Home Field Advantage - Daniel Norris, Toronto Blue Jays

Americans Ready for Barbecues, Travel for Independence Day

Summer is in full swing and Americans are ready to put on their red, white and blue to celebrate Independence Day with friends and family — and plenty of food. According to the National Retail Federation’s 2015 Independence Day Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, more than 156 million consumers—nearly two thirds of those celebrating (64.4 percent), are planning to take part in the patriotic holiday by attending a cookout, picnic or barbecue, spending an average of $71.23 per household, up from $68.16 last year. Total spending on food items for the holiday is estimated to reach $6.6 billion.*

“The busiest half of the year for retailers is about to begin, and with economic conditions swaying in consumers’ favor more so this year than last, many seem eager to take advantage of retailers’ promotions,” said NRF President and CEO Mathew Shay.

When it comes to shopping for new Independence Day merchandise, though many already have all the patriotic gear they need, more than 48 million consumers - 22.8 percent -will hit the stores looking for decorations, apparel and more to celebrate in style.

The survey found 42.6 percent, or 103 million celebrants, will attend a fireworks display or community celebration, and 11.5 percent – 27 million of those celebrating, will watch a parade. The holiday weekend is also a popular time for travel and vacations as more than 33 million Americans say they will head out of town.

When asked about the impact gas prices will have on their spending, nearly eight in 10 (78 percent) say that the price of gas will not impact their spending for the holiday weekend, up from 70.1 percent who said so last year.

“Consumers this summer and for the 4th of July will take advantage of lower gas prices to head to the beach or get together with family– something they’ve had to think long and hard about in recent years with higher energy costs and limited budgets,” said Prosper Insights Consumer Insights Director Pam Goodfellow.

About the Survey

- See more at: https://nrf.com/media/press-releases/americans-ready-barbecues-travel-independence-day#sthash.4vAzxGop.dpuf

Home Field Advantage - Karlie Kloss, Supermodel and Superfan

Home Field Advantage - Jacob deGrom, New York Mets Pitcher

It's Vacation Season! Where Travelers Want to Go this Summer

Memorial Day officially kicked off the summer season, and many travelers are looking forward to their next vacation. Travel companies have an insider's view of where customers are looking to go, which often reveals interesting trends.

RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange, looked at search data from RCI® subscribing members planning a vacation from Memorial Day to Labor Day 2015 to get a big picture view of where travelers are hoping to visit this summer.

When searching by destination, the top searched locations were:

1. Playa del Carmen and Riviera Maya areas of Mexico (9.1 percent)
2. Florida's Southern Atlantic coast (7.7 percent)
3. Tenerife, Spain (7.2 percent)
4. Cancun, Mexico (5.5 percent)
5. Myrtle Beach area of South Carolina (5.4 percent)

When searching by specific city, the top searched locations were:

1. Orlando, Florida (14.8 percent)
2. Kissimmee, Florida (11.3 percent)
3. Malaga, Spain (4.5 percent)
4. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (4.2 percent)
5. Williamsburg, Virginia (3.8 percent)

Home Field Advantage - Alicia Gwynn, widow of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn

Tips for a Well-Behaved Dog

There's a reason why they are called fur babies. From tiny puppies to large hounds, Americans take serious pride in canine family members. In fact, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) there are about 70–80 million dogs in homes across the country. And although they may be a more-than-welcome addition to the family, they may not receive such a warm welcome from the neighborhood — leaving owners to wonder what might be causing some hairs to stick up on end. The answer could be simple: poor social etiquette.

No one likes to consider their dog as a source of disruption in the community. While enjoying relaxing evening walks together or playing in the backyard, people may never consider the behavior of their dog to be a problem, especially if its disposition is friendly around people. But if watched closely, they may notice he or she is coming across as a nuisance — meaning it might be time to correct behavioral issues such as barking, jumping or not staying when instructed.

If you feel like your little pup could cause a commotion in the neighborhood, don't fret! There are tools and steps to follow that will help take your dog from bothersome to beloved.

