CORN ERST ON E BUILDERS OF SOUT HWEST F LORIDA

(2 3 9 ) 3 3 2 -3 0 2 0

DECEMBER 2011

HO M E

&

FA MILY

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Dear Friends & Clients, I am pleased to bring you a new exciting edition of the Cornerstone Home & Family News for the Holiday season. Inside this edition you will learn the story behind who Santa Clause was plus The candy Cane Story including 8 great tips to decorate using candy canes. Ill give you 5 of my favorite recipes to use those left overs. You'll love the Gingerbread man story and a recipe to share with your younger loved ones. Advice on how to involve those young ones with all that is going on and so much more. I want to wish you and your loved ones a safe and happy holiday season from everyone here at Cornerstone Builders of Southwest Florida. At Cornerstone Builders of Southwest Florida we look to helping and assisting our community with all their building and remodeling needs, so please feel free to give us a call at anytime to discuss how we at Cornerstone Builders of Southwest Florida can assist you. Sincerely, Tony Leeber, Sr.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

ST. NICHOLAS: THE STORY OF SANTA CLAUSE

THE STORY OF THE CANDY CANE & EIGHT IDEAS FOR HOLIDAY CANDY CANE DECORATIONS

5 GREAT RECIPE IDEAS FOR LEFTOVERS GINGERBREAD MAN STORY UNDER FOOT TO INVOLVED THE CITY OF PALMS SW FLORIDA VEGETABLE GARDENING TIPS

4-5 6 7 8 8-9

FA M O U S B I R T H DA Y S C E L E B R A T E D I N D E C E M B E R Bette Midler Britney Spears Ozzy Osbourne Jeff Bridges Beau Bridges Stephen Spielberg Daryl Hannah Jane Fonda December 1st December 2nd December 3rd December 4th December 9th December 18th December 19th December 21st Diane Sawyer Susan Lucci Ricky Martin Jesus Christ Denzel Washington Jude Law Tiger Woods Donna Summer December 22nd December 23rd December 24th December 25th December 28th December 29th December 30th December 31st

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St. Nicholas: The Story of Santa Clause

THE LEGEND Strictly speaking, the tradition of St. Nicholas is not synonymous with the role of Santa Claus in the U.S.. As practiced in many European countries, the celebration of St. Nicholas is separate from the Christmas holidays, and occurs during the 2 weeks prior to December 6th, which is St. Nicholas's day. Sometimes St. Nicholas Day is the main holiday for gift giving, and not Christmas. In the Netherlands, legend has it that Sinterklaas (Dutch name for St. Nicholas) arrives in the Netherlands by way of steamboat from Spain 2 weeks before his traditional birthday, December 6th, along with his helper, Zwarte Piet (Black Pete), who will help disperse the gifts and candy to all the good children. Sinterklaas, along with the zwarte piets, will go abroad at night and stride about the countryside wearing his red mantle, his mitre, and his golden crosier and sporting a long, white beard. Referring to his book that lists all the good and bad children, Sinterklaas will deliver presents to all the good children, but watch out if you've been bad! The bad children may be taken back to Spain with him. The Low Countries (Belgium and Luxemburg) have b a si ca l l y t h e s a me traditions surrounding St. Nicholas, but not to the extent of the Netherlands. Children in Luxemburg call him Kleeschen, and his helper is Hoseker (Black Peter). Belgian children know him as Sint Niklaas. In Germany, St. Nicholas is also known as Klaasbuur, Sunnercla, Burklaas, Bullerklaas, and Rauklas, and in eastern Germany, he is also known as Shaggy Goat, Ash Man and Rider and is more reflective of earlier pagan influences (Norse) that were blended in with the figure of St. Nicholas, when Christianity came to Germany. After the reformation, St. Nicholas's attire began to Noel (Father Christmas) and he travels in the company of Pere Fouettard. Pere Noel leaves presents for good children, while Pere Fouettard disciplines bad children with a spanking. Pere Noel only sometimes leaves presents on St. Nicholas day, more often now on Christmas. St. Nicholas day was celebrated formerly in Russia, but under Communism he was changed to Grandfather Frost and wore reputed to be able to calm the raging seas, rescue desperate sailors, help the poor and downtrodden, and save children. He was soon named as the patron saint of sailors, and when Myra was overthrown, his bones were transported by sailors to Bari, a port in Italy, where a tomb was built over the grave and became the center of honor for St. Nicholas. From here the legend spread on around to the Atlantic Coast of Europe and the North Sea to become a European holiday tradition regardless of religion. THE HOLIDAY TODAY In anticipation of St. Nicholas's nightly visits, children in several European countries put their shoes in front of the fire place. They sing traditional songs and provide a carrot or hay for the horse. At night Black Pete puts gifts and candy in the shoes. In the Netherlands, families celebrate St Nicholas's birthday the night before his feast day (December 6th). At one point during the evening, a loud knock will herald the arrival of Sinterklaas and at the same time candy may be thrown from upstairs; when the door is opened, a bag of gifts will be on the doorstep. For families with older children and adults, different twists are added to the gift giving and may include gag gifts or the drawing of gift ideas or names, and most times are accompanied by poems with a "personal touch" that poke fun at the recipient in a gentle way (or not, depending on the families). Wrapping the presents up in odd packages and planting a trail of clues is also part of the general fun, and can sometimes be pretty tricky to get to, depending on the squeamishness of the recipients.

