INSIDE THIS ISSUE November Events Remembering Veterans Waiter Please... Ways to Remove A Splinter Delicious ThanksgiviAng Recipes A Collection Of Riddles Largest Pumpkin Pie Ever Tips On Taking Pie To Grandma's House Do Most People Prefer The Stuffing & Gravy Or The Turkey? Is It Better To Call An Ambulance Or A Friend? Should You Expect The Babysitter To Clean The House Too? Win A Free Mini-Vacation

November Events

November 6th — New York City Marathon
November 11th — Veterans Day
November 15th — America Recycles Day
November 17th — National Great American Smokeout Day
November 24th — Thanksgiving Day
November 25th — Traditional Beginning Of The Christmas Shopping Season
November 27th — First Sunday Of Advent
November 7-13th — National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week
November 13-19th — American Education Week
November 1-30th — National Adoption Month
November 1-30th — American Diabetes Month
November 1-30th — Alzheimer's Disease Month
November 1-30th — National American Indian Heritage Month
November 1-30th — Lung Cancer Awareness Month

"A woman is like a teabag; you never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water."  -Eleanor Roosevelt

Frying A Turkey Safely

According to the Hearth Patio and Barbecue

Association, about 2 million people fry their

turkeys for Thanksgiving. Insurance companies

and fire safety organizations are urging these home cooks to be extra cautious to avoid serious accidents. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has reported a sharp increase in the number of turkey fryer accidents caused by tipping, boiling over, and igniting oil. Underwriters Laboratories Inc. offers these safety guidelines:

• Use turkey fryers outdoors at safe distances from buildings and flammable material.
• Don't use turkey fryers on wooden decks or in garages, and make sure they are set on a flat surface.
• Do not overfill the fryer with oil.
• Monitor the temperature of the oil closely. If you notice any smoke, turn off the burner immediately before the oil ignites.
• Don't let children or pets near the fryer, even after use. The oil inside the cooking pot can remain dangerously hot for hours.
• Make sure the turkey is completely thawed. Moisture from a frozen turkey can cause the oil to spill over, causing a fire or even an explosion.
• Keep a fire extinguisher nearby and never use water to put out a grease fire.

Veterans Day, Nov. 11th

World War I came to an end at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918. Armistice Day was originally the name for this day to remember the fallen and the war's ending. It became Veterans Day in 1954 as a day to honor and remember veterans of all wars.

Some of the earliest memorial services honored unidentified soldiers killed in battle. The idea for the Tomb of the Unknowns came from a British chaplain serving in France who came across a grave with a rough wooden cross inscribed with the words, "An unknown British soldier of the Black Watch. The clergyman arranged for the remains to be returned to England, where they were laid to rest in Westminster Abbey on Armistice Day in 1920. The French honored their unknown dead at the Arc de Triumphe. An American general proposed a similar practice for unidentified American soldiers. In 1921, the body of an unknown soldier was interred in a tomb constructed in Arlington National Cemetery. Today, the Tomb of Unknowns is one of Arlington's most visited sites. It bears the words, "Here Rests In Honored Glory an American Soldier Known But To God."

Sweet Potato Ambrosia

This savory dish can be made a day or two before serving.

• 8 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup sherry
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Wash and cut the sweet potatoes in half and boil in a large pot of salted water (1 teaspoon of salt) with the skins on until barely tender (water should just barely cover the sweet potatoes). Peel immediately and cut into 2-inch lengths. Set aside.

In large skillet, combine brown sugar, cornstarch and salt. Blend in orange rind and juice and add raisins. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly -- cook and stir one minute more. Add butter, sherry, and nuts.

Pour over sweet potatoes in a baking dish and bake at 325° for 30 minutes, basting occasionally. Or add sweet potatoes to skillet and simmer gently for 20 to 30 minutes.

Removing A Splinter

Before you reach for the tweezers, try these simple methods of removing a splinter:

• Squeeze a drop of white glue over the splinter and let it dry. Peel off the glue and the splinter should come with it.
• Put scotch tape or duct tape over the splinter and pull it off. If these don't work, then there are always the traditional approaches:
• Wash your hands (but don't get a wooden splinter wet, because it will swell).
• Sterilize tweezers by dipping in rubbing alcohol, then gently pull out the splinter.
• For splinters under the skin, sterilize a sewing needle and gently slit the skin over one end of the splinter. Then use the tweezers to draw it out.
• Clean the wound with soap and water and apply antibiotic ointment and a sterile bandage.

