psychology as on her design training when she works with couples decorating a home. “I’m...
Out & About: Library board members show their artistic talents
You can visit the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library to borrow books, movies and music; read magazines; use computers; or take in one of their many programs. While there, you also can view the work of local artists in regular “Picture This at the Library” exhibitions, a joint venture of the...
Get your Goth on for Valentine’s Day in KittanningVideo
Valentine’s Day is going Gothic with a vampire-themed ball in Kittanning on Feb. 15. Hosted by Radioactive Events Center, the family-friendly, all-ages ball aims to be an alternative to the traditional chocolates/flowers/dinner Valentine’s trappings. Event creator and Radioactive President Mark Gibson, a North Vandergrift native with a musical background, says...
Out & About: ‘Candyland’ artworks touch on international politics
Just as a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, a candy coating can sweeten a serious message. Artist Sheila Cuellar-Shaffer calls her work on display at the Westmoreland County Community College Youngwood campus “Candyland: The Land of Hope.” The bright pinks, lilacs and blues of the paintings are...
Out & About: Seton Hill art show ponders the weight of nostalgia
A young curator and 11 young artists have explored the bittersweet theme of nostalgia in “Joy Takes Time,” an exhibition on display through March 10 in Seton Hill University’s Harlan Gallery. During a Feb. 6 opening reception in the downtown Greensburg art center, curator Emma Vescio of Pittsburgh said the...
Remember When: Feb. 10
100 years ago Free ‘Y’ gas service to be lost Phillips Gas and Oil Co. notified Tarentum council that the local YMCA will lose the privilege of receiving free gas. Phillips had given Tarentum a certain amount of free natural gas in return for courtesies extended when the gas lines...
Travel tip: Go batty at Lincoln Caverns’ 14th annual Batfest
Go a little batty on Feb. 15 at Lincoln Caverns in Huntingdon County. The 14th annual Batfest will feature a day of programs, activities and interpretive tours designed to give visitors a deeper appreciation of these often-misunderstood winged mammals. The day will include bat crafts and games, bat house-building and...
Living with Children: Key parenting mistakes to avoid
One of the “secrets” to a happy, healthy emotional life is to identify one’s bad, nonproductive habits and replace them with habits — slowly built — that are functional. That same principle is of the essence when it comes to a parenting life that is satisfying. Most parents who want...
A guide to all the new condiments lining grocery shelves
Sauces, dressings, salsas, mustards, honeys, international ingredients. The selection of condiments at grocery stores has expanded dramatically in recent years. Some are hardly new, except to those unfamiliar with certain cuisines. Others are contemporary twists on classic products, or hybrids. Here’s an assortment of condiments that have nestled themselves happily...
Whip up your own vegetable-juice blend
There are tons of reasons to make juice at home. Aside from benefiting from all of the additional vitamins, minerals and enzymes in your diet, you can customize and make your very own mixtures, like this one, inspired by the popular vegetable drink V8. V8 has been around since 1933,...
Oscar cocktails in category all their own
If you are planning an Oscar viewing party, it’s crunch time. With the Academy Awards broadcasting at 8 p.m. Feb. 9 on ABC, hosts in need of libation suggestions might find it fun to pair a few of the nominated films with matching cocktails. Each year entertaining expert Mark Addison,...
