Holiday Recipes

Here's some super easy, super delicious snacks for the holiday season. No time to bake homemade cookies or try that new recipe for fudge? No problem, if you've got five to twenty minutes you've got a tasty treat :)

You only have five minutes, no problem.
You will need circle pretzels, Hershey's Hugs, and M&M's. Place parchment paper on the cookie sheet and set the oven to 250 degrees. Place the circle pretzels down and then put a Hershey Hug in the middle. Bake for 3 - 4 minutes or until the Hug is soft. Take out and press an M&M in the middle of the Hug. Place the tray in the freezer until hard. Take out and serve. There are several variations on this recipe, including regular pretzels, square pretzels, Hershey's Kiss instead of Hugs, use what suites your fancy. Try different things, different chocolates, multiple M&M's, sprinkles, etc. Just don't blame me if your pants don't fit after exploring all the options!!

You have ten to fifteen minutes, you want it to be a little bit more healthy....
You will need 5-6 Granny Smith apples, cored and cubed. One package of Cool Whip, and 3-4 LARGE Snickers bars cut into tiny pieces. I recommend adding more Snickers, but to each their own. Mix all ingredients together and chill. You get a serving of fruit, but it's still so delicious you'll have no trouble eating it all!

You have twenty minutes, and you want to impress.
Another little trick is to grab your favorite cookie dough and the miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. You will also need small cupcake papers, smaller than the average sized cupcake but bigger than the size of the Reese's. Cook the cookie dough in the cupcake paper. As soon as the cookies are finished place an unwrapped Reese's Peanut Butter Cup down in the middle. Allow to cool.

I'm sure many of you could figure these out on your own, but I figured I'd post for those who don't. Have a wonderful holiday season, and enjoy!!

Oh Tiger...

It’s not like me to sit on the sidelines and not make a comment or two about anything to be honest. I’m opinionated, and I often voice that opinion. The good news is I’m opinionated about friends and foes alike, I’ll tell you what I think the team I like is doing wrong just as often as a team I could care less about. I discriminate against none when it comes to my opinion. I could hardly sit back and watch the Tiger Woods scandal pass by without an opinion, and thus I have come to mine.

Tiger, we all know, should be ashamed of himself. He cheated. He broke his vows, he lied, and he deceived. What he did was wrong, hurtful, and embarrassing. That being said there are two other culprits, okay maybe even three others that need to own up to their actions as well.

1 – The media. While I believe in freedom of the press, there is such a thing as decency. I believe the public has no business knowing things that destroy his marriage and can hurt his family. I’m sure Elin can handle it, but what about his children? Is nothing sacred? Does Tiger also have the right to privacy, and do his children and wife have the right to some respect? When I was learning about the Constitution I understood it as your freedoms end where mine begin; so her right to privacy has to be sacrificed for the freedom of the press? That doesn’t seem right, Tiger didn’t kill anyone, he didn’t commit purgery, didn’t steal millions of dollars from unsuspecting individuals. What he did is between him, Elin, and God.

2 – The women. I believe in a code, maybe it has long been forgotten but I still believe in it. I believe that no woman knowingly commits adultery with a married man, let alone a married man with children. I believe that women are supposed to have enough self-respect that they value themselves enough to respect other women and the sanctity of marriage. True, maybe Tiger would have found someone else to cheat with, but I wonder what would have happened if just one of these women would have said ‘Shame on you’ to him. I have personally never been cheated on, but I have known friends who have been. The hurt, betrayal, shame, and disrespect they feel is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. The fact that anyone would enable this to happen to a fellow sister, friend, mother, is beyond me. I think the women in this scandal are the most disgraceful. They knowingly broke up a marriage, knowingly hurt his children, and knowingly grabbed for fame when the scandal broke out. I hope if any good comes of this it will be women everywhere remembering the code, and remembering they never wish to hurt another woman like that ever again.

3 – The Public. I love my gossip mags just as everyone else does, but recently I have been reading them less and less. I don’t want to support Jon Gosselin making an idiot of himself by selling himself out to any media outlet that will have him. I won’t support the destruction of families by magazines constantly exploiting extra-marital affairs. True they are juicy, and true the individuals should have known better. But we as a public dictate what is given to us. If we all refused to buy any magazine that beated a dead horse cold on affairs, or break ups then maybe we wouldn’t have such a hungry papparazzi. The same papparazzi that gets physical with stars, gets involved in high speed chases that have ended lives, and virtually eliminates any moral values left in the media. Those individuals do need to own up to their actions, but we need to own up to ours as well. We cannot continue to allow the media to fill the airwaves, television sets and print with crap and then complain that our society has no morals.

