July 23rd, 2008
If you’re looking for a refreshing–and festive–beverage for your summer holiday picnic, this watermelon lemonade recipe, courtesy of the National Watermelon Promotion Board, fits the bill. Add a little rum, vodka, or gin to make it an adult beverage.
Watermelon Raspberry Lemonade
6 cups watermelon cubes (seeds removed)
¼ cup raspberries
1 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
½ cup lemon juice
Place watermelon, raspberries and water in container of electric blender, cover and blend until smooth. Strain through fine mesh strainer into pitcher. Stir in sugar and lemon juice until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Makes 4 servings.
(photo courtesy of the NWPB)
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By Sandy Mitchell -- 1 comment
July 22nd, 2008
The Christmas holiday celebration begins in Mexico on December 16 with nine days of “posadas,” processions that re-enact the nativity scene. These usually include “Mary” on a burro, led by “Joseph” and followed by a host of pilgrims. Afterwards, there’s a celebration, complete with food, music, and “pinatas” filled with candy and other goodies.
Decorations
Mexican holiday decorations are colorful. Like most primarily Catholic countries, the centerpiece of home decorations is a nativity scene (”el nacimiento”). In Mexico, these can range from small clay figures to life-size tableaus. The scene is completed on Christmas Eve when the Baby Jesus is added to the scene.
Flowers
Mexico is the home of the Poinsettia, called “Cuitlaxochitl” or “El Flor de Noche Buena” in Mexico. These red-hued flowers so entranced Dr. Joel Poinsett, a 19th century US diplomat in Mexico, that he brought the plant to the US and popularized it under his name.
Food
Christmas is ushered in with a late night Christmas Eve mass (”el misa de gallo” — rooster’s mass) followed by a traditional feast with such foods as tamales, churros, and “bunuelus” (sweet fritters).
For more Christmas in July posts, see:
How to Make Wine Cork Wreaths, from Peggy at “Junk Creations”
(photo © Newscom)
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By Sandy Mitchell -- 0 comments
July 22nd, 2008
July 22 is the Feast day of Mary Magdalene, a saint in the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Mary Magdalene was a disciple of Christ, the only non-family woman to be closely associated with him. She was among the first to witness the resurrection and was charged by Christ with spreading the word to the other disciples.
Mary Magdalene has been a popular character in fiction and legend throughout the centuries. Recent non-fiction (”Holy Blood, Holy Grail“) and fiction (”DaVinci Code“) books put forward the theory that Mary was in fact the wife of Jesus, but the evidence is sketchy at best.
(photo wikipedia commons)
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By Sandy Mitchell -- 0 comments
July 21st, 2008
Okay, so they aren’t holidays in the traditional sense like Christmas or Halloween, but many US states offer sales tax holidays this time of year, days that consumers don’t have to pay sales tax on purchases. Below are the tax holidays coming in August, just in time for back-to-school shopping (courtesy of tax accounting firm CCH):
Alabama: From August 1-3, 2008, the following are exempt: clothing costing $100 or less per article; a single purchase costing $750 or less of computers, software and school computer supplies; noncommercial purchases of school supplies and instructional materials up to a sales price of $50 per item; and noncommercial purchases of books up to $30 each.
Connecticut: Clothing and footwear sold for less than $300 are exempt from sales and use tax from August 17-23, 2008. The holiday exemption replaces the regular exemption for clothing and footwear costing less than $50, which remains in effect for all other periods, and it does not apply to athletic or protective clothing and footwear, jewelry, handbags, luggage, umbrellas, wallets and watches.
District of Columbia: Sales of school supplies, clothing, accessory items and shoes for $100 or less are exempt from sales tax from August 2-10, 2008. Shoppers who miss out on the August holiday get a second bite at the apple with a second holiday held every November for clothing, footwear and accessories.
Georgia: From July 31-August 3, 2008, Georgia sales and use tax does not apply to certain school supplies (up to $20 per item); clothing and footwear (priced at $100 or less per article); and computers and computer-related accessories (for a single purchase of $1,500 or less).
