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Monday, October 21, 2013

Halloween Trick or Treat Times

Are you ready for Trick or Treat in two weeks?  Check out the trick or treat times for your neighborhood below!  You can find out more at WTAE.




City of Pittsburgh (all neighborhoods)
5:30 to 7:30 p.m. 

Other areas listed in alphabetical order:
- Avalon 6 to 8 p.m.
- Baldwin Borough 6 to 8 p.m.
- Baldwin Township 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- Beaver 6 to 8 p.m.
- Bellevue 6 to 8 p.m.
- Brentwood 6 to 8 p.m.
- Bridgeville 6 to 8 p.m.
- Butler City 6 to 7 p.m.
- Canonsburg 6 to 8 p.m.
- Canton Township 6 to 7:30 p.m.
- Carnegie 6 to 8 p.m.
- Castle Shannon 6 to 8 p.m.
- Cecil Township 6 to 7:30 p.m.
- Center Township (Butler) 6 to 7 p.m.
- Charleroi 6 to 7 p.m. (Oct. 30)
- Cheswick 6 to 8 p.m.
- Churchill 6 to 8 p.m.
- Collier Township 6 to 8 p.m.
- Connellsville 4 to 6 p.m. (Oct. 27)
- Crafton 6 to 8 p.m.
- Cranberry Township 6 to 8 p.m.
- Crescent Township 6:30 to 8 p.m.
- Dravosburg 6 to 7:30 p.m.
- East McKeesport 6 to 8 p.m.
- East Pittsburgh 6 to 7:30 p.m.
- Economy 6 to 8 p.m.
- Elizabeth Borough 6 to 8 p.m.
- Evans City 6 to 8 p.m.
- Ford City 6 to 8 p.m. (Oct. 30)
- Forest Hills 6 to 8 p.m.
- Forward Township (Allegheny) 6 to 8 p.m.
- Fox Chapel 6 to 8 p.m.
- Franklin Park 6 to 8 p.m.
- McKeesport 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Monessen 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Oct. 26)
- Monroeville 6 to 8 p.m.
- Moon Township 6:30 to 8 p.m.
- Mt. Lebanon 6 to 8 p.m.
- Munhall 6 to 8 p.m.
- Murrysville 6 to 8 p.m.
- Pleasant Hills 6 to 8 p.m.
- Plum 6 to 8 p.m.
- Robinson Township (Allegheny) 6 to 8 p.m.
- Rostraver Township 3 to 6 p.m. (Oct. 26)
- Washington Township (Westmoreland County) 6 to 8 p.m.
- The Waterfront (Homestead/W. Homestead/Munhall) 6 to 8 p.m., Oct. 29
- Wilkins Township 6 to 8 p.m.
- Wilkinsburg 5 to 8 p.m.

Monday, October 14, 2013

South Park Hay Day

Check out this great event on Saturday from noon to 4pm.  South Park is having a hay day.  There are activities for all ages.  Hay rides, hay maze, and pumpkin patches are just some of the things that you and your family can enjoy.  You can find out more at Living Pittsburgh.


South Park Hay Day


Event: South Park Hay Day Location: South Park Fairgrounds, South Park Date: Saturday, October 19, 2013 Time: Noon until 4pm Cost: Free Description:   Kids of all ages will enjoy Fall fun activities: hay rides, pony rides, petting zoo, music, arts and crafts, “I made it!” Market, “Books are Fun” Book fair, and food vendors. For a full list of participants and activities, visit the Allegheny County website.
Full list of free activities:
-Hay Rides
-Hay Maze
-Pumpkin Patch
-Pumpkin Decorating
-Barnyard Petting Zoo & Pony Rides
-Face Painting
-Trackless Train
-Castle Bounce and Giant Slide
-Balloon Art
-Allegheny County Fire Truck
-Spooky Caricatures
-Halloween Puppet Show

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Do You Need Weekend Plans?

hollywood theater flicker macwagen
flicker-macwagen
Do you need weekend plans?  Check out the 7th annual Dormont Fair.  There are food, crafts, and activities for all ages!  You can check out Living Pittsburgh for more information!


Event: Dormont 7th Annual Street Fair & Music Festival Location: Potomac Avenue, between Belrose & West Liberty Avenues in Dormont Date: Saturday, October 12, 2013 Time: 3pm until 11 pm Cost: Free  
Description: It’s Dormont’s 7th annual celebration of music, crafts, local shopping, and Autumn life along main street. The family-friendly event promotes Dormont’s many amazing local businesses.

