New Year's Eve is Almost Here!

Hi All,

New Year's Eve is approaching quickly.  What better time to plan a party than now?  So...how do you create a great New Year's Eve celebration for you and your friends and family?  Read on and learn how to create the party of all parties this year!

WikiHow - How to Throw a New Year's Eve Party

Real Simple - How to Throw the Easiest New Year's Eve Party Ever

UK Mirror - New Year's Eve Party Ideas - Decorate, Eat, Drink and Games

MoneyTalksNews - 10 Tips For Throwing a Great, Cheap New Year's Eve Party

Pinterest - New Year's Eve Party Ideas (with lots of pictures)

Money Crashers - 11 Fun New Year's Eve Party Ideas for Food, Games and Decorations

Penny Hoarder - Step-by-Step Guide to Throwing a Rockin' New Year's Eve Party on the Cheap

Food Network - How to Throw a Family Friendly New Year's Eve Party

HGTV - Host a Sparkling New Year's Eve Party

Delish.com -  29 Crazy Delish Cocktails to Make With Champagne


So there you have it - a start to help you make this New Year's Eve a night you won't soon forget!

Regards,
Stu

Best Android Apps of 2017

Hi All,

So the year is almost ended and all the 'best of' articles are starting to come out in print and on the web.  One of the better ones - written in March 2017 no less - is this article titled '100 Best Android Apps of 2017', written by PC Mag.

The article subtitle states that these are 'The essential Android apps you need, whether you're outfitting the latest Pixel phone or plugging along with a much older device.'

The article has lots of subheadings....including the following Browsers, Health/Fitness, Personal Productivity, Reading/News, Shopping, Travel, Video, Food, Music/Podcasts, Photos, Security, Social Media/Communication, Utilities and Workplace Productivity.

Apps are that 'make the PCMag 'cut' are generally less thank $5 - with the majority of the apps on the list being free to download via Google Play. 

About 5 or so of the 'best' apps are listed in each category with a paragraph length description of the apps features and why it is included in the list of the 100 Best Android Apps of 2017.

Links to each app are on the site as is a rating - 5 solid red dots indicates the 'best' app. 

In the article PCMag suggests using the link for '10 Must Have Android Apps For 2017' if the 100 apps in the prior article are too many to go through.

So...what criteria did PCMag look for when reviewing apps for the article?  They looked for uniqueness, elegance, timeliness, design, price, security and popularity in an app for the list!

Enjoy the apps and the links and your phones' new found capabilities!

Regards,
Stu

City-Data.com

Hi All,

Do you need information about a particular city?  Do you need demographic information or house price in a particular location?

Check out City-Data.com for information like this and much more information.  The site has city information for all 50 states.  It has school and neighborhood information as well as assessment and restaurant information for all the cities it covers.  That's a lot of cities.

For example, the site has school information for elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, private schools and more.

One of the more interesting parts of the site is the section on restaurants. Users can find restaurant inspection findings and violations of your favorite eating establishment.

City-Data.com has "restaurant inspection findings from several states around the country. Records include dates and scores of inspections, as well as the types of violations noted (where available). Recently, we have added restaurant reviews as well. Users are able to score restaurants based on food, service, price, ambiance and cleanliness, and can add text and photos to their review.

Click on this link for restaurants in various parts of New York State.

Also, click on this link for City-Data.com forums.  FYI, some of the discussions can be way off base from the original topic...but it might be worth looking into. 

Enjoy the site.

Regards,
Stu

Body Mass Index Calculation

Hi All,

The Body Mass Index is a great way to figure out where you fall on the weight spectrum.  Basically the Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure of body fast based on height and weight. It applies to adult men and women - not children!

Click on this link and you'll go to a site from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website.  You'll be able to enter your weight and height using standard or metric measures.  Click on 'compute BMI' and your BMI will appear below.

On the right side of the page you'll see BMI categories:
Underweight = <18 .5="" p="">Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
Overweight = 25.0-29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30.0 or greater

Users can also download the BMI calculator app on the site.

