Monday, November 19, 2012
AAA is forecasting that 43.6 million people will be driving to their Thanksgiving feast. And here's some good news - gas prices are expected to drop by Thursday.
AAA projects 43.6 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. That's an increase of 0.7 percent over the 43.3 million people who traveled last year. This increase marks the fourth consecutive year of growing holiday travelers since 2008 when Thanksgiving travel fell by 25 percent. The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as Wednesday, Nov. 21, to Sunday, Nov. 25. “Thanksgiving travel hit a decade low in 2008 when only 37.8 million Americans traveled,” said AAA President and CEO Robert Darbelnet in a news release. “Since that year we have seen a steady increase in the number of travelers taking to the roads and skies for the holiday. Americans continue to find ways to economize …
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Make this year's Thanksgiving a little easier. Consider cooking a little less and doing part of, or the entire, Thanksgiving Day feast as a carry-out.
For Thanksgiving next week, the question for many remains. Are you cooking this holiday or not? Perhaps the better question is: How much of this year’s Thanksgiving dinner do you plan on cook yourself With over-extended schedules, cooking anything, let alone Thanksgiving dinner has become an overwhelming task. Thankfully there's help. If you can’t or don't have time to cook, or just don't want to cook, hire it done. Chefs, caterers and grocers have taken note and are ready to provide the elements of a Turkey Day dinner for the time-crunched, weary and/or culinary challenged. “People don’t have the time to cook like they used to,” said Joe Weinmann, co-owner of Kenrick’s Meats and Catering who explained how he offers his customers a variety…
Turkey may be Thanksgiving's star, but for many, what makes the annual holiday feast special is pie. Harvest are pies made easy - thanks to the invention of ready-made pastry crust.
Turkey may be the headliner at the Thanksgiving table, but what I give thanks for is pie. Whether it’s pumpkin, pecan or apple, baking pies is a Thanksgiving tradition worth continuing. Thankfully, refrigerated pastry crusts have made baking anything with a crust easy. However, that hasn't always been the case. Making pie crust from scratch is an art that few home bakers ever mastered, leaving countless home tables pie-less. Until the miracle of pre-packaged fresh refrigerated rolled-out and ready-to-use pastry dough, home bakers struggled with pre-mixed pie sticks or frozen pastry shells. While refrigerated piecrust/pastry remains a modern marvel, it still needs a little special handling to ensure success. First, bring the crust to room …
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Thousands are signing an online petitions against Black Friday store opening hours that have been pushed into Thanksgiving Day.
The trend for stores to open earlier and earlier to take advantage of Black Friday sales—even to the point of opening in the evening on Thanksgiving Day—has prompted an online petition drive to give Thanksgiving back to employees and their families. The original petition was reportedly created by a Target employee upset that the retail giant is opening on Thanksgiving and requiring employees to work instead of spending time with their families. Target stores will open their doors at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving. So far, there are more than 210,000 signatures on the petition. A press release from Change.org reported that it has seen dozens of new petitions pop up about Black Friday hours. "Following a Sears announcement last week that the …
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Walmart announced a Thanksgiving Day start to its sales. Target, Toys R Us, and Best Buy aren't far behind.
Serious shoppers know Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the day for bargains. Retailers are opening earlier than ever this year with sales to entice holiday shoppers. Walmart has set the bar at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day for 2012 sales to start. Will other stores follow? Macy’s, Target and Toys R Us are among a growing number of shops kicking off Black Friday sales at midnight, the St. Louis Business Journal reports. Area mall doors will open at various times, though some of their stores may or may not be open then. Many sales haven't been announced yet. Target offers a signup to receive text messages of sales, and previews a 40-inch Toshiba TV, a Samsung laptop computer, a Playstation 3 and other sale items on its website. Want…
Monday, November 28, 2011
We've found the best Cyber Monday sales at national chain stores and local, independent businesses.
It's been a big week: Thanksgiving Thursday, Black Friday and now, Cyber Monday, when stores offer deals to online holiday shoppers. We'll be updating this list as new Cyber Monday sales come out. If you see one we should mention, tweet it to @StLouisLindsay, tag it #cybermondaystl or email Lindsay.Toler@patch.com. St. Louis-based deals: Sales at national chains:
Friday, November 25, 2011
The romanticized image of pilgrims gathered around the table set with an oversized turkey and pumpkin pie is how we define Thanksgiving. In reality, venison along with lobsters and scrawny wild turkeys are the elements of Plymouth's 1621 feast.
"Visitors to Plimoth Plantation are often surprised when we don’t look like a Hallmark card, dressed in big hats and with buckle shoes," said Kathleen Wall, who oversees Plimoth Plantation’s colonial foodways programs. "They’re also surprised to learn that the 1621 Thanksgiving doesn’t resemble the holiday that’s celebrated today." In 1621, Thanksgiving was a harvest festival in the early fall, probably October. It celebrated the economics of having enough to eat, a serious concern for the settlers who nearly starved to death during their first year. Plimoth's harvest festival never was a day of thanksgiving; a day of thanksgiving was a religious day of prayer and fasting. Another historical fact that seems to upset visitors is that …
Is the thought of endless turkey sandwiches making you lose your appetite for leftover Thanksgiving turkey? Beat the leftover turkey blues and think beyond the sandwich with casseroles, turnovers and salads.
Thanksgiving leftovers can become a blessing or a curse. Granted, the venerable turkey sandwich is a treat, but after a day or two, they're boring. While turkey sandwiches might be the perennial favorite, there are dozens of ways to use up leftover turkey. Leftovers, or what some cooks refer to as "planned over" meals, begin with a plan. Pick recipes that are easy to make while creating a new dish that isn't immediately recognized as including leftovers. Chili, enchiladas and pastas are excellent examples ways to use leftover cooked turkey. Think past the turkey. Thanksgiving's traditional sides can find new life in countless recipes. For example, I use leftover sweet potatoes to make a cream of sweet potato soup and those mashed potatoes…
Find the latest on Black Friday lines, deals and news as it happens. If you see something we should know about, send us a tip at Lindsay.Toler@patch.com or tweet @StLouisLindsay.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thanksgiving in St. Louis brings back all sorts of emotions. Here are some of those emotions expressed in <140 characters. Keep tweeting, and we'll keep adding you to our list.
Melissa Muldoon
1:10 pm on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
I am all for a great deal, but I feel for these employees who now need to work on Thanksgiving Day. Can we not wait until Friday and let everyone have one day with their family? more ›