Best Crafting Blogs

The internet makes it easy and efficient to share interests far and wide. It's become something of a haven for craft enthusiasts, featuring many blogs dedicated to the world of crafting. Looking for inspiration? Here are five craft blogs worth reading:

The Crafting Chicks
Started by a group of friends wanting to share their creations together, the Crafting Chicks has helpful hints, craft ideas, and recipes. Step by step instruction ensures that completing these imaginative projects will be a breeze.

Craft Junkie Too
Tracy is a craft junkie, but knows that there are a lot of others out there. Craft Junkie Too is a great resource for collecting and sharing craft ideas, all of which are conveniently organized into different project categories.

Craftbits
A free site offering thousands of ideas for making crafts for holidays and occasions of all sorts. Craftbits also features a number of craft competitions, DIY videos, and a gallery of user submitted ideas.

Craftzine
The Craftzine blog showcases great ideas from a number of craft blogs, and as such is a remarkable source of information and inspiration. With a massive database full of ideas, contests, and links to other sites, Craftzine is a site that anyone with a love of crafting needs to visit.

Ucreate
Ucreate provides tutorials for making various crafts that are full of helpful photos to take you through each step of the process with ease. There are also a number of crafts for kids, as well as party ideas!

Must-See Movies Coming to Theaters in March

This March, a variety of must-see films will arrive in movie theaters. Here are five that everyone will be talking about:

Dr. Seuss's The Lorax
The creators of Despicable Me bring animated life to one of Dr. Seuss's most beloved characters. Danny DeVito provides the voice of the Lorax, a forest creature who speaks up for the trees against those who would chop them down.

John Carter
Andrew Stanton directs this adaptation of the famous sci-fi novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The story revolves around a Confederate captain who, mysteriously transported to Mars, becomes embroiled in a major conflict there.

21 Jump Street
Rebooting the television series that brought stardom to Johnny Depp, this updated version stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. They'll bring some comedic flair to this tale of undercover cops trying to break up a drug ring.

The Hunger Games
These books have a huge following, and they're looking to expand the devotion to the big screen. Jennifer Lawrence stars as a young girl embroiled in a dystopian reality-show focused on teen gladiators battling to the death.

Wrath of the Titans
Perseus (played by Sam Worthington) wants a quiet life after the events of Clash of the Titans. When weakened gods lose control over angry Titans, however, it is up to him to once again go into battle for the future of humanity.

Seafood Stars at Starfish Brasserie

Seafood lovers should check out Starfish Brasserie in Bethlehem. You may get hooked by their fresh caught, sustainable fish du jour. Try pairing it with their beverage manager’s suggested eco-friendly wine, and you’re in for a treat. Starfish received Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence in 2009. Come with an open mind, since the menu varies with availability and seasonal ingredients. The day’s prix fixe option is a great culinary choice and a nice value. Whether you pick salmon or oysters, mahi mahi or sea bass, you’ll tune into the subtle, succulent flavors.

Starfish runs specials six nights a week.  The Starfish Bar has an exciting repertoire of wines, beers, and signature martinis, as well as nightly happy hours. There’s live entertainment on weekends and Wednesday evenings.  Desserts are particularly scrumptious; homemade ice creams include honey-lavender among other flavors.

Starfish Brasserie
51 W Broad Street
Bethlehem, PA  18018
(610) 332-8888

King George Inn: A Dining Blast From the Past

First established in 1756, King George Inn has been a crossroads tavern for meetings, social gatherings, and general enjoyment since before the Revolutionary War. The vast dining menu features pure Americana cuisine harkening back to the region's rustic Anglo and German roots—think pot roasts, steak, broiled lobster, crab cakes, and pork tenderloin, all prepared with simple seasonings and classic ingredients. True to form, there is also an old time coffee list with "secret" formulas (i.e. liquor) and coded customizations (i.e. "We dare you", "Gringo Beware!!"). Other than its culinary renown, the King George Inn also hosts themed dinners, seasonal events, and private meetings—any of which can be scheduled in one of the four banquet rooms within the building's three-story space. Designated a National Historic Site since 1976, King George Inn is, at the very least, worth the trip to catch a glimpse of living American history.

King George Inn
3141 Hamilton Boulevard
Allentown, PA 18103
(610) 435-1723

Make An Impression: Five Great First Dates

The first date can mean a lot for a burgeoning relationship. It’s your chance to show that you’re a catch! If you’re looking for great ideas, here are five great choices:

Check out volunteering opportunities in your community
This can be anything from working at a soup kitchen to helping plant trees. It’ll allow you and your date to spend time together while also helping others. Even if there’s no chemistry, the date will have produced some good.

Take a cooking class together
Many romances have blossomed in the heat of a kitchen, and working together on a dish under the expert instruction of a trained chef can disclose a lot about a potential mate’s true character.

Have a picnic
If the weather’s nice, why not skip dinner and a movie and pack an outdoor meal? A picnic in the park can be an intimate and compelling way to get to know someone in more detail, and it’s cheap to boot.

Play miniature golf
Miniature golf can be a fun first date activity – since it’s an innately goofy, low-stakes game, you’ll be able to see how your prospective partner handles competition. Plus it’s a good opportunity to talk.

Take a hike
Being able to take in natural beauty and get some exercise at the same time is a great conversation starter, and when you reach your destination you’ll have shared the experience.

Fill The Tank: Four Ways To Save On Gas

With gas prices not getting any cheaper, there are more reasons than ever to try to reduce your fuel consumption. Thankfully, there are a number of easy and efficient ways to use less gas every time you drive. Here are four simple tips for cutting your gas usage:

Be careful when you brake. Every time you use your brake pedal in your car, you’re wasting some of the energy that you used to speed the car up. For optimum efficiency, you want to maintain a consistent speed. Instead of accelerating and braking constantly, manage your speed and don't over-accelerate.

