Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope you and your family and friends are having a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.  If you are looking for a way to make your Thanksgiving Day run like clockwork, here are a few ideas: 

 

So you've just agreed to host a major holiday dinner! Now let's sit down and think about some of the Big Questions.

1) How many people will attend?
This is the big one. If you've got more attendees than tables, chairs, plates, silverware, etc then you'll have to devise work-arounds. Tables/chairs can be rented, borrowed from friends and neighbors, or improvised from milk crates and pieces of plywood or spare doors. If you're short plates and silverware you can decide to use disposable or ask guests to bring their own, picnic style. Make your own cloth napkins to be extra-cool.

2) Who's making/bringing food?
Identify what you'd like to make, and what (if anything) you'd like your guests to bring. Make sure your guests are on the same page with this.

3) Buffet or table service?
If you've got more than one table a buffet is pretty much required. It also reduces the need for small, passable bowls which would otherwise require refills. You can put the whole dish on the buffet and be done with it.

4) Storage space
How much space do you have in your refrigerator and freezer? This determines what you can make ahead. If you live in a cold area an enclosed porch or deck can supplement your fridge/freezer space; if it's too warm out you can use an ice-filled cooler to bulk up your refrigerated space.
How many ovens/racks do you have? You'll need to block out time accordingly, and choose oven vs. stovetop preparations as necessary.

5) Time
What time do you plan to serve dinner? This one is under your control; pick a time that will allow you to wake up at a normal time and still be able to run everything through the oven with time to spare. Schedule this one for your convenience.

For the full article click here:  http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Organize-and-Cook-Holiday-Dinner-for-a-Crow/ 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Thanksgiving Tips

 

Can you believe Thanksgiving is in less than a week.  If you are playing host or hostess this year, here are a few holiday hosting tips for you courtesy of freshome.com:

 

1.) Accept help from others: While this seems like a simple concept, the misconception that the host/hostess has to do everything is not true. If you are hosting the big meal at your home, ask for help in an area that you feel weak in. If you are good at cooking, but not planning the details of the meal, ask for help from a neighbor or friend.

2.) Search now for deals: To save money and avoid the rush, start looking for holiday sales on holiday foods. Most stores will have displays already up and if you buy a few key ingredients each time you visit the store, you run less risk of the store running out of key ingredients, like cranberries!

3.) Plan your holiday table: The night before Thanksgiving is too late to plan what your table will look like. If you prefer a formal table, assure table linen, napkins, and dinnerware is clean and polished. For a casual table, assure you have the appropriate number of settings for everyone.

4.) Invite guests early: Start making your guest lists now and inviting them. This will help you plan a menu and will give time for your guests to check their calendars. Often time’s people wait until the last minute for Thanksgiving invites, and then are disappointed when guests have made prior plans.

5.) Ask guests to bring a dish: If the thought of preparing the Thanksgiving meal is a little menacing, why not ask your guests to bring a dish? Plan how many people you will have and ask each member to bring a certain item. Keep a running list so you don’t have 20 turkeys and no side dishes!

Check out the full list of tips here:  http://freshome.com/2010/11/15/10-easy-thanksgiving-tips-for-entertaining/

Happy Holidays!

Happy Veterans Day!

 

Happy Veterans Day to you and to any of your friends and families that have served.  Why not take today to learn a little bit more about the history of this holiday:

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as "the Great War." Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.

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In the United States, an official wreath-laying ceremony is held each Veterans Day at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery, while parades and other celebrations are held in states around the country. Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day--a common misunderstanding, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Memorial Day (the fourth Monday in May) honors American service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle, while Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans--living or dead--but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.

Learn more here: http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-veterans-day

Hidden Google “Easter Eggs”

How many “Easter Eggs” have you found by doing searches on Google?  If you want to find more, or don’t know what an “Easter Egg” is in internet lingo, this article from PC Magazine is for you:

By now you've probably been charmed for a couple seconds by Google's latest coding stunt, which you can see by typing "do a barrel roll" in Google's search box.

You can also perform the same spinning motion when you do a Google search for "ZZ" or "RR"—a reference to Nintendo's classic video game Star Fox 64. As Mashable notes, Peppy, the game's veteran space pilot rabbit, tells hero Fox McCloud to "do a barrel roll" which the player does by pressing "Z" or "R" twice.

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The stunt also works in mobile versions of Google search.

"Do a barrel roll" is what programmers call an "Easter egg." As we reported last year, there's a hidden world of harmless pranks coded just beneath the surface of many popular Web sites like YouTube, Facebook, and Google; undocumented tricks to entertain and amuse.

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You can also enjoy other Google Search Easter eggs by typing in "anagram" (which shows "Did you mean: nag a ram"); searching "ascii art" turns the Google logo into ASCII art; searching for "recursion" shows "Did you mean: recursion" which recursively runs searches for "recursion"; searching "tilt" or "askew" literally tilts your browser.

Check out the whole article and see more Easter Eggs here: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2395881,00.asp#fbid=bt1-LrylAG3

Veterans Day Parade

How are you honoring our troops this year?  Why not take part in The Stockbridge Veterans Day Parade on  November 11th?  The parade starts at 9:30 at City Cemetery, but get there early for a good view.  The event should last until shortly after 10am and will end at the Merle Manders Conference Center. 

There is also still time to register a float or vehicle for the parade.   Find out how you can register your float, or simply sponsor the event,  here:  http://www.cityofstockbridge.com/announcement/veterans_day_2011.aspx