Prepare For A Cookie Baking Christmas Season

Cookie baking is one of the holiday season's most fun traditions. To get the most out of your cookie baking, here's a few tips:

* Cookie cutters - You should have a set of Christmas themed cookie cutters. Made of metal or plastic, you can find them at any grocery store or even dollar stores.* Sugars - You'll want to have at least 1 bag each of white sugar, brown sugar and powdered sugar.* Decorations - Sprinkles, nonpareils, candies, kisses, hard candies, cinnamon candies etc. Whatever your recipe calls for or whatever you like, get a bag or two.Always preheat your oven, it should be one of the first things you do. Also, doublecheck that you have set the right temperature. When placing the dough on the cookie sheets, try to make every cookie a uniform size. You can even use a measuring cup, spoon or ice cream scoop so you can get the same size cookie, this is important for proper and even baking. Keep a close eye on the first batch to test the doneness and adjust the temperature and baking time if needed, as every oven tends to be different. During baking, try and rotate the cookie sheets, turn them around and switch racks for more even cooking. Once one batch of cookies is done and you have removed the cookies from it, let the cookie sheet cool for a minute or two before placing the next batch of dough on it, this keeps the dough from spreading too much due to the heat from the last batch. You'll want to leave the cookies on the baking sheet for a minute or so before removing them to lessen the chance of breakage when you remove them.* Eggs & Butter - A dozen large eggs and a pound or two of salted butter.* Cookie sheets - You'll want to have at least 2 so you can be baking one batch while you are preparing another batch on another sheet.* Cooling rack - To cool your cookies properly, you'll need a cookie rack. Usually made of metal, you might need several depending on how many batches of cookies you will be making.* Oils - Some recipes call for vegetable oil, canola oil works great.* Mixing devices - Make sure you have several sizes of spoons on hand. You'll want a couple large wood spoons as well as some smaller mixing spoons.Supplies* Frosting tools - If you will be decorating your cookies, you might want to pick up a pastry bag as well as several pastry tips so you can make great looking designs with your frosting.* Spatula - To remove the cookies from the sheet, you'll need a spatula. A plastic one will work best and won't scratch your nonstick surface like a metal spatula would.Cookie Baking TipsLastly, store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.You'll need some basic supplies to bake cookies. Make sure that you have the following on hand:* Flour - Pick up a bag of all purpose flour.IngredientsSome basic ingredients you should have:* Mixing bowls - You'll want a set of sturdy mixing bowls. Metal or plastic will work fine. Have at least one small, one medium and a couple larger sized bowls.* Measuring devices - You'll want a Pyrex glass cup for wet ingredients such as oil and water. You'll also want to have a set of plastic measuring cups for dry ingredients such as flour, sugar and chocolate chips and a set of measuring spoons ranging for things like baking soda, baking powder, salt and vanilla.

Lastly, store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Better Back to School Lunches and Munches

(Family Features) Making sure kids get balanced and nutritious school lunches and after-school snacks doesn't have to be hard. In fact, it can be fun.

If your child leaves most of his or her sandwich behind, use cookie cutters to create a favorite shape such as an airplane, car, star or heart. The fun shape might encourage your child to finish the entire sandwich. A colorful selection of food and different texture adds appeal -- carrot sticks and green grapes for color, whole wheat pretzels and crackers for crunch. Put a surprise in your child's lunch: a sticker, a note of encouragement, or a small toy. Children love the do-it-yourself aspect of building their own pizza or making their own cracker stack. You can make the experience fun and healthier by cubing Boar's Head meats and cheeses and putting them in a bag along with some low-salt crackers. Roll Boar's Head meats and cheeses for dipping into condiments -- it will make a hungry child happy and keep them satisfied until dinner time.Wendy MacDonald wmacdonald@familyfeatures.com 1-888-824-3337 ext. 235 http://editors.familyfeatures.comSpread cream cheese on one side of tortilla. Place turkey slices evenly over tortilla, then add spinach leaves and sliced apple. Roll tortilla tightly, tucking ingredients as you roll. Slice wrap in half diagonally and serve.

Turkey Kabobs
Servings: 12 2 slices Boar's Head Ovengold® Turkey Breast, sliced ¼-inch thick
2 slices Boar's Head Yellow Cheddar Cheese, sliced ¼-inch thick
12 grapes, white seedless Toothpicks, long

Cut turkey and cheese into cubes. Place a cube of turkey on a toothpick, followed by a cube of cheese and then a grape. Repeat with remaining items. Arrange on a plate and serve.

NOTE: Instead of toothpicks, try using pretzel sticks instead.Parents can ensure kids get a lunch that's good for them -- and that they'll eat -- by making it themselves with products they trust. All Boar's Head Brand® deli meats and cheeses are gluten free, and there are dozens of lower sodium and heart-healthy options to choose from, as well. No matter what your health priority, you can rest assured your family is in good hands with Boar's Head.About Family Features Editorial Syndicate This and other food and lifestyle content can be found at www.editors.familyfeatures.com . Family Features is a leading provider of free food and lifestyle content for use in print and online publications. Register with no obligation to access a variety of formatted and unformatted features, accompanying photos, and automatically updating Web content solutions.Here are some simple tips from Boar's Head for lunches and munches kids will love:Another fun idea is to start a family food album where you and your kids keep track of the foods that provide nourishment and the ones that offer little or no nutritional value. Have your kids cut photos of food and nutrition labels making note of those foods that are considered healthy and those that are not. Your kids will learn about healthy eating and enjoy fun arts and crafts projects, too.Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=1699538

Wendy MacDonald wmacdonald@familyfeatures.com 1-888-824-3337 ext. 235 http://editors.familyfeatures.com

Going Halfway Around the World: How to Make German Cookies

I absolutely loved experimenting with foreign recipes, especially dessert recipes, when I was in high school. One of my favorite ones to make is German Cookies. I first learned of it after I'd tried a recipe for German Crumble Cake.