One of the easiest ways to reduce the amount of fuel that you need to run your car is simply by reducing the amount of weight you’re carrying. If you have junk in your trunk, emptying it can lead to fuel savings.

There are a number of excellent free smartphone apps to help you find good gas prices. One of the most useful is Gas Buddy, which locates gas stations in your area and sorts them by price so you can get the best deal.

Investing in a new hybrid car will reduce your fuel costs. The cars are still a little expensive, but owners rave about their drastically cheaper gas bills. You will still be filling the tank on occasion, but if you drive frequently, the money you save on gas will make the car a worthwhile investment.

Four Delicious Winter Soups

What better way to stay cozy during the winter months than with a bowl of piping-hot, scrumptious soup? Here are four mouth-watering soups certain to fill you with warmth and satisfaction when the next cold front rolls in: 

  Beef, Barley, and Mushroom Soup

This slow-cooker recipe yields a hardy and flavor-filled soup. The basic ingredients are beef chuck, shiitake mushrooms, white turnips, barley, and fresh dill. It's particularly delicious if served up with a dollop of sour cream on top. Click here for the recipe.

Roasted Squash Soup with Maple-Glazed Bananas

This unique recipe results in a creamy, thick, delicately sweet soup that will nourish your every taste bud. It’s also packed with vitamins that will help you fight off the dreaded winter cold. The ingredients include butternut squash, pecans, bananas, crème fraiche, and cinnamon. Click here for the recipe.

Carrot and Ginger Soup

You can’t go wrong with a bowl of this vibrantly colored and richly flavored soup. The tongue-tingling ginger and hints of curry powder combine to add tang to the light freshness of the carrots. It is especially lovely when served with a touch of lemon cream made from crème fraiche and a grated lemon rind. Click here for the recipe.

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe yields the ultimate in flavor since the ingredients meld together for 5-6 hours in the crock pot, steeping in each other’s deliciousness. The fresh cilantro keeps the spice of the green chilies at just the right level, and the chicken cooks to tender perfection. Serve with fried tortillas and cheese on top. Click here for the recipe.
 

Trip Idea: Skiing in the Northeast

If you live in the northeast, there’s no need to spend money on plane tickets; there’s world-class skiing in your back yard. And if you live in the west, why not leave the crowds in Taos and Sun Valley behind and check out these gorgeous, challenging slopes?

Bretton Woods, NH. Now affiliated with the historic Mt. Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods specializes in keeping families happy.  After recent expansions, it has become the largest ski area in New Hampshire with over 430 acres of skiable terrain. Included in the expansions are nine lifts, snowmaking abilities, and additional base and mid-mountain lodges. There is also seemingly endless cross-country skiing.

Elk Mountain, Uniondale, PA. Situated north of Scranton, Elk boasts Vermont-style skiing, and the trail system lives up to the name.  This is a place for the serious skier. No resort amenities are to be found nearby, but if you come here to simply ride or ski—and maybe have dinner in the excellent base lodge restaurant—where you will be amply rewarded.

Lake Placid/Whiteface, NY. Twice the site of the Winter Olympics, Lake Placid offers a quirky combination of small town Americana and international ski mecca. Whiteface boasts the East's largest vertical drop, but also harbors a reputation for being cold and icy. It can be that, but there's something magical about whirling down the same slopes as Olympic racers and World Cup freestylists.

Stratton, VT. Snowboarding was born here, and the resort remains a favorite among riders. The sport's roots are honored each March with the annual staging of the U.S. Open competitions. Stratton was also one of the first mountains to install a six-passenger, high-speed chairlift. The downhill boarding is pretty much a wide-open affair—with spacious runs and plenty of intermediate-friendly pitches.

Snowshoe, WV. Perhaps the best-kept secret in the east, Snowshoe is a cozy gem in the Alleghenies. It’s a reverse resort, meaning that the main facilities, rental stores, and lodging are located at the summit of the 4,848-foot mountain, offering easy slope access and a stunning king-of-the-hill perspective on the mountains.

Review Roundup: Using Yelp And UrbanSpoon

The days of not knowing what a restaurant will deliver until your plate is on the table are long gone. A number of useful Internet services now allow you to look up reviews for just about any eatery you desire, from greasy spoon to five star culinary palace. But how do you know which of these sites are trustworthy? In this feature, we’ll compare the two market leaders – Yelp and Urbanspoon – and help you make up your mind for yourself.

Yelp, with over 54 million monthly unique visitors, has built itself up into one of the major players in the local reviewing industry. Reviewers are very loquacious and often provide a great deal of information, as well as numerical ratings of the businesses they cover. However, there has been some criticism leveled at the company by business owners, alleging that they perform certain services (such as removing negative reviews) for businesses that advertise on the site.

UrbanSpoon, unlike Yelp, focuses exclusively on restaurants. In addition to user reviews, UrbanSpoon aggregates comments from newspapers, magazines and other professional sources, as well as noteworthy foodie blogs. This presents a more nuanced portrait of the restaurant in question, making it more useful. UrbanSpoon does not cover the wide range of businesses that Yelp does, however.

Allentown’s 250th Anniversary

Be advised that 2012 marks a significant milestone in Allentown's history. The City will celebrate its Semiquincentennial or 250th Anniversary. It will be a year of celebration and Jubilee.

In order to keep you as current as possible with the activities and important information of your city government, beginning in 2012, the City of Allentown will be publishing a monthly electronic newsletter that will be available to all residents.

To receive the timely news and announcements that this exciting new publication will carry, all you have to do is click here to access and click the Newsletter link to register!

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