Gourmet

This decadently rich chocolate pie recipe has an ingredient that that is going to surprise many of you! When I told my trainer, Mr. Strong…

…about this pie, he was extremely skeptical because that surprise ingredient is “silken tofu”. Having never tried tofu, Mr Strong had no idea what to expect and was very hesitant to give it a try. When he tasted it and then asked how to make it, I knew we had a winning dessert!

Tofu comes in different consistencies. If you have never bought tofu before, it is essential for this recipe to buy the “silken” tofu (which is also used to make delicious smoothies!) Look for the word “silken” on the packaging.

The filling for this pie is all made in a blender. You will need:

• 16 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
• 1/3 cup of coffee liqueur (Khalua) or strong black coffee)
• 1 block of silken tofu
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon of honey

You will also need a 9-inch graham cracker pie crust (or 8-10 mini size) which you can make yourself or buy pre-made.

I recommend using semi-sweet chocolate chips, although you could use just about any chocolate you prefer. The chips are more economical than buying a premium chocolate bar. (Use semi-sweet chocolate or a combination of bitter sweet (4 ounces) and semi-sweet (12 ounces).

Put the chocolate bits into a microwave safe bowl.

Microwave the chocolate, for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Give it a stir. If it’s not smooth and melted, zap it again, in 15 second increments, until it’s completely melted.

Meanwhile, cut out a small corner of the silken tofu container and drain off the excess fluid – only about 2-3 Tablespoons.

Measure out the coffee liqueur (Khalua), honey and the vanilla.

Now, put the tofu, coffee liqueur, vanilla extract and honey into a blender:

Mix this all together on medium speed for about 20 seconds

Add the melted chocolate…

to the blender…

and mix that in as well, on medium, for an additional 30 seconds.

With a silicone spatula, scrape down the insides of the blender.

And give it one more whirl, on medium for about 20 seconds, until everything is totally blended and smooth.

Pour the chocolate mixture into a 9-inch graham cracker crust…

or 8-10 mini crusts.

Put the pie (or mini pies!) in the refrigerator for about 1-to-2 hours to set.

A tart pan with a removable bottom also works beautifully with this recipe.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust.

And refrigerate the tart until it’s firm.

Serving the Pie

If you have made a nine inch pie using a pre-made or home made crust, then just start slicing.  If you used the mini crusts you can gently remove these tarts from the tin.  For those that made a crust from scratch and use a tart pan with removable sides, balance the tart on a large can. The rim drops down very easily.

Then just put it on a serving dish and dig in!  (You can also top this pie with some whipped cream if like!)

Of course you could always just forget about a crust and pour this fudgy filling straight into a beautiful stemmed glass and eat it as is!

Enjoy!

Source: http://startcooking.com/blog/346/

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As a juvenile corrections officer in Southern California, Teresa Goines found it rewarding to work with troubled youth and help them turn their lives around.

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_us/~3/QKecr7ib-2w/index.html

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When is a Twitter Trend NOT a Twitter Trend at all? The answer is “When it is a Tailored Trend” Many of us are now Twitter users, and we’ve come to understand terms such as “follower”, “retweet”, “followfriday” and even “hashtag”. One term we think we understand is that of “Twitter Trends“. Trends are algorithm-generated [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/C078oxVfVRY/

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The Kings, who not long ago appeared likely to be moved to Seattle, are sold to a group led by software tycoon Vivek Ranadive and will stay in state capital.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson announced to screaming throngs of Kings fans Friday that the deal to sell the NBA franchise to a group led by software tycoon Vivek Ranadive has been signed.

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/sports/~3/e6eytgZ6FCo/la-sp-nba-report-20130518,0,3585902.story

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Our good friends Kris Engelhardt and Kathy Bunting let it be known that they were on their way over with raw oysters yesterday, and it occurred to me that it would be the perfect opportunity to open the magnum of Wyncroft Riesling that had been resting in our cellar for some years. The wine was [...]

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What is Vintage Wine? Chianti Choosing Wine Glasses Castel del Monte Chenin Blanc Aligoté Port Wines

One of my favorite ways to serve pasta is with olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic and lemons — and, of course, fresh parsley — which I put on just about everything!

You should always have a few boxes of pasta in the cupboard. It keeps for a long time, and is always good for an emergency meal when you can’t think of anything else to make!

Stock up on pasta when it goes on sale and buy all different shapes and sizes. Be sure to always have some olive oil on hand as well.

For this recipe you really need to use fresh garlic and fresh lemons and fresh parsley. Garlic powder, dried parsley and lemon juice from a jar just won’t cut it in this recipe.

Start cooking your pasta according to the directions on the package.

While the pasta is cooking you need to do 5 things:

• Mince the garlic
• Grate the parmesan cheese
• Remove the zest from the lemon (see below)
• Juice the lemon (video)
• Chop the parsley

Peel and mince 2 cloves of garlic.