change, maybe as a reflection of the change from the Roman church, and he started to wear a red suit with fur. His dark-skinned helper is most often known as Knecht Ruprecht. Although he still visits many homes on Dec 5th/6th and leaves candy and gifts in the children's shoes, more recently St. Nicholas has begun showing up on Christmas Eve in Germany and is called Father Christmas. In France, he is now called Pere

blue instead of red. In Sicily, he comes on Dec 13th and is called Santa Lucia. THE HISTORY St. Nicholas was born in 271 AD and died around December 6, 342 or 343 AD near the Asia Minor (Turkey) town of Myra,. where he later became Bishop. He performed many good deeds and was a friend to the poor and helpless, and upon his death, myths soon sprang up about him all around the Mediterranean Sea. He was

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The Story of The Candy Cane

The development of the candy cane took a few hundred years. Before the invention of the modern pacifier, parents used to give their babies unflavored white sugar sticks to suck on. During the 1670's a German choir master had the sugar sticks bent into a shepherd's staff and passed out to children at t end in g t h e C hr is t m as services. This holiday custom spread throughout Europe and fancy canes, decorated with roses, were used as Christmas decorations in many homes. About 1900 the white candy cane received its traditional red stripes and peppermint flavoring. At the same time the legend of the candy cane came into being. According to this legend, a candy maker in Indiana designed the candy cane to tell the true story of Christmas - a story about a virgin giving birth to a shepherd who would give up His life for the sheep. The most obvious symbolism used in the candy cane is its shape. Turned one way, it looks like a "J" for Jesus. The newborn Lamb of God was named Jesus, meaning Savior, because He was destined to "save His people from their sins" (Mt 1:21). Turned the other way, candy canes remind us of the shepherd's staff. The first people to hear of Christ's birth were shepherds guarding their flocks at night (Lk 2:8-20). Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd and the Bible frequently compares the actions of the Messiah to those of a shepherd searching for his lost sheep, feeding them, gently leading them, and carrying them in his bosom (Ps 23; Jn 10:1-18; Is 40:11; Jer 31:10; Micah 5:4; Heb 13:20). The sweetness of the candy reminds us that we are fed on the sweet milk of the Gospel of our salvation and peace (Eph 1:13; 6:15). The hardness of the candy reminds us that Jesus is our rock of refuge (Deu 32:4, 15, 18; 1 Sam 2:2; 2 Sam 22:32, 47; 23:3; Psa 18:2, 31; 28:1; 92:15; 94:22; 95:1; Is 44:8). In rocky lands like Israel, people often sought shelter from their enemies in the caves or rocky crags of cliffs. Rocks also remind us of the solidness of the promises of Christ who is a precious cornerstone and sure foundation to those who follow Him, but a "stone of stumbling and a rock of offense" to those who reject His gift of peace (1 Pet 2:6-8). The whiteness of the candy brings to mind the Virgin Birth and the sinless life of Christ (Mt 1:23; Lk 1:34-35). We also are made as pure as the snow through the cleansing action of His blood (Rev 7:9, 14; Is 1:18). The traditional candy cane has 3 small red stripes to remind us of the soldiers' stripes by which we are healed and a larger stripe which represents the blood shed by Christ on Calvary's tree (Is 53:5; Mt 27:32-50). Some people say that the 3 small stripes honor the Holy Trinity while the larger stripe reminds us of the one true God. Others claim that the small stripes represent our mini-passions or sufferings and the great stripe symbolizes Christ's Passion. A green stripe is sometimes placed on candy canes to

