No Bake Dessert: Chocolate Peanut Butter Dreams

Chocolate and peanut butter go together like bread and butter, peanut butter and jelly, ham and eggs. It's a delicious combination in almost any form and these sweet treats are no exception.

This easy recipe does not require baking, instead you refrigerate the pan. This means you can make them any time before your party or prepare them before your party while you're oven is being used for the other dishes on your party menu. How convenient!


Here's what you'll need:
- 2 cups of crushed graham crackers
- 2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips (12 oz bag)
- 2 cups of peanut butter (Peanuts Optional)
- 1 lb box of confectioners' sugar
- 2 sticks of melted butter

Mix the butter, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and peanut butter. Spread the mxture into a greased 13x9 pan and press it in. Melt the chocolate chips and spread on top of the peanut butter mixture. Refrigerate for 30 minutes then cut into squares and serve.


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Ten ways to ring in 2010

If you're like many people you're still trying to figure out what to do for New Year's this year. In honor of the New Year, 2010, we wanted to share ten ideas for how to ring in the New Year. All of these ideas can be pulled together in a short amount of time and will be a blast for you and your guests.

1. Game Night. Send a festive invitation to guets and use MyPunchbowl's potluck feature to add a new category: Board Games. Ask each guest or couple to bring their favorite board game. Put the name of each game in a hat and choose a new game throughout the night!



2. Black & White Party. Make your New Year's party unique by hosting a black and white party. Set the tone on your invitation and instruct guests to dress in variations of black and white only. Decorate using black and white tablecloths and dinnerware accented with gold, silver, or hot pink. Play classic black and white movies or project them on the wall for a cool effect.



3. Year in Review Trivia Night. Recap 2009 by recounting the year's pop culture and political highlights through a game of trivia. Complile a list of questions incorporating the past year's headlines as well as your own guests' milestones from 2009. Divide the party into teams and get ready for some serious competition!

4. Karaoke Party. Rent a karaoke machine and sing your favorite tunes all night long. Make each hour a decade (ie. sing 70s songs at 7pm, 80s songs at 8pm, and so on). You can make it even more interesting by choosing songs for other people who may or may not know the words.

Super Easy Artichoke Dip

Dips are wonderful for parties because your guests can enjoy them with crackers, chips, veggies or pita chips. And for you, the host, they're often very easy to make. So easy that you can often put out a few different dips for your guests to enjoy.

This recipe for artichoke dip requires only 4 ingredients and less then a half hour to make. It's near impossible to mess up so even new cooks can put out something that tastes great! A tasty addition to a holiday party, Super Bowl party, or any party where you want to include a warm, yummy dip to the menu.

You'll need these ingredients:
- 1 jar of artichoke hearts (marinated)
- 3/4 cup of mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
- Dash of paprika

Chop the artichoke hearts into small pieces. Combine the artichoke hearts with the cheese and mayo. Pour the mixture into a small casserole dish and sprinkle with the paprika. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with pita chips or crackers.

Try this recipe at your next party!


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Last Chance to Get Amazing Savings

This year's Toyotathon has arrived, so now is your chance to get amazing savings on a new Toyota.


We're offering exciting deals on many of our award-winning Toyota vehicles. Check out the savings on the 2010 Camry SE, 2010 Tundra 4x4 and 2010 RAV4 LTD. This is a limited-time event, and deals like these won't last.

Hurry in to Team Toyota today or view local offers.

Toyotathon ends 1/4/10.

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Tasty Holiday Party Appetizer: Crab Rangoon




If you're hosting a holiday party, it's often easier to plan a menu that includes a lot of appetizers and hors d'oevres. Also known as finger foods, these dishes are great for parties because people can enjoy them standing, with a glass in their other hand, and they don't need to sit down with a fork and knife.

Perfect for both casual parties and more formal affairs - you often see passed hor d'oevres during the cocktail hour at a wedding or bar mitzvah, for example. One recipe I find my guests really enjoy is crab rangoon. Surprisingly easy to make, here's what you'll need:

- 1/2 lb crab meat
- 1/2 lb cream cheese
- dash Worcestershire sauce
- dash tobassco
- dash paprika
- 1/2 tsp steak sauce
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 package Wonton wrappers (approximately 2 1/2 dozen)
- oil for frying

Combine all of the ingredients except wonton wrappers and oil. Place a heaping teaspoon on each wonton. Gather the edges and seal with water (or an egg yolk with water added and beaten). Deep fry at 375 degrees for 3 minutes or until brown. Drain on paper towels.