Grate about 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese.

Wash 2 lemons. Before juicing the lemons, we need to remove tiny shreds off the peel of the lemon. This is known as lemon zest. You can use a grater or a knife and just cut the zest into really tiny bits.

Be sure to only use the yellow part of the lemon peel. The white part tastes bitter.

Now juice the lemon. We actually need 4 Tablespoons of lemon juice.

Then chop about 1/2 cup of fresh parsley.

Once the pasta is cooked, remove one cup of the cooking water.

Then drain the pasta.

(After we add the other ingredients, the pasta may be too dry. You can add some of the cooking water to help moisten it.)

Using the pot you cooked the pasta in, heat 3 Tablespoons of olive oil.

Add the garlic to the oil and fry it, until you can smell it cooking, about 15 seconds.

Turn off the heat. Add the lemon juice and zest to the pot.

Then add the pasta to the garlic and oil.

Add the chopped parsley.

With a pair of tongs or two spoons toss everything together. If it seems too dry, pour on some of the reserved pasta water.

Serve with lots of parmesan cheese, salt and freshly ground pepper. And of course, garnish with fresh chopped parsley!

Enjoy!

Source: http://startcooking.com/blog/107/

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No, this is not the name of a new chic restaurant or B&B in the Napa Valley. It is a grape that at one time was highly reveled in the Napa Valley. It was famously made by the Inglenook winery … Continue reading →

The post Napa Valley Charbono Resurgence appeared first on Napa Valley Wine Blog.

Source: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/napablog/napa-valley-charbono/

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Source: http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/2011/03/tax-time-also-a-chance-to-combat-illinois-hunger-.html

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CHICAGO, May 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Nespresso, the worldwide reference in single-serve coffee, will unveil its newest machine innovation for U.S. professional customers – the Aguila – on Saturday, May 18, at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, IL. Aguila is…

Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nespresso-introduces-latest-b2b-innovation-aguila-at-national-restaurant-association-show-may-18th-207710711.html

Champagne Wines Pinot Grigio Pinot Gris Etiquette for Wine Tasting and Serving Tafelwein Vinho Verde Vernaccia di San Gimignano

If there’s one dish that reminds me of childhood home, it’s cauliflower cheese. My mum was a reluctant cook so cauliflower cheese became our staple diet – every day for high tea. We washed it down with weak tea and Women’s Institute cake. Actually, mum did a pretty good job: unlike the cooks at school who turned cauliflower into grey mush, she never overcooked it. And she lavished the magical tree-like florets with generous amounts of cheese-rich sauce.

So I’m sad to hear that we Brits no longer want to eat this wonderfully eccentric-looking vegetable. Sales have dropped around 35% over the past decade, and last year, nearly half of British households didn’t buy a single cauliflower. In short, if we don’t start buying this snowy brassica again, growers are now warning it could soon become extinct.

The reason I’m fighting to keep cauliflower on our tables – apart from bringing back tender childhood memories – is its sheer versatility. It’s crunchily delicious eaten raw in a salad with plenty of lemon, in fritters, or as a pretty crudité to dunk into delicious dips. It combines brilliantly with spices, green beans, cucumbers and courgettes to make a piccalilli, and is amazing in a curry. Cauli is nice roasted too. And few things pair better with fresh scallops than a silky smooth cauliflower purée.

Going back to cauliflower cheese, there are plenty of things you can do to pep it up. Add mustard and use a tasty British cheese such as a Lincolnshire Poacher, as in the cauli cheese that James Martin serves up with griddled pork chops and cabbage. Or sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs, mixed with a hard cheese like Parmesan, to form a crunchy crust. Or adorn your dish with a few crispy bacon rashers.

The awful weather has made life extra difficult for farmers cultivating cauliflower, devilish to grow at the best of times. But in its favour, it’s one of the few vegetables that can be grown in Britain all year round, and unlike veg such as tomatoes, doesn’t need greenhouses or polytunnels to flourish. By eating cauliflower rather than imported veg, we help British farmers and save food miles. Before the last struggling growers throw in the trowel, I reckon it’s time to give cauliflower another chance. Do you agree?

Championing cauliflower

Try turning cauli florets into fritters, as in this simple cauliflower fritters starter from The Hairy Bikers. Serve with roast garlic and paprika aioli.

Raw florets are perfect dipped into a Bagna cauda of garlic and anchovies.

Use cauliflower in Rick Stein’s piccalilli, guaranteed to spice up cold meats.

Cauliflower and scallops are a marriage made in heaven, as in John Burton Race’s Pan-fried scallops with cauliflower chips, cauliflower purée and gremolata dressing.

Or try the Hairy Bikers’ take on the same partnering in seared scallops with pancetta and cauliflower pureé.

How do you like your cauliflower?

