Hanukkah - Games Add Fun!

Hanukkah, otherwise known as the Festival of Lights, celebrates the miracle of the one day's ration of oil that burned in the temple for eight days. It begins on the 25th of Kislev (December/January). All traditional Hanukkah celebrations involve specific foods and activities, but games add fun and entertainment for everyone!

Hanukkah Unscramble

Simply print out scrambled word lists that reflect the Hanukkah theme on your home computer. Give each guest a pencil, and allow them to spend sixty seconds to unscramble the words.

Here is a list of some scrambled Hanukkah theme words:

o HNIHAUKAC,

o TAIATASHMT,

o NAMOHMEANS,

o LANDSEC,

o CEBMASCEA,

o UHJAD,

o EDDELRY,

o KELSTA,

o SUCHOINAT,

o YNASIRS.

The guest who has the most words correctly unscrambled should win a prize.

Another variation to this word scramble is to print a group of words and allow each guest to have a specific amount of time to make as many words as possible out of them. For example, use the words, ""Hanukkah Celebration Fun"" and allow each guest to use the letters from this phrase to create as many words as possible. The winner gets a prize.

Chocolate Gelt Hide and Seek

Most children love the familiar game of hide and seek, and everyone knows how popular the tradition of hiding eggs on Easter can be. Hiding Chocolate Gelt is a new spin on these popular games and traditions. Simply hide chocolate Gelt either outdoors or indoors, and give little guests a chance to locate them and enjoy the sweetness of their treasure! This activity can be enhanced by allowing each child the opportunity to decorate their own Hanukkah baskets in traditional Hanukkah themes using craft and art supply left overs and inexpensive wicker or plastic baskets which can be inexpensively purchased at dollar shops.

Simple party games can be adapted to even the most sacred of long standing, traditional celebrations!

Epcot International Food and Wine Festival - enjoy specialties from around the world

Are you a foodie? Do you like to try new or different foods? If you are like most people, the answer is yes but you likely do not have the opportunity to sample new dishes as often as you might like.

Our family has found an easy, fun and exciting way to learn about and to be exposed to many international foods without having to travel half way around the world. We like to visit Disney world during Epcot's annual International Food and Wine Festival. This festival is a food lover's paradise that provides the perfect opportunity to introduce your family to international cuisine they might not otherwise have the chance to try.

There are usually 25-30 countries represented at the festival. Each of which has a kiosk or booth set up on the World Showcase promenade that sell small sample size portions of food. Each country also sells wine or beer representative of the country only the sizes are not samples. The serving size is normal for a glass of wine or for a beer. The prices for the food samples range between $2 and $7.

We like to eat and drink our way around the World Showcase. We share the sample size portion of food to give everyone a taste. Our children will usually take at least one bite of a food before they decide if they like a dish or not. Even if someone decides that they did not like a particular dish at least they tried something new. The festival provides a fun, nonthreatening way to try new foods. Last year one of our daughters decided she liked the cheddar cheese soup from Canada; her sister liked the Greek salad from Greece. Our teenage son liked just about everything (go figure).

Another way to enjoy the festival is to make reservations for one of the many special seminars and food demonstrations. For example, Sundays are known as Sweet Sundays during the festival because each Sunday a celebrity pastry chef hosts a breakfast/brunch and cooking demonstration. Two years ago we surprised our oldest daughter for her birthday with tickets to see Colette Peters during a Sweet Sunday presentation. This was a special treat for her because she wants to be a pastry chef (at Disney) when she grows up. It was a fun and informative day and we even got to eat everything the chef cooked during the demonstration. The experience was definitely sweet!

So if you would like to introduce yourself and your family to the different flavors of international cuisine, visit Disney World in International Food and Wine Festival at Epcot.

Power Foods For Lowering Your Cholesterol Naturally

We are all well aware of the dangers of high cholesterol levels; heart disease and a thickening and clogging of the arteries which can lead atherosclerosis and potentially cause a stroke, and there is some evidence that high LDL (bad) levels can have a relationship with hypertension. We also know the foods that we should stay away from if we don't want our levels to continue climbing. Food such as high fat meats, full fat dairy products, fried foods and many premium ice creams and snack foods.

However, instead of focusing on the the foods to eliminate or reduce in our diet it is often easier to focus on the foods that we should add into our diet on a regular basis to help lower cholesterol naturally. So lets start reviewing some of these power foods.