remind us that Jesus is God's gift to us. (Green is the color of giving.) The peppermint flavor of modern candy canes is said to be similar to hyssop. In Old Testament times, hyssop was associated with purification and sacrifice. During the first Passover celebrations, a bundle of hyssop was used to smear the blood of Passover lambs upon the doorposts of houses so that the Angel of Death would pass over their occupants (Ex 12:22). Bundles of hyssop were also used to sprinkle blood on worshipers and objects during Mosaic purification rituals (Ex 24:6-8; Lev 14:4, 49-52). After his affair with Bathsheba, King David appealed to God's mercy crying, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow" (Ps 51:7). Peppermint reminds us that Jesus is our Passover Lamb (1 Cor 5:7). His blood cleanses us from sin and destroys the power of death

Eight Ideas for Holiday Candy Cane Decorations

When the candy canes come out, it's a sure sign that the holidays are near. Unlike nowadays, there used to be just one type of Christmas candy. These candies, colored red and white striped and peppermint flavored, are always a wonderful holiday treat. More so than being delicious, candy canes were also hung on the Christmas tree and eaten when the job of opening presents was done. Now this Christmas treat has become decorations for many other places, and are much more than just tasty snacks. Listed below are eight of the best ways we have seen to decorate with candy canes. 1) Design a wreath made of candy. If you're looking for a change from the usual green boughs and red ribbons, make a peppermint candy wreath for your front door of your home or office. Small peppermint canes are the best choice for this as they can be bunched and hooked together to form a circle. Our favorite peppermint treats are always a nice addition to a traditional wreath made with almost any material. 2) Use them as a centerpiece! The vivid colors of candy canes make them fine decorations for any table or desk. A nice jar with a few treats sticking out would make a fine holiday centerpiece. You'll have a few disappear, so have some spares around. 3) Add decorations to the candy canes - they are the basis for many Christmas craft projects; turn them into reindeer with a pipe cleaner, some felt, some glue, and Google eyes and they'll fit in just about anywhere! 4) Create a holiday tree garland. Candy canes can go onto your tree in many ways, not just hanging from the branches. Several candy sticks and some ribbon will make a wonderful garland for your Christmas tree. 5) Candy canes are a great for "Santa's sleigh" made of gingerbread. They have the right shape to make great runners for St. Nick's sleigh 6) They can also make good aisle markers. Candy canes are available in different flavors and in various sizes. Purchase two in the largest size available, and they can become posts for an entranceway, a path, or a hallway. 7) Candy canes can be great parts of a gingerbread village. They have many uses when they are included in a gingerbread village. They are also ideal for making lamp posts, fences, trees, or even road borders. 8) Make a "Welcome Bowl". At the office, remember to have the welcoming bowl of small Christmas treats. Everyone loves the peppermint taste, and the sweets bowl helps remind people of the giving spirit of the season. There are many different ways to use candy canes throughout the season. This list barely covers the possibilities!

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S E C O N D D AY T U R K E Y A N D S T R I N G B E A N P O T P I E S
Total Time: 55 min Prep 25 min Cook 30 min Yield: 4 to 6 servings Level: Intermediate Ingredients 4 servings or 4 cups Leftover Green Bean Casserole (recommended: Campbell's Soup recipe) 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup turkey, beef, or chicken stock 1 cup roasted turkey meat, chopped 2 standard puff pastry sheets Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl lightly blend leftover green bean casserole with milk, stock and turkey. Using the puff pastry, cut out 6 (4-inch) disks from each sheet. Lightly press the disks into the bottom and up the sides of 6 (1-cup) muffin tins, leaving about 1/2-inch crust over the edge to secure the top. Press the tines of the fork into the bottom and the sides to dock the pastry. Fill each cup level with the top and cover with another cut circle. Secure the edges by pinching together. Cut a small hole in the top for steam. Bake for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

L E F T O V E R B A K E D P O TAT O S O U P
Total Time: 35 min Prep 15 min Cook 20 min Yield: 4 servings Level: Easy Ingredients 3 tablespoons butter 1 1/2 cups finely diced leeks 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic 6 cups chicken stock, hot 4 large leftover baked potatoes, halved. pulp scooped out and put through a ricer 1 1/2 cups buttermilk 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar 1/4 cup minced chives 30Total Time: 40 min Prep 10 min Cook 30 min Yield: 4 servings Level: Easy Ingredients 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 5 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 chipotle chile en adobo, coarsely chopped, with 1 tablespoon sauce 1 pound ground turkey Directions In a large saucepot, over high heat melt the butter and add the leeks and garlic. Cook over medium heat until they are translucent. Add the hot stock and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the riced potatoes, buttermilk, sour cream, and grated Parmesan. Add this mixture to the soup stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and add the Sherry vinegar. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chives.

