Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is a time for friends and family to come together to celebrate with great food and good company. Making dinner for a large group can be a great way to demonstrate your cooking talent, but finding a menu that everyone likes can be difficult. The best solution is to find out the dietary restrictions of your guests and offer them various alternatives like a vegetarian or nut-free option. Aside from that, Thanksgiving dinner can include a variety of dishes, so here is an exhaustive list of options to chose from.

Turkey: Brined, basted, roasted, fried. The options for cooking a turkey are endless, but this is the main Thanksgiving dish that should not be missed! The number of guests you will be having will determine how big of a turkey to get. You may even have to get more than one turkey because you want to make sure that you have enough. If you find that you have extra turkey, send some home with your guests, or, make turkey soup! It's the perfect leftover meal to pack in lunches for the following week.

Potatoes: Potatoes are a great side dish because there are so many ways to make them. You can boil peeled potatoes and then mash them up with butter and cream to make silky mashed potatoes. Or, if you only have a few guests, you can make a baked potato for each person. Even throwing them into a high-powered, new microwave will have them cooked in no time. There are several other ways to make potatoes including roasting potatoes with herbs, baking potato slivers to create chips and baking potato wedges with garlic. And don't forget the sweet potatoes! You can make sweet potato chips, sweet potato casserole or simple mashed sweet potatoes mixed with butter and brown sugar. Some delicious toppings for sweet potatoes are pecans, meringue and marshmallows.

Green beans: Every meal should include a vegetable, and even though Thanksgiving dinner isn't always the healthiest, it's nice to add some green color to the spread. So try a great green bean dish! You can make delicious casserole using cream of mushroom soup and fried onions or you can keep it simple and roast green beans in the oven with various different aromatics.

Cranberries: Instead of purchasing pre-made cranberries in a can, try making your own! Cranberry sauce is easy to make and you can add aromatics like cinnamon and orange to spruce up the dish. If you're not into the gelatinous texture of cranberry sauce, try making a cranberry relish that you can store in the refrigerator for up to two days. Chop up fruits like oranges, green apples and pears and toss them together with chopped cranberries and a little brown sugar for a great crunchy relish. With the help of a simple refrigerator, new twists on old classic side dishes are achievable.

Pie: Thanksgiving desserts do not have to be limited to pumpkin pie. Apple, peach, blueberry and pecan are great alternatives. Also, if you want to incorporate pumpkin flavor into the dessert, but don't like the texture of pumpkin pie, try something like a pumpkin spice bar using pumpkin butter and a delicious brown sugar crumble.

Don't forget to enlist the help of your guests when it comes to cleanup. If they're willing to help with dishes, don't pass up on help because dozens of place settings will quickly break in a new dishwasher!

With all of these dish options, your Thanksgiving is sure to be one that your guests will remember.

Love, Laughter and a Stress Free Christmas

Jingle bells, lots of snow, presents round the tree.......

Yes it's that time of year again, Christmas is just around the corner and what does that mean? Yes, you got it stress!

Along with the normal everyday triggers, work, home life, family, friends there is an ever increasing pressure to provide the latest "must haves". With mounting demands from a never ending Santa list, the perfect tree with this year's colour co-ordinated decorations, what's wrong with last year's? They have only been used once! And then there is the big debate about whom to invite for the sit down dinner, the seating plan, table decorations - fresh or fake!?How about this year we cut ourselves a bit of slack?

Christmas should not be about what we want, which is better, or how much was yours! It's about spending time with the people in your life that really matter. It's also about coming together and remembering those that can't be with us. How far will all this craziness go before we start teaching our children the true meaning of Christmas, where instead of being dragged down the conveyor belt of financial debt and failed expectations we create an environment of love, trust and honesty. A place where everyone can feel at ease and quality time is shared by all.

Festive celebrations can be stress free..

· Make a list of those you would like to spend time with. People that make you feel good, smile and laugh. Arrange "meet-ups" with them over the holiday period. Also write a list at the end of each day of things you need to do the next day. By having your list ready when you start each day it will make it easier on you. When you start each day look at your list, and start doing one task immediately. If you are organized, your whole day will go much smoother.