You can freeze these if you decide to make them ahead of time. Just reheat them on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 15-30 minutes.

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Winter Auto Maintenance Checklist

Even better than winter driving tips        By Matthew Wright, About.com Guide



Winter is upon us, and winter driving comes with it. While safety is an important consideration all year long, there are certainly some auto maintenance jobs and safety checks that are specific to chilled air and winter driving that are a good idea to check into before we're knee deep in the season. To be sure you don't end up a road popsicle, or even worse end up with your holiday budget on ice thanks to unexpected repairs, have a look under the hood to be sure things are ship shape. As with any change of season, you should go to your regular maintenance log to make sure you are up to date on the maintenance items that should be taken care of throughout the year. The change of seasons is a great time to go through some once-a-year or twice-a-year auto maintenance tasks.


Winter Specific Maintenance

In addition to the added perils of winter driving, the change in weather can bring peril to your car's systems. Freezing temps, salted roads and wintery precipitation can gang up on your car if you don't give it a baseball-bat sized maintenance session. These winter maintenance jobs will keep you out of trouble:

Check your antifreeze
Your antifreeze (the juice that goes in your radiator) is an essential part of your car's winter protection. Your car contains a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze. Make sure the level is full and the mixture is close to 50/50. Many service stations and repair centers will check this mixture free, or you can buy a tester for around $5. You did remember to perform a radiator flush last spring, didn't you?

Inspect your tires
The last line of defense between you and an oak tree are your tires. Winter is not the time to get cheap about your tires, so take the time to check the tread depth. The National Highway Transportation Safety Board says you need at least 2/32" of depth to be safe. It's been my experience, especially in winter weather, that anything less than 4/32" (1/8") be replaced soon. The old penny test is as reliable as anything to find out whether your treads are ready for winter action. Also, be sure to check your tire pressure. Believe it or not, they lose a little pressure when it gets cold, so pump 'em up.

Replace your wipers
Wipers? What do your windshield wipers have to do with winter weather? Two things. First, anything falling from the sky is going to end up on your windshield, and unless you have a team of beavers riding on the hood of your car the task of clearing it falls on your wipers. Second, in areas that see snowfall in the winter, you're also driving through that soupy muck that's left on the road once the highway department does their thing. This muck includes a lot of sand and salt, both of which end up on your windshield. It takes wipers that are in top shape to keep your windshield clean and safe.

Check your windshield washer fluid
You'll be using lots of washer fluid as you try to keep your windshield sparkly. A mile stuck behind an 18-wheeler will have your windshield looking like a Desert Humvee if you're low on washer fluid. *Tip: Don't fill your washer fluid reservoir with anything except washer fluid, it won't freeze!

Annual Maintenance Procedures
On top of the checks you need to perform to ensure safe winter driving, now's a good time to do some annual maintenance. These aren't necessarily specific to winter driving, but it's a good point on the calendar to get around to doing this stuff.

Clean your battery posts
Starting problems are a bummer any time of year. Regularly treating your battery to a cleaning can keep electrical gremlins at bay.

Inspect your spark plug wires
Cracked up plug wires affect performance, gas mileage and general reliability. Be sure yours are in top shape.

Inspect your brakes
Brakes are not a good area to cut corners. Be sure your brakes have enough meat left to get you through the season.

Check Your Engine Oil
This should go without saying and should be done at least monthly. But in case you're an amnesiac ... you should also do an oil change!

Cold weather safety should be a concern for anybody living in a cold climate. These tips will give you the upper hand when Old Man Winter tries to put a chill on your winter travels. If you're extra curious about staying generally safe in winter weather, the National Weather Service has an excellent Winter Safety & Awareness guide that covers everything from how storms brew to a list of history's billion dollar winter wonders.

