Photo: Erik Bernstein; Food Styling: Brooke Caison

Without fail, Christmas every year is always a whirlwind of activity. Personally, we can’t believe there are only 25 days to set up our tree, find the perfect gifts for friends and family, and do all the baking we want to do (this is THE year we’re going to make a gingerbread house from scratch, we swear!). This holiday season, let us help take some of the stress off your plate (and help you load it up with plenty of easy options). With this irresistible list of family-approved classics, we’ve got Christmas dinner covered. Here are our top 80 picks to round out your holiday spread—apps, sides, and entrées included.

We’re pretty obsessed with apps year-round, but we’ve gotta say, our Christmas-themed ones are some of our best. We’ve included a great mix here of cute, like our pigs in a blanket wreath or our pull-apart Christmas tree; fancy, like our bacon wrapped dates or our crab stuffed mushrooms; and classic, like our sausage balls or our cranberry brie bites. They’re perfect for cocktail parties, dinner parties, and every occasion in between. Continue reading →

(NAPSI)—While the joy and busyness of the holiday season can take a toll on some people’s mental health, that doesn’t have to be. There are ways to avoid holiday-related challenges.

People may feel stressed, sad or anxious during the holiday season for a variety of reasons. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, extra stress, unrealistic expectations, sentimental memories and other factors during the season may set some people up for temporary bouts of depression or anxiety.

Help Yourself to a More Jolly Season

However, mental health experts say there are things you can do to help avoid holiday-related challenges. Continue reading →

(NAPSI)—As we start planning holiday menus this season, many of us are looking for familiar favorites and comfort foods to serve to loved ones. The downside is that many of those foods are high in calories and don’t provide much nutritional benefit. This year, consider amping up the nutritional value of your spread. One quick and easy way to do so is by adding a versatile and healthy classic: Latitude 45 Smoked Salmon. As the number one selling smoked salmon brand in the nation, Latitude 45 is not only a bona fide crowd-pleaser for holiday events, but it also offers your guests a generous helping of health benefits.

Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12 and other essential nutrients, salmon can help reduce inflammation and improve heart health. Plus, it’s packed with protein and integrates perfectly with nearly anything you’re serving at your next gathering. Continue reading →

(NAPSI)—If the holidays are at your house this year, you may find they can be even more magical when you have a good plan for cleaning up before and after the company comes.

Keep Holiday Hosting A Delight, Not A Chore 

As you prepare for the season­—and all the celebrating it entails—keep these home cleaning tips in mind…and look forward to stressing less and spending more time with your loved ones.

Treat stains right: Chocolate. Cranberry sauce. Wine. For every food option on the table, there are just as many stains that could arrive with that delicious meal. Using Ensueño Liquid Detergent, which has both stain-fighting power and color-fading protection, can mean a deep clean that ensures clothes and tablecloths come out bright and stain-free. Continue reading →

APPLE CIDER BRINED TURKEY

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BRINE

2 qt. apple cider

6 c. water

1 c. kosher salt

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

4 cinnamon sticks

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 orange, quartered

1 tsp. whole cloves

1 tsp. whole peppercorns

1 (8-lb.) whole turkey, giblets removed

FOR ROASTING Continue reading →

by J.D. Schramm

(NAPSI)—The first time I heard about Crisis Text Line was when one of my students shared information about this mental health support service in one of my classes on strategic storytelling. I was doubtful that a text messaging service, provided entirely by trained volunteers, could make a difference in people’s lives. Yet, I was intrigued and curious. The first time I contacted Crisis Text Line, by texting 741741 from my iPhone, was Thanksgiving of 2019. I had just lost one of my best friends to a brain tumor. My husband and I had decided it was too costly for me to return home for the funeral. This is when my grief started to set in. I was truly struggling. My own depression, which I’d faced since my teens, was “‘nudging at me” again. Then, add in holiday pressures, bickering over the trivial with my family, and trying to keep the kids engaged and off their devices–I was at the end of my rope that day. Without anybody else in the house knowing, I reached out and a complete stranger helped me to a place of calm. It was all I needed at that moment. I felt sheepish “taking up their time” when others had more pressing problems. The volunteer assured me that my needs mattered too.  Continue reading →

(NAPSI)—When it comes to combating polio, there’s good news, bad news and better news.

The good news is that efforts to eradicate the dreaded disease have been going on for decades. Back in the disease’s peak years in the 1940s and 50s, it affected between 13,000 and 20,000 people in the United States each year, many of them children. Thousands died. Many others were permanently paralyzed. Then Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin developed vaccines and the number of cases dropped. As of August 30, 2023, only seven cases of “wild polio virus” (two in Pakistan, five in Afghanistan) have been detected in 2023.

The bad news is that even one case of polio is one too many, and while cases of polio have fallen over 99% worldwide since 1988, a variant of the polio virus is causing outbreaks and consuming critical resources needed to stop the transmission of wild poliovirus. What’s more, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted efforts to combat vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio. Continue reading →

New Tools Help Teachers Improve Student Literacy

The Problem

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, an organization that measures academic performance of students from across the country, has long term data that shows 9-year-old students scored, on average, five points lower in reading in 2022 than did their pre-pandemic peers in 2020. The declines represent the largest drops in decades.

Fortunately, educators don’t have to combat this issue alone. As part of the Discover Literacy education program, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, National Afterschool Association and Discovery Education created five short, animated videos to help teachers and other school professionals master best practices for literacy instruction.  Continue reading →

Mission BBQ (stylized as MISSION BBQ) is an American barbecue restaurant chain based in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Bill Kraus and Steve Newton opened the first location on September 11, 2011, as a way to support the military, police, firefighters, and first responders.

I must have been a sleep at the wheel. I have never been to Mission BBQ. When I try to tell people about my new experience at Mission BBQ they they have already been there. I thought it was a best kept secret. It was not! I had the best brisket on a bun than I have had in years. You could get it wet or lean. The wet had some marbling and was very moist and tender, I will do that again. I will go online and see what else they have to offer but the people were friendly, the service was out of sight and the food was over the wall.

(NAPSI)—There may be a problem lurking in your house that you can’t even see: dirty ducts. But that doesn’t have to be.

The Issue

Even with the proper use of filters, your home’s heating and cooling system gets really dirty through normal, everyday use, just as surfaces in your home get dusty over time.

All sorts of contaminants and air pollutants—bacteria, pet dander, dust, skin cells, mold, tobacco smoke, even chemicals—get pulled into an HVAC system and recirculate through the home several times a day, building up in the system.

Worse, rodents and insects can chew their way into the ductwork to travel throughout your home, build nests and leave droppings. Telltale signs include chewed materials, unpleasant smells, and bacteria contaminating the air you breathe. Continue reading →