Holiday – Syndication Server

Get It While You Can: Helmut’s Strudel

Seasonal items are a fact of life in the food world. When you have a favorite, you know the rule: Get It While You Can! That’s one reason we wait longingly for apple strudel season. While you can make it at home, there’s something about getting a …

Seasonal items are a fact of life in the food world. When you have a favorite, you know the rule: Get It While You Can!

That’s one reason we wait longingly for apple strudel season. While you can make it at home, there’s something about getting a traditional strudel to celebrate the holidays.

OK, we admit we got a bit ahead of the game this year, thanks to a trip to Germany, where we took a break in the Martins-Viertel neighborhood of Cologne. After a traditional German meal at Peter’s Brauhaus, we topped it off with a slice of amazing apple strudel.

But we don’t live in Germany, and so–that pleasant moment aside–we wait for our strudel. Our favorite comes from Helmut’s Original Austrian Strudel. If you time it right at any of the markets where they sell, you may be able to get it not only in apple, but in cherry, cheese, or almond apricot (a new favorite!).

Helmut’s is not sold online, as far as we can tell, but it is available at various holiday markets in the U.S. Coming up you can find it here:

Nov 17 – Dec 24	The Peoples Gas Holiday Market	Pittsburgh, PA	More Information	Get Directions
Nov 22 – Dec 24	Christkindlmarket Chicago	Chicago, IL	More Information	Get Directions
Nov 23 – Dec 24	Philadelphia Christmas Village	Philadelphia, PA	More Information	Get Directions
Dec 7 – 8	Yuletide in the Country	Hamburg, NY	More Information	Get Directions
Jan 10 – 12	Bass And Salt Water Fishing Expo	Raleigh, NC	More Information	Get Directions
Feb 1 – 2	Carolina Chocolate Festival	Morehead City, NC

It’s worth the trek if you are close to any of those areas, and a bit closer than either Austria or Germany! The strudel also freezes and reheats well (in the oven, please, not the microwave, for best retention of flavor).

What are you waiting for? Get it while you can…and, if you prefer to bake your own, we recommend the recipes found at Little Vienna or House of Nash Eats.

Photos by Paul K. Logsdon

Destination: Chicago’s Christkindlmarket

Chicago knows how to do Christmas. There’s a parade and light festival. There’s a Gourmet Dinner Cruise on Christmas Eve. You can see the holiday windows at Macy’s. And there’s the Christkindlmarket. We managed to get there on the very first day …

We managed to get there on the very first day this year, when crowds were relatively small and vendors were excited to be set up and open. The food is the star—although the ornaments and nutcrackers are fun competition. Here are our recommendations:

The Strudel. Any flavor works, but apple is traditional. Cherry. Almond apricot. Cheese. You can’t go wrong, or get a variety box.

The Hot Cider. It doesn’t matter what stand, really, but we liked the one from the German Brothers stand. (They were also selling the best German pancakes.) The cider was less sweet and hotter than others we sampled, but, really, they are all good. You can get yours in a paper cup or one of the three collectible mugs they sell to commemorate the market.

The German Pancakes. We like them with applesauce, simple and flavorful, but you can also get sour cream or other combos. Slightly crispy, completely tasty. Don’t forget the cider.

The Raclette Sandwich. Oh, you have to see it to believe it. The baguette. The hot, melty cheese. The delight in people’s faces as they dig in.

The Donor Kebab. You’ll get it with plenty of seasoned rotisserie meat, onions, cucumbers and tzatziki sauce, all piled into a large wrap. We first tasted this in Germany, and the market stand, Donermen, does it justice.

Moral of the story? Get to Chicago to find your Christmas spirit. It’s an easy train trip on the Blue Line; get off at Washington and you are there!

Photos by Paul K. Logsdon

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce will feature in ‘Hallmark’s 2024 Keepsake Ornament Collection’

Kansas City #Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will feature in ‘Hallmark’s 2024 Keepsake Ornament Collection’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs players continue to dominate on and off the field, participating in activities that allow them to stand out globally. A particular Pro Bowl tight end adds another unique experience to his popular resume just in time for the upcoming holiday season.

Hallmark’s upcoming Keepsake Ornament Debut event, taking place October 12-20, will unveil 150+ new Keepsake Ornaments, including an ornament of Chiefs star Travis Kelce. The Christmas tree ornament features Kelce receiving the ball for another big play. The holiday decoration makes a statement as fashionable as the famous player whose likeness it captures.