One last thing: Parents, stop relying on the stars to be your children’s role models and be them yourself. Stop acting like a friend to your kids and start acting like a parent. Stop sitting home and reading US Weekly and watching E! and get off your butt and take your kids to volunteer at a Soup Kitchen or Habitat for Humanity. Keep your kids busy with good activities and maybe we wouldn’t have so much violence in our youth. Help others and maybe we wouldn’t need as much government assistance. Your parents would be ashamed of you.

Punch Pizza For A Cause

This Wednesday enjoy a free pizza for a good cause.

Bring in a food donation(s) for the Second Harvest food bank and get a free margherita pizza (or 5.95 off any other pizza)

Bring this coupon to any punch pizzeria - sorry take out will be limited at our small Highland Park store

http://www.flickr.com/photos/punch_pizza/4185981568/

Safety Precautions

A friend of mine recently returned to Brazil to travel, sight see and just live the Brazilian life. As many know, the Olympics in 2016 will be held in Brazil, and so I thought I should shed light on some violence that occurs down there, and well as remind people everywhere about safety.

Anne has been to Brazil before, she lived down there and speaks the language, she knows the area and is a pretty smart cookie. Anne was walking down a relatively safe street when a man approached her and told her to give him her cellular. Anne had a suitcase, her backpack and her cell phone; in her backpack was her very expensive laptop and other valuable items. Like instructed she threw the cell phone as far as she could and ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction towards the main street. She started screaming at the top of her lungs screaming help me and get away from me. Luckily two taxi drivers heard her and both went running after the culprit to get him away from her.

This happened just last night, Anne was walking in the afternoon, in the broad daylight. The reminder is this, while we all like to believe we are aware of our situation and in a safe part of town the reality is that you need to be prepared for anything. What Anne did, throwing her cell phone, was probably the thing that saved her and her possessions. We’ve all received the emails about locking our doors right away, not walking in garages by ourselves, and many other things; however, rarely has anything they’ve warned about happen to anyone we know. Not all of you know Anne, I realize that, but her experience makes me aware that those emails aren’t being sent out for fun. There is a reason that people warn others about how to escape, dangerous situations to avoid, and all together remind us of safety in all situations.

I hope if nothing else this posting will keep one person safe, even if they never run into confrontation. I hope that maybe they will prepare and act smartly about their life so they never need to use any techniques that those helpful emails instruct us about. And just in case you deleted your emails with the information, here is a copy of mine:

Because of recent abductions in daylight hours, refresh yourself of these things to do in an emergency situation...

This is for you, and for you to share with your wife, your children, everyone you know.

It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do :
The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2.. Learned this from a tourist guide.
If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you.... Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy.. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS!) The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go.
AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR , LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE..

If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, Repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it . As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
A.) Be aware: Look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor , and in the back seat
B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims
by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side... If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot.
This is especially true at NIGHT!

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted
his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point:
Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird.. The police told her
'Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door..' The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night. The Crying Baby Theory was mentioned on America 's Most Wanted when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana.

10. Water scam!
If you wake up in the middle of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your outside taps full ball so that you will go out to investigate and then attack.

'Tis The Season

'Tis the season for spreading germs! I have had quite a few run ins with being sick this time of year, it's never fun. Here's a few tips for staying healthy this holiday season.

Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. I just went to orientation at a Fairview Hospital for volunteering. The general rule is any time you touch something that sick people have been in contact with you wash your hands before and you wash your hands afterwards. Their instructions for hand washing is as follows:

Turn the faucet on, rinse hands & then pump out soap. Scrub your hands at least thirty seconds or the tune of the ABC's or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Clean in between fingers, under fingernails, and all the way past the wrist. To clean off the soap place finger tips together and facing down. Start rinsing at the wrist. The idea here is to wash germs off and not back up. Use papertowel to open doors if possible. I usually wipe my hands off and then take one all the way back to my office and then dispose of it.