MINUTE TURKEY CHILI

1 (12-ounce) Mexican lager-style beer 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juice 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained Sliced scallions, cilantro sprigs, avocado, sour cream, grated Monterey jack cheese, and/or tortilla chips, for garnish, optional Directions Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt, chili powder, and oregano and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and the chipotle Chile and sauce; cook 1 minute more. Add the turkey, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until the meat loses its raw color, about 3 minutes. Add the beer and simmer until reduced by about half, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes crushing them through your fingers into the skillet--along with their juices and the beans; bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 10 minutes. Ladle the chili into bowls and serve with the garnishes of your choice. Cook's Note: A skillet's larger surface area reduces sauces faster than simmering in a saucepan.

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TURKEY BOLOGNESE
Total Time: 50 min Prep 20 min Cook 30 min Yield: 6 servings Level: Easy Ingredients 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped 1 celery stalk, finely chopped 1 pound shredded cooked turkey (preferably dark meat) 3 cups marinara sauce 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 pound spaghetti Freshly grated Parmesan Directions Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saut until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and saut until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and saut 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce. Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend, stirring often. Stir in the basil. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. (The sauce can be made 1 week ahead. Cool the sauce completely, then transfer it to a container and freeze for future use. Bring the sauce to a simmer before using.) Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten as needed. Serve with the Parmesan

S AV O R Y S A U S A G E S T U F F I N G
Total Time: Prep Yield: Level: 20 min 20 min 4-6 servings Easy Ingredients 2 cups shredded leftover turkey meat 2 stalks celery, sliced 1/2 cup celery leaves, coarsely chopped, plus more whole leaves for garnish 1 crisp apple, such as Gala or Macintosh, cored and chopped 1 cup red seedless grapes, halved 1/2 cup pecans, toasted, and coarsely chopped 1/2 cup non-fat yogurt 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 1 teaspoon honey 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed 1 small celery root, peeled and cut into matchsticks Freshly ground black pepper Directions In a large bowl, gently toss the turkey, celery, celery leaves, apple, grapes, and pecans until combined. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, honey, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until well combined. Put the celery root in a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of the dressing, and toss to coat completely. Add the remaining dressing to the turkey mixture, season with salt and pepper, and toss gently to evenly dress the salad. To serve, spread the celery root evenly onto a serving platter, top with the dressed salad, garnish with celery leaves and serve immediately.

An American classic, Waldorf salad gets its name from the majestic Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, where it was first served in 1896. Crunchy, sweet, savory, and satisfying, it is the perfect use for leftover turkey and all those beautiful fruits and nuts from your Thanksgiving table centerpiece. Chopped ripe pears are a great addition; this tasty salad can also be served on a bed of crunchy butter lettuce in place of the celery root.