Soy. Soy ranks on the top of our list for two main points. First is has been proven to lower cholesterol levels fairly quickly and second due to the abundance of soy products available. Walk into any grocery store and visit the dairy section. You will notice soy milks, soy yogurts, soy spreads sitting along side of cows milk products. Soy is no longer hidden in the "health food" section of the store, it is right there out in front and you will also see this in the ice cream aisle. Soy is an easy food for commercial manufacturers to work with. It has a long shelf life and since it's own flavor is very bland any type of natural flavorings added to the products don't get distorted, so the flavors taste pure and flavorful. Soy is also now being used in cholesterol lowering supplement products such as Cholesterblock.

Oats. Oats as in oat bran and oatmeal is second on our list. Like soy, oat bran and oatmeal attaches to the cholesterol in our arteries and flushes it out of the body. When looking for oat bran and oatmeal products be sure to read the nutrition label carefully as many products have added fats, some with trans fats, which defeat it's purpose. So when choosing oat products look for those that are unflavored and are at in their most natural state. Plain oatmeal is a perfect example of a good choice and so is Irish oatmeal. For cold cereals look for for the words "heart healthy" on the label. Cheerios is just one of many cereals that carry the heart healthy seal.

Fish. Fish such as salmon are high in omega oils which have been shown to lower cholesterol levels. Other fish such as fresh tuna or canned tuna that is packed in oil come up second on the list. Try to have at least 3 meals a week centered around fish. Both salmon and fresh tuna are wonderful on a barbecue grill especially grilled with fresh veggies. Instead of always having meat as the center of your barbecue try fish, you might be surprised how much different it tastes from fried or baked fish.

Tomatoes or tomato. However you spell them, tomatoes are a wonderful addition to your fight against high cholesterol. Since tomatoes are gown in almost every country, your supermarket should always have a large selection no matter what the time of year, so it's easy to fit them into your diet all year.

Remember to get your cholesterol checked as your doctor recommends, eat plenty of the power foods and try to add exercise into your lifestyle. By eating right, exercising and taking soy supplements such as Cholesterblock you can be on the road to a healthier life.

Food Vendor Insurance

As an independent food vendor at craft shows and festivals, you probably already know a lot of the ins and outs of selling food to hundreds or thousands of people in a day. You know how to order your stock, to create your product, to set up your booth, to collect money, and to balance your books. However, not knowing the right information about your insurance could ruin your entire business with a single bout of food sickness, even if it isn't strictly your fault.

Just like anyone else, you need health insurance to cover yourself and your family. You can buy individual health insurance plans quite easily now, though they can be rather expensive. Just be sure to look over the plan thoroughly to be sure that you aren't paying for services that you don't need. Do, however, be sure that you will be covered in the event of a major medical emergency.

As a vendor, one of the most important forms of insurance you'll need is liability insurance. You may think that you're too safe in your food handling procedures to need this type of insurance, but there are really a thousand things that could go wrong. What happens if a customer gets cut on a loose screw on your booth? What happens if one of your employees trips or burns herself with hot oil? What happens if one of your vendors sells you a bad product and you have to deal with the liability fall-out?

Now you probably have another fifty scenarios running through your mind. Liability insurance, though, can set you at ease. It will ensure that after you take all the necessary precautions you don't get sued for all you own when the worst happens. Just be sure that you have plenty of liability insurance to cover lawyer and settlement costs, and you'll be fine.

Lastly, you certainly need property insurance. Even if you have only one food booth, you've still got quite a bit of money invested in it, and to see that money go down the drain when something bad happens would be terrible. You can get a separate business property insurance policy through just about any insurance agency, or you can possibly save money by buying it through the same company who insures your home.

Oftentimes a business insurance policy will roll two or three of these types of insurance into one, and this could be a good way to go. Just be sure that you know exactly what you're getting before you sign on the dotted line.

The Right Food Can Move You From Make-Believe to Magic at a Fun Wedding For Your Perfect Marriage

Everyone loves to eat. Many of us love all different kind of food. Eating is pretty central to life and to many relationships. Ask people what they like to do together, and they'll reply something about food, whether it's cooking or going out to dinner.

Wedding food should be special. You don't get married every day. But wedding food should reflect the type of food you like to eat. You'll be pretty nervous, what if it included a fancied version of your comfort foods? It's always fun if it reflects your heritage and the festival foods that were often served.

So instead of serving make-believe food at your wedding reception that you wouldn't eat in your daily life (and can't afford), why not serve wonderful food that is part of your understanding of sustenance. Because that's one thing you're really trying to do here, set up sustenance for the marriage ahead. You've invited your friends and family to witness your wedding ceremony and wedding vows. Now you want to celebrate in such a way that your friends can envision such parties and celebrations happening again and again.

Here's a secret: the more supportive friends and family members you have the more successful your marriage is likely to be.