Cover that cough!! When my parents' generation was younger they were told to cover their coughing with their hand. When I had bronchitis in high school the doctor told me the younger, hipper generation was being taught to cover their mouths with the inside of their elbow. Rarely does one shake elbows, and it is still easily accessible. I've noticed many people who have a cough that lingers do so because in my opinion they keep the germs so close by. Instead of coughing into your hand and then touching your keyboard, phone, keys, glass, pen, etc. cough into your elbow and keep your hands clean and germ free.

Curb your oral fixation!! I have a problem with biting my nails, nervous habit. Well, even though I love to bite my nails I have a rule, no biting my nails during the cold and flu season, no chewing on pen caps or anything else that places dirty, germy objects anywhere near my mouth.

Lysol Wipes - Use 'em! Whenever I get sick at work I usually take no more than a few days before I've completely recovered. My trick? The second I detect a cold or the swine coming on I follow the above rules and a few others to help me get over the germs faster. Here's the if you do get sick guide.

1 - Drink TONS of water. Avoid alcohol, avoid soda. Drink juices, drinks with electrolytes, and water. Stay hydrated.
2 - CONSTANTLY wash your hands, even after touching regular surfaces. Our office has alcohol based waterless gel soap (aka Purell) and I use it every time I am in the copy room.
3 - Wash your pillow case EVERY night. When I had the swine flu I slept on a different pillow case every night. I washed my sheets as often as possible. When I was done being sick I made sure to change out my sheets as well.
4 - Gargle Listerine. Once in the morning, once in the evening, once before bed. If you're home sick and can do this more often I'd suggest once an hour. Kill the germs.
5 - Do NOT share beverages. No this is not an anti-mono speech, but rather something way worse. A few years ago my entire family had to be given medication for bacterial meningicoccal. What's that you say? Well it's the worst form of bacterial meningitis. How did we come in contact with it? Well, my Aunt Becki forgot to get her yearly shot for said disease because she has a weakened immune system. Not only did she put herself at danger, but she could also have been carrying the disease to the rest of us. How? Well it's Christmas, people were tasting each other's drinks, etc. The doctors decided to aire on the side of caution. The moral of the story is, eat off of your fork, drink out of your glass. Just because someone 'feels fine' doesn't mean they aren't carrying some sort of illness.

Things Close to my Heart

This Holiday season with the economy in the crapper once again, there are things to brighten the soul, warm the heart and help others that make me smile. Here are few positive things that you could participate in, and help make someone else's life that much better.

As most people have heard, Xerox started a website called www.letssaythanks.com it's a simple idea that shows a tocken of appreciation to those serving in our military this holiday season. Those who are apart from their families in the God awful desert. Xerox allows you to pick a card, write a message and they will print and deliver it to a soldier. You can't pick which soldier they deliver it to, but it is an opportunity to send thanks. Regardless of your feelings of war, ALL Americans should be able to get behind our troops. Sacrifice is always hard, but sacrifice during the holiday season is just a bit tougher. I hope everyone takes advantage of this site, it's simple, free, and can share the warmth.

One of my favorite things in the holiday season is Toys for Tots. I know several people who have 'adopted' a family, and my family has done that in the past as well. However, be forewarned that not all people are people who are living in dire situations. My sister and her husband did this last year and the people they bought presents for had flat panel televisions, were living in a nice house, and had nicer stuff than they had. Talk about a rip off. While I understand that maybe they are living outside their means and still needed presents for their children, it's like downsize first before you ask for a handout. Way to ruin the holiday spirit. That being said our family adopted a family and they were really in need. It's just kind of a crapshoot. Hence why I like to participate in Toys for Tots. Our office has held potlucks throughout the year to raise money for Toys for Tots and we also have a toy drive during the holiday season to donate to the cause. I think that even $5 helps. There are many toys that can be purchased on sale that would mean the difference to a lot of people. I know from doing research last year that the need is up and the donations are down. There are many places collecting toys, such as Toys R Us; who also donate $1 per facebook fan they have on their page to Toys for Tots. Looking to go out this year? Well many holiday parties are being held with 'cover charge' being a toy for this campaign, or the actual money being donated directly to Toys for Tots. There was even a party last year that the entry was $30, but the space, food, and drinks were donated by local companies. What a great way to spend a night, eating great food in a great space for a great cause. Too busy to go out drinking because you have kids of your own? Donate at the pre-approved locations or visit www.toysfortots.com