Click on these links for information on the limitations of the BMI, assessing your risk, controlling your weight and recipes to help you control your weight.

Hope the information helps and I hope the holidays don't torpedo your weight and health goals.

Regards,
Stu

The Thanksgiving Post

Hi All,

One of the best holidays of the year is coming up.  I'm talking about Thanksgiving!  And all the trimmings!  What other holiday lets you eat, watch football, spend time with family and friends - and not have to buy gifts for everyone in attendance? Yep - Thanksgiving is the day!  Enjoy.

Click on this link from Wikipedia to learn more about Thanksgiving and the holiday. 

For some great Thanksgiving recipes - click on this link from CountryLiving.com. 
The FoodNetwork has a great site that has information on Thanksgiving Side Dishes.
Of course AllRecipes has a link to pages with Thanksgiving recipes.


 And hopefully you have guests that are fun, respectful, polite, fun and not silly.  Hopefully your guests will click on this link from TheKitchn.com titled '10 Tips For Being a Great Thanksgiving Dinner Guest'. 

And if you have kids at the Thanksgiving dinner, you might want to click on this link from Woman's Day - titled '16 Thanksgiving Games You Kids Will Obsess Over'. 


Enjoy the holiday and enjoy the time spent with family and friends.  And of course, enjoy the links!

Regards,
Stu

2016 Farmingdale Fair

 Hi All,

Did you know?  That the Farmingdale Street Fair is this weekend.  Actually it started on Thursday - yesterday - and runs through Monday (which is Columbus Day). 

For more information, click on this link from FairsandFestivals.net - the site bills itself as being where art and fun mean business.  Click on this link for directions to the fair. 

So...what does the fair include?  You guessed it... there will be great food, great vendors, pickles, lemonade, pony rides, inflatables, flowers, plants, toys, and more. Fun for the whole family.

Hours:
Thursday: Carnival - 5pm-10pm
Friday: Carnival - 5pm-11pm
Saturday: Street Fair - All Day. Carnival - 12noon -11pm
Sunday: Street Fair - All Day. Carnival - 12noon -11pm, Parade 6pm, Fireworks 9pm
Monday: Carnival - 12noon-10pm

Enjoy the fun!

Regards,
Stu

Only In Your State

Hi All,

Travel tip ahead - watch out!

Click on this link - for a state-by-state guide to unique accommodations, waterfront and rooftop restaurants, hot springs, swimming holes, little known islands, covered bridges, swinging bridges and even haunted houses and much, much more on 'OnlyInYourState.com'.

Users can click on tabs at the top of the page on topics like food, attractions, news, life, community and more to find more attractions listed on the site.

Once you find an attractions or spot of interest an article with pictures describes the venue and the attraction. Directions to the location are given as well.

What a great way to learn about lesser known spots of interest in New York state - or any state for that matter!

Enjoy the vacation spots and the trips you'll take!

Regards,
Stu

All Things Stew Leonards

Hi All,

It looks like Stew Leonard's is opening a new store in Farmingdale.  The new store will be in Airport Plaza where the old Dave and Buster's used to be. 

Click on this link from Newsday for more about the grand opening on January 20th!

Also, click on this link which goes directly to the Stew Leonard's website. You'll find lots of links to Weekly Specials, Recipes, Gift Baskets, StewTube Videos, About Stew Leonard's and more.

Enjoy the site - it should be a unique food shopping experience.

Regards,
Stu

Disaster Checklists

Hi All,

We get an AAA publication at the library called C&T (Car and Travel). Its a free publications that we put out for patrons to leaf through and/or read at their leisure. Its a fun, travel oriented magazine that has lots of interesting articles.

One of those interesting articles appeared in the September/October 2015 issue.  It was - sorry for the depressing topic - called 'Disaster Checklist'.  The article subtitle was 'Create an emergency preparedness kit for your home'.  Good stuff.  Interesting and useful - quite the double play.

