Holiday Guide

Chinese Moon Festival

via About.com:

The Moon festival (also called the Mooncake or Mid-Autumn festival) falls on October 6 in the year 2006. What is the Moon festival? Every year on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is at its maximum brightness for the entire year, the Chinese celebrate "zhong qiu jie." Children are told the story of the moon fairy living in a crystal palace, who comes out to dance on the moon's shadowed surface.

Today, Chinese people celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival with dances, feasting and moon gazing. Not to mention mooncakes. While baked goods are a common feature at most Chinese celebrations, mooncakes are inextricably linked with the Moon festival. One traditional mooncake is filled with lotus seed paste and quite distinctive in appearance (see top photo). Roughly the size of a human palm, these mooncakes are quite filling, meant to be cut diagonally in quarters and passed around.

Ham is the star of Easter dinner

Here are five tips for ham on easter dinner:

• Hams are sold with or without the bone. To determine the amount to buy, estimate needing one-half to three quarters of a pound of bone-in ham per person, or one-fourth to one-third of a pound of boneless ham.
• With all the variety—fresh, partially cooked, fully cooked—it’s best to follow package instructions for baking times.
• Fully cooked hams can be served as is, but they’ll taste better if glazed and roasted to an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.
• Pricier cold-smoked hams are heavily salted. Serve them cold and thinly sliced to minimize saltiness.
• Before carving, let baked ham rest 15 minutes to redistribute juices and keep meat firm.

Christmas Office Party Tips

Be fashionably late
Don't be the first to arrive -- or the last. Arriving in the middle of dinner is rude, as is leaving too early. That said, don't plan other social engagements on the same evening.

Mingle with everyone
Don't head directly to the bar or buffet table as soon as you arrive. Mingle first.
Keep your right hand free to shake hands.

Be friendly with everyone's significant other. They'll remember your kindness and courtesy, and may prove influential in your future career pathAvoid shop talk
Get to know your colleagues on a personal level. Ask about their favorite sports or recent vacation destinations. Be a good listener.

However, the company office party may offer a chance to chat with the CEO or other senior managers you don't speak with often. Consider what you will say if the opportunity arises. It's important not to monopolize the higher ups' time: introduce yourself and mention that you're excited about certain projects in the new year.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Try something a little different for dessert this Thanksgiving - try these Pumpkin Pie Bars

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 55 min
Makes: 24 servings, 1 bar each

1-1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) cold butter or margarine
1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, uncooked
1/2 cup chopped PLANTERS Pecans
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil; grease foil lining. Mix flour, brown sugar and 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar in medium bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in oats and pecans. Reserve 1 cup of the oat mixture; press remaining mixture onto bottom of pan. Bake 15 min.
BEAT cream cheese, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.
BAKE 25 min. Lift from pan using foil handles; cool completely. Cut into 24 bars. Store leftover bars in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Size It Up
Sweets can add enjoyment to a balanced diet, but remember to keep tabs on portions.

Great Substitute
Prepare as directed, using PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese.

Quick Cloverleaf Herb Rolls

Using frozen bread dough is a quick creative way to make dinner rolls for Thanksgiving.

Preparation     15 min. 
Baking             15 min. 
Ingredients:

1/4 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, melted
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary*
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves**
1 (1-pound) loaf frozen bread dough, thawed

Instructions:

Stir together butter, parsley, rosemary annd thyme in 9-inch pie plate.

Cut bread dough into 36 (about 1-inch) pieces using kitchen shears. Shape each piece into a ball; roll in herb mixture. Place 3 balls in each of 12 ungreased muffin cups. Cover; let rise until double in size (about 30 minutes).

Heat over to 400°F. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

* Substitute 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed.

** Substitute 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves.
Ingredient Substitution Index

Yield:  1 dozen rolls

Nutrition Facts (1 roll)
Calories:    210
Fat:    11 g
Cholesterol:    165 mg
Sodium:    470 mg
Carbohydrates:    18 g
Dietary Fiber:    3 g
Protein:    9 g

Origins of Easter Bunny

The Easter bunny has its origin in pre-Christian fertility lore. The Hare and the Rabbit were the most fertile animals known and they served as symbols of the new life  during  the Spring season.

The  bunny  as an Easter symbol seems to have it's origins in Germany,  where it was first mentioned in German writings  in the 1500s. The first edible Easter bunnies were made in Germany  during the  early 1800s. And were made of pastry and sugar

The Easter bunny was introduced to American folklore by the German settlers who arrived in the Pennsylvania Dutch country during the 1700s. The arrival of the "Oschter Haws""Oschter Haws" would  lay a nest of colored eggs.  was considered "childhood's greatest pleasure"  next to a visit from Christ-Kindel on Christmas Eve. The children believed that if they were good the

The children would build their nest in a secluded place in the home, the barn or  the garden. Boys would use their caps and girls their bonnets to make the nests . The use of elaborate Easter baskets would come later as the tradition of the Easter bunny spread through out the country.

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More Valentine's Day Flower Meanings

Flower	Thought
Alyssum	Worth beyond beauty
Amaryllis	Timidity, pride
Apple blossom	Temptation
Aster	I share your sentiments
Bluebell	Constancy
Borage	Bluntness
White camellia	Perfect excellence
Red chrysanthemum	I love
White chrysanthemum	Truth
Daffodil	You're the only one for me
Daisy	Innocence
Ivy	Fidelity
Jonquil	I desire a return of affection
White lily	Purity, sweetness
Lily of the Valley	Happiness
Mimosa	Sensitivity
Myrtle	Love
Red pinks	Pure love
Red rose	Love, beauty
White rose	I am worthy of you
Red tulip	Declaration of love
Water lily	Purity of heart
Bouquet of withered flowers	Rejected love

St Valentine's Day

Western European Christian holiday, originally the Roman feast of Lupercalia. It was christianized in memory of the martyrdom of St. Valentine in AD 270, who, in medieval times, came to be associated with the union of lovers under conditions of duress. The holiday is celebrated on Feb. 14th by the exchange of romantic or comic verse messages called “valentines.” The first commercial valentine greeting cards produced in the United States were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Today millions of such cards are sold annually.

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