Pour the Vanilla Extract onto the flour and sprinkle sugar on top. Cut the butter into small pieces and scatter them on the flour. Crack the eggs and pour the yolks into the dent.Grease a cookie sheet and place cookie dough shapes on top. Put the oven on 350 degrees Farenheit (ovens may vary) and back for 10 minutes or until golden brown.Let them cool. Any leftovers should be kept covered so they will last.Take a sifter, a rolling pin, a baking board, and cookie cutters (optional). Sift the flour onto the baking board. Make a dent in the middle of the flour.And there you have it! You've just made delicious German Cookies!German Cookies

• 4 cups of flour
• 3/4 cups of sugar
• 2 sticks of butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
  

German Cookies is also a real 'hands on' recipe that contains a hefty bit of butter. Hope you enjoy!Mix all ingredients by hand, and smooth the dough flat about a half centimenter thick with the rolling pin. Engrave the dough with cookie cutters or roll and flatten into circle shapes.

And there you have it! You've just made delicious German Cookies!

Author: Kori Puckett

Birthday Party Recipes - 5 Tips For The Perfect Princess Party Menu

You're ready... your princess has invited the belles of the ball to the finest Princess Birthday Party of the year. You've purchased decorations, planned a few games and have some lovely take home gifts for your guests. Now it's time to plan the finest menu for your royal princess and her court. Let's make it so fabulous that the girls will remember this day when they're planning their future daughter's parties and one that will make your princess throw her hands around your neck and say, "Oh mom! You're the best ever!"

2. Presentation is everything. Think about it, mom. A peanut butter sandwich is nice, but, make that sandwich and cut it with petite cookie cutters into various princessly shapes and you have something spectacular. Even just cutting the sandwiches with a glass into a circle and then cutting the circles in half would work. Display them nicely on a glass plate with some red grapes or flowers and it's no longer just a boring sandwich but a delicacy that's a delight to look at AND eat.1. Keep it simple. The last thing you need on a busy day is for you to be running around like crazy trying to make cherries flamb� or tiramisu with cr�me fraise. However, with a little creative planning, you can make something spectacular and still be able to take photos of the lovely girls eating your birthday dainties. There are SO many recipes available at your fingertips that are not only delicious but easy to make with items you probably have in the house or can pick up in your local grocery store at minimal cost (another key!). One of my favorite recipe sites for quick recipes is http://www.freequickrecipes.com, or you can just punch a name of a recipe into your google search box and hundreds of recipes will pop up. Just keep it simple!The perfect, stress free Princess party menu is within reach, Mom. Just keep it simple, fancy, tasty and pink! Write out a checklist and you're all set for the finest party menu for your princess and her royal maidens.3. Throw the "no sugar" rule out the window. Ok, I'll get hate mail for this one but c'mon mom! Your princess only has the bash of the century once a year, so break the rules a little and provide something sweet to eat. Balance it out with a lower sugar drink and other dainties that aren't sugar laden.5. Work with a timeline and schedule for the day of the party. A checklist of what you'll be serving and when you need to pull it out of the freezer or fridge, what goes where, etc., and how long each thing takes will insure that you won't forget any of the details and insure that you won't go to open the fridge for a late night snack after your princess is in dream land and see the strawberries that you meant to put in the royal goblets.What follows are 5 tips for you in creating the menu of the decade for your princess birthday party.

The perfect, stress free Princess party menu is within reach, Mom. Just keep it simple, fancy, tasty and pink! Write out a checklist and you're all set for the finest party menu for your princess and her royal maidens.

Author: Annette Yen

Frugal Scrapbooking Ideas and Paper Crafting Supplies

Scrapbooking supplies are not cheap. The cost for colorful paper and card stock, stickers, embellishments, and adhesives can really add up. If you are looking for frugal scrapbooking ideas to help cut back on these expenses, keep reading. By using discarded items you find around the house, you will save money and recycle things that would otherwise end up in the landfills.

A Christmas centerpiece can be dressed up in various ways. You can dress up a simple centerpiece through an arrangement of flowers in a short crystal vase or placing a long cloth centerpiece with a plastic centerpiece tray loaded with an assortment of greeneries, plastic flower petals, added with Christmas ornaments, figurines, candies, and sweets.pinch of saltIf sewing is another one of your hobbies, you already know that fabric and ribbon scraps are the perfect complement to your paper crafting projects. Many of these fabric and ribbon scraps are too small for sewing, yet are the perfect size for accenting handmade cards and more. Ask your friends and family members that sew to keep a ziploc handy to collect their scraps. Instead of throwing them out, they can give them to you!With a little imagination and creative thinking, you will surely find even more common household goods that you can use for frugal scrapbooking ideas. Keep an inexpensive container handy, and as you come across odds and ends that could find a second life in one of your projects, place it in the container until you find a use for it.2. Wallpaper RemnantsA gift basket is fun to dress up and even more fun to give. What you need to do is look for a basket or a Christmas-themed container and put a few things in it. Some things that you could place inside the gift basket can be a sleek vase with a single flower on it, for instance an orange Gerbera daisy, a rose, or lily. You can also add some items like a Christmas dvd movie, a Christmas book, Christmas decors, Christmas cookie cutters, or sweet treats. First put together the bud vase in the container with the use of floral clay. If you use a wicker basket, use some cheerful Christmas tissue paper or other beautiful paper to line it. Organize the items in the basket so it would look nice and appealing. This would make a brilliant gift for a coworker, a teacher, a brother or a sister, or your parents.3. Gift Wrap1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla1/2 cup brown sugar5. Office Supplies

With a little imagination and creative thinking, you will surely find even more common household goods that you can use for frugal scrapbooking ideas. Keep an inexpensive container handy, and as you come across odds and ends that could find a second life in one of your projects, place it in the container until you find a use for it.

