Why it is called “Black Friday”

 The Friday after Thanksgiving has become known in the last few decades as one of the busiest of the year for retailers, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. One of the names used for this day is Black Friday, which some say comes from the fact that it is the biggest shopping day of the year, putting stores firmly in the black.

Whether this is real or not (the Saturdays a little closer to Christmas actually are bigger in terms of  people and sales) there are always great bargains  in The Thanksgiving Paper for the next day.  Here are the actual ads a day or two early:

http://bfads.net/

If you are planning holiday a holiday get together big or small , I have a fun ,easy and delicious idea for you!  The Melting Pot now has their Big Dipper Trays and Chocolate covered strawberries to go!  So easy and yummy!  I think the design of the dipper trays is genius, pick up one or several this holiday!!  Call the Melting Pot for more details at 401-2424 or find out more on their website, www.meltingpot.com

  Each week through the holiday season, I’m examining the history of some of our favorite carols you’re hearing on the Majic of Christmas. 

  Snow isn’t exactly popular in Texas, particulaly in the Austin area, and neither are sleighs.  But that certainly doesn’t stop us from singing songs about them. 

  Jingle Bells was written by an organist from Savannah, Georgia, named James Pierpont around 1850.  The song was originally called “One Horse Open Sleigh”, but was later changed to “Jingle Bells”. 

  The song was first played around 1857during Thanksgiving, when Pierpont was a church choir director in Savannah.  It was so popular, especially among children, that he brought it back for the Christmas season, and it has been a worldwide carol ever since. 

  Enjoy the music!

I’m always looking for great recipes and did I mention easy ones?  I tried this recipe over the summer, but instead of a turkey I roasted a chicken and it was fantastic! 

And this looked like a safer alternative to frying a turkey and setting your house on fire . . .. 

I found the juicy details on one of my favorite sites: eHOW, it’s a place you can learn to do just about anything.

How to Roast a Turkey in a Paper Bag By eHow Food & Drink Editor
Mom always overcooked the holiday bird, so it tasted like a burnt offering to the gods? Then try this recipe, which is best for smaller turkeys or chicken. Serves six to eight people.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• 1 10 lb. turkey
• 2 sliced garlic cloves
• 2 coarsely chopped onions
• 3 stalks coarsely chopped celery
• 3 coarsely chopped carrots
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp. softened unsalted butter

Step1

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Step2

Rinse the turkey with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.

Step3

Salt and pepper the neck and main cavity of the turkey. Fill each with your choice of stuffing, packing loosely.

Step4

Seal the cavity with skewers and tuck the turkey wings under the bird’s body.

Step5

Soften butter and rub over the turkey.

Step6

Salt and pepper the turkey sparingly.

Step7

Spray the brown bag with water and pour out any excess.

Step8

Place the turkey inside the bag, legs first. Roll up the opening so the bag is sealed.

Step9

Place carrots, celery, onions, garlic and bay leaves in the bottom of the roasting pan.

Step10

Put the giblets in the pan and add chicken stock until it reaches a depth of 1/2 inch.

Step11

Place the bag, with the turkey inside, on the vegetables so that the turkey’s breast is facing up.

Step12

Roast for 2 1/2 hours.

Step13

Check the temperature of the turkey by carefully rolling back the bag and inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. When the temperature of the turkey is 155 degrees F, tear the paper bag open and increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.

Step14

Roast turkey 30 minutes, basting every 10 minutes, until the temperature registers 170 degrees F and the skin is golden brown.

Step15

Place the turkey on a serving dish, and tent with aluminum foil. Let rest 20 minutes. Throw away paper bag.

Step16

Pour the roasting juices that are left in the roasting pan through a sieve and into a small saucepan. Using the back of a wooden spoon, press against any solids stuck in the sieve to extract as much liquid as possible.

Step17

Heat juices over medium heat and cook until the liquid thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Step18

Carve turkey and serve with thickened roasting juices.

