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Memorial Day Hacks and Hamburgers

Memorial Day Hacks and Hamburgers

Memorial Day is a special time of year to honor the men and women who have died while serving in the U. S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Visit History.com for more information.

Always the last Monday in May, this holiday also marks the unofficial beginning of summer fun … pool season, popsicles, and plenty of barbeques. Americans have traditionally observed Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings, and participating in parades. This year the weekend activities may still look a bit different if social distancing, but we will continue to reflect on the sacrifices our soldiers made for us while lighting up our grills. Speaking of, take a visit to Chowhound.com for some amazing tips for the most perfect hamburger ever (80/20 lean to fat ratio ground chuck always!) and clever grilling hacks. Did you know you can use a spare cooler as an insulated warmer to keep food hot and juicy right off the grill? One tip you won’t see there is a favorite of mine … folding a dollop of mayo into each burger patty for optimal juiciness before they even go on the grill. Try it. You’ll love it!

Unfortunately during this time of year crooks might pop up who feed on our gratitude. Watch out for Memorial Day scams where hackers use a patriotic or military approach when contacting service members for money. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) suggests to be on the lookout for five specific scams during this time of remembrance:

– Fake military charities. Scammers will send out emails, phone calls, direct mailers and send texts using the same outreach practices as well-known legitimate nonprofits. Be wary of messages that contain words like “disabled,” “heroes,” and “warriors” and always double-check the exact name and spelling of the charity.

– Fake rental properties. Scammers take out classified ads and will use photos from legitimate rental properties that promise military discounts or other incentives.

– High-priced military loans. No legitimate lender will guarantee a loan as being instantly approved. Watch for ads that may also say no credit check is required. If this is the case, the loan will likely come with hidden fees as well as outrageously high interest rates.

– Veteran benefit buyout plans. These plans offer an attractive cash payment in exchange for a disabled veteran’s future benefits or pension payments. The cash payment is typically only 30-40% of what the veteran is entitled to receive.

– Misleading car sales. Some websites post ads that contain false discounts for those in the military. There is also an increase of ads that claim to be from soldiers who need to sell their autos quickly due to deployment.

Stay safe this weekend and please reach out to us if needed. Guard Well Identity Theft Solutions exists to provide you, your family and your employees from the damages of identity theft. We are available for you 24/7/365 at 888.966.GUARD (4827) and [email protected].

Photo courtesy Justin Casey via unsplash.com

 

Fun Things to Do from Home … Really!

Fun Things to Do from Home … Really!

There are only so many closets that can be cleaned out and pantries to organize while practicing social distancing, right? Do you find that you’re running out of ideas to keep yourself entertained, your children learning and even your pets busy doing something not destructive … if even just for ten minutes? We understand that when you’re having to spend much more time with your family, how precious those ten minutes are!

 

Some of these ideas may already be in your repertoire. We hope that there are some new ones that will help put a smile on your face … and grant you those ten minutes of much-needed peace.

 

– Virtually travel to places you have always wanted to see. Some of our favorites are The Louvre in Paris; The San Diego Zoo and Monterey Bay Aquarium in California; Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece Guggenheim in NYC; the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam; the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy; the Acropolis in Athens, Greece; and, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. Visit Google Arts & Culture for even more amazing virtual experiences, including some for pets.

 

– Get creative in the kitchen. Since you have likely already cleaned out your pantry, you probably know what staples you have on hand. Learn how to improvise and have a contest as to who can come up with the best three-ingredient recipe. One of our favorites is to cook brunch in a large muffin tin. All it takes are three ingredients, a muffin tin, and, in four easy steps, you can have a simple but protein-rich brunch for six: 1) Grease the muffin tin (a large one with six works best). 2) Take some ham slices and line the bottom and sides of each muffin (turkey slices work just as well, too). 3) Break an egg over the top of each ham slice and sprinkle some shredded cheese on top. Bake until the eggs are set (about 20 -25 minutes) and viola! You have brunch for six and no mess to clean up. Check out Taste of Home for 64 for more ideas on cooking in a muffin tin.

 

– How is your green thumb? Did you know that you can re-grow vegetables in only a dish of water indoors in a matter of a couple of weeks? It is a great way to trim your grocery budget and make organic food much more affordable. Ten vegetables to try are celery, carrot greens, cabbage, bok choy, fennel, green onions, lettuce, and garlic chives. We have had the best experience with re-growing celery. Our first try of re-growing living lettuce didn’t go so well – the jury is still out for the second head, which is iceberg. Visit the Don’t Waste the Crumbs website for more indoor gardening ideas.

 

– Tired of looking at the same walls each day? You can redecorate your house without having to buy a thing. Try rearranging furniture and move your knickknacks to other rooms. If you have a sectional sofa, try splitting it up and move the pieces around, even setting them at angles instead of the typical box shape. Move your paintings and photos to other walls in different rooms. If you have a teenager in the house, suggest that they completely rearrange their room … it will certainly take a while and free up bandwidth so you can get some work done quicker! Likely they’ll end up cleaning out their closet and dresser drawers … again!

 

Whatever you do, please stay safe online. We suggest that you revisit our blog, Working from Home Cybersecurity Tips. As always, we are available 24/7/365 for you and your loved ones at 888.966.GUARD (4827) and [email protected]. If you have any fun ideas that you have tried while social distancing, please share them with us in the comments below.