Author: Dawn Hall

Flower Arrangement as Gift Ideas For Christmas

Flowers are considered an exceptional and special present to give during Christmas. There is a wide range of flower arrangements available for purchase online if you don�t feel like putting one up together on your own. Anybody can do these simple arrangements if you follow my lead of simple instructions. The floral design selections for Christmas are almost infinite. A Christmas-themed centerpiece, a little arrangement on a Christmas mug or an ornamental container, a gift basket, a candle ring, and vase arrangements, would be a perfect present to give to a friend or family member.

To make the cookies mix the ingredients well and then roll out to � inch thickness and use cookie cutters. Or make small balls out of them and roll the balls in nuts or coconut. Place on a greased cookie sheet and then flatten lightly with the bottom of a glassYou could also create a nice and special arrangement for any vase of any sizes, the bigger the vase, the more flowers and greens will have to be used. Since its Christmas time, using red, white and if available, green flowers (such as green button mums), would surely make up a sensible theme. Furthermore, it is advisable to select from a variety of greenery, try not to stick on a particular one to avoid a dull look. Placing a red rose in a bud vase with a few baby's breath and cedar adds a wonderful accent to the arrangement. Dark red alstroemerias are also a nice touch-up.1 bag chocolate kiss candies, unwrapped (7 ounces)

A Christmas centerpiece can be dressed up in various ways. You can dress up a simple centerpiece through an arrangement of flowers in a short crystal vase or placing a long cloth centerpiece with a plastic centerpiece tray loaded with an assortment of greeneries, plastic flower petals, added with Christmas ornaments, figurines, candies, and sweets.

Author: Melanie Smith

Delicious Christmas Cookies Recipe

Keep your kidsbusy during Christmas break baking cookies to give as Christmas gifts. Below are some common Christmas cookies that aren�t too hard to make and are great for Christmas sharing.

1/2 teaspoon vanillaUse an electric mixer and beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Then add sugar and flour, vanilla and almond extract, blending well. Chill the dough for 2 � hours then form it into small balls and roll them in the nuts. Place the balls on a lightly greased cookie sheet then make an indentation with your thumb and fill it with jam. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until firm and light brown on bottom. Bake at 300�.Shortbread cookies are classics that will melt in your mouth. You can roll the dough out and use Christmas shaped cookie cutters or simple roll the cookies into balls and then roll the balls in a festive topping like crushed almonds or coconut. These cookies are easy and fun to make.You�ll need the following:powdered sugarMany wallpaper remnants are as beautiful as the pricey papers in the scrapbooking stores. Make regular stops at your local paint and wallcovering stores, get to know the staff, and ask them to call you when they have discontinued sample books that they are discarding. Unfortunately, there is a good chance that these samples are not acid-free. Although they may not be suitable for your scrapbook pages, they are the perfect touch for handmade cards and other paper crafting projects.Think of all the beautiful gift wrap that ends up in the landfill. Instead of throwing it away, recycle it. At birthday parties and other special occasions, check with the guest of honor to find out if he or she has any plans to use the gift wrap after unwrapping presents. If they plan to throw it away, you should be able to collect a good assortment of gift wrap paper that can be used for your frugal paper crafting projects.Thumbprint CookieIf you have a die cut machine capable of cutting chipboard, such as the Cricut Expression, don't buy chipboard at the craft store. Instead, use cereal boxes. Once you adhere colorful paper to the cereal box die cuts, no one will ever guess it came from your pantry! If you do not have a die cut machine, you can use cookie cutters instead, to cut the box and paper into the desired shapes.Many of the products in the scrapbooking aisle are simply embellished office supplies. Office supplies, however, are much cheaper, and can be jazzed up with very little effort. For example, paper fasteners are basically the same thing as the colorful brads that are used for scrapbooking. Paint them with inexpensive acrylic paints to coordinate with the your layouts.These fun cookies have a chocolate kiss treat inside!1/2 cup granulated sugar1 teaspoon almond extract2 cups flourBake at 300� F. for around 20 to 25 minutes.1. Cereal BoxesThe recipe above makes about 2 to 3 dozen cookies.1 3/4 cups flour2 teaspoons vanilla3/4 cup granulated sugar4. Fabric and Ribbon ScrapsChopped nutsSecret Kiss Cookie1/2 pound unsalted butterJamThis is a colorful and fun cookie that kids love to make with a thumbprint.2 1/2 cups flour � add more if dough is too thinShortbread Cookies

Use an electric mixer and beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Then add sugar and flour, vanilla and almond extract, blending well. Chill the dough for 2 � hours then form it into small balls and roll them in the nuts. Place the balls on a lightly greased cookie sheet then make an indentation with your thumb and fill it with jam. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until firm and light brown on bottom. Bake at 300�.

Author: Marianne Jackson

Fundamental Baking Tools Required

So you're ready to get up baking. You're all excited to skim through that recipe book and discover your self the ideal recipe to guide you into making scrumptious cookies that you can impress your family and pals with. But hold on. Are you armed using the suitable baking tools for the cookie mission? Allow us appear in to the checklist and check your gear.