From pop culture favorites to ornaments that capture individual hobbies and life’s most significant milestones, Keepsake Ornaments offers something for every movie buff, sports fan, gamer, and holiday lover.

Hallmark’s new Keepsake Ornaments will be available online and at Hallmark Gold Crown Stores nationwide beginning Saturday, October 12th. Shoppers who visit their nearest Gold Crown Store during the Keepsake Ornament Debut can enjoy additional in-store perks throughout the event, including special offers, bonus points, and gifts with purchase while supplies last.

Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Club members can enjoy exclusive perks like exclusive ornaments and early in-store shopping beginning Friday, October. 11th.

Packers QB Jordan Love dazzles again in holiday spotlight

Jordan Love, the Holiday King. The Packers QB was once again terrific on New Year’s Eve vs. the Vikings.

No one has embraced the holiday spirit during the 2023 NFL season quite like Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who led his team to big-time wins on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

In victories on the road against the Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings during the holidays, Love threw eight touchdown passes without an interception and rushed for two more touchdowns. He had a passer rating over 100.0 in all three games and led the Packers to 95 points, or 31.7 points per game.

Against the Vikings in a must-win game on Sunday night, Love threw touchdown passes of 33 yards and 25 yards to Jayden Reed in the first half, rushed for a 2-yard touchdown and then found Bo Melton for a 9-yard touchdown to put the game away in the second half.

“I think he’s playing at an incredibly high level,” coach Matt LaFleur said after the 33-10 win over the Vikings.

Love completed 24 of 33 passes, good for a completion percentage of 72.7. He averaged 7.8 yards per attempt, didn’t have a turnover or take a sack and finished with a passer rating of 125.3, his second highest of the season and his ninth game overall this season over 100.0.

Love has been red hot over the last two months. In his last seven starts, Love has six games with multiple touchdown passes, zero interceptions and a passer rating over 100.0. The Packers went 5-1 in those six games.

Here are some highlights from Love’s big-time performance on Sunday night:

Love now has 30 touchdown passes and four rushing touchdowns. He’s one of only four quarterbacks with at least 34 total touchdowns entering Week 18, joining Josh Allen (42), Jalen Hurts (38) and Dak Prescott (34).

Here’s Love on the holidays in 2023:

Holiday	Result	Cmp/Att	Yards	TD/INT	Passer rating
Thanksgiving	W, 29-22 at DET	22/32	268	3/0	125.5
Christmas Eve	W, 33-30 at CAR	17/28	219	2/0	109.1
New Year’s Eve	W, 33-10 at MIN	24/33	256	3/0	125.3
Totals	3-0	63/93	743	8/0	120.5

Love and the Packers finish the 2023 season at home against the Chicago Bears. Next Sunday might not be a holiday, but it will feel like one if the Packers can take down the Bears and clinch a playoff spot.

6 perfect Christmas gifts for the Steelers this offseason

Here is the perfect Steelers Christmas list for this offseason.

Merry Christmas everyone! Pittsburgh Steelers fans everyone are waking up on Christmas morning with the thoughts of the blowout win over the Cincinnati Bengals dancing in their heads. While all of you are opening those Steelers socks or yet another Terrible Towel, enjoy these six perfect offseason presents for the Steelers.

WATCH: K.C. Wolf gets into the Halloween spirit, scares fans

#Chiefs mascot K.C. Wolf had a ball scaring fans to get in the Halloween spirit.

The Kansas City Chiefs are known for having one of the zaniest mascots in the NFL, and on a week of a highly anticipated international road trip, the team’s beloved canid had some fun scaring fans to celebrate Halloween.

In a video posted to the Chiefs’ official Twitter account, K.C. Wolf can be seen having the time of his life injecting a little spookiness into his surroundings.

KC Wolf is on the prowl this Halloween… pic.twitter.com/5Pi62puYOS

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 31, 2023

While the Halloween holiday may be over, the levity provided by this one-of-a-kind canine is sure to stick with fans for months to come. The patience necessary to execute this outstanding gag is an underrated part of K.C. Wolf’s game, and his googly eyes really hammer home the bizarre nature of any interaction he has with the general public.

Expect the Æðelwulf (noble wolf) to be a fixture of the holiday season as the Chiefs prepare for the most challenging part of their 2023 schedule, starting with their Week 9 matchup against the Miami Dolphins in Germany on Sunday.

Packers 2023 schedule features feast of primetime, holiday games

Jordan Love’s Packers will be featured in primetime viewing slots throughout the 2023 season.