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THE GINGERBREAD MAN

This is a great story that everybody knows and nobody tells. If it's told well, it can make a BIG hit with all the children. Try it while youre making gingerbread men with your children, grandchildren etc. The opening uses a little mime-- rolling out the dough, cutting out the man, making the eyes, and so forth-- very small, nothing elaborate, but it will pull your audience in. Of course, you'll use whatever decorative elements you think are right. Then, look in the oven and get startled back. Once upon a time there was a little old woman and a little old man. The little old woman thought she'd make a gingerbread man. She rolled out the dough, and cut out the shape, and she put raisins for his eyes, and peppermints for his teeth, and put icing on his head for the hair. Then she put him in the oven, and when it smelled good, she opened up the door to take a peek and --- Yooop!--out jumped the gingerbread man. "Stop! Stop, little gingerbread man!" said the little old lady. "I want to eat you!" "No!" said the little gingerbread man. "I can run away from you!" "Run, run, fast as you can! Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man! "And away he ran! He ran till he got outside, where he saw the little old man. And the little old man said, "Stop! Stop little gingerbread man! I want to eat you! "And the little gingerbread man said: "NO! I ran away from the little old woman, and I can run away from you too! Run, run, fast as you can! Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man! "and away he ran! He ran till he came to the pigsty. And the pig said "(Oink Oink)-- Stop! Stop little gingerbread man! I want to eat you! "But the gingerbread man said, "NO! I ran away from the little old woman, I ran away from the little old man, and I can run away from you too! Run, run, fast as you can! Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man! "and away he ran! He ran till he came to a house. And in front of the house was a dog. And the dog said, "STOP! Stop stop stop stop stoooooooooop! Little gingerbread man! I want to eat you! "But the gingerbread man said, "NO! I ran away from the little old woman, and the little old man, and a pig, and I can run away from you too! "Run, run, fast as you can! Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man! "and away he ran! He ran till he came to a field full of cows. And the cows said,"Mooooo! Stoooooooop! Stoooooooop little gingerbread man. We want to eat you! "But the gingerbread man said, "NO! I ran away from the little old woman, I ran away from the little old man, and a pig, and a dog, and I can run away from you too! Run, run, fast as you can! Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man! "and away he ran! He ran till he came to a river. And next to the river you'll get soggy, right? "The gingerbread man didn't say anything, but he looked very thoughtful. The fox said, "I've got an idea. "The gingerbread man said, "What? "The fox said, "I'm going to swim across, right now. If you want, you can hitch a ride on my tail. "The gingerbread man said, "OK," and grabbed the fox's tail. The fox started to wade into the water. After a few steps, the fox said, "Oh, little gingerbread man. The water is getting kind of deep. I'm afraid you might get wet. Why don't you climb up onto my back?" The gingerbread man looked, and said, "Gee, the water is getting kind of deep, ok," and he climbed up onto the fox's back. After a few more steps, the fox said, "Oh, little gingerbread man, the water is getting even deeper, I'm afraid you might get wet. Why don't you climb up onto my-- neck?" The gingerbread man looked, and said, "Gee the water is getting kind of deep, ok," and he climbed up onto the fox's neck. After a few more steps, the fox said, "Oh, little gingerbread man, the water is getting even deeper, I'm afraid you might get wet. Why don't you climb up onto my-- head?" The gingerbread man looked, and said, "Gee the water is getting kind of deep, ok," and he climbed up onto the fox's head. After a few more steps, the fox said, "Oh, little gingerbread man, the water is getting even deeper, I'm afraid you might get wet. Why don't you climb up onto my-- nose?" The gingerbread man looked, and said, "Gee the water is getting kind of deep, ok," and he climbed up onto the fox's nose. And the fox went-SHLLLURP!-- and that was the end of the gingerbread man.

was a fox. The fox said, "Hello little gingerbread man. "The gingerbread man said, "HELLO! I ran away from the little old woman, I ran away from the little old man, and a pig, and some cows, and I can run away from you too! Run, run, fast as you can! Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!" "But," said the fox, "I never run. And I don't want to eat you! "The gingerbread man said Run, run, fast as you can! Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!" The fox said, "Run all you want, I'm not going to chase you. But-- I would like to ask you a question." The gingerbread man said, "What? "The fox said, "How do figure you're going to get across that stream without getting wet? I mean, if you get wet,

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Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Men

Ingredients 5 to 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1 large egg, at room temperature 1 cup unsulfured molasses 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions 1. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium until smooth. Add the molasses and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture 1 cup at a time, blending until smooth. The dough should gather into a semi-firm mass. (If it's not firm, add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup flour, but not enough to make it crumbly.) 2. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Flatten into disks and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 1 week.

3. Preheat oven to 350 F. On a

floured surface, roll each disk to 1/8 inch thick. Use gingerbread-man cutters to make shapes. Transfer them to a large, parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Decorate, if desired. Bake until firm to the touch, about 12 minutes. Cool slightly before transferring to a rack.