Cookie pressSpatulaIt essential that your ingredients particularly flour is devoid of any foreign matter. You simply cannot rake through your flour to do this. That could be like finding a needle inside a haystack. You go get a sifter. The sifting process not only would break up the clumps but it aerates your flour thus giving it much more volume. For best outcomes, sift only small quantities at a time. This does not only prevent spills but it can make sifting easier and faster.Measuring cupsSifterBaking indicates needing to work with a hot oven so it's best that your hands are secured from heated surfaces like the stove or baking pans. To steer clear of getting burns, oven mitts ought to usually be worn within the kitchen. These mitts are frequently made from material and are generally insulated. Even though these oven mitts can offer you safety within the kitchen, they are not invincible from hot liquids which might nonetheless seep through the material.You're done together with your dough and are now ready to shape your cookies. Go artistic and use cookie cutters! Cookie cutters which are usually made up of tin, stainless steel, aluminum, plastic or copper are created to cut cookie dough in particular distinctive shapes. Styles include stars, hearts, moon shapes, circles and squares to name a few. Kids will certainly be enticed to grab one of those cookie characters.Note: Jim Welsh is coauthor and coeditor (with Rodney Hill and the Rev. Gene D. Phillips, S. J.) of The Francis Ford Coppola Encyclopedia, published in 2010 by The Scarecrow Press.Rolling pinsIn shaping and flattening your dough, utilizing a rolling pin is much more sensible so you might as well neglect concerning the ides of kneading or molding it together with your bare hands. Rolling pins are generally made up of wood, glass, marble, stainless steel or plastic. It's thick, cylindrical and has two handles on every end. There are essentially two types of rolling pins: the rod and the roller.A spatula appears to be a mixture of a spoon along with a knife. It takes on the shape of a spoon but it includes a blade that is blunt and far from becoming sharp. This kitchen utensil is indispensable in baking as it's utilized for mixing batter, dough and applying frosting. Spatulas are popularly made of silicone, rubber or bamboo.I only wish that Berliner's book had been published earlier, before The Encyclopedia of Francis Ford Coppola (which I co-authored) was published, for I believe Berliner's thesis unlocks one of the secrets of Coppola's success. No book has so far explained Coppola's process of serialization so well as Berliner, and the subsequent success of Godfather II, which is, apparently, another exercise in "narrative perversity." By 1974, Berliner claims, "seventies narrative design was dirmly established, and The Godfather, Part II epitomizes that form" (88). The family was perverse, the morality was perverse, and so was the fable, so the "perverse" treatment made it all of a piece. Audiences not only noticed this, but loved it. The strategy was brilliant.Cookie cutters

Baking indicates needing to work with a hot oven so it's best that your hands are secured from heated surfaces like the stove or baking pans. To steer clear of getting burns, oven mitts ought to usually be worn within the kitchen. These mitts are frequently made from material and are generally insulated. Even though these oven mitts can offer you safety within the kitchen, they are not invincible from hot liquids which might nonetheless seep through the material.

Author: Amy Wells

Hollywood Incoherent: Narration in Seventies Cinema

Hollywood Incoherent: Narration in Seventies Cinema Todd Berliner. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2010.

Jim WelshSalisbury University, EmeritusThe last two chapters examine the "limits of seventies narrative design" as evidenced in two films, Scorsese's Taxi Driver and the John Cassavetes film, Woman Under the Influence (1974), each intended to demonstrate both the "extremes" and the "commercial hazards" of this newly discovered "narrative perversity." Of course, other scholars (like David Cook, for example) noticed that many of the films of the 1970s were artistically innovative. Peter Lev linked that innovation to the decade's "conflicting ideological currents." But explaining ideology and culture won't necessarily explain box-office popularity, or what, exactly, the "innovations" involved, or why they caught on with popular audiences. Todd Berliner does just that, and that is why this book is so important. In conclusion: Don't attempt to teach the 1970s without it. This is surely one of the most important film books of the decade, pure and simply. Ignore it at your own risk.Berliner is especially interested in American filmmakers influenced by European and Asian art cinema, who then began creating odd, moody, ambiguous, and unpredictable characters populating looser narrative structures dominated by elliptical, disrupting flashbacks, and flashforwards, influenced by films as diverse ad Kurosawa's Rashomon and Bergman's Persona, and rendering both characters and plots mysterious and inscrutible. Especially influenced himself by the narrational notions of David Bordwell and others, Berliner should be able to press forward with more confidence than he sometimes seems able to muster. Nonetheless, during this experimental period, American cinema became less parochial and more interesting, more mature, and sophisticated than it had heretofore been. Some films got multiple viewings because viewers just were not sure what had conspired (in such films as Antonioni's Blow-Up or Kurosawa's Rashomon, for example). Berliner takes a particular interest in the creative implications of many of the films Tino Balio describes in his book Foreign Film Renaissance (2010).1 cannot possibly assume that a regular cup or mug could be utilized in measuring the amount of flour or sugar that you'll use for the batter. In baking, one needs to be precise. This indicates utilizing accurate well defined measurements in sorting your ingredients. These cups aid in measuring liquid components like h2o, milk, juice in milliliters, ounces, pints or fractions of a liter. Measuring cups also offer level measures for dry ingredients such as sugar and flour.Todd Berliner's book is certainly one of the best I have seen about 1970s cinema. Berliner noticed that the films of that decade just didn't make sense in the usual way that Hollywood studio cookie-cutter films of the 1940s and 1950s did. Leslie Halliwell, once a presumptive touchstone of popular taste, complained about the "arrogance" of the 1970s filmmakers, objecting to the narrative peculiarities of their films. But that alleged "arrogance" was exactly what made them appealing to audiences of the generation after Halliwell's. Berliner calls that "arrogance" narrative perversity, and celebrates it as one component that set the films of that decade apart from all others, and also helped to make them popular.

