Deck the House: Vote for National Winner

Of 24 finalists in the holiday lights contest, one will earn $100,000 for their public school district.

The local winners of the Deck the House holiday lights contest have been narrowed down to 24 national finalists, eligible to win a $100,000 donation for their public school district. Although there are no Michigan homes in the final pool of 24, we celebrate the local winners, including: To vote for one of the homes competing nationally to win a $100,000 donation for their lucky public school district, visit www.deckthehouse.patch.com/entries.  A special thank you to everyone who entered and/or voted. You've made our dark nights more festive and "oooh-worthy" this holiday season.  National voting continues through 9 p.m. ET Jan. 8.

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Around Town

Things to Do in 2012: Karaoke, Pottery, Zumba

With a new year to fill, Around Town Laura makes her plans.

While I might not do so great on my personal resolutions, (either that or my scale is stuck) I have to say last year's Patch resolutions went pretty well. From a beautiful Mom Cave to those amazing almond croissants, I checked off most of my 2011 list and then some. While I never managed to find the dads of Rochester out-and-about in their leather pants (Biker Night at O'Connor's excluded), I did experience the grown-up version of Emagine theater and it was fabulous. With all these experiences under my belt — including a spray tan — what's left for 2012? Here are my resolutions: As always, I'm open to suggestions. Is there something in town you'd like me to explore in 2012? Let me know in comments or by email.

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Kristin Bull

4:07 pm on Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Thanks David -- we are working on a story about this for this week.   more ›

Champagne Tips and Tricks for New Year's Eve

Tips from a Matt Prentice restaurants expert on everything picking the right glassware to serving it at just the right temperature.

  Ready for New Year's Eve? Eric Djordjevic, chief operating officer of Matt Prentice Restaurant Group, has a five Champagn tips and tips for party-givers and partygoers: By "clean" I don't mean free of dirt and debris, but instead free of soap residue, as many liquid detergents don't rinse off completely.  Aside from imparting undesired lemon and lavender scents in your wine, they will cause Champagne to go flat faster or prevent your wine from adhering to the glass and releasing aromatic qualities.  Tip: For hard to clean decanters use a nonscented denture cleaner.  After a little soak and good rinse, your crystal is good as new. Each wine has various qualities and aromas; science has proven that these molecular compounds release …

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Are You Ready for 2012? Inspiring Resolutions for the New Year

Fitness experts, business coaches, entrepreneurs and others weigh in with New Year's resolutions and tips on how to make them stick.

A quick survey around town reveals some intriguing 2012 promises and resolutions that may inspire you to make a few of your own. Before we checked in with various area residents on their New Year’s resolutions suggestions, we received some insights from motivational coach Steve Frank of evolution360° in Birmingham, and fitness coach Ryanne Moroschan of Sola Life & Fitness, Beaumont Health System's medically based fitness center in Rochester Hills.   As founder and “chief motivational officer” of evolution360°, Frank works as a personal and business coach. He helps clients with goal setting, work-life balance, transition, leadership and team dynamics. “For this new year, consider making only one resolution: Resolve to set clear, actionable …

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Game Time Menu: Sliders, Meatballs, 'Guy Fondue'

Area chefs share their secrets for great bowl game snacks, from crowd-pleasing dips to a variety of flavored meatballs.

You’d expect that a professional chef would know how to throw a no-holds-barred, great party at home, right? That’s precisely why, with a variety of bowl games already sprinting full speed into our lives and more to come (MSU plays Jan. 2 and U-M plays Jan. 3; 35 bowl games total through Jan. 9, and don’t forget Feb. 4 is Super Bowl day), we checked in with our favorite “kitchen quarterbacks.” Cutting right to the party chase, here's the lowdown on everything from crowd-pleasing dips to big-guy sandwiches. “When I have parties at my home, I like to use big, round sourdough or Tuscan loaves, like 10 inches in diameter to make great sandwiches,” said Chef Pete Loren of Nino Salvaggio International Marketplace in Troy. “These are different; …

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Envelope Please! Patch 'Deck the House' Local Finalists

Rochester area sparkles in national holiday decoration contest for our schools.

Thank you so much Brittany Cummings for submitting the entry of your amazingly decorated home in the Patch Deck the House contest.   You're the Rochester-Rochester Hills local winner! Congratulations!   Tonight we'll find out if you are among the 24 national finalists—fingers crossed. Each Top 24 finalist is guaranteed $500 to help pay those holiday-sized electric bills and a shot at winning a $100,000 donation for their public school district.  A special thank you to everyone who entered. You made our dark drives home more festive and "oooh-worthy" this holiday season.  National voting begins today at 9 a.m. ET. Vote once a day, every day, for your favorite — and feel free to share the link on all your social networks!   Voting ends at …

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