Jordan Love’s Green Bay Packers will be playing in primetime and featured in holiday games during the 2023 NFL season.

According to the schedule released by Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, the Packers have five primetime games scheduled and will play on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve night during the regular season.

The Packers have played the maximum five primetime games every year for over a decade under quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Now, it’s Love’s turn in the spotlight.

The Packers will get primetime games against the Detroit Lions in Week 4 (Thursday night), Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5 (Monday night), Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13 (Sunday night), New York Giants in Week 14 (Monday night) and Minnesota Vikings in Week 17 (Sunday night). Matt LaFleur’s team will also play the Lions on Thanksgiving in Week 12, the Carolina Panthers on Christmas Eve in Week 16 and the Vikings on New Year’s Eve in Week 17.

Overall, the Packers have only eight noon kickoff games scheduled, although flex scheduling could change the look of the schedule later in the season. The final three primetime games can be flexed to other times of the week depending on the team’s performance and standing in the playoff hunt.

The team’s bye week comes in Week 6 after a stretch of two primetime games (vs. Lions, at Raiders). During a stretch spanning the end of November and start of December, the Packers will play three consecutive nationally televised games, beginning with the early timeslot game on Thanksgiving in Detroit.

Only two of the seven primetime or holiday games will be played at Lambeau Field.

The Packers open the season at the Bears and finish the season with a trip from the Bears, and the Week 18 game could be a primetime game based on the importance of the matchup.

The NFL and Packers will officially release the team’s schedule later Thursday night.

Best Cyber Monday deals for soccer fans

The best soccer gift ideas to celebrate the holidays, the World Cup and our love of the game.

Adidas, New Balance, Fanatics and many others on this list are offering major sales for Cyber Monday. The prices listed below are full retail, so click through to find sale prices and save big while getting the perfect gift for the soccer fan in your life.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, soccer fans!

For the first time ever, the World Cup and the holiday season collide to bring us tidings of great joy.

Pro Soccer Wire is here to help with both. Check back for our daily World Cup coverage throughout the tournament and check below for the best gift ideas for the soccer fan in your life, including PSW’s own very first soccer jersey.

Made with our friends at Icarus FC, this jersey will have you on the right side of history as the USMNT is back in soccer’s grandest stage for the first time in eight years.

Whether you train on the pitch at any level, or just scream at the TV from your couch, we’ve got you covered with these best gifts for soccer fans.

Our Best Halloween Recipes: Pumpkin Pie, Cookies & Cocktails

Recipes plays a utilitarian role in Thanksgiving; we expect to have certain dishes – turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce – as a matter of historical tradition. But for Halloween, recipes get cloaked in gimmicks, a phenomenon that is not only tolerated …

Recipes plays a utilitarian role in Thanksgiving; we expect to have certain dishes — turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce — as a matter of historical tradition. But for Halloween, recipes get cloaked in gimmicks, a phenomenon that is not only tolerated but embraced. Scary Eye Cookies? Why sure! And you can pair them with Zombie Slime cocktails while you’re at it. Below, we round up some of our favorite Halloween recipes in three key categories: pumpkin, cookies, and cocktails.

McTelvin Agim, a Texas native, talks about Juneteenth holiday

Juneteenth became a federal holiday last year.

An 11th federal holiday was added on June 19, 2021.

Juneteenth was first recognized last year after president Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. June 19, 1865 marks the day when African American slaves in Galveston, Texas, were among the last to be told they had been freed.

For reference, 1865 was over two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation outlawed slavery and two months after the Civil War ended.

On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger delivered General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas. In other words, he informed residents of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and that the army now intended to enforce the law in the state.

Third-year defensive lineman McTelvin Agim is a Texas native.

“When it was explained to me, it was that, us, as slaves, we were sold so many times we lost contact with a lot of our family,” Agim said in an interview with DenverBroncos.com. “So when we were finally able to have our freedom, they reached out to those families and got together and then celebrated being able to be around each other. So when I found out the meaning of that, it just put Juneteenth and our family reunions in a whole different light for me.”

Agim added that Juneteenth celebrations typically include “old-school music” playing at barbecues. Celebrations usually take place at grandmother’s house or the park. While kids are running around, older family members play spades or dominoes.

To learn more about Juneteenth, check out the league’s official website.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Halloween Pumpkin Recipes

Halloween Cookie Recipes

Halloween Cocktails