Salisbury University, Emeritus

Author: Welsh, Jim

Fun Baked Birthday Treats

The traditional birthday cake isn�t the only yummy option you have when it comes to baked goods for your child�s birthday party. We have come up with some other ideas that are more than just a substitute for a birthday cake. They are creative, delicious and just plain different.

Decorate A Cookie

�Sugar Cookie Dough
�Cookie Cutters
�Wax Paper
�Confectioner�s Sugar
�Water
�Food Coloring
�Assorted candies
�Colored Sugar (different colors)
�Sprinkles

Prepare a batch of your favorite cookie dough, or purchase some refrigerated sugar dough. Roll it out and place it on the wax paper. Let the kids cut out cookies using the cookie cutter, then bake them according to the baking instructions for your dough.

Allow the cookies do cool. Prepare �Glue� by mixing the confectioner�s sugar with water to form a sticky paste. You can add food coloring to turn it into different colors. The kids can paint the cookies with this glue, then add candies sprinkles and colored sugar.

Allow them to dry and either let the kids eat them at the party, or place them in plastic bags so they can take them home after the party.

Magic Wands

�Refrigerated Sugar Cookie Dough
�Star Cookie Cutter
�Popsicle Stick
�Confectioners� Sugar
�Hot Water
�Food Coloring

Roll out the sugar cookie dough and cut using a star-shaped cookie cutter; bake according to package instructions.

As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, and are still soft to the touch, carefully push a Popsicle stick between any two points of the star. This makes the handle for your wand.

Frost the cookies with glossy icing. To make glossy icing, simply sift confectioners' sugar into a bowl. Slowly add hot water, while mixing, until it becomes a smooth paste. Add a few drops of food coloring to make extra colorful treats. These wand cookies are somewhat fragile, but they're delicious and a lot of fun to eat!

Dessert Pizza

�Sugar cookie dough, store bought
�8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
�1 cup sugar
�1 teaspoon vanilla
�Fruit slices like banana, strawberries, apples and blueberries
�Greased cookie sheet or pizza pan

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Slice up the dough like you're making cookies.

Press the dough into a pizza pan. You should end up with thin, sweet pizza dough. Bake it for about 8 minutes and cool it on a rack.

Combine the sugar, vanilla and softened cream cheese. Spread it all over you pizza crust.

Top with the fruit slices.

There you have it � Three fun baked treats that not only make a great addition to any birthday party, whether you are serving cake or not. They are also a fun activity for the kids during the party. Give one of these a try at the next child birthday party you throw.

Author: Susanne Myers

Edge Studio Announces New approach to Voice Over Training

NEW YORK, June 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Voice-over artists shouldn't have cookie-cutter demos, so why give them cookie cutter training?" asks David Goldberg, Owner and Director of Edge Studio, a voice over production and education company.

Another simple idea is to bake a cake in a heart shaped cake mold. Make some red (or at least pink) icing and then the kids can decorate the top with sprinkles and heart shaped candies."We don't have art backgrounds ourselves. But when we went into retail and decided to do children's clothing we recognized immediately how saturated the market is," Gary Goldman said. "We wanted to make ourselves unique, not follow what everyone else is doing. ... We meshed well with Rand because we shared the same vision of a clean, modern, artistic look.""Because voices, interests and learning curves are not the same from person to person," said Mr. Goldberg. "Students are more successful finding voice over jobs when our team of coaches, casting agents, and business experts tailors the student's voice over training plan and demo to that student's particular interests, potential, and resources."SOURCE Edge StudioA leading authority in the voice-over industry since 1988, Edge Studio specializes in:Make a Food Treat TogetherMost people associate chocolates with Valentine�s Day, but how about making a different treat together that your family can share together. One fun treat you can make are Rice Krispies hearts. All you need is the basic Rice Krispies squares recipe, heart shaped cookie cutters and red sprinkles. Lightly grease the insides of the heart shaped cookie cutters and press some Rice Krispies squares mix into the cookie cutters. Then remove the cookies cutters and add the sprinkles. Repeat as needed with the rest of the mixture. It�s simple enough for young kids to help out.Watch a Family Favorite MovieFor more information, visit www.EdgeStudio.com.The proof of this system is available to anyone for the hearing -- because Edge Studio regularly hires its graduates to perform in its productions for major companies.Carolyn Goldman wanted a blank canvas, so Elliott provided a stark white background on which to build their designs - ceilings, floors, walls, all white. And that space is broken up by the simplest of black frames, a grid of sorts. The only color in the store is the clothing and a yellow-tinted, boxed, children's play area, which helps draw attention to the most important elements in the environment.The new program even includes a low-budget option where the student trains themselves with personalized planning and review by Edge Studio coaches.Gary Goldman said they are planning to hold a parking lot carnival in August to benefit the nonprofit Prevent Blindness in Oklahoma. Art teachers and materials will be available to help children to express their creativity, followed several weeks later by an evening art show and sale in Automobile Alley.Elliott also designed the shopping center itself, which creates something of a three-dimensional frame within the frame for Uptown Kids. He said the attraction the designs have received by customers and the magazine speak well of Oklahoma as a creative space.Rand Elliott, principal at Elliott & Associates Architects, recently was featured in the Interior Design industry magazine for his work on the Uptown Kids store in the Classen Curve restaurant and retail complex. Elliott developed the concept for the store design in collaboration with store owners Carolyn and Gary Goldman, who envisioned something more for their business than just another cookie-cutter clothing shop.Elliott took the concept one step further, though, and incorporated dressing room mirrors and clothing racks as frames. Some of the walls can also be swung open on the grid for rearranging design elements. Elliott said the overall effect could also be perceived as almost a plug-and-play technology.