Some of the highlights of this brief article included having the following on hand:

• one gallon of water per person, per day
• a two week supply of non-perishable food
• a battery powered radio and extra batteries
• a first aide kit with bandages, gauze and tape
• wrenches, pliers and other tools
• solar cell phone charger or power inverter
• garbage bags
• copies of insurance policies and bank records
• sleeping bags, blankets and changes of clothing
• personal hygiene items such as toothbrushes, soap, wash cloths'
• disposable plates , cups and eating utensils
• 7 day supply of prescription medications
• extra cash in case ATM's are unavailable

Click on this link for more information from AAA.com. 

And, click on this next link for even more information on how to create a 'Go Kit' in order to prepare for emergency evacuations from hurricanes, floods, etc...and you can also click on this link from the American Red Cross on How to Create Emergency Go-Kits.

Regards,
Hope you never need to use this list or the sites.

Stu

Food Comparisons - You Choose

Hi All,

TwoFoods.com is a free website that gives users instant food comparisons.  Users can enter the name of one food in the first dialog box and the name of the the second food in the second dialog bog and click on the 'compare' button...and....

Almost instantaneously nutritional information about the two foods appears. Specifically users can find calorie information, carb, fat, and protein information.   Then, under these major categories are variations on a theme. 

For example, I chose to compare apples and oranges.  Under the main category of apples is a breakout of other types of apples - Gala, Red Delicious, Fuji and Granny Smith. On the other side of the table are navel oranges, clementines and California navel oranges.  

I also did a search for a Burger King Whopper vs a McDonald's Big Mac.  Interesting results, I might add...see table below. 

Finally, click on this link to learn how 'TwoFoods' really works.

Category Whopper Big Mac calories 770 530 carbs (grams) 56 47 fat (grams) 47 27 protein (grams) 36 24
Enjoy the site.
Stu

Yum...I'm Hungry. It's Breakfast (Lunch or Dinner) Time...

Hi All,

A guy's got to eat. And a girl's got to eat. And what better way to find a restaurant on Long Island with your smartphone than to use Eat Out! Long Island?

Indeed, at the top of the page there is a dialog box where users can type in the name of a restaurant.  There is also an Advanced Search for users.  Advanced Search enables users to search by the following criteria:
Restaurant Name
Cuisine
Address
City
County
Zip Code
Phone Number
 
In addition, users can check a specific box to find a location that offers that feature (like whether or not the restaurant has a website, online menu availability, if reservations are accepted, if take-out is available, if there is catering, are credit cards accepted and much, much more) 

In addition, users can Rate a particular restaurant when they view the restaurant information.  Click on this example from Ciao Baby on Sunrise Highway in Massapequa Park.   Ratings go from 1-10 - with a rating of 10 being the best. Rankings include a section titled, 'Would you return?' and there is a date that the review was created.

Restaurant ranking categories include Food, Atmosphere, Service and Value. Eat Out! Long Island offers an email list to users - click here for the link.  Users can Add a Listing by clicking on this link.

So...when you are hungry or in a hurry to find a specific cuisine to eat for dinner...you might want to check out Eat Out! Long Island! Its user friendly, helpful, current, informative and easy to navigate!

Regards,
Stu

Hi All,

The library is hosting a program on Monday, December 15th from 7pm-8pm on 'Healthy Holiday Eating'.  The formal blurb from the newsletter is "Join Ashley Olivieri, Nutrition Coordinator at Syosset Hospital, Registered Dietitian, and Certified Diabetes Educator for his lecture about transforming favorite holiday recipes into healthier ones by using some simple tips. A food demonstration will be done to show how easy it is to make healthy, tasty holiday treats. Preference given to UFSD #22 residents."

And that is all very, very well and good...but here are a few online resources to help you eat better and healthier during this upcoming holiday season. 

From the American Heart Association comes this entry called 'Holiday Health Eating Guide'.  Note that this is a pdf document from Adobe Acrobat and opens automatically.   And from Real Simple (Life Made Simple) comes this article titled '9 Healthy Holiday Eating Strategies'.  From a site called Sutter Health comes this article called 'Tips For Healthy Holiday Eating'.