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/food/2012/08/why-dont-we-eat-more-cauliflow.shtml

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XI’AN, China, May 14, 2013 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — SkyPeople Fruit Juice, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPU) (“SkyPeople” or “the Company”), a producer of fruit juice concentrates, fruit juice beverages and other fruit-related products, today announced its financial results for the first quarter…

Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/skypeople-fruit-juice-reports-first-quarter-2013-financial-results-207374571.html

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Source: http://tablascreek.typepad.com/tablas/2013/05/how-times-change.html

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UPDATE: Deal is dead. Follow me on Twitter (@RobertDwyer) or become a fan of the WWP on Facebook for faster notification.

This one isn’t going to last long, but in exchange for clicking through a quick slideshow about the Ford Fusion you can get a $30 credit to LivingSocial. You can then use that credit to buy anything at LivingSocial including an offer they have for a wine aerator and

Step 1 – Follow these instructions:
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/1252327/

Step 2 – Redeem for anything on LivingSocial including this wine aerator/electric bottle opener combo for $39:
http://www.livingsocial.com/cities/2-boston/deals/578088-wine-aerator-and-electric-bottle-opener

The aerator itself sells for $39 on Amazon and assuming the bottle opener has some value this is like $79.99 worth of wine accessories for $9 + $9.95 shipping. I received one of these aerators as a sample not too long ago. It’s solid. It’s unique feature is that you can dial in how aggressively you want to aerate.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/IfTfJFBvxlw/hot-deal-wine-aerator-and-electric.html

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Many recipes for making fresh pasta assume you need a pasta machine, and in ‘Food Factory’ on BBC1 they even tried to make spaghetti with a meat mincer. Hmmm. In Italy you just need a long wooden rolling pin. This makes me wonder, can a novice get close to the delicious taste of fresh pasta at home with just a rolling pin and a little effort? 

So, I experimented by making pasta with and without a machine, and I was pleasantly surprised at the results.

Rolling, rolling, rolling
Perhaps the most surprising discovery was that using the machine didn’t save me any time. 

Rolling the pasta with the machine was a fairly lengthy process, as I was thorough and put the dough through three times at each setting from 1 (widest) to 9 (thinnest).

By hand I rolled out the same amount of dough (150g) into two thin circular sheets in the same amount of time – about 15 minutes. There is no denying that using the rolling pin was physically hard work, and the machine did produce thinner sheets of pasta more easily. But the rolling pin gave results I was very happy with. It was certainly thin enough to make tagliatelle and other types of flat pasta.

Cutting it
A second surprise came when cutting the pasta. Using the machine to cut tagliatelle produced narrow, clean strips with perfectly parallel edges, as you’d expect. Cutting by hand is done by rolling up the sheet of pasta like a Swiss roll, then slicing it and shaking out the rolled up strands. Cutting by hand was very simple and fast – much easier than managing the machine single handed, although no doubt feeding the long strips of pasta into the machine while carefully catching the finished product at the same time would get easier with practice. Hand cutting also gave me control over exactly how wide I wanted my pasta ribbons – narrow tagliatelle, wider fettucine or extra wide pappardelle.

And the hand-cut pasta looked nicer. The irregularity gave it more character and it certainly looked more appealing when cooked and piled on the plate. The machine cut pasta looked very clinical in comparison.

Pros and cons
The machine made a lot more tagliatelle from the 150g of dough – thinner, narrower strips and more of them. However, the machine rolled pasta was so thin that it was very easy to overcook (I would stop at setting 7 or 8 on the machine next time). Another disadvantage of the thinner pasta was that it looked less yellow than the thicker hand-rolled pasta, and less appetising. The hand-rolled pasta had more bite, and had a rougher texture than the machine pasta – perfect for serving with pesto, parmesan and black pepper.

It isn’t necessary (or possible) to use a machine to shape some types of pasta. To make lovely little orecchiette or cavaletti the dough is rolled into a sausage and small pieces cut from it and squashed into shape, as you can see in the nice video on this pasta making blog post. (Use the egg-free pasta recipe for this – see below.)  Deliciously chewy in traditional dishes with chilli, anchovies and broccoli, or in Nigel Slater’s Pepper, tomato and basil pasta.

Conclusions
So if you are curious it’s well worth giving pasta making a go, even if all you have is a rolling pin. It’s a lot of fun and makes very tasty, edible pasta. If you want to gear up to making it frequently, or in large quantities then a machine will save you physical effort. But I think I’d always choose to cut it by hand for the aesthetic pleasure of the home-made look. Buon appetito!

How to make it
Egg pasta recipes:
There are lots of variations of the pasta dough recipe. Some add salt and olive oil, some use various types of flour you can find at most large supermarkets. I used a traditional recipe - for each person you need 1 egg and 100g durum wheat flour, also called semolina flour or ‘semola di grano duro’, available from Italian delicatessens.

