Lifestyles category, Page 169
Restaurants, drivers grapple with challenges from expansion of food-delivery apps
Stephanie Stefan can wait up to 20 minutes for a DoorDash order to be prepared by a restaurant, only to make between $5 and $6, she said. The 50-year-old Jeannette resident has worked as a driver for the popular food delivery app for three weeks. She already has reservations about...
A summer tomato gratin with bright flavor and no mush
A summer tomato gratin should burst with concentrated, bright tomato flavor and contrasting firm texture from the bread, but most recipes lead to mushy results. Not this one. Starting our gratin on the stovetop initiated the break down of the tomatoes, drove off some moisture that would otherwise have sogged...
10 unusual fruits you’ve probably never tried before
You’ve been eating fruit since you were a kid. Strawberries, apples, grapes — you know the usual suspects. But you can go beyond the banana and find a whole new world of sweet, fibrous fruits out there. Because of their known health benefits, fruits are popular around the world. Many...
Living with Children: Model emotional control for your kids
As I crisscross the country in public speaker mode, I poll people in various demographic categories. I ask how they were raised, what their parents were like, how their parents disciplined, how they raised their own kids, their perceptions of how their kids are raising their grandkids and so on....
Supporting a partner veering off course
Hi Carolyn: My partner completed an undergraduate degree but struggled to find a career in that industry. Under pressure from family, they followed and struggled through a career path they hated for two years before deciding to go back to college to complete another undergraduate in something they thought they...
Travel tip: Gettysburg Rocks festival helps kids with cancer
If Gettysburg has a soundtrack, it’s a fife, drum and banjo, right? Not during Gettysburg Rocks, scheduled for Aug. 9-11. Held in February and August, the semiannual music festival features about 150 bands playing a variety of music genres at 20 area venues. Founded in 2014, the event benefits Four...
3 generations inspire annual Festa Italiana di Vandergrift
Vince Putignano watched his father Andrew’s face during the performance of the Italian national anthem at a festival in Pittsburgh’s Strip District many years ago. “The pride my dad saw that day when he looked at my grandfather during that song inspired my father to start an Italian festival in...
Need information on safe cosmetics? Here are some resources
When Ovie Marshall, an esthetician at The Spa at Aestique in Hempfield, decided to use natural beauty and skin care products, she says she found valuable information in Stacy Malkan’s 2007 book, “Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry.” The book asserts that (as of...
Overcome these 4 nagging zucchini problems
There’s a joke among gardeners who grow zucchini. During good years, we tease about leaving a few baseball bat-sized zucchini on the neighbor’s stoop and doing the old ding-dong-dash just to get rid of them. But, the truth is that it always seems to be feast or famine when it...
Troy Hill, East Liberty latest in East End Brewing’s neighborhood beer collection
Next up on East End Brewing’s neighborhood beer list: Troy Hill and East Liberty. The neighborhoods were chosen by Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and are part of the “YOU ARE HERE” beer series by East End Brewing Co. and announced via Instagram. View this post on Instagram Our YOU ARE...
It’s International Beer Day — raise a glass to celebrate
As if a Friday in the middle of summer couldn’t get any better … today is International Beer Day. Take these “calendar days” for what you will … but we are behind any day dedicated to a brew or two. According to our friends at daysoftheyear.com: “Originally started in Santa...
Cooking demos, garlic, Ligonier Country Market highlights
Ligonier Country Market will be particularly fragrant on Aug. 3, as visitors learn all about garlic and enjoy cooking demonstrations featuring vendors’ products. Owner Philip Faranda of Faranda Farm in Hollsopple, Somerset County, will attend the market with information about its 10th annual Laurel Highlands Garlic Festival, or what it...
Minivan sales keep falling, but experts say they’ll live on
DETROIT — They were the suburban vehicle of choice in the 1990s and early 2000s, but ever since, minivans appeared to be riding the slow lane to extinction. The soccer moms who once made the boxy people-haulers ubiquitous have shunned them for car-based SUVs with three rows of seats. Many...