Finally, for those of you who like to go to holiday parties, you might want to visit Eatright.org's website.  They have an article called 'Helpful Tips For Healthy Holiday Parties'.

Happy holidays and happy eating...and here's to eating healthy!

Regards,
Stu

Recalls.gov

Hi All,

I heard about Recalls.gov from the radio this weekend. I was washing some dishes and listening to the radio and I heard and advertisement about the site.  Wow - I was so impressed I actually jotted down the name and decided to write a blog entry about the sit.  And here we are!

So...what is Recalls.gov? Great question....direct from the website is this summary:

"To provide better service in alerting the American people to unsafe, hazardous or defective products, six federal agencies with vastly different jurisdictions have joined together to create www.recalls.gov -- a "one stop shop" for U.S. Government recalls.  Follow the tabs above to obtain the latest recall information, to report a dangerous product, or to learn important safety tips."

So there you are.  A one stop for U.S. government recall information.

There are tabs for Consumer Products, Motor Vehicles, Boats, Food, Medicine, Cosmetics and Environmental Products. Click each of the prior topics to go to that particular site.

There are also tabs for Recent Recalls, a place where users can Search For Recalls, and another place where visitors can Sign Up For E-mail. 

Widgets for smartphones and tablets are available for each of the tabs mentioned before (Consumer Products, Motor Vehicles, Boats, Food, Medicine, Cosmetics and Environmental Products)....

Information for the site was gathered from various government entitiees like the USDA, FDA,  CDC, US Department of Health and Human Services, EPA, US Consumer Product Safety Commission. 

Enjoy the site - I think it will be very helpful when you need to find out about a product recall.

Regards,
Stu

Birthday Parties - For Kids

Hi All,

It is a gloomy, dreary, wet Monday morning. And it is for that reason that I want to brighten the day , get hearts thumping and racing and get the sounds of childrens' laughter in the air.

What better way to do that than to talk about how to throw a spectacular, fiscally prudent (read inexpensive), lively, fun birthday party?

Forthwith a few very helpful links on how to throw a birthday party for a child!!!

From ehow.com comes this article on 'How to Throw a Child's Birthday Party on a Budget'. Click here for the link. There are two things of note about the entry: 1. The entry has step-by-step instructions on how to throw the party - neat. Also, the last piece of advice in the entry is to make sure to write thank-you's - which is excellent and polite advice.

Click here for another article on the same topic - and nearly has the same title - but offers different advice - 'How to Throw a Birthday Party on a Budget'. The thing to note about this article is that they suggest having a theme for the party...interesting idea. And it makes sense. One thing that I would suggest is that you should take into account your child's likes and dislikes. In other words, don't have a NY Mets theme if your child is a NY Yankees fan.

Finally, you might want to click on this link from Wisebread. Entitled 'How To Throw a Kid's Birthday Party That's Fun, Happily Memorable, and Not So Expensive'. Again, same idea but this article has excellent subject headings. For example, there is a section entitled, "It is the charm of the hosts and the pleasantness of the guests that matter'. Sounds corny doesn't it - but it does kind of make sense. Another applicable section deals with counting all the costs (both in terms of time and effort to organize, coordinate and host the party) to have the party.

Some basic themes are in all the articles that I've found on the web Parents who are thinking about a child's birthday party need to think about:

• Venue
• Activities
• Food
• Decorations
• Treat bags

Finally, don't forget about this link from About.com on Children's birthday parties. Okay, one last piece of advice - don't forget about the Related Links at the bottom of the About.com article I just mentioned. There are even more articles and links about Children's birthday parties. Wow!!!! Great stuff.

Regards and I hope you have a great child's birthday party!

Stu

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Choosing a Champagne For New Year's Eve

Hi All,

Welcome to the last blog entry of the year. With that simple introduction out of the way, I'd like to talk about champagne and buying champagne for the New Year's Eve celebrations' that are about to occur in the next 2 days or so.

