Image courtesy Beverly & Pack

The staff and bloggers with the Directory of Oklahoma City want to thank you for your continued support and wish you a safe 4th of July!

Enjoy the rest of the summer.

Some of the music events:  On July 3 - check out the musical groups on the Chevy Main Stage (at the corner of Oklahoma and Sheridan Avenues).  At 845pm the OKC Philharmonic present Patriotic Pops.  You do not want to miss this!  Enjoy the celebration! ]]> http://directoryofoklahomacity.com/blog/how-to-spend-your-4th-of-july-in-oklahoma-city/feed/ 0 http://directoryofoklahomacity.com/blog/how-to-spend-your-4th-of-july-in-oklahoma-city/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Directoryofoklahomacity/~3/ejfm-3VyzRI/ http://directoryofoklahomacity.com/blog/trolley-rides-free-for-one-year-starting-july-1st-in-okc/#comments Thu, 01 Jul 2010 02:53:16 +0000 Beth http://directoryofoklahomacity.com/blog/?p=1637

Image courtesy KB35

Platt College is sponsoring free trolley rides in downtown Oklahoma City for the next year beginning tomorrow, July 1, 2010.  This should be a hit over the 4th of July weekend and beyond!  They want to get the message out there that they support public transportation.  This is something the Metro Transit of Oklahoma wishes we would all do.  OKC is a growing community where taking advantage of public transportation will help the environment, save you money, and be more convenient when going to work (no need to park) or even a game (avoid fighting the crowds while parking). 

During the summer the trolley runs Sunday - Tuesday 10am to 8pm and Wednesday – Saturday 10am to 11pm.

Image courtesy SMercury98

One of the reasons I fell in love with this Chocolate Chip Dip recipe is because it has only 4 ingredients in it.  Further, it is ultra simple to mix up.  How does it taste?  Simply delicious!  People have tried to guess what is in the dip and really think there is a lot more to it than there is.  I plan to serve it again at our upcoming 4th of July party. 

Ingredients:

(1) 8 oz stick of cream cheese

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix together the cream cheese (make sure you’ve softened it first – leave out at room temperature for a while), brown sugar, and vanilla.  Then add the mini chocolate chips.  Chill for 4-6 hours.

You can serve this dip with those chocolate and honey Teddy Grahams.  Apples also taste great with it!  Let me know if you try some other treats with the dip.  I am always looking for new ways to serve it. 

It looks like chocolate chip cookie dough and tastes just as delicious.  Enjoy!

Image courtesy justinbaeder

 Who doesn’t have a computer today?  Recycling, or I should say reusing, its ink cartridges is just another way we can help create a cleaner, “greener” world for the next generation.  Here are some interesting facts around  the use of ink cartridges:  

• Over 54 million households (about 55% of the total population) have a home computer.
• Consumers, on average, buy 2-6 cartridges a year.
• For every inkjet cartridge, 2.5 ounces of oil are used (3.5 quarts for every laser cartridge).
• Approximately 2.5 lbs of plastic, steel, aluminum, and rubber are used for each laser printer cartridge.  
• Every 2 seconds, in our country alone, a person throws away a printer cartridge.
• Empty ink and toner cartridges can be reused as many as 4 to 7 times.
• We throw away over 86% of all inkjet cartridges.  
• 350 million laser toner cartridges end up in one of our landfills.

Here in OKC, companies like Cartridge World accept computer ink cartridges.  Check out their local Web site for information on why refilling your cartridge is the “green thing” to do.

Image courtesy G & A Sattler

I never realized how inexpensive coffee filters are at the Dollar Store.  You can get about a thousand of them for a buck.  Here are my top 10 uses for them around the house: 

1 . Cover your dishes when cooking in the microwave.

2.  They are lint free, so clean your windows, mirrors, or chrome with them.  

3.  I use them as a disposable “snack bowl” for snacks like chips, popcorn, etc.

4.  I filter the cork from wine when it’s broken off inside the bottle.  

5.  They can be used as a sewing backup, an easy-to-tear backing when embroidering.

6.  When adding fluids to your car, use to prevent spilling.  

7.  Use them to hold dry ingredients when baking.  It really saves on washing bowls.  

8.  Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments when storing.  

9.  Remove fingernail polish.

10.  They can act as wrappers for messier foods like tacos.  

Here in Oklahoma City we have several Dollar Stores.  If you don’t have one close to you, look for the best deal or a great sale at your local grocery store.

1)  Try drinking light-colored/white tea.  Our human fat cells become less fat when you treat them to an extract from white tea.  Green or black tea has to go through more processing.  This lighter tea keeps most of the compounds that help with fat-cell metabolism. 

2)  Try eating slower and stop eating when you feel around 80% full.  Experts say eating too quickly and eating until you are full triples your chances of becoming overweight. 

3)  Try keeping a food diary.  By tracking the food going in, you will be better able to control what you eat.  Recemt studies show that keeping these types of diaries doubles your chance of weight loss success.

These are simple enough to try and I have found that keeping the food diary is easier than I thought it would be.  Good luck with your weight loss goals!   

Here in Oklahoma City, there are many weight loss centers that can provide support for you.

Image courtesy roger.karlsson

My family and I just returned from North Dakota where we attended my husband’s family reunion.  We had a great time!  This year, rather than gathering at a local hotel or similar facility, we decided to go to a local park and have a picnic.  Those who lived locally brought a dish to share while those of us from out of town were responsible for the paper products and beverages.  It worked out really well.  Everyone who brought a dish was asked to bring the recipe for it.

I have to say my husband’s sister brought the best tasting strawberry yogurt dessert ever.  It only got better when I discovered it only had four ingredients and was super easy to throw together.  There are plenty of hot summer days left, so try this dessert to cool them off.  Here’s the recipe.  Enjoy!!

Ingredients

8 oz Cool Whip  …  16 oz strawberry yogurt  …  2 – 10 oz boxes frozen strawberries  …  1/2 bag of miniature marshmallows

Mix all the ingredients together (be sure to drain most of the juice off of the strawberries once they thaw), refridgerate overnight, and serve the next day to rave reviews.

It’s aromatherapy (warm milk and honey) that have different scents to choose from.  If you have a hard time getting to sleep or wake up in the middle of the night or even have trouble sleeping when you are away from home, this could be your answer. 

All you have to do is spray some enhancing pillow mist on your pillow, let it dry, and have a good night of sleep.  I received this for a gift but was told you could purchase it at the bath and body stores out there.  Good luck and let me know if it works for you.

They were right.  It’s as if the words jump off the page.  I mentioned this to a couple people yesterday and they had never heard of it so I decided to share what I found with you.  I actually had someone test this by putting one regular light bulb in and a Reveal light bulb in to see if they could tell the difference.  There was no question.  They knew right away which one made it easier to read.

Give it a try and let me know if you like Reveal bulbs better.  It’s easier on the eyes.  If anyone has any other tips on how we can have less strain on our eyes, let us know.