Organize food stores
Now is a good time to give your pantry a thorough going-over. Get rid of ingredients and spices that are outdated and make a list of what needs to be replaced or refreshed for the new year.
Do the same with the refrigerator and the freezer. Toss what’s past its prime. Get rid of spoiling holiday food. Make a list of what’s on hand and what needs to be replenished.
Replace a few items each week in your grocery shopping until the cupboard is no longer bare.
Start out the year with a fresh supply of staples like pasta, frozen vegetables, chicken, beef and fish, and you’ll never be at a loss for putting together a quick and easy dinner.
A place for papers
While you’re getting your kitchen in order, you might also want to create a family binder to organize all those sports schedules, committee rosters and other papers that tend to cover the refrigerator door and pile up on the counters.
Use a three-ring binder, preferably one with a 2- or 3-inch spine so you have plenty of room. Add dividers to sort the papers into categories, along with a three-hole punch.
Business-card sleeves are great for holding the cards of contractors and service providers. Plastic sheet protectors can hold user’s manuals for your kitchen appliances, so they’ll always be easy to find.
Movies and TV
If the weather is letting you get out, consider the showings of the Tom Hanks classic Big in select Cinemark theaters at 2 p.m. today and 2 and 7 p.m. Wednesday. Hanks plays a boy who gets his wish to be a grown-up — but with his boy’s sensibility inside the adult body. Elizabeth Perkins also stars.
And if you’re stuck inside, tonight marks the return of the public-TV sensation Downton Abbey. A two-hour premiere at 9 p.m. kicks off another round of romance, scheming, class conflict and other issues, now in 1922 Britain, six months after a sudden death shook the characters.
‘Chicago’ in Cleveland
It's back! The wildly successful six-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Chicago is playing Tuesday through Jan. 12. at the Palace Theatre at PlayhouseSquare in Cleveland.
The current tour features the part of Billy Flynn played by actor/dancer/singer John O’Hurley, known as eccentric clothier J. Peterman on Seinfeld and a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. Tickets are $10-$75. Call 216-241-6000, 866-546-1353 or go to www.playhousesquare.org.
Sled hockey benefit
Members of the University of Akron Hockey Club play the Cleveland Mighty Barons sled hockey team in a charity event, beginning at 5:50 p.m. Saturday at the Center Ice Sports Complex, 8319 Port Jackson Ave. NW, Jackson Township. Donations will be accepted.
Sled hockey was created for players with physical disabilities. The player sits in a sled with two blades on the undercarriage, and uses two short hockey sticks with ice picks on the bottom for propulsion.
Winter picnic
Want to pretend it’s warm outside? Go on a picnic.
Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, invites you to join naturalist Elizabeth Kresse for a hike, then return to a toasty fire for a winter picnic. Families need to provide their own hot dogs and other picnic foods. A fire and s’mores (while supplies last) will be provided. If there’s snow, take your sled and enjoy the sledding hill after the program.
It takes place at Goodyear Heights Metro Park, Pioneer shelter and trail, from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit www.summit metroparks.org.