Unconventional Uses for Cookie Cutters

BY TARYN JEREZ

It’s a shame to think how many households at this very moment have a collection of cookie cutters stored away with the holiday decor. Cookie cutters of all shapes and sizes, sitting in gallon Ziplock bags or old cookie tins of Christmas past, just waiting for the one or two times per year they get to make their appearance. Let’s make sure your family doesn’t make the same mistake by wasting these small but mighty shapes throughout the year! Here are 15 unconventional uses for cookie cutters, from craft projects to home decor and other year-round culinary uses you may never have thought of!

Cookie Cutter Craft Projects

Paint Stampers - Squirt a few dabs of your favorite colors onto a paper plate. Then, gently dip your cookie cutter shapes into the colors and place down firmly on the surface to which you want to add some fun-colored shapes! Plain wrapping paper is a great idea for this! Soap Molds - Silicone and plastic molds can get expensive, so give your cookie cutters a try. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet with your chosen metal cutters down and slowly add your soap mixture from the top. Let dry following the soap instructions. Upcycled Crayons - All those broken crayons lying around can be given a second chance at life! Using a wax paperlined cookie sheet, place broken crayons inside metal cookie cutters and bake in the oven until melted together. Let cook and enjoy fun shapes to color with! Salt Dough Ornaments - Flour, salt, and water is all you need for a long-lasting dough recipe! Follow a favorite you find online and use cookie cutters to create interesting ornaments you can decorate with paint, glitter, ModPodge, and more. Add a small hole and some string to hang.

Pumpkin Carving - Create silly or spooky designs on this year’s pumpkins with your cookie cutters by placing them where you’d like the cutout to appear and holding a wood block up to it. Then, gently hammer the shape into the flesh of the pumpkin! Finally, pop out the excess.

Cookie Cutter Home Decor

Bird Seed Feeders - Add something sweet for the birds in your backyard! Cook 1 packet of unflavored gelatin according to instructions, let cool and add birdseed, mixing it well. Scoop the mixture into cookie cutters; then, using a straw, poke a small hole to tie Mason Jar Memories - Have some vintage or heirloom cookie cutters that have been in the family for years? Add them to a Mason jar with some fun photographs, little sayings on paper, and anything else to store special memories and keep them on display in the kitchen!

Tealight Candles - Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, place your cookie cutters down, adding a small candlewick to the center of each, and pour your preheated wax in while pressing down on the cutters. Let cool naturally or place in the refrigerator.

Kitchen Banner - Sometimes, the best home decor is the practical kind. Put those cute cookie cutters on display in your kitchen by lining them up and threading through them some rustic twine or colorful ribbon and hanging high on the wall. Napkin Rings - Creating a beautiful tablescape for a holiday or celebration? Use a coordinating cookie cutter as your napkin rings. Make sure you know your seating count and have one per place setting.

Cookie Cutter Culinary Additions

Melon Cutters - From watermelon to honeydew, a simple way to prepare and serve your melon all year long is to cut it out with whichever cookie cutter shapes feel most festive. Great for littles!

Sandwich Shapers - Nothing is more fun than opening up your lunchbox to discover butterfly- or video-game- controller-shaped sandwiches! Keep some silly-shaped cutters in your utensil drawer to shape up your child’s lunch.

Fried Egg Molds - Warm up your frying pan and crack your eggs directly into your metal cookie cutter with a little nonstick cooking spray, and breakfast will be transformed!

Jello Jigglers - You’ve seen traditional Jello molds, but did you know that cookie cutters make great wiggly-jiggly Jello cutouts? You can pour the Jello mixture into the cutters, leaving 1/8” of space at the top so you can pop them out easily and keep refrigerated before serving.

Pie Crust Decorations - Move over, Martha Stewart! Take inventory of your smallest cookie cutters in the collection and cut out a few shapes from the excess dough to adorn the crust. Tiny leaves and acorns look beautiful on an apple or pumpkin pie for fall!

The Top Three Haunted Attractions in the U.S. to Visit this Halloween

BY AMY HILL

Excited for spooky season, but want a change of scenery? If you’ve already visited every haunted attraction in North Carolina and are looking to thrill-seek out of state this Halloween, hop on a plane and visit one of the three locations below for a ghastly adventure.

Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, PA

Known as the world’s first true penitentiary, Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia is notorious for its history and eerie architecture. The penitentiary’s Halloween Nights festival is ideal for thrill-seekers who are looking for the ultimate Halloween horror experience. Inside the cellblocks, guests can purchase access to 15 different attractions, including two haunted houses, four not-so-scary walk-through experiences, themed bars and lounges, and more. Visitors looking to get up close and personal with VIP admission can upgrade their festival experience by gaining access to the Speakeasy at Al Capone’s cell, in addition to express entry into various attractions. Visitors can choose to partake in a 20-minute After Dark CB3 Tour, where guests are guided by flashlight through the penitentiary’s Cell Block 3, known as the Hospital Block. Even better—admission prices for the After Dark CB3 Tour include the flashlight as a souvenir. Festival dates run from late September to mid-November, with general admission tickets costing only $34 per person (group ticket rates available as well). Visit https://www.easternstate.org/halloween/ to buy Halloween Nights tickets and to read more about what Eastern State Penitentiary has in store.

Hotel Del Coronado, Coronado, CA

Check out the property’s website at www.hoteldel.com for more information on Hotel Del Coronado’s rooms, dining options, and Halloween activities.

The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, CO

Although Estes Park is a must-see alone, due to its stunning mountain views and proximity to Rocky Mountain National Park, the charming Stanley Hotel also draws in ghost-hunting visitors to the small town. First opened in 1909, The Stanley Hotel was the inspiration and film location for the Overlook Hotel in Stephen King’s The Shining, which prompted guests to report paranormal experiences following the release of the ever-popular 1980 horror flick. While accommodations in the coveted Estes Park area can be pricey (I suggest booking a hotel room in nearby Loveland), visitors fortunately don’t need a reservation at The Stanley to participate in the hotel’s 60-minute nighttime tour, in order to learn more about the hotel’s haunted reputation after dark. Some tours include access to the hotel’s limestone and quartz underground cave system, previously used by employees to get quickly around the massive property. Guests most frequently request Room 217, due to its haunted reputation from the fictional Overlook Hotel in the Stephen King novel. It’s been reported that even actor Jim Carrey became so frightened inside Room 217 that he ran out of the room wearing next to nothing in the middle of the night throughout the filming of Dumb and Dumber. Additionally, fourth floor guests have reported hearing children running and playing, although no children were on the floor. If you visit The Stanley Hotel in October for Halloween, you will likely be lucky enough also to witness the stunning autumn colors of the Rockies. To book a tour or reservation, visit www. stanleyhotel.com.

Year-round, tourists reserve rooms at the picturesque Hotel Del Coronado, lining the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, and enjoy participating in the hotel’s Haunted Happenings Tour to learn about why the spirit of the mysterious hotel guest Kate Morgan, who allegedly never checked out of the hotel since her arrival in 1892, still haunts guests to date. In addition to teaching visitors about Kate Morgan, Hotel Del Coronado offers exclusive Halloween-themed activities, including scary movies on the beach, a “Ghost Roast,” where guests enjoy ghost stories and s’mores over a bonfire, and pumpkin carving on the beach deck. Frequent travelers can take advantage of their Hilton Honors points when booking reservations, as Hotel Del Coronado is a Hilton property with easy online booking.

Looking on the Bright Side:

the Good Things about ADHD

BY KAREN COOPER

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a commonly diagnosed disorder in children, affecting approximately 9.4% of children in the United States. ADHD is a highly genetic, neurobiological condition that also continues into adulthood in a high percentage of the children who have it. There are varying degrees of severity, but anyone who has ADHD or loves someone with ADHD knows that it can make life complicated and very frustrating at times. Contrary to what some believe, it cannot be “fixed” by “running around outside for a while.”

On the flip side, living with ADHD gives many people a different perspective on life and encourages them to approach tasks and situations differently than others might. This results in some amazing creativity and innovative thinking.

In his article, “Mis-Diagnosis and Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Children,” James T. Webb, Ph.D., notes, “Many gifted and talented children (and adults) are being mis-diagnosed by psychologists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, and other health care professionals,” as having ADHD, OCD, Mood Disorders and other conditions.

