DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

Milk cartons used as molds create cube-shaped hypertufa vessels, each sized for a single succulent. The tint variations are achieved by mixing in masonry stains. HOW-TO Pots with a Personal Touch: Hypertufa 1 Years ago at a flower show, a group of rustic garden containers caught my eye. They were made from a stonelike material known as hypertufa, which mimics a type of rock. As a crafts editor for Martha Stewart Living and a ceramicist, I was intrigued to learn that the planters were composed of just three accessible, inexpensive substances: perlite, Portland cement, and peat moss. When I realized pots so impressive could be shaped using basic molds, they became even more appealing. It's not often that a process as rudimentary as making mud pies yields such a sophisticated result. Faux Bois Planter Mold Leaf-Embossed Tabletop Mold More Container Garden Ideas Hypertufa was developed in the 1930s to replicate the stone troughs that w...

    The Badwater Ultra marathon  describes itself as  "the world's toughest foot race".  It is a 135-mile course starting at 282 feet  below sea level in the Badwater Basin, in California's Death Valley, and ending at an elevation of 8360 feet  at Whitney Portal, the trail head to Mount Whitney. It takes place annually in mid-July, when the weather conditions are most extreme and temperatures over 120 °F, even in the shade, are not uncommon. Consequently, very few people—even among ultramarathoners—are capable of finishing this grueling race.       Course     Originally, the run was conceived as being between the lowest and the highest points in the contiguous United States:  Badwater, Death Valley (−282 ft) and Mt. Whitney's summit (14,505 ft). The two are only eighty miles apart on the map, but the land route between the two points is substantially longer, 146 miles, because of detou...

Colorful Spiral Cookies Just try to be in a bad mood around one of these. Impossible! I was naturally drawn to these because of the bright, eye-catching swirl, not to mention the jumbo sprinkles-encrusted edges!  If anything, these should be the  SB  mascot, because they are everything I love.  Bright, happy, buttery and delicious. Also  versatile ! I spied these first  here , (green-tea version) and then  here  (peppermint version).  I've looked at these countless times, and I'm not sure why I didn't make these earlier.  Maybe because the dough is made in the food processor and I really hate digging / lugging that thing out of my pantry. I soon vowed to make my food processor more accessible because it did all of the work! Now I kinda wish all doughs could be made in the food processor. Another thing I love about these is that they are SLICE and BAKE. You could easily put the unused portion ...

   We have all heard of unusual championships, such as caber tossing – but I am certain that almost no one will have heard of the six bizarre championships listed here. This is a great opportunity for us all to learn about other people’s interests, and to maybe consider entering ourselves next year! 8.   Pig Squealing Contest    In  Trie-sur-baise, France , a pig squealing contest is held every year. The contest involves standing before a microphone and squealing like a pig. Besides the pig-squealing, there were awards in the Sunday competition for pigging out — this year’s winner ate nearly 4 feet of blood sausage in under five minutes. I am very pleased to be able to present a youtube clip from the contest – but unfortunately the person who added the clip to youtube doesn’t seem to want people to share it easily – so you must 7.   Gumboot Throwing Festival    Every year in the small New ...

      Cambodian New Year (Khmer) or Chaul Chnam Thmey , in the Khmer language, literally  "Enter Year New",  is the name of the Cambodian holiday that celebrated the New Year.  The holiday lasts for three days beginning on New Year's day, which usually falls on April 13th or 14th, which is the end of the harvesting season, when farmers enjoy the fruits of their labor before the rainy season begins.  Khmer's living abroad may choose to celebrate during a weekend rather than just specifically April 13th through the 15th.  The Khmer New Year coincides with the traditional solar new year in several parts of India, Myanmar and Thailand.    Cambodians also use Buddhist Era to count the year based on the Buddhist calendar.  For 2011, it is 2555 BE (Buddhist Era). The Three Day of The New Year Maha Songkran     Maha Songkran , derived from Sanskrit  Maha Sankranti , is the name of the first ...

   A decadent Pecan Pie Filling is used instead of frosting between the layers of this moist cake. Your guests will love the mix of cake and pie, not to mention the out-of-this-world taste. Ingredients 3 cups   finely chopped pecans, toasted and divided 1/2 cup   butter or margarine, softened 1/2 cup   shortening 2 cups   sugar 5  large eggs, separated   $ 1 tablespoon   vanilla extract 2 cups   all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon   baking soda 1 cup   buttermilk 3/4 cup   dark corn syrup 1  recipe Pecan Pie Filling 1  recipe Pastry Garnish (optional) Preparation Sprinkle 2 cups pecans evenly into 3 generously buttered 9-inch round cakepans; shake to coat bottoms and sides of pans. Beat 1/2 cup butter and shorteningat medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Stir...

   Children look forward to Spring and the arrival of the Easter bunny.  Easter signifies the warm weather is coming, is the first big holiday since Christmas and who doesn't like jelly beans and chocolate bunnies?  There are sever theories and legends around where the tradition of the Easter bunny began and how colored eggs became a part of it.    Once theory, according to Wikipedia, is that the Easter bunny  or " Osterhause " as it is called in German, first originated in Western German cultures where it had traveled from the Upper Rhineland during the Holy Roman Empire.  German children would leave their caps and bonnets out where the rabbit could find them and make a nest to leave brightly colored eggs.  This tradition crossed the seas to the American colonies, where all children picked up the custom and started to observe it.  The bright colored  " Easter grass " we see in baskets today is a throw back to this custom. ...