Live performances by Masters of the Universe from 4 PM to 6 PM; The Justin Fabus Band from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM; and King’s Ransom from 9 PM to 11 PM

Events will be held throughout the day. A children’s area between West Liberty and Glenmore 

Avenues will feature games, crafts, and more from 3-7.  Child Safety ID’s The Dormont Police Department and Freemason’s CHIP Program will sponsor a Child Safety Identification booth, and the Dormont Volunteer Fire Department will have a fire truck handy.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

New and Creative Ways to Organize Your Work Space

Are you looking for new creative ways to organize your work space?  Check out this article from Buzzfeed.  You can use everyday items to transform your workspace into a creative and productive sanctuary. 


1. Store small items in a spice rack.



redbookmag.com

Just be sure to wash them thoroughly or your rubber bands will forever smell of cumin.

2. Never spill again with this portable drink holder.



thinkgeek.com

It clips onto the edge of your desk and will prevent the dreaded soy-latte-meets-MacBook-Pro disaster from occurring.

3. Keep papers and pens neat with an organizer made from an old frame.



wishfultinker.blogspot.com

Directions here.

4. Turn a frame into a dry-erase to-do list.



aintthattheberriesgals.blogspot.com

Here’s how.

5. Make these colorful organizers out of tin cans.



worldofpineapple.com

Directions here.

6. Stack them to save space.



bhg.com

7. Cover them in chalkboard paint for easy labeling.



michaelannmade.com

8. Happen to have a spare Slinky? Use it to hold your writing utensils.



realsimple.com

I mean who doesn’t have an extra Slinky or ten lying around?

9. Keep your cables neat with this desk-mounted organizer.



thinkgeek.com

It’s only $9.99 and you’ll never suffer the indignity of scrabbling around on the floor looking for the outlet again.

10. Attach a small hook underneath your desk to keep cords out of the way.



inspiredhomeoffice.com

Here’s how.

11. Label cords with bread tags.



apartmenttherapy.com

First you’ll have to eat a lot of bread, but we all make sacrifices.

12. Binder clips make great cord catchers.



bedifferentactnormal.com

13. Trick out a file cabinet with squares of wallpaper.



designsponge.com

Fabric and contact paper work too.

14. Create a corner shelf with room for paper storage out of a magazine rack.



designsponge.com

Find out how here.

15. Use the sleeve from your morning coffee to ensure your earbuds don’t get tangled.



media-cache-ec2.pinterest.com

You’ll have the best mornings ever now.

16. Keep loose papers out of the way by attaching clipboards to the wall.



marthastewart.com

Directions here.

17. Use one to display your to-do list.



media-cache-ec2.pinterest.com

This person clearly has no obligations at all.

18. Make over your desk chair.



howjoyful.com

If someone tries to steal your chair, you’ll know. Here’s how.

19. Make a compact charging station out of a lotion bottle.



makeit-loveit.com

Nobody will ever know what it used to be.

20. Store supplies in an under-the-shelf wine rack.



bhg.com

Store wine there too. Directions here.

21. Line the back of a bookshelf with contact paper to give it some life.



pinterest.com

Find out how here.

22. Build your own bookshelf using crates.



calmcradle.com

You can make it larger or smaller depending on your space restrictions. Find out how here.

23. This beautiful bookshelf is made from Ikea crates secured with binder clips.



livethemma.ikea.se

You might want to nail or screw it into the wall if you’re worried about stability. (We <3 Ikea to the moon and back but it’s not exactly known for its incredible show of strength.) Directions here (in Swedish).

24. Pegboards are great space-savers.



lauratrevey.onsugar.com

Keep important reminders and photos you love at eye-level.

25. Attach baskets to pegboard for accessible paper storage.



becca-homeiswheremystorybegins.blogspot.com

They’re easy to rearrange. Here’s how.

26. This keyboard memo pad makes taking notes and writing down important reminders (with a pen! In your hand!) easy and unobtrusive.



fallindesign.com

Buy it here.

27. Keep small items in ice cube trays.



homemadesimple.com

You can swap out paper clips and brads for thread and beads, depending on your industry. Ice trays work well as dividers in drawers too.

28. Use a dishrack as a ready-made filing system.



josieofficedesign.com

29. Decorate boring binders with iron-on transfers.



marthastewart.com

They’ll make even your tax returns look pleasant and peaceful. Directions here.

30. Rolling file cabinets make it easy to rearrange your space quickly.



cb2.com

Move them an inch or two every day and drive your annoying office-mate INSANE. Or just tuck them out of the way when you need to make room. Buy them here.