Egg-free pasta recipes
You can also make an egg-free dough, for example 350g semolina flour, 1 tsp salt, and enough hot water to make a stiff dough (150-175 ml). This is just as easy to handle as egg pasta and can be rolled out in the same way. It doesn’t have the rich flavour of egg pasta, but it is the pasta of choice for orecchiette and other types of southern Italian pasta.

Kneading
In this video Paul Merrett shows how to mix and knead pasta dough. All dough types need to be kneaded for around 10 minutes or so, then wrapped in plastic and left to rest for 20 minutes or more before rolling out.

Rolling and cutting
There are hundreds of videos online showing rolling out dough and pasta making. A world of wonder to be explored. The important point is that, once rolled, the pasta should be worked straight away for stuffed pasta shapes, like tortellini, but for things like tagliatelle and spaghetti the rolled dough should be left to dry for 20 minutes or so before cutting to avoid the cut pasta strands sticking together.

Have you got any tips to share on making pasta by hand? Do you use a machine? What are your favourite home-made pasta dishes?

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/food/2012/07/homemade-pasta—man-vs-machin.shtml

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Strawberries, once just a summertime treat, are now available year round. Especially tasty are the locally grown ones that are now showing up at farmers’ markets.

Always choose strawberries that are plump, firm and glossy.

Wash them just before using them.

I always wash my supermarket strawberries, in a colander, under a gentle spray of running water.  Or you can swish the strawberries around in a bowl with cool tap water.

(Actually my old friend Roger never washed strawberries. He felt it washed away the flavor. But then again he lived in the south of France and only bought them from the local farmer who grew them organically.)

Once washed, spread the strawberries out on a clean dish towel to dry.

To “hull” a strawberry means to remove the green leafy top and the tiny stalk. If you plan on hulling tons of strawberries, you may want to buy a strawberry huller.  But a small paring knife works very well for hulling a quart or two.

Start by grasping the green top…

…and just trim out that tiny stem.

Or you could just slice off the whole top with a small paring knife.

Just pulling off the green leafy top (as shown below) is NOT enough. You need to remove that tiny bit of white, hard stem as well.

To store strawberries, place them in a single layer in a moisture-proof plastic container that has a tight fitting lid.

Lay a paper towel on top of the strawberries and then put the lid on the container. When you put them in the refrigerator, store them with the lid side down in the refrigerator.

Stored this way they should stay fresh for at least 2-3 days.

************

Recipes to die for:

Strawberries dipped in Chocolate from startcooking.com

Strawberries Romanoff –Strawberries soaked in orange juice/curacao/cointreau and served with Whipped Cream

Strawberry Short Cake – a classic that everybody loves!

Source: http://startcooking.com/blog/432/

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WASHINGTON, May 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Award-winning Journalist, best-selling author, well known cancer advocate and talk show host Katie Couric finds breakfast to be the perfect time to model healthy habits for daughters Ellie and Carrie. She knows that the girls pay close…

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Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2012/07/food-fyi-rat-for-dinner-1.html

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Italian turkey sausage is great in this tasty sauce! It has a lower fat content then regular sausage; consequently it’s a bit healthier.

If you like a bit of sausage in your lasagna, this sauce recipe is perfect!

To make this sauce you will need:

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 cup of chopped yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds of sweet or hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
• 1 (28-ounce) can of crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
• 1 (6-ounce) can of tomato paste
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon of dried basil
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon of sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons of salt
• ½ teaspoon of pepper

It’s a really good habit to get all your ingredients prepared before you turn on the stove. It makes the cooking process go much more smoothly.

That means you need to:

1. Chop the onion
2. Mince the garlic
3. Chop the parsley
4. Remove the casings (that’s the really thin skin) from the sausage
5. Open the cans of tomatoes and tomato paste
6. Measure the spices

Now we are ready to start cooking!

Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet or frying pan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent.

“Until translucent” is a typical term used to describe cooking onions. Raw onions are fairly opaque. As you start to cook them, they slowly reach a point where they become almost see-through. They have not turned brown, and are not supposed to for this recipe.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute, or until you can smell the garlic cooking.

Add the sausage to the onions and garlic. I like to use a combination of both hot and sweet sausage. We need to cook it over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. This is just like browning ground beef.

Because this Italian turkey sausage has a lower fat content then regular Italian sausage, there will be very little fat to drain off. (If I were using regular sausage, I would definitely drain off the fat before adding the remaining ingredients.)

Now add the remaining ingredients:

• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Simmer the sauce, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until it has thickened.

This turns into a really thick sauce which is great over any pasta. Enjoy!

