DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   This most excellant recipe comes from www.doughmesstic.net . I hope you and a few close friends and family enjoy consuming some of these at your next get together.  Goodluck! When I was in California for the Rose Bowl, we were bumped from our return flight home. Bummer, I know. Trapped on the Left Coast an entire extra day, in a room at the Westin with a Heavenly Bed. The horror. So, to liven up our depression, we hopped on a shuttle that took us to Manhattan Beach, the cutest little town I’ve seen yet in California. So sweet. And speaking of sweet, I happened upon a Cupcake Shop – Cupcake Couture. It was tough deciding on their flavors, but eventually, I locked on to a Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcake. Delicious! I knew right away it was something I wanted to recreate once I got home, and a few days ago I did just that. Good thing. At $4 a pop, I’d be broke if I didn’t figure out how to make ‘em myself. And so would you. So make them! Strawb...

Benjamin Franklin once wrote in a letter to a friend: "in the world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes". When the inevitable happens, funeral rites, rituals, and ceremonies must be undertaken. Funeral customs are as old as civilization itself, and they vary from region to region. In many cultures and religions, cemeteries (from the Greek koimeterion or Latin coemeterium , meaning sleeping place) are used for death ceremonies, burial, mourning and memorial. Unusual or historical cemeteries have also become popular tourist attractions....cemetery tourism, the "dark" side of tourism, is a growing phenomenon around the world. Here is a list of the top 10 unusual and most visited cemeteries: Cimetiere Des Chiens - Cimetiere des Chiens , a cemetery for dogs and other domestic animals, is said to be the world's oldest public pet cemetery. It is located in Asnieres-sur Seine , a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, ...

    "Piazza del Campo" is still used today for the well known Palio horse race which is one of the most famous popular Italian manifestations. It takes place every year on July 2 and August 16. The Palio is run to celebrate the miraculous apparition of the Virgin Mary near the old houses that belonged to Provenzano Salvani. The holy apparition was therefore called "Madonna di Provenzano" in whose honour the very first Palio was run on August 16, 1656. The Palio was run for the first time in 1701 in honour of the "Madonna dell'Assunta" the patroness and Advocate of Siena through all the tragic events since she protected the Sienese militia at the famous battle of Monteaperti on September 4, 1260, against the Florentines.    The Palio is a historical secular tradition strictly connected with the origin of the Contradas of Siena (districts into which the town is divided). The Contradas are spectacular agonistic institutions each having th...