Individuals with ADHD are often very smart, original, and funny. They have faced the challenges of dealing with being neurologically complex and learned novel ways to manage their symptoms…and really, this just makes them more interesting and exciting to be around. HYPER-FOCUS ADHD’s trademark hyper-focus can be a major advantage! Imagine being able to focus such intense attention and energy into work that makes a difference. Thomas Edison, who was thought to have had ADHD, put all his efforts into inventing the light bulb, even though at times it seemed impossible. When all was said and done, it took him more than 3,000 tries before he made a light bulb that worked! That’s perseverance and requires hyper-focus.

CREATIVITY & INTELLIGENCE People with ADHD are often highly intelligent and creative. The person with ADHD is, many times, the most creative individual in any room. People with ADHD naturally think outside the box and have ideas no one else thinks of. They thrive in environments that demand creative thinking. Many famous artists, singers, entertainers, scholars, and inventors are thought to have ADHD…Ansel Adams, Beethoven, Lewis Carroll, Leonardo da Vinci, Walt Disney, Robin Williams, and Jim Carrey…just to name a few.

HIGH ENERGY When people with ADHD find something they are interested in, or passionate about, they can produce results at a breathtaking pace! Their energy level is off the charts and they often have the stamina to keep going after everyone else has thrown in the towel. Focused appropriately, this high energy can result in successful careers and creative endeavors.

INNOVATION The ADHD crowd loves to push boundaries. They tend to get bored and distracted easily, which can lead to brilliant innovations and breakthroughs.

IMPULSIVENESS / SPONTANEITY Acting on impulses can result in wonderful things. Channeled correctly, their impulsiveness and spontaneity can be excellent qualities which will contribute excitement and interest to an ADHD person’s life (and the lives of those around them). It’s good to say “Yes” to things and take advantage of opportunities when they arise.

A diagnosis of ADHD doesn’t have to put a person at a disadvantage in life!

Many successful people demonstrate that having ADHD doesn’t mean having a life filled with chaos and problems. It’s possible to move beyond the challenges of ADHD and find the good things it can offer. It’s a matter of balancing the hard parts with routines, medication, therapy, or whatever you find to be beneficial…and then capitalizing upon the strengths.

People with ADHD are just like everyone else. We all have to learn to manage our feelings and control our behavior. We all must practice self-regulation to be successful.

October is “ADHD Awareness Month,” and this year’s theme is Reframing ADHD: Discovering New Perspectives (www.adhdawarenessmonth.org/).

Presents

Borrowed Farms

The open forum of a marketplace provides a refreshing getaway from shopping aisles. Each venue offers a unique setting that may include activities for children, live entertainment, and an array of foods. The curious shopper discovers they have direct access to fresh and locally grown fruits, herbs, flowers, and vegetables, dairy-based products, proteins, homemade goodies, and artisan-based, handmade crafts. In addition, the welcoming man or woman behind the table offers a small sampling of popular items. Whether you are a first-timer or repeat customer, take the time to introduce yourself, ask questions, and inquire if owners receive visitors or have a farm store. Most likely, the answer is “yes” or “it’s coming soon!”

Cobblestone Market

From 8:30 AM to noon, year-round, Saturday mornings offer an exciting opportunity for anyone in love with farm-fresh or homemade products! At 1001 South Marshall Street in Winston-Salem, Cobblestone Farmer’s Market is an ideal location to buy quality goods that adhere to the small business standard! Stop by and visit the table of Ernie and Kathy Wheeler of Borrowed Land Farms! You’ll find mushroom kits and a wide selection of whole bean and, if preferred, ground international coffee! Don’t worry if you are running errands; shoppers can schedule a pick-up from 8:30 AM until 11:00 AM to ensure they have essential goodies for the week!

Why Not Mushrooms?

Every small business owner has a grand story of why they started the endeavor. It’s not every day a couple of marine biologists dabble in the field of growing mushrooms! Kathy explains, “We once enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner in Oregon prepared from entirely local ingredients: foraged chanterelle mushrooms, smoked elk, tuna, cattail shoots, and wild greens. It tasted great and made us feel more connected to the land. Now, we want to help provide a similar experience for others—great-tasting local food with a story.”