SOURCE Edge Studio

Create Valentine�s Day Family Traditions

Often the fondest childhood memories stem from family traditions that were lovingly repeated throughout the years. Family traditions have family at the center of a celebration spending time together and creating lasting memories. If you don't already have a family Valentine's Day tradition, why not start one this year. It could be the beginning of many wonderful years of Valentine's Day memories with your family.

A Valentine family tradition doesn�t have to be expensive. The main idea is to spend time with the family together. Here are some inexpensive ways you can start a Valentine�s Day family tradition in your family.The Goldmans said they felt that the products they were selling were akin to wearable art, adorning little human masterpieces - the couple have one child, 19-month-old Piper. And as such, those clothes needed to be framed appropriately.Exchange Homemade CardsCopyright 2006 Sheila Anderson"So often retail stores are done as just a place that you fill with stuff," Elliott said. "But in these frames there's an infinite range of possibilities now that you can display these clothes to really make them stand out as something special."Education services: candid aptitude assessment, career guidance, voice-over coaching, demo recording, and business/marketing skills.The "Personalized Training Plan" has three parts:Each player starts with 7 cards and plays 2 cards face down in front of them each round. The top card cannot be a heart. After each player has selected their cards then everyone turns over the top card. The player with the highest card wins all the remaining face down cards, hopefully containing some hearts. In each subsequent round, deal 2 more cards and continue play. The player with the most hearts in the end wins the game.Games are a great way for families to interact with each other and have fun at the same time. Choose a favorite family game and have an enjoyable time together. Make sure that it is a game everyone enjoys so nobody feels frustrated or left out. It�s also fun to learn a new game together so the whole family is at the same level of expertise.Production services: genre-specific expertise in production, casting, translation, project guidance and management, recording, editing, music, and sound design.Holidays are very special to children and Valentine�s Day can be made even more memorable if you create your own family tradition. Your children may even use these traditions when they are grown with their own families.The movie doesn�t have to be mushy and sentimental, as long as it is a movie that the whole family enjoys. It doesn�t even need to be a movie you�ve seen if it�s a movie that the whole family wants to see. Pop some popcorn, or eat some of the treats you�ve made for Valentine�s Day, and enjoy some time together.The more robust alternative is Edge Studio's "Personalized Training Plan." In this track, with more than a dozen coaches on the Edge Studio staff, plus experts in the industry's technology and business practices, every student gets a well-rounded perspective, whatever their voice-over specialty.

Copyright 2006 Sheila Anderson

Author: Sheila Anderson

Innovators: Uptown Kids in Oklahoma City - not just another shop

A new children's clothing store in northwest Oklahoma City has earned recognition for combining architecture, retail display and art to help drive sales.

* B. "Learning you" - To differentiate themselves, students are matched with one or more Edge Studio coaches who tailor training to that student's particular potential, strengths, and interests.Instead of shopping for cards try making cards at home. You�ll save money and have nice keepsakes. The cards can be as simple as folding a piece of paper and cutting out a heart with one straight edge of the heart along the fold. Write a customized message for each member of the family on a separate heart card for each. Encourage the other members of the family to do the same and you�ll have a nice time exchanging special heartfelt cards.A card game that has hearts as the central theme is a good match for creating a Valentine�s Day family game time tradition. Capture the Hearts is a simple card game that the whole family can easily understand and play. The object of the game is to win as many hearts as possible. The only card knowledge required is to know the order of the cards.Edge Studio has facilities in New York City, Connecticut, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles, and regularly produces and trains remotely via telephone, Internet, and Skype.Read full release: http://www.edgestudio.com/press-releases/2011/06/because-every-voice-over-artist-and-career-are-different-edge-studio-announ* C. "Demo Production" the coach and student work together to prepare, record and produce the student's demo.Play a Family GameEdge Studio is known as much for its production of high-end voice over projects as for its education department. Now, Mr. Goldberg has announced a restructured curriculum to give students even more flexibility.

Gary Goldman said they are planning to hold a parking lot carnival in August to benefit the nonprofit Prevent Blindness in Oklahoma. Art teachers and materials will be available to help children to express their creativity, followed several weeks later by an evening art show and sale in Automobile Alley.

Author: Brian Brus

Ooooh Scary!!

With Halloween just around the corner, why not consider doing some ghoulish crafts with your children? One of my favorite crafts to do with the kids is Halloween candle making. Your kids will love it, and it is appropriate for any age group. You will need the following supplies to get started:

Some basic ingredients you should have:Using your wax adhesive, cover the back of the cut-out. You can also use clear candle wax, but try to work fast because the wax will harden quickly. You can use a paint brush to apply the melted wax."You can only go to the bank once," explains Plechac. "Should you submit a flawed plan, you may have closed the door forever. Why take the risk? You don't have to spend thousands on a plan. But a few hundred is an investment well worth making. Make sure you choose the right business plan writer. Look for custom and personal service, from a business plan writer who is willing to talk to you on the phone and has plenty of experience. After all, each business is different. You deserve attention, respect, and special treatment."* Eggs & Butter - A dozen large eggs and a pound or two of salted butter.* Measuring devices - You'll want a Pyrex glass cup for wet ingredients such as oil and water. You'll also want to have a set of plastic measuring cups for dry ingredients such as flour, sugar and chocolate chips and a set of measuring spoons ranging for things like baking soda, baking powder, salt and vanilla.Most budding entrepreneurs know the value of having a comprehensive business plan they can quite literally "take to the bank." But not all appreciate the importance of a custom business plan -- with the emphasis on the word "custom" as in "custom business plan."Remove the cookie cutters, and allow the wax to harden completely. This will ensure that your cut-outs maintain their shape when you are working with them.Contacts: BusinessPlanStore.ca Daniel Plechac 416-305-2111 daniel@businessplanstore.ca www.businessplanstore.ca

Now you are going to apply the cut-out to the candle. Try to place it in the correct spot on the candle. The cut-out will be difficult to move once the wax has started setting, and the candle may get damaged. That�s it! You�re finished! Trick or Treat!