Before you go out to buy champagne it makes sense to learn a bit about this wonderfully bubbly beverage. So...you might do well to click on this link that discusses the various types of champagne. Readers can also find other interesting bits of champagne information on this site. For example, there are lists of champagne appetizers, champagne desserts, champagne toasts and a special link to 'Why we clink glasses?' Neat stuff!

When readers are buying their champagne what should they look for? Indeed, a great question and you can click here for an article on 'How to Buy Good (Inexpensive) Champagne'. Click here for another champagne buying guide...

Before actually serving the champy you have to open it. Click on this link to find out how to open a bottle of the bubbly!

So once you have that bottle of bubbly on the counter (and it is open) how should you serve it? Again, excellent question and you click on this link to find out to serve champy!

Now that you've got the champagne out on the counter, you are probably hungry and need some food. Click here for some ideas of what foods to pair with champagne. Yum - I'm hungry already!

Again, click here for another link on what food to eat with champagne - this link is from HGTV though.

Finally, champagne is darn special. So you might want to give a toast when you drink the beverage. Click here for a link which has champagne toasts in various foreign languages!

Happy New Year!
Stu

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Top Chef - Everything You Need to Know In One Place

Hi All,

Now I'm not living under a rock and I've heard about the tv show called, 'Top Chef'. Wow, I never realized how popular the show is and how much information about the show is available on the internet. I should have known better.

So...with the holidays having passed a few weeks ago, perhaps some of us 'regular cooks' (okay, home gamers who just happen to like to cook and make a decent meal for ourselves) want to pick up a few tips from master chefs. And possibly be entertained to boot. With that in mind, here is the 'Everything Top Chef' entry. Enjoy the links.

Click here to find the Wikipedia entry for 'Top Chef'. Interesting article and lots of sub links for all you super big Top Chef fans out there. The entry is organized by show format, season, special episodes, spin-offs, Reception and Awards and a References link to the show. Quite the good summary of the show.

On a somewhat lighter side, if you visit 'Top Chef.com' you link to a food related website - but not actually a link to the television show itself.

If you do want to go to the Top Chef website, click here. FYI it is from the Bravo website.

Want to find out what the All-Time Favorite Contestants of Top Chef are? You know the drill...click on this link and you'll get your fav's.

Want to see the 'Best of the Best'? Click this link for the Top Chef All Stars Episode from TVGuide.com

As if all these links aren't enough, click here to find a Google search where I searched, 'Top Chef Blogs'. What does the search give as results you ask? I was trying to find blogs that discussed various aspects, episodes, chefs, etc of Top Chef. Enjoy the links and maybe even a recipe?

Finally, if you want one last link, click her for a list of the so-called 'Top 20 Chefs of All-Time, click here (from Egullett.com - how can you resist a website with that name?)

Enjoy the culinary delights that you have waiting for you.

Happy holidays!

Stu

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That Time of Year! Family Get-Togethers

Hi All,

The weekend might have come and gone, but there is always a next weekend on the horizon.

That means 2 days off from work...and most (if not all) folks have family. And what does that have to do with a blog entry? Simple - todays topic is family entertaining and fun stuff to do with the relatives once they are over at the house.

As frequent readers know by now, I really, really like using About.com. As a matter of fact, if you click on this link, you'll find an article on 'Getting Together For the Holidays - Taking The Stress Out of These Gatherings'.

If you click on this link, you'll find some ideas for things to do once your guests arrive. These are some fun activities and games that you can play once your guests arrive.

Not sure how to put together a family get-together? Click on this link to get the scoop on this aspect of getting everybody together in one place

Finally, because of all the great advice I've imparted to you in this brilliant blog entry (note: humor alert), you will possibly want to photography this event. Click here to find out how to take memorable photos of the event - and to prevent everybody from moving when you take the 'family picture' at the end of the day.

Enjoy - and I hope you have a memorable family get together very shortly!
Stu

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