Something that has been going on for the past 14 years is the Miracle on 19th Street in Denver Colorado. Rock Bottom Restaurant Inc. and local Denver business donate their time, money, and space to feed the homeless and hungry on Christmas. Then they ask volunteers to help do everything from set up to tear down. Surprisingly, they are always full and you have to sign up ASAP if you are interested. This year they are already full, donations are still welcome. In addition to this Christmas feeding Rock Bottom Restaurants Inc. also hold one for Thanksgiving in several cities, including Minneapolis. It's nice to see restaurants give back, and next time I plan on signing up early so I can help out. For more information check out www.rockbottomrestaurantsinc.com

Another wonderful act going on this year is the teaming up of Kare 11 & Land o' Lakes donating $1 per click to local food shelves. http://www.landolakesinc.com/company/corporateresponsibility/foundation/ Simply click on the link, and then click on the green area that says 'You click, we donate. It's that easy.' The money goes towards food shelves to help the hungry and the homeless this holiday season.

Make sure to watch television ads as some stores offer huge discounts for donated coats or free/reduced admission with canned food items. A little bit of thought & planning can help save your family money & help those in need as well.

As always, volunteering can help cut the cost of any organization. I am going to start volunteering at Fairview Southdale (pending the result of my second TB test) to help out. If we all give a little, maybe there wouldn't be such a need for government programs and spending. And that's something we can all cheer about.

Diamonds WERE a Girl's Best Friend

I dislike the saying "Diamonds are a girl's best friend". While I appreciate and covet diamonds I'd hardly call them a friend let alone a best friend. Friendship is supposed to be based on wonderful qualities like supportiveness, caring for one another, trust, fun, etc.

So why is it that girls get stuck with diamonds? While pretty to look at and wonderful to have it paints the picture that women care more about status, material goods and shallow relationships. How do you deduce this you might ask. Well I'd tell you that a diamond can't hold you hair after too many drinks because your one true love left you for another woman. And diamonds can't call you to tell you their juicy gossip or big news. But more importantly because diamonds can't love you back.

Men are lucky, they get dogs as their best friend. Now you may say well Courtney dogs can't hold your hair or gossip with you and to that I have an answer. Every dog owner I know has had a horrible thing happen to them at least once. And most will cry and reject the comfort of any friend. Nearly every dog owner I know tells me their pet came to their side and put their head on their lap and just stayed there.

It may not be holding back hair but it is full and unconditional support. I've had pets protect me when scared, comfort me when sick and love me when sad. No questions asked and never an eye rolled. Never wondering if they wish they were somewhere else or that I wasn't being so pathetic. Just true, non-judging unconditional love. Sure beats a diamond out any day of the week to me.

I have a theory; most dog owners agree with it but we may be biased. My theory is that as many people before me have stated the Dog is God spelt backwards; a reflection of God. This may be lofty but I truly believe a dog's love for his or her owner is similar to God's love for us.

Hold up you say. How dare I compare one of God's creatures to him and it not be a human. I get it, I respect it, but from what I have been taught about God's love it is more similar to a dog's love than it will ever be to ours.

God's love is unconditional. So is our parents you say. True, parents have every intention of loving us unconditionally. But as with any human relationship there will be hurt, lies and even betrayal in their lives, our lives and even our relationships. Even though our parents try to love us no matter what it is never as perfect as God's. We say mean and hurtful things or do things and that love shifts slightly. Wow I sound like love is awful. But it's not. Human love is complicated, requires work and is far from perfect.

Now let's talk about God's love. God's love is simple. He loves us despite our sins, because we all sin. He loves us when we hurt him, deny him, etc. He loves us all the same, even though we are unworthy of that love. God's love just is. Never faltering, always forgiving; it is completely different from human love.

Dogs are more like God than most people think. To paraphrase Marley & Me a dog doesn't care if you are a brain surgeon or a carpet salesman. Dogs don't care if they have the latest and greatest toys, leashes, bowls, bed, etc. They get excited when you come home or rub their belly. They get excited to go on walks or in the car. Most like when you throw their ball. Doesn't sound materialistic or greedy at all. You can yell at a dog for misbehaving and the very next day it still gets just as excited when you walk in the door from work.

Dogs love just is. They love us despite the fact tht we've gained five pounds or hog the remote. They love us even if we snore or talk too much. They don't mind our embarrassing jokes or bad humor. They'll watch our chick flicks and let us dress them up in hideous clothing or paint their nails. Dogs are easy going. Love for a dog is simple. They just do it. They don't know how not to love us unconditionally. Just like God.