Borrowed Land Farms

Home for the Wheelers is at the foot of Pilot Mountain in Surry County, surrounding specular views, rolling hills, and acres of trees. The unexpected reality is that edible mushrooms grow within a sterile, temperature- and humidity-controlled lab. The converted 1880s farmhouse allows the Wheeler family to live and prepare “Shroom Cubes,” termed “fruiting blocks,” year-round. Cultures of spawn applied to hydrated sawdust mixtures of soy pellets create the optimal environment, providing wood-loving mushroom production on any scale, from that needed by the hobbyist to the farmer! The result is a seven-inch cube weighing under six pounds. After fruiting several times, the block can produce up to two pounds of mushrooms.

Grow-Your-Own

Ernie and Kathy are happy to advise groups or individuals on viable mushroom cultivation practices. On the other hand, if you ever desired to grow mushrooms, Borrowed Land Farms shortens the time to a matter of weeks. For $30, interested growers could buy a package of 500 Shiitake inoculation plugs. The cost of $20 offers a fully colonized and ready-to-fruit “Shroom Cube Grow Kit,” or a five-pound bag of mushroom spawn. Fruiting blocks come in sizes weighing five or ten pounds each.

Changing the Model

Like many producers in the region, 2020 impacted the ebb and flow of Borrowed Land Farms’ seasonal year, grinding the momentum of business to a halt. Rather than continue producing fruiting blocks, growing mushrooms, advertising, and distributing, the Wheelers partnered with a nonprofit company, “Growing for Good,” and committed to operation in the lab. With two eager lab assistants meeting the demands to increase the number of fruiting blocks, Ernie realized a desire to pursue an unexpected passion.

Introducing Gallus Coffee

Ernie shares, “It began as a pandemic project. I built a stainlesssteel roaster using a heat gun and an infrared thermometer. From there, my Christmas-gift idea of roasting coffee for family and friends transitioned to a serious investment—a commercial roaster. I discovered I had the talent to blend flavors to make a great cup of coffee. I’d put my beans up against any commercial brand.” “Gallus,” meaning “rooster” in Scottish, implies you should wake up with the rooster’s crow and settle into a popular favorite. “Ethiopia,” a light-medium roast, includes notes of honey, green tea, and lemongrass; “Papua New Guinea,” a medium to dark roast, brings out the flavors of chocolate, dried fruit, and nuts with each sip! Regardless of your choice, it’s promised to be delicious! Contact Borrowed Farms at https://www.borrowedlandfarm.com, borrowedfarms@gmail.com, or by calling 336-257-8609.

Niche Homes Hit Mainstream

Our Ever Changing Money Habits

The changes to our spending habits were some of the biggest of the pandemic. From dine-in delivery to home buying, budgets are realigning to the transformed economy, as consumers opt-in to the new retail experience. While the long-term impacts will be sorted out later, new trends are emerging around how our hard-earned dollars are spent. The 3D printed home has hit the mainstream, according to the latest survey from Realtor.com. And while only a small number have been sold to-date, Realtor.com found that 66% of all consumers and 75% of millennials would consider living in a 3D printed home. The survey also showed that recent homebuyers had a higher awareness of the new technology, which uses 3D printer robotics. It also holds promise to bring ownership to potential first-time buyers frustrated with the sellers’ market, Realtor.com said, adding innovations associated with affordable 3D printed homes could help restore balance to the market. Realtor.com said consumers like the potential of 3D printed homes for energy efficiency, disaster resistance, speed-to-build, ability to customize, and less building waste. But most consumers still want to see how the technology pans out, Realtor.com added. Fun fact: some 3D printed homes can be “built” in a day. Parents Are Top Financial Influencers