BarkingOftentimes, the most disruptive action by a dog is also the hardest to control: barking. From sounding the alarm to separation anxiety, dogs use barking as an alert system. But it also is known as one of the most common causes for frustration among neighbors. To get barking under control, consider the following training tips:

• First, identify the factors surrounding your dog's barking. Is it more common during the day or at night? Are there triggers nearby such as people, animals or machines? According to the ASPCA, some barking issues can be resolved by removing problematic objects or noises. If the problem can't be fixed by removing objects, have your dog checked to make sure that he or she isn't suffering from a health issue.
• Using tools and proper training together is often the best way to bring barking under control. Products that feature audible deterrents are oftentimes a good way to stop incessant yapping from a dog. Tools like the First Alert™ Bark Genie Automatic Ultrasonic Bark Deterrent use safe, pet-friendly ultrasonic technology that detects barking and emits sound to help control it.
• To efficiently handle a barking problem, be sure to begin correctly training your dog while using a bark deterrent. First, never encourage or reward a dog for barking. If your dog barks compulsively, try "quiet" training. Allow the dog to bark initially, then instruct him or her to "quiet" and hold its snout for a few seconds. If the dog remains quiet after you let go, give it a treat as a reward. Not all dogs are the same, so training bark control can be difficult. However, with enough positive reinforcement used with training aids like the Bark Genie, excessive barking can be quelled.

JumpingDoes your dog jump on strangers? If instructed to stop, does he or she listen? Jumping and tackling can be perceived as aggressive behaviors and can give off the appearance that you might not have complete control of your dog. However, unlike barking, bouncing or jumping is even more controllable by training. If the problem exists with your pup, the ASPCA provides the following tips to correct the problem:

• In order to successfully train your dog to interact with other people, you need to train him or her one-on-one first. When greeted by your jumping dog, keep calm. The more excited you are, the more excited your dog will be. If it begins to jump, do not reach out to pet or stroke the dog. Instead, keep your eyes raised to avoid eye contact and keep your arms and hands away until the dog keeps its front feet on the ground.
• Once the canine has calmed and is standing on four feet, immediately reach out to show affection. This will emphasize the importance of staying down when greeting. If the dog becomes excited and begins jumping again, restart the process.
• If initial training tips don't help, or if training takes a while, it's important to keep your dog on a short leash while interacting with other people. Products like comfortable no-jump dog harnesses work well in keeping control over your pup and will help other people feel more comfortable around your dog. In addition, always keep treats on hand to encourage your dog to stay calm and by your side.

StayingIf your dog doesn't have a jumping or barking problem, he might have a problem with running free. Between the front yard, backyard and entire neighborhood, there's just so much to see! But this can be extremely invasive and bothersome to other neighbors. If your dog commonly attempts to break free during a walk or run, or tries to get loose from the yard or house, try the following steps to control the behavior:

• According to the ASPCA, the hardest to achieve but most effective training tip to control your dog when it attempts to run or chase is establishing a call that works. To train your dog, simply practice the specific call repeatedly for as long as it takes until the dog begins to adapt. Each time you make the call toward your dog, reward him or her with a treat to set firm expectations that coming when called is a positive thing. Try practicing this training exercise while on a walk. If your dog begins to wander, simply pat your legs and call it for a treat to set expectations that your dog should stick close to you when outside. Keeping a training tool with you can also be handy in case your dog decides to ignore a command or call. Using a tool like the First Alert™ Bark Genie Handheld Ultrasonic Bark Deterrent utilizes the same pet-friendly technology and allows for more precise training control over your dog.
• If your dog is attempting to break free from an enclosed area such as a backyard, ensure that your fence is an appropriate height, that there are no gaps in the fence and that your dog isn't prone to digging to escape. Practice the same training tips to calmly control your dog and remember — it might take some time!
• If nothing else works, and if time allows, tire out your pup with extensive play time! An under stimulated dog can get extremely antsy, but enough activity will help to reduce the urge to break free when out in public. You'll have a good time, and your pup will too.

Home Field Advantage - Jake Peavy, San Francisco Giants

My obsession with swirled cakes started innocently enough. Strolling through the local discount store, a brightly colored designer cake placed exactly at eye level caught my attention. Pinks and whites. Multiple shades of purple. Rainbows in all hues. Even camouflage.