U N D E R F O O T T O I N V O LV E D
Since the children will be home from school for the holidays, rather than trying to find a way to keep them occupied so you can cook, make them your assistants and let each child contribute his own special dish. Here's how: Start out at least a week before by going through family recipes and cookbooks and determining which part of the meal will be prepared by each family member (include Dad, too!). Have each child choose one dish to make with you for the holiday meal. The both of you will spend quality time together, and they get to feel proud of the contribution. You'll be getting help and they'll be getting attention. Plan a shopping excursion with these dishes in mind so the kids are involved from the start; then you won't have to stop mid-recipe because you're missing a crucial ingredient. To make things less hectic and to give each child special one-on-one attention, try to get some of the recipe's advance preparation done a few days ahead, whenever possible. Schedule the actual cooking time with each child--and keep the appointment! Parents will be surprised how much "pressure" is lifted as you invite your budding chefs to help with turkey stuffing, cranberry dishes, potato recipes and more. It's a lot more fun to cook with company than to be enslaved by a huge

meal all alone. You can ask each child to name their recipe after themselves. Encourage them to make a few changes to the standard recipe to personalize it as "theirs." My own boys have personalized our turkey stuffing and a fabulous cranberry side dish. The pride they exude when mealtime arrives and their special dish is served is so all-consuming for them, I am quite certain that they'll remember the collaborative aspect of our holiday experience for decades to come.

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T H E C I T Y O F PA L M S
Fort Myers is known as the "City of Palms" due to its thousands of Royal Palm trees that line its streets. Fort Myers is the center of a number of communities and cities locally referred to as the Lee Island Coast. This group of communities includes Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Captiva, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs, Pine Island and Boca Grande, and Lehigh Acres. The area is a playground of beaches. Fort Myers beach, Bonita Beach, Sanibel Island, Captiva are just a few excellent places to enjoy the sand, sea and sun. Boaters can enjoy the vast Intracoastal area among the many islands or venture offshore for openwater sailing and fishing. Nearby islands of Sanibel and Captiva offer spectacular natural beauty. The white sand beaches are known for the beautiful seashells that wash on their shores. Part of Sanibel is preserved in the J N 'Ding' Darling National Wildlife Refuge. A 5 mile drive, by auto, Tram tour, or bicycle, through this area can be enjoyed where one may see a huge variety of wildlife including herons, hawks, sandpipers, spoonbills, pelicans and an occasional alligator. Canoeing and Kayaking are also popular ways to enjoy this natural beauty. The area is a popular for fishing and boati ng enthusiasts with its many waterways, harbors, canals, estuaries, passes and islands. Fishing may be enjoyed from charter boats, piers, bridges, docks or surf casting from the many beaches. Numerous places and marinas are available to rent or launch boats, kayaks, canoes and sailboats. Two of Fort Myers most distinguished residents from years past were genius-inventor Thomas Edison and auto industry pioneer Henry Ford. It is said that Henry Ford visited Edison and liked the area so much he bought the house next door. Both of these estates are available for tour today. The tour also includes a walk through Edison's workshop and botanical gardens. Many of Edison's post light bulb inventions were accomplished in his Florida laboratory/ workshop. For those interested in other activities the area offers many fine golf courses, shopping venues, museums and resorts

Time to Start Florida Winter Veggie Gardening

I broke ground this weekend on my vegetable plot. It is not huge, only 6x 5, but it was a bit of a chore to prepare. The plot was formerly part of a vegetable garden that I allowed to go fallow for a few years. St. Augustine grass, Richardia grandiflora and other weeds were growing very thickly and happily there. A bit of advice, if you tackle a project of this size, take your time, go inside to cool down often and drink plenty of water. Do not rush it. The first thing I did was to mark out where my garden plot would be. I used a shovel to cut through the sod and uplift it a little too rough out the shape of my garden. My plot is in the back yard, facing to the east. This is the best spot for my garden to get the first light of the day and will be in late-mid afternoon shade to get a break from the heat. After marking off the area I began to uplift the turf with my shovel. I did this throughout the entire plot squaring-up the sod in blocks that I could easily pull up, sort of like scalping the Earth. If you mind dirt under your fingernails and ground in around your cuticles, you should wear gardening gloves for this next part. I used my shovel to uplift the sod clumps. I shook as much soil as possible from the roots of the turf that I uplifted. Be sure to get out as much soil as possible from the roots, you will need it for your garden. After the turf clumps were well shaken, I threw the clumps into a pile which I later moved to another part of my yard to compost. This can be some heavy work, turning-up the clumps of turf and shaking them out so be sure to rest often, especially if it is a very warm and sunny day. Keep hydrated and wear your sun protection. Better yet, see if you can get someone to help you with the work. After I finished removing and shaking out the turf I went back through and spaded the plot looking for any root clumps that I missed the first time through. After being satisfied that I cleared the plot I then dumped Black Kow Composted Cow Manure on it and mixed the manure in with the soil. Next came the raking. I did this to smooth out and level my garden. This also allowed me to find and remove any straggler weeds, grass and rocks.