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Top 10 Tips for Smart Holiday Shopping





Shop after 6:00 p.m. the evening before a sale is advertised to begin. Many retailers program the registers the night before, so the sale may already come up in the register even if they have not changed out signs on the selling floor yet. Ask the associate in advance for any possible upcoming sales, especially on big ticket items.

Prepare a list to use while you are shopping. Make sure to include alternative selections in case you are unable to find some of the items on your list.

Avoid crowds by shopping during stores’ early and late extended hours.

If you are looking for specific advertised items, take the complete ad with you so that you don’t end up in the wrong store looking for a specific price.

Staple a gift receipt to the merchandise tag in case it needs to be returned or exchanged. Keep your original receipts with any warranty paperwork for the life of the warranty.

Remember when gift shopping you are buying for someone else’s wants and needs, not your own. But don’t be afraid to take full advantage holiday promotions treat yourself to something nice!

Shop safely! Watch your personal belongings at all times including handbags and purchases. The stores are not responsible for any lost items so be careful, especially at the register when you can get easily distracted by the transaction itself.

Save yourself the headache: let the charity group at the mall wrap your gifts for you. This will save you a lot of time and free you up to do other things on your holiday to-do lists.

When shopping online, have your credit cards and address book handy. Many websites have timed windows to complete a transaction, so you need to have shipping information at your fingertips.

When walking through the mall or down Main Street, wear comfortable shoes! You’ll be walking on a lot of marble, concrete and tile.

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Season's Best

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Online Shopping Tips for the Holidays

Plan Ahead. Having a set list of gifts you intend to buy helps minimize confusion, especially if you intend to make multiple purchases through several websites. Shop.org encourages consumers to start their online holiday shopping at http://www.cybermonday.com/, a site that will offer current promotions of more than 500 online retailers throughout the holiday season.

Use common sense. A golden rule of online shopping is that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is and you should avoid it. Shop with retailers that you trust. If you aren’t familiar with an online retailer, look for privacy and security seals, which indicate that their security and privacy measures have been verified, or use a site like BizRate.com to determine other peoples’ shopping experiences from that merchant.

Ensure your gifts arrive in time. Check retailers’ shipping deadlines, which are featured prominently on most retail websites. The information often lists the last day that customers can place orders for arrival by Christmas or Hanukkah.

Know retailers’ return and exchange policies. Return policies vary, so knowing ahead of time whether or not you will have to ship back returns or exchanges or if you can return them to the physical store in your area will help in the long run. Also be sure to find out who covers the cost of shipping if you need to return or exchange an item.

Ship gifts directly to the recipient. Most online retailers can ship items to a different location than your billing address. During the holiday season, when many people are traveling, take advantage of this feature by sending gifts ahead of your arrival. Some companies can even ship pieces from a single order to multiple locations so you don’t have to lug holiday gifts all across the country.

For instant gratification (or holiday procrastinators), buy online then pick up in the store. Many retailers offer a “buy online, pick up in store” option. Check with your favorite retailers to see if this is a service they offer, then skip the crowds and head straight to the customer service counter where your items will be waiting.

Read the fine print. Retailers list important information such as privacy policies, warranty information, item descriptions, terms of agreement and company information on their websites. Much of this information is very useful, but is displayed in a smaller font.

If you aren’t comfortable paying with a credit card, research other payment options. Retailers place a tremendous importance on keeping their websites safe and protecting customers’ information. But for shoppers who are still nervous about paying by credit card, other options are often available. Online retailers offer a variety of services, from letting customers fax in an online order to accepting third-party payment options. Some retailers also allow gift cards to be redeemed online.

“Check it Twice” before confirming purchase. Before you complete an online purchase, double-check billing and credit card information, shipping address and total cost of the order. This will eliminate any potential panic after you’ve hit the final “confirm” or “submit” button. And remember not to click “submit” twice.

Start a file folder. First, print and save all confirmations of your purchases. This will help in many ways, from returning or exchanging items to verifying credit card or bank statements. Also, write down each purchase. It’s easy to forget how much you’ve spent if you don’t keep track. This will help both holiday spending on a budget and balancing your checkbook.