Source: http://startcooking.com/blog/172/

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CookingBooks/~3/SlevImVRims/sauteed-haricots-verts.html

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Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Freeman Hrabowski helped build a college with a national reputation for training scientists of all backgrounds

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_us/~3/UkdzFkhiHM4/index.html

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This cold curried- rice salad is great to serve year-round as a side dish. It’s perfect to serve with Chicken Cutlets (video), or quiche (video), and asparagus for brunch, lunch or dinner. And it’s great on a buffet table!

Start by cooking the rice (video) according to the directions on the box of rice.

It is important that the rice be cold when you mix everything together otherwise the rice will clump together. If you spread the cooked rice out on a plate it will cool down faster.

Next make the dressing by combining:

• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup of white vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon of sugar
• 2 Teaspoons of curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper

I have used the same measuring cup for the oil and vinegar and I am going to mix the dressing ingredients together in my measuring cup.

It will look like this (below) when it is all blended together.

Set the dressing aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

You will need:

• 1/2 cup of cheese, grated
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 apple, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 3 Tablespoons of parsley, chopped
• 1/3 cup of raisins

Shred the cheese and the carrot.

Dice a red (or green) pepper by first removing the core and seeds. (There is a wonderful illustration of this in my Vegetable and Dip video). Then cut the pepper into strips and start dicing.

For the apple, remove the core (video) and dice that as well.

Remove the stems from the parsley and chop it up.

Now all the ingredients have been prepared.

Put everything in a large bowl and…

… mix everything together.

Be sure to refrigerate this rice salad until you are ready to eat it. Enjoy!

Source: http://startcooking.com/blog/247/

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Ilyse Hogue says Pennsylvania case shows how denying women safe abortions risks sending women into substandard care of a murderer like Kermit Gosnell

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_us/~3/1rNZjVNzx2c/index.html

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LOS ANGELES, May 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Stand up for real food tomorrow, May 17th, as food revolutionaries all around the world take a stand for good food and essential cooking skills. With over 1,000 activities on the map, Jamie Oliver’s 2nd Annual Food Revolution Day will be a fun…

Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/get-involved-tomorrow-with-jamie-olivers-2nd-annual-food-revolution-day-207746911.html

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A couple weeks ago we ran a poll to see which of 10 applicants we’d prefer be granted liquors licenses on newly-wet Needham. The town had up to 6 licenses to dole out, but no obligation to let them loose all at once.

The results of that poll were:

1) Bin Ends
2) Volante Farms
3) Vinodivino
4) Gordon’s
5) Craft Liquors
6) Blanchards

There was a public hearing this past Saturday and five licensees have been selected:

http://needham.patch.com/articles/five-liquor-stores-coming-soon-to-needham

The five retailers selected were:

1) Needham Wine & Spirits

This will be the fourth store under the same umbrella which includes Upper Falls, Post Road, and Auburndale. Nice stuff presented in a bare bones layout with rotating regions categorical discounts. You’ll see Sea Smoke and similar baller wines offered here occasionally.

2) Volante Farms

Similar to Wilson Farms in Lexington and recently ambitiously expanded. Looking forward to seeing a wine shop, garden center, and grocery rolled into one!

3) Needham Center Wine & Spirits

I hear the owner here is the same as Ball Square in Somerville.

4) Vinodivino

Boutique retailer with locations in Newton and Brookline. Heavy slant towards wines highly rated by prominent publications. Nice aesthetics and well run. Full review.

5) Bin Ends

Everyone loves Bin Ends for their affordable exciting wines. This will be their second location, their first being in Braintree. My favorite part? Their bargain bin. Can’t wait to see them closer to Wellesley.

Noticeably excluded? Gordon’s and Blanchards.

And I would love to see Craft Liquors given a node thanks to their swanky renderings. Who knows maybe we’ll see their first location appear in Wellesley?

Congratulations to the new licensees! I’m looking forward to seeing what they offer to wine enthusiasts in the area.

What do you think of the selections?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/vj5ip5dEQqU/needham-awards-five-liquor-licenses.html

Reading Portuguese Wine Labels How to Select Wines for Cooking Blended and Varietal Wines Types of Wine Bottles Great Bordeaux Wines Inexpensive Chardonnay from Argentine Gattinara

President Obama is using his successful 2012 campaign tactics to try to make sure his healthcare law benefits those who lack insurance.

WASHINGTON — Seeking to ensure his landmark healthcare law is successfully implemented, President Obama is reprising his 2012 election strategy in hopes of enrolling millions of uninsured Americans in health plans this fall.

