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 Want to learn how to make the best pie crust in the world? 

Do your homemade cookies turn out misshapen and burnt? 

Can you put a gourmet dinner on the table in less than 15 minutes? 

Interested in learning more about Italian cuisine? 

HRH Pat Condelli, The Cookie Queen, also known as "the practical Martha Stewart," teaches all the tricks of the trade in fun-filled classes at the Castle in New Kensington, Pa. 

Home Economist Pat Condelli 

Pat received her degree in Home Economics at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and has been teaching cooking, baking and home making since 1968. 

Choose one of the following classes or tell the Cookie Queen what you would like to bake or cook and she will plan a class specifically for you and your friends. 

Pat also is available for LIVE consultation on SKYPE. If you have a web cam, message Pat on the internet for a time for a live SKYPE consult on your computer. 

* Dough Re Mi - How to handle all types of doughs - yeast, phyllo, pizza, pie, biscuit. Hands on. Sampling. Take home something wonderful. 

* Hassle-Free Holidays -. Save time and your sanity with easy holiday recipes. Hands on. Sampling. Take home something scrumptious. 

* Kids Can Cook - Easy recipes. Lots of fun. Hands on. Sampling. Take home something to show your family what you made. Class limited to six children. 

* Cookies to Die For, Cry For, Lie For - Learn to make "professional-looking" cookies that taste fabulous. Men of all ages really love this class. Hands on. Sampling. Take home some goodies. 

* Yes, You CAN Make a Pie - Anyone can and I’ll teach you how. 

* Intro to Cooking for the Single Man -Basic cooking skills for guys. Prepare wonderful meals for you and your buddies. Food safety. Learn how to host a party. Hands on. Sampling. Something to take home. 

* Carry Me Back to Old Italia - Grand recipes from the North and South of Italy. Family-tested for generations. Hands on. Sampling. Something to take home. 

* Ethnic Cooking With American Flair - You’ll get a little bit of everything in this class - Italian, Greek, Polish, German, Mexican, Dutch, Indian, Chinese. Six sessions.$300. Come for dinner. We eat first. Then I’ll show you how to make it. And you can take some home for your family to taste. Class size limited to six students. 

All classes feature hands-on (not just watching me do it) experience. And everyone gets to take home something they themselves made. 

Most classes are just one 2-3-hour session. There are morning, afternoon, evening and weekend sessions available. 

Individual Classes: $40-$60 (depending on items being prepared), which includes recipes and something delicious to take home. 

To register for a class, phone the Cookie Queen at 724 339-0920 or E Mail: cookiequ@verizon.net 

Are we ever going to hear the end of the Mueller report?

After not quite two years of investigating, Special Counsel Bob Mueller recently released his findings in an investigation that was supposed to determine if Donald Trump conspired with Russians to win the 2016 Presidential election.

His report - 448 pages - concluded that neither Trump nor anyone associated with him conspired with Russia.  He won the election fair and square.

However, Democrats, still upset about losing the election, thought that Mueller’s report would prove Trump cheated.  When the report said he didn’t, the Democrats are still determined to prove some way, somehow  and someday that Trump won by hook or by crook.

And so this week the Democrats called Atty. Gen. William Barr to appear before them and explain why he….??  when he …??  what he… ?? who he… ?? Frankly, I’m still not sure what they wanted him to explain since Barr complied with all laws and regulations when it comes to releasing information from a special counsel.

But the Democrats are certain that Mueller and Barr are bad, bad,  people just like Trump - which I am sure they will continue to say for the next 30 years at least - but by then I expect to be dead and so I won’t have to listen to one more word about it.

Last week I wrote what I thought was going to be my LAST words on the subject until some really consternating things happened.

The first concerned the report itself.  I read the entire 448 pages and no where in that report did investigators reveal how they figured out that Russians had hacked into the DNC and John Podesta’s e mails.  They just stated as fact that it happened and noted that a dozen Russians (who will never be prosecuted) were charged with interfering in our 2016 election.  I thought the reason that underlying information about how this information was learned was “top secret” or “contained sources that couldn’t be revealed.”

I was disappointed in not getting the facts but I understand that some things must be kept secret so as not to reveal methods and sources of our intelligence agencies. Turns out that’s not why.

This week I found out that the investigators got the information from a company called Crowd Strike which was hired by the DNC to have a look see at their server and determine how the hacking occurred. I just assumed that Mueller’s team did what the FBI should have done initially and that was to gain physical possession of the server.  But once again the DNC refused to release the server to investigators and instead gave Mueller’s people the same information they allowed the FBI to have initially - that which was gleaned by the firm the DNC hired - Crowd Strike. Then making matters worse it was revealed this week that Crowd Strike was a huge donor to the campaign of one Hillary Clinton. Oh oh.

Why in heaven’s name wouldn’t Mueller’s team demand to see the server? 

Meanwhile - Congress who said that the Mueller report was the be all and end all of the Russia investigation decided to continue investigating because Mueller did not give Democrats the answer they wanted.  The Dems still believe that the Trump organization conspired with Russians to win the election no matter what Mueller found.  And so this week they dragged Atty. Gen. William Barr before a Senate committee to answer questions.  Which he did for more than five hours. I listened to the whole thing. 

And still the Democrats were unhappy with his answers as were the people in the Media who said over and over and over one after the other like a Chorus singing the same refrain adnauseum:   that Barr was Donald Trump’s  “hand picked” attorney general.  Hand-picked, hand-picked, hand-picked they parroted over and over and over.  

Here’s my question for these left wing lunatics - was there EVER in the history of our nation even ONE attorney general who was not hand-picked by the President?  Just give me the name of one attorney general who was not hand-picked.

You’d think it could not get any worse   Ahhh - but then came Thursday when the House of Representatives demanded Barr appear before them to answer MORE questions.  But instead of the congressmen asking questions themselves they demanded the Barr be questioned by “staff attorneys.”   (Keep in mind that most of the dimwits on the committee claim to be lawyers themselves.)

Now why would they demand that?  Did we vote for staff attorneys? Nope.  Did this ever happen before?  Nope.  So why?  Well - and this is just my opinion but an educated opinion - the Democrats feared that they would look like idiots when they questioned Barr because Mr. Barr is maybe 100,000 times smarter than they are and he knows how to answer stupid questions.  With one word answers. Yes.  No.  Also they did not want to appear foolish before the public since the hearing was being aired on TV.

Barr declined their request and did not show up on Thursday as was his right.

The Democrats screamed that  Barr was “afraid” to be questioned by staff attorneys. They said he was a chicken.  What a joke.   And that’s when the Democrats decided to show all of America that they are nothing more than a joke.

Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, showed up and began eating a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken at 9 a.m.  I’ll bet you think I’m making this up.  Nope.  See the photo  left.

Cohen then left the bucket — along with a ceramic chicken — on the table where Barr would have sat.

A ceramic chicken.  Oh, ha,, ha, ha, ha ha how funny.  But the Dems are so dumb that they don’t know when you use a fake chicken for laughs it HAS TO BE A RUBBER CHICKEN  - not a ceramic chicken.

And then making matters worse the Dems all stood around guffawing and elbowing each other like sad, pathetic, juvenile, sophomoric morons.  And these antics are paid for by your tax dollars.

Once again - I have to say - I want my money back.