January 2014

Recipe Courtesy of KraftCanada.com

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 (900 g) lb. boneless stewing beef, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
• 5 carrots, peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 large onion, cut into chunks
• 6 small red potatoes, quartered
• 3/4 cup Kraft Original BBQ sauce, divided
• 1 tbsp instant coffee, original roast
• 2 cups frozen peas

Make It

Heat oil in nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add meat, in batches; cook until evenly browned, stirring occasionally. Layer carrots, onions and potatoes in bottom of 5-qt. slow cooker; top with meat. Pour 1/2 cup barbecue sauce over meat; sprinkle with coffee granules. Cover with lid.

Cook on LOW 7 to 8 hours (or on HIGH 5 hours).

Stir in peas and remaining barbecue sauce;

(NC) Even though Canadians can save as much as 5 per cent on their heating bills this winter by simply upgrading to a programmable thermostat, half of homeowners have yet to make the switch.

“Most people don’t give a lot of thought to the type of thermostat they have, and those with an old mercury thermostat, or non-programmable unit, would be surprised how much money they’re wasting,” says Dave Walton, thermostatthe director of home ideas at Direct Energy.

“Think about this: You wake-up in the morning and it is cold inside, so you turn your heat up to 24 degrees. By the time the house heats up you’re off to work, but did you turn the thermostat back down? If not, your furnace will be working all day to heat your house to 24 degrees when no one is

The sudden onslaught of winter did not slow real estate sales in November according to figures released by the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton. One month sales in November were the highest in five years. The figures are based on sales through the Multiple Listing Service® System in the Edmonton CMA.

The number of all-residential sales in the Edmonton CMA in November (adjusted to account for late reported sales) was 1,116 (1033 reported) which was the highest number of sales in the month since 2009. There were 672 (622 reported) sales of single family homes, 349 (323 reported) condo sales and 83 (77 reported) duplex/row house sales in November. Total residential sales were up 10.5% over November 2012 with SFD sales up 7.9% and condos sales up 13.7%.

Many people neglect the important precautions needed to fireproof a home. Every year, fires take hundreds of lives and destroy thousands of homes in Canada. Many of these tragedies could be prevented. To protect your home, loved ones and possessions, it is important to give a conscious effort to fireproofing your home. The following tips will get you started.

Avoid overloaded outlets: Overloaded outlets can cause house fires. Avoid plugging large appliances (i.e. refrigerators, microwave ovens, heaters, air conditioners) into the same outlet or circuit. Fix any loose wall receptacles, wires and lighting fixtures. Don’t use extension cords on a permanent basis and never run extension cords under carpeting.

Sleep with bedroom doors closed: A bedroom