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/PznmHyrsbu4/la-na-obama-healthcare-20130511,0,179313.story

Super Tuscans Quincy Burgundy (Red) Marsanne Merlot Basics Of Scoring Wine Great White Wines in The 2006 Vintage

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CookingBooks/~3/WBNlveB86Ss/gorgonzola-stuffed-pears.html

Storing Wine in a Wine Cabinets List of Components in Wine Rosé Champagne What is Vintage Wine? Chianti Choosing Wine Glasses Castel del Monte

Source: http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/2011/03/22-lunches-33-dinners-at-chicago-chef-week.html

Falanghina Sherry Wines Barbara d Alba Sangiovese Cannonau di Sardegna A Look at Wine Bottles Inexpensive Spanish Sherry Wine

How about getting soaked in the most expensive swimming pool of the world at the San Alfonso Del Mar resort in Chile? The length of this 20-acre pool is equal with the three football fields and contains almost 66 million gallons of saltwater. It is almost 115 feet deep. Of course, it holds the Guinness [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vagablond/ysSN/~3/ZAWBDLj7ICE/

Dolcetto Meritage Prosecco Lambrusco Corking Your Wine Bottles Bordeaux (Red) Cirò

In a new memoir by the former coach, the Lakers’ star comes up short in comparisons with Michael Jordan. But it’s not all negative.

In a new memoir by the former coach, the Lakers’ star comes up short in comparisons with Michael Jordan. But it’s not all negative.

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/sports/~3/ZNar4m1-6Zk/la-sp-phil-jackson-kobe-20130516,0,2805402.story

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In ‘Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success,’ the former Lakers coach says: ‘Kobe was hell-bent on surpassing Jordan.’

In ‘Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success,’ the former Lakers coach says: ‘Kobe was hell-bent on surpassing Jordan.’

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/sports/~3/KhhRko4-8R8/la-sp-ln-phil-jackson-new-book-kobe-bryant-20130515,0,2455857.story

Wine to Drink with Chocolate Ribera del Duero Mourvedre Know Your Wine with this Varietal Table Montepulciano d Abruzzo Albarino Bandol Rosé

The winner of the Wusthof knife and John Boos cutting board is… #14671 Jordene: “Happy Tuesday Ree.” Congratulations, Jordene—contact prizes@thepioneerwoman.com to claim your prize! New giveaway will be up shortly! (GIVEAWAY CLOSED) This week I’m thinking about the things in my kitchen that I couldn’t (or wouldn’t want to) live without. My favorite knife is way up at the top of the list. I’ve tried to switch to other knives here and there—tried to dip…

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pwcooks/~3/Gzo6WOwpR2Y/

Make Your Own Wine Amarone Pinot Nero Wine Preservative: Sulphur Dioxide Soave Clarendon Hills Merlot Clarendon Brookman Valpolicella

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CookingBooks/~3/CcGUWctQunU/nancy-france.html

Wines for Summer Grilling Nuits St George J. Lohr 2005 Estates South Ridge Syrah Gewurtztraminer Sparkling Wine 1917 Wine Trivia St. Emilion

Ilyse Hogue says Pennsylvania case shows how denying women safe abortions risks sending women into substandard care of a murderer like Kermit Gosnell

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_us/~3/1rNZjVNzx2c/index.html

Madeira Wines Build Your Own Wine Cellar Shiraz Oaks Barrels in Winemaking Icewine Champagne Wines Pinot Grigio

Forget about spending the day after Thanksgiving at your local shopping mall. Give yourself and your family a chance to unwind by taking in the sights and sounds of the Carneros wine country. From San Francisco, Oakland, the Peninsula or … Continue reading →

The post Black Friday in the Carneros Wine Country appeared first on Napa Valley Wine Blog.

Source: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/napablog/black-friday-in-the-carneros-wine-country/

Super Tuscans Quincy Burgundy (Red) Marsanne Merlot Basics Of Scoring Wine Great White Wines in The 2006 Vintage

I once had to sit in a yew tree with a smoke machine and press a button at the required moment so that a great bellow of smoke would appear. It was a pretty awful job, as more smoke seemed to come out of the back of the machine than the front. I came out thoroughly preserved by the end of the take.

This was the same year that as researchers for the Christmas special, Clare and I spent a good month or so, after work, sitting on the office floor creating Christmas decorations from the garden. Clare even perfected frost-tipped seed heads (sugar water and into the freezer).

People would mutter darkly that we weren’t Blue Peter as they had to skirt around our ever increasing pile of poppy heads shimmering in gold dust, teasels that sparkled with glitter, pine cones dusted in snow and huge piles of fairy lights.

We tied and sprayed, glued and glittered all manner of garden debris into really quite charming decorations. Both our mother’s still have some of these decoration. And I can say, hand on heart that I was truly proud of the end credit that had a tree covered in our decorations.

The opening shot was of Monty striding across a lawn frosted in the Gardeners’ World logo. We laid down the plastic template and prayed it would get cold enough. On the actually night, it froze perfectly and the next morning I tiptoed across the lawn to remove the template.

To say we went over the top, is to miss the point, television is a funny game, but the one thing that is for sure is after a year of working with the same crew, the same bad jokes and endless cups of tea, it does begin to feel like family. And although it might have been misguided, we took our task to make the garden look like Christmas seriously because it was, if a little make believe, just like the real thing.