Waiter, Please...

A guest of a resort hotel in a tourist area walked into the dining room where breakfast was being served. The guest sat down at a table and called a waiter to take his order. "I would like two eggs, over easy, one with the yolk overcooked and rubbery and the other undercooked with the yolk broken and running out on the plate. I would also like some sausage that has been grilled and set out on the plate to get cold, burnt toast that has also grown cold so that it crunches and crumbles into nothing at the first bite, and butter that has been in the freezer so that it is impossible to spread, and a pot of coffee that is lukewarm and very weak." The waiter busily scratched down the guest's order and said, "This is a very complicated order, sir. It might be difficult to deliver it exactly as you have requested." The guest replied, "But I had that exact breakfast here yesterday!"

Talking Turkey

The average 15-lb. turkey yields 70 percent white meat and 30 percent dark. That's just as well, given that most Americans prefer white meat for its less gamey flavor and half the fat of dark. Interestingly, most Europeans prefer dark over white. More surprising, though, are the results from an ABC poll, which found that more Americans would rather eat stuffing and gravy than turkey.

Toting Pies Made Easier

Pies can be notoriously messy things to transport. But professional caterers offer this tip for home cooks: Trace an outline of the pie on the top of an empty pizza box. Cut out the circle. Then place the pie in the hole. This way, even if it leaks, it won't make a mess in your vehicle.

Babysitting & Housework Don't Mix

Pat Cascio, president of the International Nanny Association, advises parents not to expect nannies and babysitters to do housework. "I tell families that it's dangerous, particularly if the child is under four, because all kinds of things can go wrong," she said. "A baby could be crying and the nanny can't hear because the vacuum is running. Toddlers can open doors, fall down stairs, pull on blind cords -- you can't keep track of them if you're working on household chores." Instead, parents should hire a cleaning person and only expect the nanny to tidy up after the child. "The only exception is if the child goes off to school for a few hours, and the nanny is sitting at the house with nothing to do."

A Collection Of Riddles

1. 1. It occurs once in a minute, twice in a week, and once in a year. What is it?
2. What shoes should you wear if your basement is flooded?
3. What type of bird never goes to a barber?
4. What has two gloves and four legs?
5. What runs but never gets out of breath?
6. What animal keeps the best time?
7. What always ends everything?
8. What goes up and never comes down?
9. What kind of birds are most frequently found in captivity?
10. What has four legs and only one foot?
11. What letters are the smartest?
12. What kind of bell doesn't ring?

1. G. Jailbirds
2. H. The Ys
3. I. Your age
4. J. A bald eagle
5. K. Two baseball players
6. L. The letter "g"

1. A. A watchdog
2. B. A river
3. C. A bed
4. D. A dumbbell
5. E. The letter "e"
6. F. Pumps

Largest Pumpkin Pie Ever

Pumpkin pie is America's second favorite pie (after apple), and several towns in North America compete to bake the biggest. The record holder to date, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is Windsor, Calif. Two years ago, its farmers' market vendors teamed up with the high school's culinary art students to bake a 418-pound pie. It used more than 12 gallons of pumpkin, eight gallons of milk, 226 eggs, 56 pounds of sugar, 24 pounds of flour, 8 pounds of butter, 2 cups of cinnamon, and a cup of vanilla.

In 2003, the people of the Canadian town of Ladysmith on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, baked a pumpkin pie that measured 40 feet long by 47 inches wide.

Do You Want To Win A Free 3-day / 2-night Mini-Vacation?

Take the trivia challenge and you just might win! Each month we'll give you a new trivia question. The first 10 people to call with the correct answer will be eligible to win. At the end of the month we'll draw one lucky name. That winner will receive a certificate good for 3 fun-filled days and 2 exciting nights of deluxe hotel accommodations. Here is this month's trivia question:

“In what year did Armistice Day become Veterans Day?”
(Hint: the answer is somewhere in this newsletter)

Call right now with your answer!
The answer to last month's trivia challenge was d) Three. Congratulations to last month's lucky winner: Connie Anderson

1. a) 1962
2. b) 1954
3. c) 1928
4. d) 1931

last update 11/02/05
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