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Safe Shopping Tips for the Holiday Season


Protect Shopping Bags. Never let anyone else “watch” your bags while you are shopping – always keep your bags in eyesight. This can even apply to spouses and children, as no one else may appreciate your purchases as much as you do!

Gift Card Safety. Only buy gift cards from reputable retailers, not through online auction sites. Gift cards sold through online auction sites are more likely to be counterfeit or obtained through fraudulent means. It’s even possible that these cards could have no value when purchased.

Keep Receipts. Consumers should keep the original receipt for every gift they purchase and ask for a gift receipt to give to the recipient. Receipts guarantee proof of purchase for both you and the gift recipient in the event that an item needs to be returned or exchanged.

Educate Children. Teach kids what to do if you get separated by instructing your child to look for a security guard, police officer, or go to the customer service desk where people are trained to help. Also make sure that your children know what to do if approached by a stranger while shopping.

Store Credit Card Information at Home. Make sure you have your credit card customer service phone numbers, account number and PIN written down at home in case you lose a credit card while shopping or you misplace your purse or wallet.

Stay Alert. Even though you are rushed and thinking about a thousand things, pay attention to your surroundings.

Auto Safety. Keep doors locked and windows closed when leaving your vehicle. Remember to turn off lights and take your keys. Store packages, electronics, and other important items in the trunk of a vehicle. Leaving them visible inside the car is an invitation for someone to break in.

Be Careful With Your Cash. If you prefer to pay with cash, never bring out the entire stash from your wallet. It’s best to count your money discreetly out of sight from others. Also, consider bringing only what you might need for the shopping trip. If you’re only spending $50, there’s no sense in putting $600 in your wallet.

Park close to your destination. If you know it's going to be dark when you return to your car, try to park under a street light and always take the most brightly lit path to and from your car.
Be Vigilant. If you see something suspicious, report it to store personnel, mall security or your local police department.

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Now In Stock

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Would Coke Be Better Naked?

The Naked Coke Can


We often overlook, in the smog of pride from collecting waste for recycling, that the principles of sustainability start with minimization. When minimization means doing without, acceptance can be hard to gain. But when minimization leads to elegance, everyone wins. Thus the green packaging proposal from Ryan Harc Design Studio -- the naked coke can -- is born a winner. If Coca-cola executives have not yet picked up the phone, they better move fast before Pepsi gets a lock on the idea.


What are the environmental savings of such a design? Could such a small thing as skipping the paint really benefit the planet?

2010 Toyota 4Runner Interview Video



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Race Now

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Murasaki Street Racer Race your friends for Glory... Race NOW!








New 2010 xB Release Series 7.0 Photos

CHAMPS Hosts 'Christmas with the Tigers'

CHAMPS Hosts 'Christmas with the Tigers' - LSUsports.net - The Official Web Site of LSU Tigers Athletics

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Toyota Pruis or Honda Insight?



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New 2011 Sienna Minivan Revealed

New 2011 Sienna Minivan Revealed



2011 Toyota Sienna Wants To Be a Sedan: 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show


Published Dec 2, 2009

Poor So-So Pretty Good Good Excellent 7 Ratings LOS ANGELES — "Minivan" apparently is a bit of a dirty word to Toyota. The Japanese automaker rolled out its 2011 Toyota Sienna minivan at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show, emphasizing how sedanlike the redesign has made this people hauler.

The new Sienna goes on sale in February in the U.S. Pricing has not yet been announced.

"The third-generation Sienna will look and drive more like a sedan," Toyota said in a statement. The minivan has distinctly American roots, with its design a product of Toyota's Calty Design Research and its development taking place at the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Among the highlights are a new, sporty SE model with side skirting, standard 19-inch alloy wheels, smoked taillamps and a sport-tuned suspension, as well as the debut of a more fuel-efficient four-cylinder engine.

Although the Sienna definitely still looks like a minivan, Toyota said it aimed for a "stronger profile" with the redesign. The Sienna rides on the same wheelbase as the previous generation, but it is wider and slightly shorter overall. The Sienna's face gets a slightly edgier look, and Toyota designers veered away from the minivan's classic boxy looks with a more sculptural rear. Toyota took pains to carve out personal cabin space for the driver and front passenger.

December 2009 - Birthdays

Happy Birthday Team!


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