Here is a quick and easy apricot recipe that is fun to make and even better to eat!
Chocolate Dipped Apricots
Ingredients:
Directions:
Combine chocolate and brandy in top of double boiler and heat until melted and smooth.
Dip half of each apricot into chocolate mixture and place on wax paper lined pan.
Refrigerate one to two hours until chocolate is firm. Keep in a cool place.
Then enjoy!
On January 5th, we celebrate National Bird Day.
Did you know that one of the fastest growing group of discarded pets in this country is the exotic bird?
And while we hear a great deal about displaced dogs and cats and the protection and anti-cruelty laws that have been enacted for their protection, birds are often ignored or short-changed when in comes to protection under anti-cruelty and pet shop laws.
In the 1990's, exotic birds became the fastest-growing pet of choice. Since 2000, there are well over 100 bird rescues or sanctuaries across the country, caring for hundreds of unwanted and abused birds in need of rescue and lifelong new homes. It is also believed that potentially untold thousands more exotic birds languish, ignored and most likely in a state of deprivation, in their cages.
Why has this happened to these magnificent birds?
Because in many cases the bird owner or, their family members, are rarely educated or understand the total commitment necessary for the care and special needs of the exotic bird. The bird may exhibit behaviors like biting, aggression or self-mutilation. The birds are prone to making loud noises and the area around the cage of one of these birds will always be a mess. It doesn't take long before the novelty of owning an exotic bird becomes a nuisance and the birds is then often left alone in a cage without adequate socialization, medical care, food, water or clean living conditions. Countless other birds will be physically abused, given away to another person who has no idea how to care for it, released outside to fend for itself, simply abandoned in an empty house or apartment, or they simply perish.
National Bird Day, is an opportunity to learn how to work to protect these magnificent creatures through public education. It is also the time to raise awareness about the enormous global influence and the devastating effects on wild parrot populations because of the impact of exotic bird trade. The parrot species, more than almost any other major group of birds, is now globally threatened and could well become extinct if actions to reverse the current trends are not taken.
If you are interested in learning more about the plight of exotic birds, you could begin with the resources listed below.
Resources:
The Avian Welfare Coalition is a working alliance of veterinarians, conservationists, avian welfare and animal protection organizations dedicated to the ethical treatment of exotic birds. For more information about the AWC please visit their website.
The Animal Protection Institute is a national non-profit animal advocacy organization with 85,000 members, working to protect animals from cruelty and exploitation through legislation, litigation, and public education. For more information about API’s exotic bird campaign, please visit their site.
Crayola Activities for Kids Fun and educational projects for kids for National Bird Day.
Grangma's Spaghetti Bolognese
Meat Sauce:
Serves 4-6
Directions:
1. Fry the bacon in butter for 2-3 minutes, add onion, carrot and celery, fry for 5 minutes until lightly browned.
2. Add meat and brown lightly.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients, bring to boil, simmer for 30-40 minutes until sauce is reduced and thick.
4. Cook spaghetti in fast boiling water for 12-15 minutes.
5. Drain and serve on heated dish with meat sauce poured over.
6. Sprinkle cheese over to serve.
According to my calendar, today is National Science Fiction Day.
The poet Walt Whitman wrote:
When I heard the learn'd astronomer;
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me;
When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the lecture room,
How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;
Till rising and gliding out, I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.
~ Walt Whitman ~
Much the same as Walt Whitman, I have always looked up to the stars and dreamed. So it's no surprise that I've always enjoyed books, and later on, the television shows, that could take me to places I've never been, introduced me to people I've never met and showed me things I've only dreamed of.
The world of Science Fiction changes the rules I inherited from reality.
The Science Fiction genre, is almost like having your own personal sandbox. It allows us all to probe the outer limits of our imagination. It challenges our human spirit to reach beyond what we know, and to venture into new worlds with new and unconventional ideas. Whether in books or on the screen, things like alien contacts, extrasensory perception, robots and artificial intelligence, time travel and immortality, allow us to think beyond the world of the here-and-now and travel beyond all known barriers and boundaries.
Here are a couple of websites that are extremely useful if you want to delve into the world of Science Fiction, either for the first time or as a returning space-traveler.
Fantasy and Science Fiction Website - (A great resource)
The SF Site - The Home Page for Science Fiction and Fantasy
Enjoy the trip!
Have you looked out into your backyard lately?
If you do, you might notice that it's at this time of the year that the birds and even the squirrels, are scrounging around for food as well as for nesting material. Because just like you, they need to prepare for the winter ahead.
Now, if you celebrated Christmas with a real Christmas tree, or even a holiday wreath made from natural materials, you are probably getting ready to dispose of the them in the very near future.
