New Facebook Sweepstakes! Enter to Win an iPad Mini!

To enter the Sweepstakes, Like our Facebook Page and then look for the Sweepstakes tab (image shown below) located on our Facebook Page to enter. Sweepstakes ends February 28, 2015.

For mobile users ONLY, like our Facebook Page, and then click here to enter!

Find Great Pumpkin Recipes at These Four Sites

Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin coffee, even pumpkin soup – no matter what it is, we can’t get enough pumpkin foods. Something about the warm, rich flavor of pumpkin feels so soothing on a cold winter day, and its versatility makes it the perfect ingredient for both savory meals and sweet desserts.

These four pumpkin recipe websites will make you rekindle your love for everyone’s favorite cold weather flavor:

How to Cook with Pumpkin [AllRecipes]

Pumpkin [Food Network]

My Favorite Pumpkin Recipes [The Pioneer Woman]

14 Great Pumpkin Recipes [Real Simple]

New Facebook Sweepstakes! Enter to Win an iPad Mini!

To enter the Sweepstakes, Like our Facebook Page and then look for the Sweepstakes tab (image shown below) located on our Facebook Page to enter. Sweepstakes ends December 31, 2014.

For mobile users ONLY, like our Facebook Page, and then click here to enter!

ACL Line Up!

Are you going to ACL this year?

http://www.aclfestival.com/2014-lineup/

Three Recipes for a Healthier You

Whether you have just a few minutes or a whole hour to spend, cooking at home can be just as delicious as eating out. Health.gov offers a list of more than 100 different recipes for heart-healthy dishes for every meal of the day, all with less sodium, saturated fat and calories than many foods.

Here are a few favorite recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner:

Applesauce Pancakes
Just because you’re trying to eat well doesn’t mean you have to give up pancakes. Including a whole serving of fruit and using low-fat ingredients, this healthy recipe for applesauce pancakes may just delight the whole family.

Tuna Salad
Traditional tuna salads are high in saturated fat, but this one uses only tuna and a few flavorful ingredients to create an equally delicious, stripped down version. Full of celery, onions and low-fat mayonnaise, this may just become your new favorite sandwich spread.

Chicken Marsala
The Italian food dish gets a healthy makeover in this delicious and nutritious dinner recipe. Using the savory flavors of chicken stock, Marsala wine and fresh lemons, this dish offers flavor without empty calories!

Find more healthy recipes by visiting Health.gov.

Public Domain/Public Domain

Tips for Healthy Snacking

Your little ones love sugary cookies, while you just can’t resist a savory snack every now and then. If you’re looking for healthier snacks for the whole family that still tasty and satisfying, these tips from the NIH can help you find them.

  • Create healthier versions of your favorite snacks. Instead of your usual cheese and crackers, substitute low-fat cheese and whole-grain crackers. Instead of buttery, salty movie theater popcorn, make some fat-free or low-fat popcorn.
  • Make healthier dessert choices. Instead of your usual homemade milkshake, blend a banana, ice and low-fat chocolate milk for a chocolate smoothie that’s still delicious.
  • Choose smarter condiments. Sauces and other toppings can add fat and empty calories to an otherwise healthy snack. Instead of cheese, choose salsa, and instead of regular ranch dressing opt for a fat-free variety.

For more healthy snacking tips, visit the NIH website.

Explore the Library of Congress’s ‘Today in History’ Site

If you’re a history buff, you'll probably enjoy this fun and exciting webpage from the Library of Congress. Today in History is an online tool updated each day to recount one important historical event that happened that day. You’ll get a mini history lesson every day, and it also make for a great conversation starter.

For example, November 16, 2013 may have just been an average Tuesday for all of us, but on that date in 1863 Abraham Lincoln delivered The Gettysburg Address, one of the most famous speeches in American history.

Today in History allows you to go back and read what you didn’t see, and it also lets you skip forward to future events, too. You can browse events by key words like “battle” or “speech," jump to a specific day in the archive, or just browse the archive by month to see every post. If you're interested in history, the Library of Congress's Today in History site is worth bookmarking!

Today in History [The Library of Congress]

Public Domain/Public Domain

Find National Historic Landmarks with This Online Tool

National Historic Landmarks are buildings, sites, structures, objects, or districts that epitomize something important about U.S. history or culture. There are currently over 2,500 National Historic Landmarks, and they each have their own fascinating stories and, oftentimes, beautiful architecture or natural scenery. If you'd like to find a few near 3500 Westlake to visit, the National Historic Landmarks Program’s search tool is a great browsing feature.

This search menu on the National Historic Landmarks website allows you to search the program’s database of landmarks broadly by city or state. If you’re searching for a specific landmark, the website also offers an advanced search with features like name, priority, year, resource type, themes, and type. This makes it easy to find — for example — Historic Landmarks related to agriculture nearby.

Even if you're not planning a trip soon, the Landmarks database is a great way to learn more about history online!

National Historic Landmarks Search [National Parks Service]

Public Domain/Public Domain

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