Iowa: The state’s sales tax holiday on select clothing and footwear runs August 1-2, 2008. During the holiday, no sales tax, including school and local option sales taxes, will be collected on clothing or footwear that have a selling price of less than $100 per item. Certain accessories are excluded from the tax holiday.
Louisiana: In a broad-based holiday that goes well beyond back-to-school items, the first $2,500 of the price of most items of tangible personal property purchased from August 1-2, 2008, will be exempt. The holiday covers purchases by consumers for nonbusiness use, but does not apply to transactions involving vehicles, meals, taxable services, or leases or rentals of tangible personal property.
Missouri: From August 1-3, 2008, retail sales of the following are exempt from state sales tax: clothing and footwear (excluding certain accessories) costing $100 or less, school supplies costing $50 or less, computer software with a taxable value of $350 or less, and personal computers and computer peripheral devices sold for $3,500 or less. The tax holiday may not apply to a retailer if less than 2 percent of its merchandise qualifies for the holiday; however, the retailer must offer a tax refund if the customer requests one.
New Mexico: Customers may buy the following items free of tax from August 1-3, 2008: clothing or shoes sold for less than $100 (excluding items primarily for athletic or protective use); computers (but not handheld computers) sold for no more than $1,000, and any associated monitor, speakers, printer or related items sold for no more than $500; notebooks, paper, writing instruments, crayons, art supplies, paper clips, staples, staplers, scissors and rulers priced under $15; and book bags, backpacks, handheld calculators, maps and globes priced under $100. However, retailers are not required to participate.
North Carolina: The sales and use tax holiday runs from August 1-3, 2008. Exempt items are clothing and school supplies with a sales price of $100 or less; school instructional materials of $300 or less; sports and recreation equipment with a sales price of $50 or less; computers with a sales price of $3,500 or less; and computer supplies costing $250 or less. Clothing accessories, protective equipment, furniture and rentals are not exempt during the holiday.
Oklahoma: Sales of clothing and footwear costing less than $100 are exempt from August 1-3, 2008.
South Carolina: During the period August 1-3, 2008, clothing, clothing accessories, footwear, school supplies, computers, printers, printer supplies, computer software, and linens for the bed and bath are exempt from state and local sales tax. Certain items, including, but not limited to, jewelry, cosmetics, furniture and items for use in a business are not exempt during the holiday.
Tennessee: Clothing and school supplies, including art supplies, costing $100 or less, and computers, other than those for use in a trade or business, costing $1,500 or less, are exempt from August 1-3, 2008.
Texas: From August 15-17, 2008, sales of most clothing, footwear, and school backpacks priced at less than $100 are exempt from state and local sales taxes. Clothing and footwear used primarily for athletic activities or for protective wear are ineligible for the exemption. Accessories and rentals of clothing also are excluded from the holiday.
Virginia: Sales of clothing and footwear costing $100 or less and school supplies costing $20 or less are exempt from August 1-3, 2008.
(photo © istockphoto)
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July 19th, 2008
Here are some fun food links for your weekend reading:
Think outside the basil box when it comes to pesto…how about artichoke?
Not so healthy, but definitely fun fair food recipes.
One of Mary Emma Allen’s favorite memories is tea and cinnamon toast with children’s author Tasha Tudor.
It’s never too early to start planning for the holidays and this tasty (and Vegan) tart makes an elegant addition to a family feast.
Bastille Day–the French National Holiday–was this week and this recipe for Poussin (Cornish game hens) with anise-flavored Pernod captures the spirit and taste of France.
Try this healthy–and yummy–alternative to traditional breakfast foods.
If you’ve already bought Dr. Connie Guttersen’s book, The Sonoma Diet, hopefully you’ve tried some of the delicious recipes included. If you don’t have the book yet, follow this link for two free Sonoma Diet recipes from Jean.
Have a wonderful weekend!
(Image via stock.xchng)
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