Locally made skin-care products and cosmetics find their niche
“You are what you eat” has long been a folksy tenet of good health. Increasingly, people are coming around to the notion that you also are what you put on your body in the form of skin-care and beauty products. Ovie Marshall, a medical and laser esthetician at The Spa...
Whistling Winds Flower Farm boasts bouquets and banquetsVideo
Since 2000, Monica Puskar and her husband, Stan Puskar, have operated a “hobby farm” in Mt. Pleasant Township. “We did church events, had festivals; both of our kids’ weddings were here,” Monica Puskar says of her rural home. But the idea of a cut-flower business and hosting other events persisted....
Creativity, functionality both matter in playroom decor
Go bold. Stay practical. Think long-term. These are among the tips offered by interior decorators for creating a fresh, fun — even inspiring — playroom for kids. Foster creativity “I love bold choices in a playroom,” says Mel Bean, a designer in Tulsa, Okla. In one client’s theater room, for...
Why kohlrabi split and how to grow them
Question: I grew kohlrabi in my garden this year. Most of them split. What causes them to split and are they still safe to eat? Answer: For those not familiar with this delicious and crunchy vegetable, let me sing the praises of the kohlrabi before I dive into what likely...
Unity couple takes Doug’s advice — and look at their lawn
Kathy Fajt told her husband Gene something needed to be done about their lawn. For more than six years, Gene had struggled with the grass at their Unity, Westmoreland County home near Latrobe. He would add lime, figuring that was a good thing, but it wasn’t helping. That’s when I...
Chick-fil-A tops poll as America’s favorite fast-food spot
Even with one day tied behind its back, Chick-fil-A has taken the crown as the nation’s favorite fast-food joint. The latest edition of MarketForce Information’s annual consumer study reveals more customers are loyal to Chick-fil-A than any other quick-service restaurant (MarketForce’s terminology). RestaurantNews reports MarketForce surveyed over 7,600 consumers, asking...
Swimply lets you rent strangers’ swimming pools by the hour
Your neighbor’s pool can look mighty tempting on a hot summer day. Now, there’s a chance you can book a couple of hours of time in their swimming hole. Swimply is a swimming pool rental network that allows owners to make a few bucks by letting strangers take a dip...
‘Girls in Pearls’ to showcase YWCA Westmoreland thrift store finds
The mission of the YWCA Westmoreland County is to empower women and to eliminate racism, but once a year it’s also to show people how to look good on a budget. To that end, “Girls in Pearls: Walk the Red Carpet,” the annual show of fashions from the Y’s downtown...
Impossible Whopper goes nationwide at Burger King
MIAMI — Burger King will begin selling the plant-based Impossible Whopper nationwide next week after a successful run in six regions. The rollout to 7,000 U.S. locations will be for a limited time, a typical practice in the fast food industry for new products. The chain won’t say how many...
Get to Greensburg for ‘Antiques on the Avenue’
Two things are dear to the heart of Amy Zimmerman, co-owner of The Shepherd’s Keeper at Kinderhook, an antiques and collectibles store in Greensburg. The first is (obviously) antiques and the second is downtown Greensburg itself. “My father was an antique dealer, so it’s in my blood,” she says. “I’ve...
Ed Pfeifer: Don’t take that cool breeze for granted
Sirius, that’s the satellite radio station right? Sure it is but, long before that, Sirius was known to ancient stargazers only as a divine star — the most prominent of all the shiny specks in the night sky. In the northern hemisphere Sirius, also known as the “Dog Star,” spends...
Mother of Sorrows in Murrysville preps for annual community festivalVideo
This weekend’s Mother of Sorrows Community Festival in Murrysville will feature food from local chefs and music from area polka artists. “The whole idea behind the festival is bringing the community together,” said Karen Munson, one of the festival co-chairs. This year’s event is set for 5-10 p.m. Aug. 2...