Monday, September 23, 2013

Top 10 Desserts that Everyone Should Make

Having a go to dessert is crucial for any dinner party.  Check out these top ten desserts from apartment therapy that everyone should know how to make.  What is your go to dessert?

What are the desserts you know by heart? The sweets you make over and over, to the point where you barely need the recipe? Dessert can be a special treat to end a meal, or a simple comfort during a tiring week, and we have a few we love enough to memorize. These are often the simplest and the easiest to remember, like a batch of warm chocolate chip cookies or that light-as-a-feather one-ingredient ice cream.

Others of these sweets have a classic elegance, like the chocolate layer cake that your friends always beg you to make for their birthdays, or that most perfect of all desserts: panna cotta. Here are 10 desserts, big and small, that we think are worth knowing by heart.

Chocolate Layer Cake
A "by heart" dessert really means two kinds of recipes to us: Those that are so easy that they barely require a recipe, like One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream and fruit poached with wine and spice. And then the recipes that are maybe a little trickier — like a good pie crust or a batch of ice cream — but that we make so often that the process feels intuitive.
Both kinds of desserts form the bedrock of our dessert repertoire. Know how to make a pie crust and you can whip up a galette or a fruit-filled pie on a whim. Memorize the formula for a creamy panna cotta and you have an easy, crowd-pleasing dessert whenever you need one. The process for making a chocolate cake is more or less the same for any kind of cake — take this muscle memory with you as you take on new recipes. And so on with just about every recipe on this list.
What desserts do you know by heart? Which ones do you think are essential for the home cook to know?
    TOP ROW
  • 1
    How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies - You just can't go wrong with chocolate chip cookies. With this version, you don't even need a mixer.
  • 2 Chocolate Layer Cake - Does a chocolate cake sound intimidating to you? It shouldn't! This fluffy, tender, and deeply chocolatey cake is ready in about an hour and couldn't be easier.
  • 3 One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream - Yup, that's right. Frozen bananas whizzed in a food processor are a dead ringer for vanilla ice cream. Take a look at our 5 favorite flavor variations when you feel like switching it up.
  • 4 How to Make Panna Cotta - This is Faith's ultimate dessert for everything from a weeknight treat to a big dinner party. It's easy, it's elegant, and it's endlessly adaptable.
  • 5 Roasted Strawberry Goat Cheese Squares on Puff Pastry - This is the perfect example of what you can make with a package of puff pastry in the freezer. If strawberries aren't in season, go for apples, a few black berries, or any other ripe fruit — even just a dollop of jam and a sprinkle of nuts!
Chocolate Wafer Icebox Stacks

    BOTTOM ROW
  • 6 How to Make a Pie from Start to Finish - Knowing how to make a good pie crust is one of those essential skills that's always handy to have in your back pocket. And it's not as intimidating as you might think!
  • 7 Chocolate Wafer Icebox Stacks - These ¨ber-simple little cakelets are more delicious and more addictive than they have any right to be. Just trust us on this one. Switch it up with different cookies or by flavoring the whipped cream.
  • 8 How to Make Ice Cream at Home - Use this base to add any other flavorings your brain can imagine — fresh blueberries, a swirl of chocolate fudge, candied nuts, peppermint... Plus you can still make ice cream without an ice cream maker.
  • 9 How to Make a Fruit Crumble with Any Kind of Fruit - No matter the season and no matter the fruit, a fruit crumble is always there for you.
  • 10 Honey and Spice Poached Pears - Last but not least, we have poached fruit. It's amazing how decadent a simple piece of fruit can feel once you've poached it in a little simple syrup or leftover wine with a handful of spices. The method in this recipe applies to any tree fruit you have in the kitchen — apples, apricots, peaches, plums... You get the idea!

Monday, September 16, 2013

5 Tips to Make Your Apartment Look Clean

cleancrop112112.jpgDo you ever get the text or phone call that says you will have unexpected company in five minutes?  Check out these great tips on how to make your house appear clean even when you do not have time.  You can learn more great apartment tips at apartment therapy.

So you get a text message that tells you company is dropping by and they're only 10 blocks away. Don't panic. Take a deep breath, now panic and check out these 5 tips for making your house appear clean in a flash. That's right, I said appear. Who has time to really clean in 10 blocks?