Fascinated, I picked up the box. “Surely, this is some sort of complex process that takes hours and hours and more baking know-how than I possess.”

It doesn’t.

It doesn’t even require a special, expensive cake mix.

It does require creativity and a little bit of patience.

To create a swirl cake, you’re need one or two cake white or flavored cake mixes. Two or three different food colors. For my first experiments, I used white and chocolate cake mix and purple and orange food colors.

 

Make the chocolate mix per the directions and set it aside. Then make the white cake mix and divide it in to two bowls. Next add food color until you achieve the desired color. Cake batter will bake duller than the raw batter.

Liberally grease and flower your pan. For my first attempt, I had only a bundt cake pan.

Now for the patience.

With a ½ cup size measuring cup, scope up batter and pour it into the center of the pan. Let the batter spread out. With a clean measuring cup, scope up a colored batter and slowly pour it on top of the chocolate batter. Allow that to spread out on top of the first scope. Alternate colors until you’ve used all the batter. Make sure you give each color time to spread across the cake pan.  Because I was using a bundt cake pan, I had to pour cake mix on both sides since it wasn't spreading out as nicely as I hoped. 

Once you’ve used up all the batter, bake according to the directions. After the cake came out of the oven and cooled, I frosted it in white frosting colored orange. When I sliced into I could see the beautiful marbled striations. 

Lesson learned from this cake: make sure there's enough differentiation in colors. In this cake, the purple blends in with the chocolate. You can see the purple better in the photo than you could in person. Also, a bundt cake pan isn't the most ideal for swirling as it doesn't allow the colors to spread out across very well.

For my next attempt I went bolder with the colors and used a sheet pan. This time, I used three bold colors in addition to chocolate. I dropped the batter in the center of the pan, but it still migrated to one end of the pan. To fill the pan, I ended up swirling batter at the opposite end of pan.

Again, I used a 1/2 cup measuring cup to drop the batter into the pan. On a sheet pan, the bands ended up being thinner than on the bundt cake version. 

Pan-Steamed Alaska Seafood Marseilles

If you find your recipe repertoire growing stale, now is the perfect time to experiment with new seafood recipes your family will love.

Seafood makes a delicious centerpiece of any meal, and preparing seafood can actually be quite simple. Pan-steaming is one easy preparation that leaves the seafood moist and makes a quick and easy sauce, too. The technique, demonstrated in this recipe for a rich, buttery lemon sauce, is perfect for Alaska Sockeye salmon, as well as other species, including Alaska halibut or Alaska cod.

At the grocery store, look for high-quality fish, such as Alaska Seafood, which is additive-free, lean and full of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Sustainable practices used in fishing Alaska salmon, shellfish and whitefish varieties also mean you can feel good about serving Alaska Seafood to your family.

For more delicious recipes and preparation tips, visit www.wildalaskaseafood.com.

Pan-Steamed Alaska Seafood MarseillesPrep time: 15 minutes               
Cook time: 10 minutes              
Servings: 4

4          Alaska Salmon or whitefish fillets (4 to 6 oz. each), fresh or thawed
1          lemon, thinly sliced
1/4       teaspoon sea salt
1/8       teaspoon white pepper
1/2       cup white wine (sauvignon blanc or chardonnay)
2          tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
2          tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2          tablespoons minced fresh herbs

Remove seafood fillets from refrigerator 15 minutes before cooking. 

Fill 12-inch skillet with 1 inch of water. Add lemon slices and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  

Rinse seafood in cold water and pat dry; season with salt and pepper.

Add seafood to pan, skin side down. Cover pan tightly and cook for 4 minutes, or until seafood is lightly translucent in the center, checking at thickest part. Remove seafood from pan and let rest a minute; it will finish cooking from retained heat. Remove lemon slices from steaming liquid.

Create quick reduction sauce with remaining liquid by adding wine, butter, garlic and herbs to pan. Combine ingredients and continue to simmer, allowing liquid to reduce to desired thickness. 

To serve, transfer lemon slices and fillets to plates; drizzle fillets with sauce.