Every year I still make those same decorations though I have forgone the glue gun and glitter for more natural materials that will break down.

Instead of ribbons and fishing line (invisible if you’re going for the ‘it’s magic’ look) I use phormium leaves to tie hanging tree ornamentals. New Zealand flax as the name suggests is a wonderful material that can be prized into the finest strands. You take a leaf and pull gently from the edges and you will see that with a little effort you can pull string-like strands apart and tie up poppy or teasel seed heads. It’s incredibly strong stuff. These are perfect for naturalistic decorations, the colours compliment the blondes and browns of dried seed heads and will eventually biodegrade back to where it came from, so to speak.

For a little red I collect some tiny red crab apples from the park that persist on the branches right into January and hanging these as baubles, they have incredible strong stalks that you can tie off and they take a while before they rot. I like to use dried chillies and holly berries as well to make it a little more festive.

I have never bought a tree and don’t intend to start. Last year I used a hazel branch stuck in a pot of sand. I admit that is a slightly eccentric take on a Christmas tree, but it worked well enough and when I was bored of it went straight onto the compost to feed next year’s Christmas dinner.

Alys Fowler is a writer and broadcaster. Read more of Alys’s Gardening blog posts.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/gardening/2011/11/biodegradable-decorations.shtml

Chardonnay Unusual Wine and Food Pairings Xérès How to Cook with Wine Chenin Blanc Wines Frascati Secco Top Rated White Meritage from Napa Valley

It is that time of year when all sorts of wine competitions take place and announce their annual procession of gold, silver and bronze medal winners. Countless self-congratulatory press releases, blog posts, status updates and adverts will blast out in a storm of activity that will effectively drown out the benefit of any one win and [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/Ug0t31hWNMQ/

Sauvignon Blanc Why Wine Costs What It Does Condrieu Orvieto Jurançon Bandol Castelli Romani

The other day I was given a bean slicer by a kind friend who couldn’t believe I still sliced my runner beans by hand. I bought some and eagerly set to work only to find that most of the beans were too big to fit into it. Which left me with a gadget that will slice thin beans which don’t really need slicing anyway.

It’s not the only gadget I’ve got that doesn’t earn its keep. There’s an egg separator, a hard-boiled egg slicer and a musical egg-timer you pop in the boiling water which plays ‘Killing me softly’ when the eggs are soft-boiled. My husband inexplicably loves that.

I have a gravy de-greaser and a cherry and olive stoner that I use once a year, if that. A lemon zester (what’s wrong with the small holes on the grater?) and a gadget for stamping out ravioli that I bought on an Italian trip when I went mad in a local hardware store. And this I haven’t ever used – along with a gnocchi roller.

At least they don’t take up much room. I’m almost embarrassed to tell you about the larger gadgets that clutter my cupboards and unit tops.

The breadmaker I haven’t used for five years. The juicer I used every day until I got fed up with carrot juice – and with cleaning the filter. The ice cream maker whose bowl I always forget to freeze so I end up using a plastic box. Two, yes, two pressure cookers neither of which I use but which thrifty friends tell me will slash my fuel bills if I can overcome my terror of them.

The slow cooker which does, yes, do a very good poached chicken but to be honest I prefer them roasted. And even my flashy and very beautiful mixer rarely gets a workout. I’m more likely to use the rather battered food processor I bought for a song at Woolies. Or my 15 year old hand-held electric beaters.

Maybe I’m in a minority because some companies seem to base whole businesses on selling gadgets to the gadget-obsessed. Avocado slicers, pasta timers, egg toppers (for taking the tops of your eggs, believe it or not), hot and cold mousse/sauce dispensers and giant cupcake pans (er, isn’t that called a cake tin?)  Obviously I haven’t even scratched the surface of kitchen gadgetry.

Sometimes I think I should get rid of the lot and start again, seeing how long it took me to really, really miss a machine or a gadget and how difficult it was to do the task without it.

So what about you? Which kitchen gadgets do you find indispensable and which could you live without?

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/food/2012/09/confessions-of-a-gadget-junkie.shtml

Falanghina Sherry Wines Barbara d Alba Sangiovese Cannonau di Sardegna A Look at Wine Bottles Inexpensive Spanish Sherry Wine

Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2012/07/food-fyi-actors-reading-yelp-reviews.html

Quincy Burgundy (Red) Marsanne Merlot Basics Of Scoring Wine Great White Wines in The 2006 Vintage German Riesling Auslese

A choreographer who worked closely with Michael Jackson on his comeback concerts testified Tuesday the pop icon in his final days was “not at show standards but he was rehearsing, he was processing.”