So, this can be a win-win solution for both you and the birds, because there is a way for you to recycle what you have into something they need to have. Just pass that used Christmas tree and slightly dried-out holiday wreath, down the food chain and re-gift them to some of nature's neediest and smallest creatures. Give them as gifts to the birds and squirrels, and you will be celebrating nature in the process.
How To Prepare The Tree To Bring Outdoors
How To Trim The Tree For The Birds
Basically, you can use just about any of your holiday leftovers as tree trimmings. The birds, and even squirrels aren't too picky when it comes to our table scraps. Even what we consider small portions are useful to them. Here are a few decorating suggestions to help you get started.
You can use all of these items to decorate a wreath as well. Just make sure that there are no items
used that contain glitter or paint. We're doing this nature's way, all natural.
So there you have it. A fantastic way for you and the entire family, to celebrate nature as we near the end of this season of holiday celebrations.
Have fun! I'm quite sure the birds and squirrels will.
Happy Boxing Day
Today, December 26th, Boxing Day is being celebrated in Australia, Britain, New Zealand, and Canada.
Boxing Day is a holiday that is usually spent with family and friends, enjoying good food, while sharing friendship and love. And much like some of our American holidays, the government buildings and small businesses are closed but the shopping centers remain open. Of course for many shoppers, it is a day to utilize the time to go out exchanging gifts or buying merchandise on sale, for their Christmas
celebration next year.
However, to keep the tradition of Boxing Day alive, many families, businesses and organizations, will donate their money, time or services, to aid community projects like the Food Banks or they may provide gifts for the families or individuals who are less fortunate. Some of the families, organizations or businesses may choose to focus their support on an individual family that they are aware of, that is in need of financial assistance.
While it is rather clear how Boxing Day is celebrated, when it comes to the origins of Boxing Day and why it is celebrated, there seems to be a couple of different theories.
The first theory is that centuries ago, on the day after Christmas, members of the merchant class would give boxes containing food and fruit, clothing, and/or money to trades people and servants. The gifts were an expression of gratitude much like in today's society when people receive bonuses, from their employer, for a job well done. These gifts, given in boxes, gave the holiday it's name, "Boxing 
Day." The second theory is that Boxing Day comes from the tradition of the churches opening their alms boxes, which were used to collect money from wealthy church goers throughout the Christmas season. When opened, the money from the alms boxes was distributed to the poor, by the church clergy, the day after Christmas.
Sometime in the middle of the nineteenth century, under the reign of Queen Victoria, Boxing Day began. Thus Boxing Day, also known as St. Stephen's Day, became a way for the fortunate members of the upper class, to give gifts of goods or cash, to the less fortunate members of the lower class.
In my opinion, this is such a great extension, even if it is only one day, of the true meaning and spirit of Christmas. Why not celebrate Boxing Day with our own families, and make it a practice to celebrate a day when we give something back to help the less fortunate in our communities. Maybe you could identity a family in your church and volunteer to provide them with an offering of food or clothing. Or why not volunteer to buy a couple of toys for some children at a homeless shelter and deliver them the day after Christmas. The possibilities are endless.
It doesn't have to matter what county you live in on the planet. The simple principle of giving to others who are less fortunate than yourself can be put into practiced by us all.
The feast day of Saint Nicholas, a 4th century bishop from Asia Minor, was celebrated on December 6th. Known as the patron saint of children and sailors, he was famous for giving gifts to children. His feast became a children's holiday in Holland where he became known as Sint Nikolaas.
Because they couldn't pronounce the Dutch name, the English colonists in New York, (previously the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam,) called him “Santa Claus,” and began celebrating the feast day on Christmas.
Another name for Santa Claus, Kriss Kringle, developed in Germany around 1600. The Protestants in
Germany, gave gifts as they celebrated the birth of the Christ child, Christkindl, on December 25th. Over time, the name “Christkindl” evolved into “Kriss Kringle.”
In Germany as well as the Netherlands, the man known as Santa Claus, often rode accross the skies on a white horse. Often depicted as wearing the robes of a bishop, and sometimes accompanied by Black Peter, an elf who whipped naughty children, he delivered presents to all the children who had been good.
Throughout the years, the tradition of gift giving evolved. The combination of the religious account of the three Wise Men who gave gifts to the baby Jesus, and the character of the gift giving Saint Nicholas, or Santa Claus, combined to evolve into a strong tradition of the exchanging of gifts on Christmas.
Here is how the name of Santa Claus is said around the world.
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Did you know that you can track Santa around the world as he makes the annual trip to deliver the toys to all girls and boys. Well you can watch and get the updates in real time from NORAD's special Santa site.