Author: Cassie Morgan

Prepare For A Cookie Baking Christmas Season

Cookie baking is one of the holiday season's most fun traditions. To get the most out of your cookie baking, here's a few tips:

* Spatula - To remove the cookies from the sheet, you'll need a spatula. A plastic one will work best and won't scratch your nonstick surface like a metal spatula would.You can use other tools to produce different shapes. For instance, you can use drinking straws to produce eyes for your creepy monsters. Or you can use a small paring knife to make free form shapes. As always, be extra careful using sharp objects around the children.You'll need some basic supplies to bake cookies. Make sure that you have the following on hand:Alex Halevskiy, President of Everest Mouldings of Toronto, Canada knows all about the power of a custom business plan . He says: "Daniel Plechac helped me in so many ways with my business, everything from marketing to planning. But most of all, Daniel wrote the business plan that got the bank financing. It was a crucial step that helped get us where we are today: a thriving business with 15 employees and innovative products that has expanded to the United States."After the wax has cooled somewhat, use your cookie cutters to produce your scary shapes. We like to use quite a variety of shapes and sizes. Try to arrange your shapes to maximize the use of the wax.* Decorations - Sprinkles, nonpareils, candies, kisses, hard candies, cinnamon candies etc. Whatever your recipe calls for or whatever you like, get a bag or two.* Cookie sheets - You'll want to have at least 2 so you can be baking one batch while you are preparing another batch on another sheet.* Mixing bowls - You'll want a set of sturdy mixing bowls. Metal or plastic will work fine. Have at least one small, one medium and a couple larger sized bowls.* Oils - Some recipes call for vegetable oil, canola oil works great.* Sugars - You'll want to have at least 1 bag each of white sugar, brown sugar and powdered sugar.* Mixing devices - Make sure you have several sizes of spoons on hand. You'll want a couple large wood spoons as well as some smaller mixing spoons.* Frosting tools - If you will be decorating your cookies, you might want to pick up a pastry bag as well as several pastry tips so you can make great looking designs with your frosting.Always preheat your oven, it should be one of the first things you do. Also, doublecheck that you have set the right temperature. When placing the dough on the cookie sheets, try to make every cookie a uniform size. You can even use a measuring cup, spoon or ice cream scoop so you can get the same size cookie, this is important for proper and even baking. Keep a close eye on the first batch to test the doneness and adjust the temperature and baking time if needed, as every oven tends to be different. During baking, try and rotate the cookie sheets, turn them around and switch racks for more even cooking. Once one batch of cookies is done and you have removed the cookies from it, let the cookie sheet cool for a minute or two before placing the next batch of dough on it, this keeps the dough from spreading too much due to the heat from the last batch. You'll want to leave the cookies on the baking sheet for a minute or so before removing them to lessen the chance of breakage when you remove them.* Cookie cutters - You should have a set of Christmas themed cookie cutters. Made of metal or plastic, you can find them at any grocery store or even dollar stores.1. A pillar candle.
2. Some �cut and carve� wax.
3. Some wax adhesive.
4. Halloween cookie cutters.
5. A shallow pan.Heat your �cut and carve� wax, and pour it into the shallow pan. Be sure that you fill the pan approximately 1/4 inch., and try to ensure your pan is on a level surface. Allow the wax to cool, but not until it has completely hardened.Lastly, store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.Template-based business plans or those from small-time offshore operators can be "completely useless," says Daniel Plechac of www.businessplanstore.ca because they take a cookie-cutter approach that will most likely fail to impress banks or investors.* Flavorings & Colorings - Many cookie recipes use vanilla extract, get the real kind, not artificially flavored for best taste. For coloring, you'll want this to color your frosting too. You can usually get a set of coloring bottles around the holidays on sale.Ingredients

Lastly, store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Author: Ricky Alberta

BusinessPlanStore.ca: Custom Business Plan

A custom business plan can be the key to kick starting your start up company -- no matter where you are in developing your idea.

For more information about custom business plans, please go to www.businessplanstore.ca .When the wax has cooled, start removing your shapes. Do this in the same manner as you would if you were making cookies. Feel free to use a spatula or another household utensil to assist. Do not worry if the excess wax breaks up�.you can always reheat it!* Flour - Pick up a bag of all purpose flour.Cookie Baking TipsNow you are going to apply the cut-out to the candle. Try to place it in the correct spot on the candle. The cut-out will be difficult to move once the wax has started setting, and the candle may get damaged. That�s it! You�re finished! Trick or Treat!

Contacts: BusinessPlanStore.ca Daniel Plechac 416-305-2111 daniel@businessplanstore.ca www.businessplanstore.ca

Experience Authentic Mexico Up to 40 Percent off with Barcelo Hotels & Resorts

FAIRFAX, Va., July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Travelers seeking a more authentic experience than the typical cookie-cutter, all-inclusive vacation will delight in the history and culture of Barcelo Hotels & Resorts' locations in the beautiful Riviera Maya and Los Cabos, Mexico destinations.