1. Clean the Three T's: Toilets, Tabletops, the Television. What? The television? Yup! Most living rooms are centered around your tv and the amount of dust that hangs on it, your netflix stack and dvd box set pile that's off to one side could be tell tale signs of why the rest of your house isn't exactly spotless. Plus if you sit chatting in the living room, you'll be staring at it wishing you would have moved it. Toilets and tabletops are a bit more self explanatory, but important none the less.
2. Stash with Efficiency: When company drops in we've all been in a situation once or twice where things get tossed in a basket and shoved in the spare bedroom or closet. It's a quick solution, but it can be done with more efficiency so you can find your stuff later on. Add things to your basket according to the room they go in. That way when company leaves, you can remove the items easily without making 100 trips across your house or apartment to put things where they belong.

3. Pet Hair: Even if you have a sparkling clean house, if your sofa is covered with a layer of dog or cat fur, it suddenly looks less tidy. Keep a rubber glove or your favorite pet hair busting product on hand to knock it all down in a few sweeps.

4. Dishes Be Gone in Seconds Flat: Please don't judge me for this tip. Admitting that I've done it more than once is punishment enough alright? So here goes. Put your dishes in your oven. Wait, what? If you pile your dishes in the sink then it looks like you threw them all in there at the last minute as everyone knows you can't really wash dishes in that manner and you'll still look like a slight slob, even though you have clean counters. Instead, grab a baking sheet and stack like items together and slide them in the oven. They'll slide right back out, be prestacked and ready to be washed so you can recover from the guilt you just gave yourself for following through with this tip. Side note: don't preheat your oven... even by accident... until they're removed.


5. Spend 5 Furious Minutes on Your House Everyday: Isn't that cheating? We're talking about last minute company here, not preparing all week long for them to come! True, but think about how much you can clean in those few minutes before they arrive. 10 blocks isn't much. With traffic and parking and walking up your stairs, 5 minutes is a safe estimate. Bring that panic to your life every day and clean with the same intensity for just 5 minutes and your house will always look better for it. Plus, you still have time to watch Raising Hope without telling yourself you'll pick up on commercials.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Burger Deals Every Day!

Are you a burger fan? There are burger deals every day in the city.  This list will make sure to satisfy your burger craving any day of the week. Keep reading to find out the deals of the day.  You can learn more at Living Pittsburgh.






Mondays

$1.00 burgers at Pleasant Bar in Pleasant Hills from 4-11:30pm. Go at the right time and get great drinks specials, too!

Michael’s Pizza Bar & Restaurant in the South Side offers $1 burgers on Mondays from 4-11pm. Toppings are .25 cents extra.

Tuesdays

Rock Room, a local favorite in the Polish Hill area of town, offers $2 burgers and .75 cent fries on Tuesdays from 8-10pm. During the last hour, you can also get $1 PBRs.

$1.00 1/2 lb Angus burgers at Bar Louie & Red Star Tavern from 5pm – close. (Toppings are .25 – .50 cents extra.) If you’re there from 5-7pm you can also take advantage of happy hour priced specials, including 1/2 off appetizers, all drafts are $3.00 (including crafts), $4.00 for all glasses of wine and $5.00 martinis.

$1.00 half pound burgers at Loose Moose all day in Baldwin. Hit their happy hour from 4-6 and you’ll also get any drink for 2 bucks!

Wednesdays

Coppertops in the South Side has a great burger special on Wednesdays from 4-10pm. All 20 of the 1/2 lb burgers on their Burger Board are $3 and served with fries and a pickle. All 24 draft beers are also $3 during the burger special.

Mulligan’s in West Mifflin has $1.50 burger night from 4pm to midnight. Cheese is and bacon are extra, but basic toppings are free. They also have $2.00 Miller Light drafts.

Thursdays

$1.00 burgers at Pleasant Bar in Pleasant Hills from 4-11:30pm. Go at the right time and get great drinks specials, too!

Monday – Friday

1/2 lb cheeseburger at McCormick & Schmick’s. This one is loaded with toppings and also comes with fries in a basket for only $3.95! The special is available in the bar during happy hour and requires a minimum $3.25 drink purchase per person. They also have a list of other great food items for $2.95-$5.95 and a few select drinks on special. If you go on a Monday to the South Side location, you can also catch a $6.00 flick at the SSW Cinema after your finished with dinner.

Don’t worry about driving or parking – take the bus. It’s easy! Use Port Authority’s Trip Planner to get a quick, customized route. Getting to these great wing nights couldn’t be easier!

If you know of any places in Pittsburgh that offer a special on great burgers, please let us know! (Full sized burgers for $2.00 and under, or offered with fries/side for $4 or less.)