Lifestyles category, Page 175
Summer road trip — the quintessential American experience
Few things are more quintessentially American than the summer road trip. Whether it’s a trip to grandma’s, the beach or our favorite amusement park, we love to pack up our cars and hit the road. And we have a lot of road to travel. Our nation currently boasts about 47,000...
Doug Oster answers your gardening questions
Everybody Gardens editor Doug Oster gets asked a lot of questions. A lot. And he doesn’t mind offering gardening advice. But rather than just limiting those answers to the person who asked, we thought it might be a good idea to share that wealth of knowledge with everybody. (The questions...
How to limit damage from slugs
Question: Something is eating the leaves of many of my flowers, including my zinnias, hostas, dahlias and petunias. I don’t see any Japanese beetles or other bugs on them, but there are holes in the leaves or the leaves are eaten in from the sides. Do you know what might...
Monroeville garden proves perfect for growing banana plants
Damian and Gloria Ondo are dwarfed by the huge banana trees in their beautiful garden as they walk through with their dogs Simba and Caesar. Even though the original tree Damian started with was from Florida, all the subsequent trees it’s produced are hardy in his landscape in Monroeville, about...
You can spend a night in an Oscar Mayer WienermobileVideo
Looking for an interesting hot-dog-themed vacation or place to lay your head for a night? How about staying in an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile? To mark National Hot Dog day, happening next Wednesday, the hot dog company is making one of its famous hot-dog-on-wheels vehicles available to rent. You know we...
Self-serve tap beer now a thing in Pittsburgh: Vault Taproom opens on South Side
Pittsburgh’s first restaurant where customers can pour their own draft beer will have its official opening Thursday on the South Side. The Vault Taproom, featuring the iPourIt self-serve draft wall, will open at a location once occupied by an iconic East Carson Street coffeehouse. When customers arrive, they check in...
IronRock Tap House at Westmoreland Mall to open this fall
A new restaurant originally set to open this summer outside of Westmoreland Mall is now slated to open its doors in September. IronRock Tap House, originally proposed as Sedona, does not have a specific open date, said owner Greg Cammerata, but said live music will help kick off a grand...
Apple, Google continue inclusive push with new emojis
Apple and Google are rolling out dozens of new emojis that of course include cute critters, but also expand the number of images of human diversity. The announcement coincides with Wednesday’s World Emoji Day. Apple Inc. is releasing new variants of its holding hands emoji that allow people to pick...
25 tasty facts in honor of National Ice Cream Day
In 1984, summers got a little sweeter. President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of July as National Ice Cream Day. Reagan’s proclamation declared that all people of the United States observe the holiday with “appropriate ceremonies and activities.” Challenge accepted. This year...
Ingredient swap makes for healthier chocolate chip cookie
You shouldn’t compromise on taste for healthiness — that’s the motto Kelly Boretsky now lives by. A few years ago, when the Dickson City, Lackawanna County, resident found out she was headed for a diabetes diagnosis, she decided to make changes to get healthier. Boretsky started swapping in more wholesome...
South Side Army vet finds wedding gown of her dreams
Katie Davis said yes to the dress. The Pittsburgh South Side resident was in Greensburg on Wednesday to find a wedding gown during the annual Brides Across America event at MB Bride. Founded in 2008, Brides Across America offers military and first responder brides a free wedding gown via its...
What’s Brewing? Fruit beers are summer in a glass
Oftentimes someone will say with a funny look on their face, “I like pineapple and mango but I’m not crazy about it being in an IPA.” The truth is there’s no pineapple or mango juice added to most IPAs. Flavor and aroma notes are added to some menus to give...
Pottery Barn will sell ‘Friends’ furniture — including that apothecary table
There’s only one way to make your binge viewing of “Friends” more enjoyable: Doing it in a roomful of “Friends” furniture. And now that dream can come true. Thanks to Pottery Barn, the store that Phoebe Buffay hates with a passion, you can decorate your home in all things related...
