Lifestyles category, Page 215
9 steps to the perfect pan sauce
A core principle of my cooking philosophy is to never pass up an opportunity for flavor. So when I see cooked-on juices in the bottom of my saute pan, I don’t see a dishwashing chore. I see pan sauce. Think of it as the difference between a plain pork chop...
Living with Children: Remember, you can’t control everything
“So, anyway, after they take showers I lay out their school clothes for the next day. And then….” “Hold on right there,” “How old are your girls again?” “Um, they’re 7 and 5,” she answered, being the 30-something mother of the girls in question. “Why?” “I guess I need you...
Coming to terms with mother’s decline
Dear Carolyn: The holidays were great except … my mother looks like she is dying. She had a significant fall the week before. Went to the hospital. Somehow managed not to break anything. Was given antibiotics for a “raging” (doctor’s word) infection. She and my dad managed to get to...
Travel tip: All roads lead to Allentown’s Auto Mania flea market
All roads will lead to Allentown for antique and classic car enthusiasts, collectors and flippers from Jan. 18 to 20. Those are the dates for Auto Mania, which for more than 30 years has been Pennsylvania’s largest indoor heated automotive flea market. The 59,000-square-foot Agri-Plex facility at the Allentown Fairgrounds...
Wife fears husband’s bragging sets family up for failure
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: Two years ago, we were invited to skip our son “Johnny” ahead from first grade to second mid-year. My husband was a bit insufferable about it, bragging to a number of our friends about how well Johnny was doing academically. This really...
Give yourself permission to move away from toxic mom
Dear Carolyn: No one in my family, including myself, wants to spend time with my mom. She can be really toxic. She has hurt me all my life, and, really, everyone I love. I stopped asking my husband and kids to go with me a while ago. In fact, I...
Step into the tropics during Phipps annual orchid, bonsai show
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens knows how to brighten up a cold winter’s day in Pittsburgh. Its annual Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show, “Eye Candy” — which opens Jan. 12 and runs through March 10 — is a treat for the senses, spotlighting more than 1,000 orchid blooms and some...
Galentine’s Day moonlight yoga set at Heinz History Center
Valentine’s Day may be Cupid’s chance to celebrate romantic love, but first, women will celebrate the importance of their friendships with Galentine’s Day. The Senator John Heinz History Center, 1212 Smallman St., Pittsburgh, in partnership with Pittsburgh Yoga Events, offers women a chance to toast to health and history with...
Acme horse team pulls out heavyweight win at Pa. Farm Show
The Brown Brothers team of Mt. Pleasant Township brought plenty of horse power to the Pennsylvania Farm Show last week, winning the heavyweight horse pulling contest with equine siblings Chip and Charlie in harness. Chip and Charlie, a pair of Belgian draft horses, beat nine other teams Tuesday to take...
Relentlessly positive friend can be exhausting
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: A good friend has a habit that makes me crazy and I’d love to deal with it better. Whatever anyone says, she tries to put a positive spin on it. I realize I sound like a monster for being annoyed by this,...
She wasn’t welcomed by in-laws until she had kids
Dear Carolyn: My in-laws, sister-in-law included, made it crystal clear they only invited me to things because they “had to” — their words — once my husband and I were married. I was even told point-blank that I ruined Christmas by being present. Well, now everyone wants to be around...
Pittsburgh Restaurant Week — how it works
Intrigued by Pittsburgh Restaurant Week? If the event, scheduled for Jan. 14-20, already has you salivating, just call or click. It’s really that simple. “Several of the restaurants do offer reservations through Open Table, which is on our website,” says Brian McCollum, now directing his 15th culinary event.“Those that don’t,...
Pennsylvania resorts offer Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month specials
January is Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month, with more than 140 resorts nationwide — including 21 in Pennsylvania — participating As part of the special month, in its 11th year, Pennsylvania ski resorts will join with others across the country to celebrate Jan. 11 as National Learn to Ski...
Ligonier’s traveling soup sampling returns in March
Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce is planning its 10th annual “Soup’s On” event, set for 11 a.m.-2 p.m. March 23. The popular winter activity lets participants walk around the borough and visit its merchants, as local restaurants serve samples of their soups. Visitors are encouraged to check out the town’s...
7 new spots to try for Pittsburgh Restaurant Week
Meal deals will be on the menus of more than 50 popular dining spots during the Winter 2019 edition of Pittsburgh Restaurant Week, Jan. 14-20. Pittsburgh is one of several cities that offer Restaurant Week promotions in January and August to help boost business during typically slow months in the...
Meadow is newest color for signature Fiesta dinnerware brandVideo
Homer Laughlin China Co. has introduced a sign of spring during the darkest time of winter. In what has become an annual rite of early January, the maker of Fiesta dinnerware announced its newest color — Meadow, a light green — Tuesday morning from the Atlanta International Gift & Home...
Widower’s daughter still misses mom, but shouldn’t punish stepmom
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: My husband is a widower with three kids. His youngest daughter, “Danielle,” is getting married. My two stepsons have been much more welcoming to me since I entered the family than Danielle has. I approached this by being loving to Danielle but...
‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ looks to silver linings, second chances on NBC
In a fitting setup even he couldn’t have written, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” co-creator Dan Goor was in the bathroom when he got the call that Fox had canceled the comedy after five seasons. There had been rumblings about the fate of the show, but as Goor will tell you, there’s always...
Pittsburgh Travel Showcase offers one-stop vacation planning
The Pittsburgh Travel Showcase, set for Jan. 11-13 in the downtown David L. Lawrence Convention Center, promises one-stop shopping for all vacation planning needs. Presented by AAA Travel, the third showcase will offer presentations from industry experts and travel agency services, along with prizes and giveaways. “The Showcase promises to...
La Riviera will operate ‘to go’ soup kitchen on February Mondays
Every Monday in February, French bistro La Riviera will operate as a to-go soup kitchen for people in need in Pittsburgh, according to a news release. The restaurant, at 5925 Baum Blvd., will be closed for regular business hours on Mondays, however, the soup kitchen will be open from 2-5...
My ex, who never believed in marriage, is marrying
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Hi, Carolyn: I’m finding myself in one of those surreal stories where I invested years (six of them) in a relationship with someone who insisted he did not believe in marriage and finally ended things with me so he didn’t deprive me of what...
Out & About: Fort’s Twelfth Night guests party like it’s 1776
Fort Ligonier’s second annual Twelfth Night Celebration was a blast from the past, with guests in their Colonial best dress partying like it was 1776. The Jan. 5 soiree in the fort’s Center for History Education laid the holiday season to rest, after one last hurrah including food, drink, music...
Greensburg girl earns PA Farm Show fashion honors
Emily Jumper, 17, of Greensburg took Best in Show honors Saturday in the 4-H Fashion with a Flair competition at the 103rd Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg. Jumper topped the field wearing her pink formal-wear dress with a wrap and trumpet skirt she made from a matching rainbow-patterned fabric. She...
Low, slow is the way to go when making this fish dish
Low and slow is the way to go when it comes to making this yummy fish dish. A low-temperature oven (set to just 300 F) ensures that the fish cooks slowly, without drying out. Crispy, buttery, garlicky panko bread crumbs get a head start in a skillet so they’re golden...
Make like Yukon Cornelius with Arctic Paws Dog Sled Tours
Get ready to unleash your inner Yukon Cornelius with the Arctic Paws Dog Sled Tours in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. Operating Saturdays and Sundays until March out of Manor Sports at Pocono Manor Resort and Spa in Monroe County, the tours are not for the timid. “Dog sledding is like mountain...