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Time to Start Florida Winter Veggie Gardening Continued

The final preparation was to cover the plot with black plastic. This is a technique called soil solarization which heats the soil to help kill weed seeds and pathogens in the dirt. The correct way to do this is to place clear Visqueen on the soil and leave the plot to bake for 4 to 6 weeks. I had the black plastic so that is what I used. I also intend to keep my plot covered only until the tomato seeds I placed in my starting tray that same day are large enough to transplant into the garden. I am not doing the full solarization treatment, only a quick and dirty version of it. It is helpful to thoroughly wet the soil before covering it with plastic to help with heat transference through the plastic. Be sure that your plastic is in full contact with the ground (it should be if you properly raked and leveled-out your plot). Then weigh down the sides of the plastic with dirt, 2x4s, rocks, or as I did, old pieces of tile that I had lying around. This is important to keep the Visqueen from blowing away when the wind picks up. I did place a 10cm long thermometer into the soil through the Visqueen to keep track of what the soil temperature is getting up to under the plastic and about 4 inches down into the soil. The past couple of evenings it was up above 90 degrees F when I checked it at around 7pm. The night before when I first put down the plastic it reached 85 degrees F and I suspect it will get above 100 degrees F during the hotter part of the day with full sun. So that is how I prepared my plot for my Winter Veggie Garden.

V E G E TA B L E G A R D E N I N G
Blessed with an abundance of land, water and sunshine and favored with mild winters - south Florida is the nation's winter garden - providing much of the vegetable consumed by Americans during the winter months. The same factors that have contributed to a vibrant commercial vegetable industry in southwest Florida make it an ideal place to grow a wide range of healthy and delicious vegetables in the home garden. Statewide there are over 1 million vegetable gardens, these average 300 sq. ft. in size and supply vegetables worth $300 if purchased at the retail level. Vegetable gardens offer their owners a number of benefits: fresh air sunshine exercise enjoyment mental therapy economic saving and nutritious fresh vegetables. Gardens may be grown ye a r - r o u n d i n S W Florida, but the months from September- April generally give the most satisfactory results. Due to our unique soils and sub-tropical climate - gardening is a little different here and can be disappointing to the un-initiated. Summer heat can be brutal, soils often provide little more than support to hold plants upright, insects and diseases flourish in our eternal summers and varieties that worked well back hom e are oft en miserable failures locally. Despite these challenges vegetable gardening in SW Florida can be extremely rewarding to those who learn how. A wealth of information to get you started and help answer your questions is available from the University of Florida and can be found on the internet.

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CORNERSTONE BUILDERS OF SOUTHWEST FLORID A S P E C I A LT Y S E R V I C E S : REFACE or REPLACE

Cornerstone Builders offers our customers a wide selection of cabinet space solutions. We can do a simple reface that will change the appearance of your existing cabinets at a fraction of the cost of new cabinets. We can also replace your cabinets with a wide variety of styles and design options to fit any budget. Our designers will be able to show you how your kitchen will look with our 3-D technology software.

TURN YOUR BATHROOM INTO AN OASIS

We will remodel your bathroom turning it into a luxurious oasis that you deserve. Our team of expert designers, craftsman and technicians will design the perfect place to relax.

GRANITE, GRANITE EVERYWHERE

We are a direct importer of granite, marble, and quartz from all over the world. Our granite fabrication facility is located on Veronica Shoemaker Blvd in Fort Myers Florida. Customers are able to personally select the slabs for their countertops with a variety of colors and edges to choose from. Technistone is one of our new products that we have, combining all the qualities of granite and Corean in one product. Ask your design consultant to discuss the pros and cons of each type of surface we offer.

POWER YOUR ELECTRICAL NEEDS

Cornerstone Builders specializes in residential installation, troubleshooting and repair. From basic installation of dimmers, lights and ceiling fans to home wiring and power upgrade, we make it easy.

NEED MORE CLOSET SPACE?

Adequate storage space and the ability to organize what you have is a major issue in Southwest Florida. At Cornerstone we have a team of designers who can turn that messy closet into an organized work of art for space.

BLUEPRINT to BEAUTIFUL
Cornerstone Builders is a certified, licensed and insured Building contractor. No project is too Big or Too Small for us to handle. Our team of electricians, plumbers, framers, tile installers and carpenters are at you disposal to create the home of your dreams. Our team knows the importance of good design, good work ethic and the perfect finished product.

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