DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

1. The First Tree    The first tree debuted at Rockefeller Center on Christmas Eve, 1931. The tree, erected by construction workers eager to receive a day’s pay in the depths of the Depression, stood only 20 ft. tall — a quarter of the size of this year’s holiday specimen.   Here's a look at some of the 79-year-old tradition’s most historic moments: 2. The $1.5 Million Star     In 1931, tin cans and scrap paper were used to adorn the tree — appropriate decorations for Depression-era America. Then came garlands and glass. Colored lights and ornaments in the shape of dogs and sailboats made their appearance in 1934. A 4-ft. plastic star, a white spray-painted tree and 10-ft.-long aluminum icicles were staples of the 1950s. The 1990s took it up a notch with a gold-leaf star. But that was nothing compared to the 550-lb. Swarovski star unveiled in 2009. Created specifically for the tree and standing 10 ft. tall, the estimated $1.5 million...

   The Patras Carnival , Patrino karnavali is the largest event of its kind in Greece and one of the biggest in Europe. It has more than 160 years of history. The events begin on 17th of January and last up to Clean Monday. The carnival of Patras is not a single event but a variety of events that includes balls, parades, hunting of hidden treasure, kids’ carnival etc. Its apogee is in the last weekend of Carnival with the Saturday evening parade of carnival groups, the extravagant Sunday parade of floats and groups, and finally the ritual burning of king carnival at the St. Nikolaos Street wharf in the harbour of Patras. Its characteristics are spontaneity, improvisation, inspiration and volunteerism. History    Most people agree that starting event of the Patras Carnival was a ball given in the residence of the merchant Moretis in 1829. However the carnival, as most carnival events in the Mediterranean and the Balkans, is connected with ancient pagan rit...

   Get in on the fun of the King Cake. Hide a little toy baby in the cake and whoever finds it has one year of good luck! Prep: 40 min. + rising Bake: 25 min. + cooling Yield: 12 Servings Ingredients 40 25 65              Ingredients 2 packages (1/4 ounce each ) active dry yeast 1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°) 3/4 cup sugar, divided 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup warm 2% milk (110° to 115°) 2 egg yolks 1-1/4 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3-1/4 to 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 egg, beaten GLAZE: 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar 2 teaspoons lemon juice 2 to 3 tablespoons water Green, purple and yellow sugars Directions In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1/2 cup sugar, butter, milk, egg yolks, salt, lemon peel, nutmeg an...

   This diy comes from www.mykitchenaddiction.com .  If you're a baker, you will probably use alot of  royal icing to decorate your cookies, cupcakes and misc. other sweet treats.  Nothing is worse than not having the right consistency of your icing while in the middle of decorating a couple dozen cookies (let alone ruin a tasty cookie with a subpar icing).  Good luck! Stress Free Royal Icing Last week, as I was decorating cookies for Halloween, I was reminded of the fact that I’ve been meaning to share my tips for making royal icing with no stress. After all, everyone wants to decorate beautiful cookies during the holiday season, but no one wants to fight with the royal icing. Between shopping for gifts, decorating the house, and lots of friends and family dropping in, there’s enough stress already! This is one of those blog posts that has been writing itself in the back of my mind for quite a while. Almost every time I post about cookies that I ...

   You wouldn't wear the same food costume every Halloween — so why trick-or-treat with the same candy? This year, try something new. If you're already well-versed in the categories of movie treats and nostalgic candies, then consider serving various candies from around the world. Need a bit of an education in global candy culture? Then test your knowledge of the world's candies and check out some of our favorites here. Bounty, United Kingdom    Mounds lovers will appreciate Bounty, a coconut-filled bar enrobed with milk chocolate. Botan Rice Candy, Japan    Even if you've never been to Japan, you may have come across Botan Rice Candy in Asian supermarkets. Botan, which means "peony," is a prominent brand in Japan and makes a sticky rice candy with a slightly citrusy flavor. ToffeeCrisp, United Kingdom    Nestlé makes a number of chocolate bars in Europe that aren't readily available in the United States. One of them is Tof...

   Carnival in Cologne is almost as old as the history of the city itself. But the organized carnival celebrated today only dates back 178 years.     The Greeks and Romans celebrated cheerful spring festivals in honor of Dionysos and Saturn with wine, women and song. The ancient Germans celebrated the winter solstice as a homage to the Gods and expulsion of the evil winter demons. Later the Christians adopted the heathen customs. The period of fasting (Lent) prior to Easter was heralded in by " Fastnacht" or "Karnival"...carne vale = Farewell to meat!     In the Middle Ages, the celebration of Carnival, the masquerade, often took on drastic forms, very much to the displeasure of the city council and the church. Bans and ordinances did little to help, the celebration was wild and spirited.     The boisterous street carnival was extended in the 18th century to include the so called "Redouten", elegant masked an...

   The kitchen can either come with great amounts of pleasure or great amounts of stress. Luckily, with a few great kitchen tools that have multiple purposes, you'll be able to fret less and whip up many more delicious meals. These 10 affordable tools are essentials in any kitchen, and you probably have several of them in your own. Read on to find out the many uses for each tool and share your tips in the comments! Silicone Spatulas    Silicone spatulas come in pretty colors that brighten up your kitchen, and they come in very handy while baking, but I like to use mine for frying or scrambling eggs. They're delicate on the egg and help keep things from sticking to the pan too much. Pastry Scraper    Typically, pastry scrapers are used for handling pastry dough. This handy tool is also incredibly useful when it comes to transferring chopped vegetables from your cutting board to your pan. Microplane Zester/Grater    One of my v...