· Make sure you get enough sleep; this will make you feel refreshed, relaxed and ready to go. Take a nice bubble bath, light some scented candles and turn on some soothing music. Let your mind wander and imagine you are walking along the beach in bare feet and just listening to the sounds of the waves, whilst looking at the crystal blue water gently lapping the shore. Let all your problems go for the time being and just relax.

· When you feel yourself becoming stressed or anxious "STOP" and ask yourself "why?" and if it's for the wrong reason move onto the next "to do". If the people at home are getting on your nerves, try to get out of the house and take a long walk in the park, or a drive through a scenic area. Sometimes just removing yourself from a stressful situation can smooth out the edges on your nerves.

· Take some time each day to relax and daydream. Imagine yourself relaxing in your favourite spot, whether it is walking on the beach or sitting on a park bench reading. Taking a few deep slow breaths and hold it in for 10 seconds and then slowly let it out.

· How about spreading the load this year? share the responsibilities for creating a festive treat that everyone can be a part of. Delegate jobs and lighten the load. Preparations can be fun, let others decorate the tree, put icing on cakes or even wrap each other's presents... this can create excitement and a joyous atmosphere, where everyone can play a role in contributing something, no matter how small, into making a long lasting, pleasurable memory, a Merry Christmas.

Stress and anxiety do not have to control your life. You are the master of your own emotions and can control most occurrences of stress. By paying attention to what causes you stress or anxiety, you will know when you need to stop and take another direction. Find your inner peace by taking time to relax and let go. There are a lot of ways that you can make stress disappear and make your life more enjoyable.Whether you like it or not, this day is coming and you can choose to be stressed or you can choose to enjoy this holiday period with lots of fun and laughter.

But before I leave, please take a minute out of your day to remember those that cannot be with us today. Remembered, but never forgotten.

~Merry Christmas to you all

"It's not about how much you spend this Christmas, it's about who you spend this time with that counts".

Win the Bed Bugs Battle

Mice and rats may induce a squeal, a shriek or a shudder. Spiders might cause you to jump and the threat of termites eating away at your house will have you calling for help. But there are few pests that can cause a sheer panic more than the way the cute but odorous skunk commands with its mere presence.

Having skunks in your yard will send most people running and for good reason. A skunks spray can reach up to 15 feet. This powerful defense mechanism is a highly evolved weapon. It can even ward off a bear. The stench is notoriously hard to remove and can last for several days. The smell can cause nausea, vomiting, irritation of the skin and even temporary blindness. Even the relatively unskilled human nose can detect a skunk's spray for up to a mile downwind.

For all the power in the spray, skunks are usually reluctant to use it. They carry about 5 to 6 sprays worth at any given time. Once this supply is exhausted, it will take about 10 days for the skunk to produce another load. This leaves the animal defenseless and vulnerable. They will bite as well as spray if necessary. Their bite is as worrisome as their stink. Skunks, like other pests, can carry rabies.

If a skunk decides to move in under your deck or in your foundation, it can be hard to evict. They will reuse a den from year to year. Females tend to den in groups that may grow as large as a dozen animals. Here are a few tips on making sure you aren't forced to share your home with them.

Cut off the food sources.

Skunks are omnivores. They eat just about anything they can reach. This includes bugs and grubs, garbage, pet food and nearly anything else at or near ground level. If they don't have an easy food source nearby, they will be less likely to stick around.

- Keep a tight lid on your trash cans to prevent foraging.

- Don't leave pet food out overnight.

- Clean up under birdfeeders.

- Use environmentally sound pest control measures to cut down on lawn insects like grubs.

Bar their entry.

Barrier methods are effective on skunks and many other mammalian pests. Block off any access to the foundation and under porches and decks. The skunk is a great digger so be sure that the barrier is sunk fairly deep in the ground. He can slip through a hole as small as 4 inches in diameter so it should fit tightly. On the plus side, he is a lousy climber so it won't need to be very high.

Call in a pro.

If you do find that a skunk has adopted your home, don't hesitate to call a skunk exterminator. He may be able to trap and relocate your smelly inhabitant without setting off his most powerful weapon.

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Confidence is King of the Road

Confidence is more than just sexy. It can save you a ton of money on your next car or truck.

Lots of people hate buying cars. When you get right down to it, the root causes of this fear and loathing aren't hard to pin down.

