DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

  Chocolate has the incredible ability to stand alone quite nicely while playing along with loads of other prominent ingredients—without being a bully. And that is why a brownie sundae can be so frustrating: How can you settle on one ice cream flavor or a single sauce? We figured Father's Day is the right time to have a brownie sundae  your  way. Dads have soft spots for cuteness, so serving up a brownie raft supporting mini-scoops of three different ice creams adrift in three different sauces will tickle him to no end. Feel free to use whatever ice cream flavors are the family favorites.  ingredients 6 (6- by 1 1/2 -inch) strips of  the Ultimate Brownie 1 pint each of vanilla, chocolate, and coffee ice cream Red Berry Sauce Warm Chocolate Fudge Sauce Marshmallow Sauce Special equipment: A small (1 3/4- to 1 1/2-inch-wide) ice cream scoop (optional) preparation Put brownie strips on each of 6 plates and top with small scoops (o...

COSTUMED WITH A MEDIEVAL AIR     A sport for all times, the Calcio Storico or traditional football played in costume, in Florence, Italy, dates back to the 15th century. Woven with Italian brain, brawn and passion, the Calcio Storico was played by the aristocratic young noble men in front of the Basilica of Santa Croce and some times in the areas of Via Il Prato, Piazza della Signoria or Piazza Santa Maria Novella in celebration of the Feast of St. John. Held every year on June 24th, the awesome pageant of the Calcio Storico takes you to its ancient origins where ‘calcio in costume’ or ‘costume football’ was played for over 500 years. The playing field     With traditional districts to identify each of the four teams, the Calcio Storico, ‘calcio livrea’ or ‘football in livery’, colors the spirited pageant with the teams dressed in different colors, blue for St. Croce, red for St. Maria Novella, white for St. Spirito and green for St. Gi...

   Creating a spring or summer décor is simple – just use something green – plants, flowers or create pieces like these for decoration – pea and moss balls. The supplies are: Mod Podge in matte, green acrylic paint, one package of six smooth foam balls, a bag of green moss, and a bag of dried split peas. First paint the balls with acrylic paint and let dry. Paint Mod Podge and press the pieces of moss or the peas to the ball. When gluing moss, do it half by half, when gluing peas, take smaller sections and wait for 5 minutes to let the peas grip. Now you can arrange these balls into some bowls or baskets and decorate any place with this light summer touch.