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_us/~3/81H4QAOIevM/index.html

Charles Shaw: Inexpensive Wines Pouilly-Fumé Côtes du Rhône Crozes-Hermitage Edelzwicker Storing Wine in a Wine Cabinets List of Components in Wine Rosé Champagne

He pitched out of a first-inning jam, and dominated the rest of the way. He retired 25 of the last 28 batters he faced, including a stretch of six consecutive strikeouts.

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/sports/~3/0SSr2Q-LfN8/la-sp-dn-dodgers-clayton-kershaw-20130514,0,4557734.story

Frascati Bardolino Cava How to Choose Wine Dolcetto Meritage Prosecco

I once had to sit in a yew tree with a smoke machine and press a button at the required moment so that a great bellow of smoke would appear. It was a pretty awful job, as more smoke seemed to come out of the back of the machine than the front. I came out thoroughly preserved by the end of the take.

This was the same year that as researchers for the Christmas special, Clare and I spent a good month or so, after work, sitting on the office floor creating Christmas decorations from the garden. Clare even perfected frost-tipped seed heads (sugar water and into the freezer).

People would mutter darkly that we weren’t Blue Peter as they had to skirt around our ever increasing pile of poppy heads shimmering in gold dust, teasels that sparkled with glitter, pine cones dusted in snow and huge piles of fairy lights.

We tied and sprayed, glued and glittered all manner of garden debris into really quite charming decorations. Both our mother’s still have some of these decoration. And I can say, hand on heart that I was truly proud of the end credit that had a tree covered in our decorations.

The opening shot was of Monty striding across a lawn frosted in the Gardeners’ World logo. We laid down the plastic template and prayed it would get cold enough. On the actually night, it froze perfectly and the next morning I tiptoed across the lawn to remove the template.

To say we went over the top, is to miss the point, television is a funny game, but the one thing that is for sure is after a year of working with the same crew, the same bad jokes and endless cups of tea, it does begin to feel like family. And although it might have been misguided, we took our task to make the garden look like Christmas seriously because it was, if a little make believe, just like the real thing.

Every year I still make those same decorations though I have forgone the glue gun and glitter for more natural materials that will break down.

Instead of ribbons and fishing line (invisible if you’re going for the ‘it’s magic’ look) I use phormium leaves to tie hanging tree ornamentals. New Zealand flax as the name suggests is a wonderful material that can be prized into the finest strands. You take a leaf and pull gently from the edges and you will see that with a little effort you can pull string-like strands apart and tie up poppy or teasel seed heads. It’s incredibly strong stuff. These are perfect for naturalistic decorations, the colours compliment the blondes and browns of dried seed heads and will eventually biodegrade back to where it came from, so to speak.

For a little red I collect some tiny red crab apples from the park that persist on the branches right into January and hanging these as baubles, they have incredible strong stalks that you can tie off and they take a while before they rot. I like to use dried chillies and holly berries as well to make it a little more festive.

I have never bought a tree and don’t intend to start. Last year I used a hazel branch stuck in a pot of sand. I admit that is a slightly eccentric take on a Christmas tree, but it worked well enough and when I was bored of it went straight onto the compost to feed next year’s Christmas dinner.

Alys Fowler is a writer and broadcaster. Read more of Alys’s Gardening blog posts.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/gardening/2011/11/biodegradable-decorations.shtml

Top Bargain Italian White Wines Barolo Selecting Red or White Wines Sauvignon Blanc Why Wine Costs What It Does Condrieu Orvieto

NEW ORLEANS, May 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Smoothie King Franchises, Inc., the premier smoothie and nutritional lifestyle center, announced today it has signed 49 new franchise agreements since the start of January 2013, more than double the total amount of new agreements signed the year…

Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/smoothie-king-announces-49-new-franchise-agreements-206573111.html

Oaks Barrels in Winemaking Icewine Champagne Wines Pinot Grigio Pinot Gris Etiquette for Wine Tasting and Serving Tafelwein

Oberlin College in Ohio suspended classes Monday after a student reported seeing a person resembling a Ku Klux Klan member near the college’s Afrikan Heritage House.

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_us/~3/PvCRU25HgA0/index.html

Shiraz Oaks Barrels in Winemaking Icewine Champagne Wines Pinot Grigio Pinot Gris Etiquette for Wine Tasting and Serving

LOS ANGELES, May 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — In the wake of a record breaking launch with Sean “Diddy” Combs and Mark Wahlberg garnering over 2.6 Billion impressions, AQUAhydrate® has announced a new athlete program, Team AQUAhydrate, comprised of 25 select professional and Olympic…

Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/olympians-and-pro-athletes-join-team-aquahydrate-brands-athlete-roster-continues-strong-upward-momentum-206399371.html

Bandol Rosé Reading Portuguese Wine Labels How to Select Wines for Cooking Blended and Varietal Wines Types of Wine Bottles Great Bordeaux Wines Inexpensive Chardonnay from Argentine