And if you want to visit a magical website or two, this Christmas Eve, then take a minute and visit, Santa's Northpole and Christmas in Finland
Sometime during the next few days, your guests will begin to arrive at your home for the Christmas festivities. And this year, you are going to be ready.
Without some planning and forethought, having company during the holidays can be a very stressful and difficult time for everyone. But if you think ahead and plan accordingly, your guests will feel welcome and comfortable in your home, and you’ll provide a stress-free environment so you can enjoy their company.
Be sure that you decorate your home and tree for the people who will enjoy it. Antique Christmas ornaments are likely to get broken if small children are admiring them. And the likelihood of your best tablecloth getting a marinara stain on it is pretty high if you’re serving children. You are happy your guests are in your home, so take it upon yourself to ensure they feel welcome, comfortable and wanted.
Start the process of preparation in the guest room that your company will be staying in, and make it special. If they’ll be with you for more than just a couple of days, provide drawers they can put things away in so they can easily find things and get ready each day. Make sure your guest bathroom has plenty of clean towels and that you are stocked up on the necessities like toilet paper, shampoo, soap, and toothpaste.
Also, be sure you have plenty available to entertain your younger guests. Board games, crayons, coloring books, and movies help pass the time while the adults visit. Encourage the little ones to draw a pretty Christmas picture that you can display in your home for the holidays, or provide them with enough craft material such as glitter, yarn, glue, tape, and construction paper to make fun Christmas gifts of their own. An outing to a Christmas pageant or a night out caroling or watching the local Christmas parade provides fun for all ages as well.
Try to find out ahead of time if any of your guests require special accommodations, attention, or have special diets they must adhere to or have any food allergies. The last thing you want to have happen is for one of your guests to have an allergic reaction to your oyster stuffing. It might feel awkward to ask, but your guests will appreciate you thinking ahead on their behalf.
Most importantly, try to keep the environment in your home calm and relaxing. After all, it is the holidays and both you and your guests have decided to spend this time together. Take the time to sit back and take it easy with your company.
Keep the days entertaining, but not crammed full of activity. Be sure to schedule in activities they enjoy. Perhaps there’s a special exhibit at your local art gallery or museum they’d like to see while they’re in town. If so, offer to watch the kids while they go, and then take the kids to see a movie or ice skating. If these options are a bit too energetic for you, they might also enjoy playing a board game or watching a movie or television program at home. The gift of your time will be fondly remembered long after your guests have returned home.
If you are looking for something new and unique to add to your Christmas décor this year, then why not build a gingerbread house. There's just something about gingerbread that brings the taste of Christmas to life.
Whether it is eating it or admiring a carefully constructed gingerbread house, this delectable delight is sure to please your family and friends. Of course, it you are short on time you can use this gingerbread recipe to create some gingerbread men cookies or even a few ornaments for your tree.
Here are the recipes for the gingerbread, the icing, which is also the glue to hold your house together and the pattern with assembly instructions. Have fun and enjoy the wonder of gingerbread in your home this holiday season.
Gingerbread Dough Perfect for Creating Gingerbread Houses
Ingredients:
Directions:
Icing/Glue for Construction
The icing is simple to make, but it dries quickly. Therefore it is best to make up a small batch at a time.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Gingerbread House - Patterns and Assembly
Making the Pattern
Use cardboard pieces for the basic pattern of your gingerbread house. You will need:
Cutting and Baking the Gingerbread Pieces
Lay the cardboard pieces on top of the gingerbread dough. Using a sharp knife, cut around the
cardboard pattern shapes to create the pieces of gingerbread for your house.
Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
Grease and lightly flour the aluminum covered cookie sheet.
Place the gingerbread house pieces you have cut out on the cookie sheet and bake them at 320º for 25 minutes.
Once the pieces are cool enough to touch, remove all traces of foil from gingerbread shapes.
Allow all pieces of the gingerbread house to remain at room temperature overnight before assembling your house.
Assembling the Gingerbread House
First, you will need a base to build your gingerbread house on. A piece of plywood will work great. Just cover it with aluminum foil and you are ready to begin assembly of your house.
You should begin by adding the side walls first, then the front and back pieces. You may need to hold them in place as the icing/glue dries. It should take approximately 15 minutes for the walls to stand on their own. Once all of the walls have been assembled, let that stand for at least 30 minutes, to ensure its stability.
Next, you will assemble the roof pieces. Don't be afraid to use a lot of the icing/glue with these pieces. You can always create more batches of the stuff as you work. You will find that the icing will glue the pieces together just like you were using a real cement/glue to build a model.
After all the pieces have been assembled, let the house dry overnight. In the morning, decorate with your choice of candy. Let your creativity run wild as you find various candies to decorate your gingerbread house.
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