Lifestyles category, Page 172
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...
Kennywood picks ‘Wizard of Oz’ theme for Fall Fantasy Parades
Visitors to this year’s Fall Fantasy Parades at Kennywood Park can expect to see lions and tigers and bears, oh my! The theme for the 70th year of the nightly parades, set for Aug. 3-20, is “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” More than 150 marching bands from high schools and...
Get hooked on some great spots for fly-fishing
Take part in a family fly-fishing adventure and you’ll wake up in some of the country’s most pristine places. Here are five fabulous places to consider: 1. Jackson Hole, Wyo.: For an extraordinary angling experience, consider an overnight trip on the South Fork of the Snake River. On day one,...
Meghan Markle launching clothing line for UK women’s charity
LONDON — The Duchess of Sussex is launching a clothing line to support a charity that helps unemployed women find work. Meghan Markle has teamed up with designer and friend Misha Nonoo and British retailers Marks & Spencer, John Lewis & Partners and Jigsaw to create a workwear collection to...
Beds and floors ‘covered’ with new SAMA exhibit partnership
The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art-Ligonier Valley exhibition, “A Celebration of Texture and Pattern: Hooked Rugs and Historic Coverlets,” features a collaboration between Ligonier resident Barb Carroll and the National Museum of the American Coverlet in Bedford. A rug-hooking enthusiast since the 1980s, Carroll creates rug patterns and writes about...
Starbucks offering free Nitro Cold Brew coffee samplesVideo
On Aug. 2, Starbucks will jump start people’s day — and rev ’em up for the weekend — with free samples of its Nitro Cold Brew coffee. According to its website, Starbucks’ Nitro Cold Brew is created when its signature cold brew (slow-steeped for 20 hours) is infused with nitrogen...
Big Shot Bob’s dubs new wing flavor ‘The Roof is On Fire’ in tribute to lost locationVideo
Stanley Machulsky of Plum, part of an ownership group for several Big Shot Bob’s House of Wings locations, described the company’s workers as “pretty quirky and a little goofy.” That would explain how, just a few days after a devastating fire Sunday that destroyed the Churchill Center shopping plaza in...
9 grilling mistakes and how to fix themVideo
I love to grill, and barbecue, and I have devoted my career to outdoor cooking for more than two decades. In that time, I’ve seen a lot of mistakes and people tend to make them over and over. So I put together a list of the biggest grilling don’ts and...
Take your stuffed tomatoes to the next level
Named for the hotel where it was invented in Sweden, Hasselbacking is a technique where a vegetable (traditionally potatoes) is partially sliced, accordion style, brushed with butter, sprinkled with bread crumbs and baked. This approach is also great for tomatoes; think of them as leveled-up stuffed tomatoes featuring tons of...
TV ancestry series is a salve for divided America, host says
The celebrity ancestry show “Finding Your Roots” has a message to counter divisive political rhetoric, said its host, educator Henry Louis Gates Jr. The PBS series demonstrates that “we’re all descended from immigrants,” whether they came to America willingly or as slaves, and all share a common origin, Gates told...
What’s Brewing? Back to the basics with these beers
As anyone who drinks craft beer can tell you, there’s no shortage of variety. In fact, it can be overwhelming trying to make a decision on which pack of beer(s) to purchase and whether or not we buy a case of something new to try or a variety pack, six-pack,...
Pittsburgh chefs prepare Lawrence County farm dinners
For several years, the owners of Dawson’s Orchards in Enon Valley, Lawrence County, have been hosting farm dinners during the summer months. Chefs from many well-known Pittsburgh area restaurants prepare the meals, says Karen Peterson, co-owner and office manager. “They prepare five-star dinners here at the orchard, incorporating our fresh...