1) Fear of the unknown. 2) Buying a car is a confrontational situation. 3) It's a huge commitment of time and money.

Well, okay, that's great, but how does that help you? Patience, grasshopper.

While there's no magical silver bullet to cure all of the above ills, a little confidence can go a long way. If you act uncertain and unsure, chances are you will get taken for a ride. This applies to every step of the process, not just when you're checking out cars on the showroom floor.

So what do you do? I mean, great, be confident. But what does that mean?

Be decisive. Know exactly what kind of car you want and exactly what you want to pay. Do your homework first and research everything you can find. The Internet is the most powerful research tool ever devised by man. Use it.

Show, don't tell. Print copies of everything you find. Don't just tell a dealer that you got a better price quote online. Show them. Don't just say that you thought your credit was good enough to qualify for a better rate. Show them.

Know thyself. Not everyone handles every situation well. If you know you're going to have a hard time negotiating and haggling over the price (which you will) then find someone who can. Even if you don't have a friend or loved one skilled in the art of car buying, you can usually find car buying services listed in the Yellow Pages major cities than can help you out for a small fee.

A little confidence goes a long, long way.

Confidence is King of the Road   Confidence is King of the Road   

Do You Have Any Black Pepper For My Radiator?

Awhile back I had a woman traveling through to stop at the shop.

Her radiator, the one in her car, had a leak.

It was a small leak but she had lost a lot of water, in the car radiator.

Now, as I'm not a radiator repair shop, and the nearest one was 20 miles, in the opposite direction, I did what I do to my old 8N Ford tractor radiator.

I put a small can of black pepper in it. Yeah, I did! No sugar, salt, or any other ingredients, just black pepper.

If the hole in a radiator is not too large, black pepper will stop it up, temporarily, and it's better than egg-white. You can store a can of black pepper in your dash compartment better than you can an egg, and it will last longer.

Black pepper will not dissolve, deteriorate, or digest. That's why I don't eat it...plus, it burns my mouth. :-)

I say it is a temporary stop leak tool, but I've used in before and the customer drove his vehicle for over a year before he sold it.

Go to the grocery store, get one of those 2" cans, brand doesn't matter, and put it in the compartment on the dash, or the console.

Just don't use it all up at the drive-in eating places...keep it until you create a leak in your radiator.

Confidence is King of the Road   Confidence is King of the Road   

Landlords Insurance - An Essential Requirement

You should never ignore the importance of landlords insurance. In today's age, if a person is an owner of a property, then it is important to have proper insurance coverage for the same space. To protect the owner from any damages caused to the property, landlords insurance is important. In case, any unpleasant incident happens in the future, there will be sufficient financial support available from the insurance provider on which the property owner can rely. The damages which are incurred will be duly compensated for, in the presence of the insurance coverage. The compensation would be based on the type of insurance policy which has been purchased. However, if one has installed appropriate safety devices like burglar alarms and fire alarm in the property, then it shall help to draw fewer premiums. So, it ultimately affects the amount of insurance premium one pays in installments for a specific coverage.

If the damage occurs due to burglary or vandalism, then the insurance provider will compensate the policy holder even if the person has alarms to prevent that from happening. If the damage is caused by the tenant to the building's structure, then one will be compensated to get it repaired. The landlord's insurance always provides extended coverage in comparison to the homeowner's coverage. The landowner has the right to sue tenants for the damage done by them in order to get a specific amount as compensation. In this scenario, the insurance policy covers the cost of legal expenses incurred during the process. The policy reimburses the policy holder for all expense incurred to maintain the property.

Landlords often like to upgrade the installed security systems. This requires money. Few policies of 'landlords insurance' also pay for this task to the policy holder. The premiums also vary according to the payment plans consisting of yearly, quarterly or monthly payments. In order to get the most useful insurance coverage for rented accommodation one should check online. You can also ask for quotes from the top most insurance providers and can select the most suitable option. Also consider their value-added services and benefits offered which shall help to secure the property in the best way.

After checking all things, go for the binding decision and purchase the respective insurance policy. The insurance providers shall be the best solution in case of any problems as they will immediately issue money for the loss and you can reinstate the property in its original condition. Do proper research and select the policy after consulting all top providers.

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