DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

President Obama      The National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation is an annual ceremony that takes place in the White House Rose Garden.  The tradition officially began in 1947, when members of the National Turkey Federation presented President Truman with the National Thanksgiving Turkey.  The ceremony allows the president to unofficially usher in the holiday season, and to reflect upon the meaning and value of the Thanksgiving holiday.  What makes this annual ritual so whimsical and memorable is that, for many years, the presidents has spared the life of the National Turkey by granting it a presidential "pardon".  Here are some fascinating facts about the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation.    President Clinton  It is believed that the tradition goes all the way back to the administration of President Abraham Lincoln.  As the story goes, President Lincoln spared the life of a turkey out of love and loyalty to his son, Tad, who w

         Cranberry's are actually an evergreen shrub or vine.  The fruit starts out white and turns a deep red as they ripen.  The leading producer of cranberries is Wisconsin where half of the U.S. production of cranberries is harvested.  The second largest U.S. producer is the State of Massachusetts, and they grow 28% of the total domestic production.  The peak growing season for is from October to January, just in time for the holidays.  The Native Americans were the first known people to use cranberries as food and probably taught the early settlers about them.  Those two facts together may be how cranberries are considered traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas food.   The Indians made a dish called pemmican, that is a mixture of cranberries and venison or bear meat, but they also used cranberries for medicine and for dye.  Cranberries are rather tart and not usually eaten raw.  Instead they are used primarily as sauces, juice or sweetened dried cranberries.

         We all remember our first slice of cheesecake-that gooey, delicious dessert that almost melted in our mouths.  What you may not have realized is that the original cheesecake looked and tasted nothing like what we enjoy today.  Before you grab another slice of this tasty dessert, take some time to learn about the cheesecake origins you never knew.     Cheesecake History Starts in Ancient Greece    The first cheese cakes were thought to be made in Ancient Greece.  On the island of Samos, archaeologists reported they found cheese molds that dated back to 2,000 B.C.-that means cheesecake is more than 4000 years old!  In Ancient Greece, cheesecake was not the creamy dessert treat we recognize today.  Instead, athletes used it as an energy source before the first Olympic games in 776 B.C. and newlyweds served it at their wedding reception.    The Greek writer Athenaeus is credited with recording the original cheesecake recipe.  The simple cake included jus

           I know there are thousands,  if not millions of chocolate lovers out there.  I happen to be one of those people and have tried several different chocolate treats in my lifetime.  So what do I consider to be the top chocolate treats?  I find that there are several different chocolate treat categories and there are treats in each category that are better than the rest.  This article will stick to foods you can buy in almost any grocery store.  These chocolate treats are low in price but high in taste.         Candy bars:  We've all tried several varieties of this chocolate treat, but which ones are the best?  Throughout my life, my tastes have changed and I've had several different favorites.  My favorites lean now to either the milky way bar , with it's chocolate and caramel, or a nice big snickers bar, with the chocolate and caramel and a little dose of peanuts to go with it.         Ice Cream:   Let's face it, ju