Baker parlays pizza experience into new Squirrel Hill bagel shopVideo
The idea to open a bagel store in Squirrel Hill came from the inner workings of a pizza shop. Gab Taube was baking bagels in the middle of the night at A’Pizza Badamo in Mt. Lebanon to sell at various pop-up sites and farmers markets when she decided she needed...
Out & About: WCCC student artist’s work evokes the surreal
For the title of her exhibition in the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center, artist Stephanie Oplinger of Hunker borrowed from the Bard. She tweaked Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” into “A Midsummer’s Night Dream,” shifting the emphasis from the season and setting to the surreal, dreamlike quality of her acrylic...
Out & About: Greensburg artist’s ‘Cloudy Mind’ inspires new exhibitVideo
Greensburg artist Brian McCall dubbed his exhibition in the Greensburg Art Center “Shadows of a Cloudy Mind.” Questioned about the significance of that title during the July 13 opening reception, McCall said it refers to the starting point of all actions: “Why do you do anything? In making art, you...
Clickety clack, let’s look back: Typewriters return
For most of us, the clickety clack of a manual typewriter — or the gentler tapping of the IBM Selectric — are but memories, if we’ve heard them at all. But at the few remaining typewriter repair shops in the country, business is booming as a younger generation discovers the...
Out & About: Party debuts 28th edition of ‘The Loyalhanna Review’
Editor Ruth McDonald said she took inspiration from Sen. Bernie Sanders for the 2019 publication of The Loyalhanna Review. For his presidential campaign, the Vermont Democrat shuns big money in favor of small-dollar donations. So, when funds were short to print the usual 1,500 color copies of the Ligonier Valley...
Out & About: Aspiring teacher shows artwork at Greensburg library
Most endeavors are easier when you know someone has your back. During a July 12 reception for her “Picture This” exhibition in the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library, artist Sara Thomas of Southwest Greensburg was quick to acknowledge people who have supported her. Now entering her senior year as an art...
Regional restaurants lauded with Wine Spectator awards
Numerous Southwestern Pennsylvania restaurants are on Wine Spectator’s 2019 Restaurant Awards list, highlighting restaurants around the world offering the best wine selections. Among those earning a place on the list are The Carlton, Eleven, Lidia’s, LeMont and Altius, all in Pittsburgh; Helen’s at Seven Springs Mountain Resort; and Bistecca Steakhouse...
Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau hosts ‘rustic retreat’
Just a few months after its May 19 “Journey of Self: A Wellness Tour of the Laurel Highlands,” the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau is planning a new farm-to-table tour. “Rustic Retreat: A Farm-to-Table Tour” in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands will be a full-day group tour on Aug. 24. “Following on the...
Travel tip: Kennedy Space Center events celebrate moon landing
TAKE A TRIP KENNEDY SPACE CENTER CELEBRATES MOON LANDING Visitors to Florida this summer may want to take a break from sand, surf and sun for a stop at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island. An ongoing series of events, exhibits, films and giveaways honors the 50th...
French country-style fish dish is perfect for Bastille Day
Celebrate Bastille Day on July 14 with this light French dish. Sole meuniere, or pan-fried sole and mushroom drizzled with a butter sauce, is a typical French country-style recipe. The simple dish is a great way to serve fresh fish. A meuniere is a miller’s wife, and literally translated, the...
Braising maximizes beets’ sweet, earthy flavor without mess
We sought a streamlined stove-top recipe for beets that maximized their sweet, earthy flavor — with minimal mess. Braising worked perfectly. We partially submerged the beets in just 1¼ cups of water so that they partially simmered and partially steamed. Halving the beets cut down our cooking time. In just...
Woman finds weight loss challenging without husband’s support
Dear Carolyn: My husband and I have both gained significant weight since we’ve been married, but I’m trying to mitigate that with diet and exercise. He isn’t, and every time I try to talk about it, he makes me feel like the bad guy for bringing it up. Look, we’re...
