It’s kernel capers today! Here are a few sites with recipes for yummy caramel popcorn and more. One has maple and bacon in it. YUMM! Here’s one from Yummly.

Here’s one for Dixie Doodle popcorn from GoErie.com. It has cashews, almonds, peanuts, dried fruit, pumpkin/sunflower seeds, cheddar cheese, dried cranberries or cherries and spices. One of my fave places for popcorn is the Pittsburgh Popcorn Factory. My daughter brings it home, and we are hooked!

Learn more about how this day got the distinction at Punchbowl. Oh and we can celebrate again April 6 — that’s National Caramel Corn Day!

Pop up some corn or break out the Cracker Jacks!

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.

What a year of terrific houses and real estate stories in House to Home! If you want to hear about my favorites, click right here.

One of my faves discussed a horse farm for sale and Phyllis Turner and Sandra Jarecki gave us a galloping tour. Here are links to all of our stories in this week’s House to Home:

• » Add fresh holiday ideas
  » Deck the halls — and everything else — in style
  » Make a honey of an arrangement
  » Add nature, drama to décor
  » Make guests feel welcome with easy tips
  » Understanding green cookware
  » Fabric adds life to rooms

All of us at House to Home extend our thanks to readers for sharing homes and gardens with us.

I personally want to thank all of our local writers — Sue Scholz, Sabrina Fischer, Sarah Sheppard, Maria Minnaugh and Marie Feltz for giving us interesting ideas we can find on a regional level.

Thanks to all the Realtors who support us and the wonderful folks at the Erie Times-News who help put this publication and our GoErie.com website together every week: Christine Yamrick, Marnie Mead, Holly Waychoff, Kevin Cuneo, Sherry Rieder, Joan Benson Cacchione, Dave Papesch, Sandra Hartel, MaryBeth Ford, Rob Frank, Jason Kisielewski, Mike Regal and all our ad people, printers and newspaper carriers who bring it on home. Happy Holidays!

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.

Watch the Cathedral Prep Ramblers roll tonight at 7 p.m. on channel 22 in Millcreek on the PCN cable network. The Ramblers take on Archbishop Wood at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey in the AAA state final.

The Erie Times-News and GoErie.com’s Tom Reisenweber, Andy Colwell and John Dudley are at the game — they will blog, update and send photos via Twitter and Facebook throughout the contest. Get all the action at GoErie.com/blogs/Varsity

Above:  Ramblers Delton Williams, left,  a running back, and and Damion Terry,  quarterback, will attend Michigan State and play football for the Spartans. Photo by GREG WOHLFORD//ERIE TIMES-NEWS.

If you are stuck for a gift idea for anyone with ties to Erie, here are some of my faves:

“Pizza Bomber: The Untold Story of America’s Most Shocking Bank Robbery” Ed Palattella and Jerry Clark co-authored the book about their investigations into the collar-bomb death of Brian Wells. You can watch a replay of their live chat on GoErie.com at www.goerie.com/chat. I know both these guys — they are awesome.

They will have a book signing today at The Erie Book Store at 4:30 p.m and at Books-A-Million in the Millcree Mall Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. The book is available at Barnes & Noble, Werner Books, Books Galore, The Erie Book Store and on Amazon and other outlets. For more information: pizzabomber.com. The book has been optioned for a movie in Hollywood.

“Bluff” by Lenore Skomal. Lenore’s book is a terrific mystery that will keep you guessing, and she is planning a sequel. I know Lenore, and she weaves a great story with memorable characters.

“Honoring the New York Central Railroad”  by Kenneth Springirth. Ken knows railroad, and he has a series of books that are all fascinating railroad tales. I know Ken — he is an interesting historian — if you have a question on rail, just ask him.

“Fortune and Fury” by David Frew and Jerry Skrypzak. These gentlemen share some of Erie’s richest history of the waterfront. It’s a great read for anyone who loves Erie. I know both of these guys, and this book is filled with personality and memories of old Erie. All proceeds benefit The Erie Historical Society.

These are just a few of the great books written by local authors. Suggest more right here.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.

We have some of the best decorating ideas I have seen in a while in House to Home this week, and check out the fabulous video that Rob Frank of GoErie.com and Christine Yamrick pulled together on a lovely $400,000 Sun Lake home listed for sale at 10611 Locust Knoll in Girard.

For the holidays, our decorating duo of writers from Sassy Peacock serve up several ideas that even I could do, and I will. Read their article here.

I wrote about Adelmo and Eleda Duchini’s home for sale. Read it here. The Duchini name is synonymous with block and brick in our region, and this home shows off that Italian heritage inside and out. 

We have some more ideas on holiday decorating with lanterns — something so simple and so elegant. Read the story here.

And check out the article by Sue Scholz about a wonderful team of local folks who have gained national recognition from the Smithsonian Institution for the World War II Memorial at West 26th and State streets.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.

Every once in a while, folks pass in and out of your life and make an impact so profound that it surprises you. Tom Doyle is one of those people.
I knew Tom many years ago and lost touch, but he called me in the spring and told me that he had followed my writing career and wanted to nominate me for Woman of the Year. I thought he was kidding at first. But he wasn’t. Tom went on to say that I had set an example for other women by surviving single parenthood and building a career along the way. While I don’t consider anything I have done exemplary, I do consider Tom exemplary. He founded the Aquatic Hall of Fame in Erie and has been a dedicated fan of swimmers and athletes for most of his life. That’s just a sampling. He took time to make people like me feel grateful and recognized for things that seemed ordinary.
Pat Cuneo told me that Tom isn’t well right now, so if you get a chance to give Tom and his family a shout, do it now.
Thank you, Tom from the bottom of my heart.