Thanksgiving Cooking Safety Tips

Thanksgiving is all about food and family – turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie and family time. However, preparing holiday goodies can lead to disaster - the kitchen is the setting of more fires than any other room in the house, and cooking is the leading cause of fires in the home. Here are some safety steps to use while preparing the Thanksgiving feast.

Check food regularly while cooking and remain in the home while cooking. Use a timer as a reminder that the stove or oven is on.

Keep the kids away from the cooking area. Enforce a “kid-free zone” and make them stay at least three feet away from the stove.

Keep anything that can catch fire - pot holders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, and towels or curtains—away from the stove, oven or any other appliance in the kitchen that generates heat.

Clean cooking surfaces on a regular basis to prevent grease buildup.

Purchase a fire extinguisher to keep in the kitchen. Contact the local fire department to take training on the proper use of extinguishers.

Always check the kitchen before going to bed or leaving the home to make sure all stoves, ovens, and small appliances are turned off.

Install a smoke alarm near the kitchen, on each level of the home, near sleeping areas, and inside and outside bedrooms. Use the test button to check it each month. Replace all batteries at least once a year.

10 Spectacular Roads You Need To Drive On Before You Die

1. Rohtang Pass — Himachal Pradesh, India

2. Great Ocean Road — Victoria, Australia

3. Atlantic Ocean Road — Averøy, Norway

4. Hana Highway — Maui, Hawaii

5. Highway 99 “Sea to Sky Highway” — British Columbia, Canada

6. Los Caracoles “Snails Pass” — In the Andes between Argentina and Chile

7. Øresund Bridge — Denmark and Sweden

8. Going-to-the-Sun Road — Glacier National Park, Montana

9. Guoliang Tunnel — Taihang Mountains, China

10. Stelvio Pass — Eastern Alps, Italy

Is Your Car Ready for Winter?

As snow and ice begin to cover the roads, it's important for you-and your car-to be prepared for increased driving hazards.

• Cold temperatures can drastically reduce your vehicle's battery power by up to 50%. Have your battery tested if it's older than three years.
• Check lights, antifreeze, heater/defroster, belts, hoses, filters, oil, wipers and brakes
• Inspect tire pressure and tread depth to ensure sufficient traction on wet or icy roads. Add chains to your tires if necessary.
• Carry the following essentials in your car: ice scraper, a snowbrush, a small shovel, tow chains and jumper cables. 

Ask your service tech at McCarthy Auto World to prepare your car for the rigors of winter driving.

From One Second To The Next A Film By Werner Herzog

This past August, legendary filmmaker and historian Werner Herzog released "From One Second to the Next", a short, but poignant look into the consequences of texting while driving.

The film is a PSA sponsored by four major phone companies-- AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, who originally approached Herzog to make the film in an effort to combat a growing cultural phenomenon where texting-related accidents are becoming increasingly all too common.

For Herzog, it's a sharp turn outside the norm from his usual works, which often focus on themes of isolation and wilderness, as can be seen in films like "Grizzly Man" and "Encounters At the End of the World". Nonetheless, "From One Second to the Next" is as much an accomplishment in cinema as it is an important message that should be adopted by anyone who gets behind a wheel.

Watch "From One Second to the Next" here