Here's another one: if you actually cook and serve food that you ate at your wedding, it will remind you every time you eat it of the day you and your beloved made promises to one another to live together forever. Talk about it remember. Teach your kids. Let them say "You know, mom and dad ate macaroni and cheese at their wedding, and we get to eat it now." You'll look across the table and smile and you'll remember and maybe hurry with the dishes. Now that's magic!

Festivals in Europe

It is highly unlikely for anyone to spend a couple of months touring Europe and never get to attend at least one festival. There are so many annual festivals that range from small traditional village festivals in Switzerland to manic, weeklong celebrations in Italy and Spain. Festivals in Europe can be religious affairs such as Easter and Carnival, traditional events dating back thousands of years, art and cultural festivals, sporting events, or purely musical events. The exact dates for festival is a very from year to year usually because local authorities decided to move the dates around slightly in order to suit the public. The national tourist office of the country you plan to visit can usually give you the accurate dates of the major festivals a year in advance. If you would like to join a big event, you need to book accommodation well in advance or you can expect to sleep rough. Also expect food and everything else to be slightly more expensive during festival time.

In January, the Carnival of Venice is the best-known of the many Carnivals held in Italy during the 10 days that lead up to Ash Wednesday. Venetians and tourists don masks and costumes for a continuous street party. Germany also holds its carnival season at around the same time. In Iceland, the first day of summer is celebrated with a huge street party. At around the same time in March, there are many colorful parades to watch out for during the holy week Festival in Portugal. This festival also features hundreds of barefoot penitents carrying torches around the city. On March 17, a great parade with lots of drinking is held to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Ireland.

From mid-May to June, music festivals abound. The Vienna Festival in Austria is one of the biggest music festivals in Europe. Another big music festival held in late June is England's Glastonbury Festival. Norway's Constitution Day held in May is the country's biggest national holiday. A great celebration of opera, ballet and classical music is held in the Athens festival in Greece every June. The Holland Festival is Amsterdam's celebration of arts, dance and theater. It is also held in late June.

In July, France celebrates Bastille Day. Its biggest celebration is in Paris which displays a military parade and fireworks show at the Eiffel Tower. The world-famous Montreux Jazz Festival is held in early July on the edge of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. If you are a fan of Mozart, make your way to the Salzburg international Festival in Austria. The famous running of the Bulls is held amid wild partying in the streets of Pamplona, Spain for eight days in early July. The Nottinghill Carnival in England is also a massive Caribbean street carnival held in west London in late August.

Munich's legendary Oktoberfest usually starts in late September and goes on for a couple of weeks. If you love beer, this is a must. During the last few months of the year, most of Europe celebrates Christmas and New Year's just like the rest of the Western world. If you are on the lookout for one of the world's greatest New Year's Eve parties, be sure to make your way to the pubs and streets of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Zany Oregon Festivals

The word "festival" was first recorded as a noun in 1589. Initially, the word had been used to describe church holidays. Today, however, the word festival denotes many different types of celebrations. In southern Oregon, that can mean a variety of themes. From an October glass blowing festival to an Oregon coast chowder feast--and every kind of celebration in between. The common bond is that all southern Oregon's festivals seek to provide entertainment. And that's exactly what they all deliver.

Southern Oregon's cities and tourism bureaus are often the sponsors of these unique-to-Oregon festivals. Food, music, and art celebrations seem to dominate the "fests" scene but even boats and children get in on the action. It appears that there is no theme too small or too narrowly niched to appeal to the masses of humanity who continue to clamor for lively southern Oregon entertainment options.

Cleverly named festivals abound. Names like "Art Along the Rogue" and "Art in Bloom" are both festivals that offer attendees a mixture of local artists selling their creations and encouragement in bringing out each attendee's inner artist. Food festivals such as Florence, Oregon's "Chowder, Blues & Brews" celebrate the local coastal clams and pair that bivalve food option with Oregon Blues musicians and micro-brews. Two food/wine festivals that are relatively new on the fests scene but are quickly becoming popular are the "Oregon Chocolate Festival" in Ashland and the "World of Wine Festival" in Gold Hill.

Music is also a prevalent festival theme. Medford Jazz Festival and the famous Britt Festival located in Jacksonville, Oregon draw music lovers from all over the United States.

Perhaps the most famous of southern Oregon's festival is the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF). Located in Ashland, OSF offers world-class plays from February through October each year and lures theatre lovers from literally around the world. In 2010, while other art venues were feeling the pinch of the recession, OSF's ticket sales actually grew by several percentage points. This positive economic indicator shows what a powerhouse a well-run festival can become.

Southern Oregon's many annual festivals celebrate the seasons, different cultures, foods, wines, agriculture, and even vintage cars and boat racing. For a nearly complete listing of southern Oregon festivals, go to: http://www.whitewaterwarehouse.com/oregon-festivals.aspx