All of us have someone in our lives who try to help by giving us advice. Our parents, our friends, our siblings, even our bosses and co-workers, seem to always have something to say. They seem to know better.
But, how much advice do we actually follow? When it comes time to actually do the right thing, how often do we goof up and continue to do the wrong thing?
Here’s a rundown of some simple advice that we all know, deep down, is probably right. How much of it do we ignore every single day?
Pieces of Good Advice That You Will Probably Ignore:

• Go to bed on time.
• Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
• Say “No” to projects that won’t fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
• Delegate tasks to capable others.
• Simplify and unclutter your life.
• Less is more.
• Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
• Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don’t lump the hard things all together.
• Take it one day at a time.
• Live within your budget. Don’t use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
• Have backups – an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
• Keep your mouth shut. This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
• Do something for the “Kid in You” everyday.
• Eat right.
• Get organized so everything has its place.
• Write down thoughts and inspirations.
• Every day, find time to be alone.
• Laugh.
• Develop a forgiving attitude. (Most people are doing the best they can.)
• Be kind to unkind people. (They probably need it the most.)
• Talk less; listen more.
• Slow down.
• Every night before bed, think of one thing you’re grateful for that you’ve never been grateful for before.

TiVo NOW DIALS FOR PIZZA

TiVo has changed our television habits — and now it’s about to change our eating habits, too.

TiVo has gotten together with Dominos Pizza is offering Internet-connected TiVo users the opportunity to order pizza for delivery or pick-up — and even track the progress of the pizza all through the TiVo interface on the TV.

“We are confident that teaming with TiVo on this novel, easy, and convenient way to order pizza right from the TV will be very well received by our customers,” said Domino’s marketing executive Rob Weisberg. “This is the first time in history that the ‘on-demand’ generation will be able to fully experience couch commerce by ordering pizza directly through their television set.”

“You’ll see a television ad for Domino’s and you’ll click ‘I want it’ through your remote. In about 30 minutes, your pizza will show up at your door.”

Check It Out: Pictures of the TiVo-Domino’s interface can be found here … and here.

We live in wondrous times … It has never been easier to be fat, lazy — and sedentary. At no time in human history has life been better.

As more products become available for delivery through our television, there will be fewer and fewer reasons to ever get up …

What do you wish you could shop for through the TV right now? What do you hate shopping for?

Suggestions:

Groceries — Snacks! Beer! Just like having stuff delivered to your seat at a ballgame.
Cars — No smarmy salesmen. Just order it up have it delivered.
Televisions — Could you imagine ordering a new TV… from your TV… without having to ever take your eyes off the TV?

  The Thanksgiving and Christmas season has always been my favorite time of year, especially from a music standpoint.  I’ve always been fascinated about how some of the traditional holiday songs came into being, and have remained a part of our tradition decades and even centuries after they were first written. 

  Now that we have launched our Majic of Christmas promotion, I thought it would be a good idea to find out more about some of the songs we play on Majic during the holiday season.  For the next few weeks, we’ll take a look at the history of specific songs. 

  Silent Night is definitely one of the most beautiful carols of the season.  Numerous holiday historians trace the song’s origin back to 1816.  The words of the song were originally written as a poem by Joseph Mohr when he was a young priest assigned to a pilgrimage church in Mariapfarr, Austria. 

  After being transferred to a church in Oberndorf, Austria, in 1817, Mohr took the poem with him to the home of a musician and schoolteacher named Franz Gruber.  On Christmas Eve of that year, Mohr asked Gruber to add a guitar accompaniment for singing at Midnight Mass that night. 

  It was there, in St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, that the carol “Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!” were sung for the first time.  Several years later, Karl Mauracher, a master organ repairman and builder, obtained a copy of the song and took it home with him.  It subsequently became a folk tune, sung by two families of folk singers, similar to the beloved von Trapp Family Singers from “The Sound of Music”.  In 1832, several musical notes of the song were changed to reflect the melody we sing today.  It is now translated into hundreds of languages worldwide, painting a wonderful picture of events leading to the birth of Christ, our Savior. 

  Enjoy the music!

Veterans Day gives Americans the opportunity to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S. veterans.

Veterans Day gives Americans the opportunity to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S. veterans.

  Along with Don Henley, Glenn Frey is considered as one of the two most popular members of the Eagles. 

  Frey, a native of Detroit,  turns 60 this week.  He began his music career playing with various teen bands in Detroit, and in 1968, sang backup on “Ramblin Gamblin Man”, a hit for another Detroit star, Bob Seger. 

  In his late teens, Frey decided to move to California, and played with several bands before forming the Eagles with Henley.  Following the many hits with the group, Frey had some success as a solo artist, including “The One You Love”, “The Heat Is On” and “You Belong To the City” from the Miami Vice soundtrack.  Frey even did some acting, including a guest star appearance on Miami Vice. 

  Enjoy the music!