Delivery Remains Essential

Delivery service grew exponentially during the pandemic. LendingTree said in August that more than 196 million Americans used one in the last year, with 30 percent admitting to overspending on it. Truliant Fueled by the pandemic, shoppers grew accustomed to delivery. While the most popular were services from online retailers like Amazon, food delivery was a close second. LendingTree reported consumers now have an annual spend of about $2,000 for delivery services. The delivery era is poised to stay. LendingTree found 45% of Americans plan to continue using delivery as often as they did during the pandemic. For savers, LendingTree offers this advice: compare prices and find the best deals to avoid blowing your budget. Millennials Budget More for Travel As more Americans traveled during the summer, patterns emerged about how different generations planned to spend. For example, millennials showed more willingness than other generations to spend more on trips, according to GetYourGuide.com, a travel-booking platform, from a study conducted in July. Not only were they willing to spend more, they were also more willing to pay to have someone else plan excursions for them. GetYourGuide.com also reported millennials as budgeting more for unique experiences during their travel than other generations. One area flagged for improvement during the pandemic was personal finance education. The National Financial Educators Council (NFEC) released the results of a study this Spring that said parents should take a more active role in teaching kids about money. NFEC said while mothers and fathers evenly split teaching conversations about money with kids, more than half of millennials learned little about personal finance from their parents. NFEC also found the vast majority of Americans favor teaching kids about money in high school. NFEC said parents should make conscious and consistent efforts to model good financial decision-making and provide opportunities for kids to practice budgeting, saving and spending. Tooth Fairy Payments Increase The pandemic hasn’t been easy on the Tooth Fairy’s budget. Tooth Fairy payouts during the pandemic reached an all-time high, according to new findings from Delta Dental’s Original Tooth Fairy Poll. This year’s poll showed the average cash gift reaching $4.70 a tooth, the highest amount in the poll’s 23-year history. It sounds like a lot, but it’s only four cents higher than the previous peak in 2017. The value of a tooth when the poll began in 1988: $1.30. Delta Dental points out that the value of the Tooth Fairy’s giving tends to mirror the economy’s overall direction – so the long-term tripling in price may not be such a bad thing.

Trick-or-Treating through the Years How Halloween Has Changed

BY KAREN COOPER

When the wind turns cooler, and you can smell the pumpkin spice in the air…you know Halloween is not far behind. Whether you love to go all out with the decorations; help your child pick (or make) the perfect costume; whip up fabulous treats, or just lie low during this time, Halloween has some spooky history that you may not be aware of.

Halloween started out nothing like the happy holiday chock full of Trick or Treating, pumpkin carving, and bags filled with candy we know and love today. No, Halloween evolved from the ancient Celtic holiday of Samhain (pronounced SAH-win). Samhain was a pagan religious festival with the tradition of welcoming in the harvest and ushering in “the dark half of the year.” People celebrating this festival believed that the barriers between the physical world and the spirit world could be crossed over during this time. As Christianity spilled into Celtic lands, the church picked up some of these rituals, combining them with its own. Over the centuries, Halloween changed from a pagan ritual into what we enjoy today.

Halloween really gained popularity in the United States in the 1840s due to the massive influx of Irish immigrants escaping the Potato Famine. In past generations, Halloween was identified closely with mischief, such as throwing cabbages and stealing garden gates. These days, there are still plenty of Halloween pranks to watch out for, such as egging houses or hanging toilet paper from tree branches… and such antics can result in hefty fines.

The first “haunted houses” opened to the public in 1915, but their Halloween heyday arrived during the Great Depression. People built primitive haunted houses that twisted through creaky buildings and basements and spooked local children. They were a great attraction and had the bonus of keeping kids from participating in destructive pranks.

Halloween costumes and the idea of Trick or Treating started out very different than what we think of today. Until the 1920s, most Halloween costumes were handmade by the costume wearer or their family. By the 1950s, manufactured costumes were available in stores. How can any of us (of a certain age) forget the costume in a box with the plastic mask held on with an elastic band and the “apron” costume that tied in the back?

When Trick-or-Treating started to become popular in the 1930s and early 1940s, children could expect anything from homemade cookies and pieces of cake to fruit, nuts, coins, and toys. It wasn’t until the 1950s that candy manufacturers began to get in on the act and promote their products for Halloween. And it wasn’t even until the 1970s that wrapped, factory-made candy was seen as the most acceptable thing to hand out to Trick or Treaters at the door. Parents had become much more safety conscious and were worried about the dangers of food tampering with homemade treats.

Beginning in the 1990s, Halloween parties and “Trunk-or-Treat” events emerged as a safer alternative to Trick-or-Treating. Children would gather candy from the opened trunks of cars parked together in a designated parking lot. The new tradition inspired creative car decorations and carnival-type activities where prizes could be won. This is also known as “Halloween tailgating.”

Halloween has become a true national event. Today, over 179 million Americans celebrate the holiday and spend about $9.1 billion on it per year, according to the National Retail Federation. Costumes, home decorations, competitions for who has the best candy, and elaborate Halloween parties have helped this holiday evolve into something so much more extravagant than its humble beginnings. For most children and adults alike, it is loved and highly anticipated, and a good time to get out and enjoy conversation with neighbors, compare costumes, and consume as much candy as possible.