SOURCE Barcelo Hotels & ResortsWendy MacDonald wmacdonald@familyfeatures.com 1-888-824-3337 ext. 235 http://editors.familyfeatures.comFor a quick and tasty lunch, try these easy Turkey and Apple Roll-ups. And for a simple after-school snack, Turkey Kabobs are fun and easy to make. Visit www.boarshead.com for more kid-friendly lunch and snack ideas like these.Barcelo Los Cabos Palace Deluxe plays host to breathtaking wedding and romance venues that offer every touch of beauty and elegance desired with the added allure of an authentically Mexican look and feel. Say your destination wedding "I Do's" under a gorgeous gazebo before hosting your friends and family for the reception of a lifetime with delectable regional fare and unforgettable entertainment.Your potential customer clicked on your subject line because they were craving chocolate chip cookies, not cookie cutters or organic sugars. So why would you put �We sell the best chocolate chip dough� in your subject line, only to disappoint eager visitors with a sale on Christmas tree cookie cutters? In your promotion you should write about the selection of chocolate chip cookie dough you have, the different amounts available and let them know about the great prices you are offering. Make sure you give your potential customer all of the information they will need to make an educated decision about what they might want. No client will want to make an order for 4 pounds of chocolate chip dough if they do not first know how much it will cost them. You may sell the best dough around, but not many people will blindly hit the buy now button on an item that does not have a price tag.

SOURCE Barcelo Hotels & Resorts

Better Back to School Lunches and Munches

(Family Features) Making sure kids get balanced and nutritious school lunches and after-school snacks doesn't have to be hard. In fact, it can be fun.

Parents can ensure kids get a lunch that's good for them -- and that they'll eat -- by making it themselves with products they trust. All Boar's Head Brand® deli meats and cheeses are gluten free, and there are dozens of lower sodium and heart-healthy options to choose from, as well. No matter what your health priority, you can rest assured your family is in good hands with Boar's Head.If your child leaves most of his or her sandwich behind, use cookie cutters to create a favorite shape such as an airplane, car, star or heart. The fun shape might encourage your child to finish the entire sandwich. A colorful selection of food and different texture adds appeal -- carrot sticks and green grapes for color, whole wheat pretzels and crackers for crunch. Put a surprise in your child's lunch: a sticker, a note of encouragement, or a small toy. Children love the do-it-yourself aspect of building their own pizza or making their own cracker stack. You can make the experience fun and healthier by cubing Boar's Head meats and cheeses and putting them in a bag along with some low-salt crackers. Roll Boar's Head meats and cheeses for dipping into condiments -- it will make a hungry child happy and keep them satisfied until dinner time.Another fun idea is to start a family food album where you and your kids keep track of the foods that provide nourishment and the ones that offer little or no nutritional value. Have your kids cut photos of food and nutrition labels making note of those foods that are considered healthy and those that are not. Your kids will learn about healthy eating and enjoy fun arts and crafts projects, too.Here are some simple tips from Boar's Head for lunches and munches kids will love:About Family Features Editorial Syndicate This and other food and lifestyle content can be found at www.editors.familyfeatures.com . Family Features is a leading provider of free food and lifestyle content for use in print and online publications. Register with no obligation to access a variety of formatted and unformatted features, accompanying photos, and automatically updating Web content solutions.Now through Oct. 31, guests who book a stay at Barcelo resorts will receive as much as 40 percent off the entire reservation. Plus, the resort has partnered with Nickelodeon for the Kids Stay, Play and Eat FREE promotion. Nickelodeon's hit preschool series Bubble Guppies will be featured through August as part of Barcelo Hotels & Resorts "All-Inclusive Summer Adventure" promotion at its Mexico resorts. The popular Kids Stay, Play and Eat FREE promotion is also available through Oct. 31 for children under 12 and includes free nightly rates, daily meals, and planned activities for up to two children staying with two adults. These offers can be combined, making for an unbelievable value on an all-inclusive beach getaway packed with fun for couples or the whole family.Another recourse to put into play, if the option is available, is to insert proper image placement. A picture is worth a thousand words, and when put in the correct place it can sell your product or service for you. Always try to put your picture to the right of your text. People read left to right, so if at the end of a line about your heavenly chocolate chip dough you place a mouth watering picture of scrumptious chocolate chip cookies you will draw your reader in, tantalizing them with the picture.A very important ingredient to creating a successful promotion is to supply your potential customer with a promotion that is related to what they are looking for. Nothing is more irritating to a potential client than to click the submit button to find a desired product only to be let down by a million things they are not looking for. If you sell cookie dough, and your client types in chocolate chip cookies so they can order some fantastic sweet dough and instead get a page on cookie cutter specials and organic sugar they will be sadly disappointed and probably move on to a site that gives them what they want. Do not promote chocolate chip cookie dough if you do not plan to deliver on your promotion. Make sure you use the right keywords for your product, and even more importantly make sure you have the correct information on the promotion page itself.

Wendy MacDonald wmacdonald@familyfeatures.com 1-888-824-3337 ext. 235 http://editors.familyfeatures.com

From beginning to End, Create an Alluring Body for your Promotion

Nothing is more frustrating than to be searching online for a specific subject or item, you punch in the keywords in a search engine and wa-la you are served up many different links to sites supposedly pertaining to your desired subject. You eagerly click on a link that catches your eye and the page has nothing to do with what you were looking for. You feel let down, and betrayed. You just wasted five minutes you will never get back looking up a subject that was not where it was supposed to be.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=1699538For a more detailed look or for reservations, visit http://www.barcelo.com or contact your local travel agent or preferred tour operator.The body of your promotion will guide your potential customers to the buy now button, keep this in mind and you will be luring in many new clients.

The body of your promotion will guide your potential customers to the buy now button, keep this in mind and you will be luring in many new clients.

Author: Jason Pearson