Making Red Wine
May 31, 2008
Making Red Wine
by: Jim Bruce
Harvesting Your Red Wine Grapes - The first step in making red wine is to have the grapes perfectly ready to be picked. They need to be harvested not only at the proper time in their life cycle, but also at the right time of day to ensure the acids and sugars are all at the right balance for the wine.
Red wine grapes should contain enough sugar to be considered ripe and be able to attain the alcohol content you are aiming for. They must also have the right balance of acids. This means “hang-time” on the vine until the grapes have met the proper quality factors. A sugar content of 24 Brix at harvest will give you about 12% alcohol.
De-stemming and Crushing - This step in making red wine removes the stems from the grape bunches, and crushes the grapes (but does not press them) so that the juices are exposed to the yeast for fermenting. This will also expose the skins so they can impart color to the wine while in the primary fermentation.
Modifying Your Recipes, More or Less
May 30, 2008
You just found that great recipe that you have been trying to find for over year. And now you’re dancing around your kitchen in glee!
That’s when you notice that it makes enough to feed a small army, but you only need to feed two.
Or perhaps, it only makes enough for two; and that’s just not going to cut it for your family of five.
You REALLY want to prepare that recipe for your family and/or friends. So what’s a cook to do?
Well, you’ll be happy to know that it’s a cinch to reduce a recipe or increase a recipe. And most of the time you only need to reduce the ingredients by half for less or double the ingredients for more.
Reducing Recipes to make half a recipe…
It’s pretty easy to reduce a recipe by half, you just use half of each ingredient. If the recipe calls for 2 tablespoons, you would use only 1 tablespoon.
It can get a little tricky with ingredients like eggs though. I mean, it seems kind of hard to come up with half of 1 egg, at first. But here’s the trick…
Whole Wheat Bread V. White Bread - Which One Will Prevail?
May 29, 2008
Whole Wheat Bread V. White Bread - Which One Will Prevail?
by: Beth Scott
Junk food addicts argue with health food nuts, asserting white bread to be the best. The health food nuts retaliate exclaiming about how much better store bought whole wheat bread is than white bread.
The battle rages on…
On which side of this debate do you stand?
For that matter, which side should you REALLY be pulling for?
Lets weigh all the facts, the faults about each choice and determine which one we should honestly be proclaiming as “the honest to goodness best!”
THE FAULTS OF WHITE BREAD
1. White bread is nutrition less. Even fortifying it with vitamins can’t replace half of the nourishment that is lost through the bleaching and sifting process that is used on the flour which white bread is make out of.
2. White bread has a lot harmful chemicals and preservatives added to it to increase it’s shelf life, but they decrease your lifespan.
3. White bread is practically tasteless. This is a pro to some people but a con to a lot of others who enjoy tasty food.
The Ten Most Important Wine Label Terms
May 29, 2008
For the average wine consumer, there is a plethora of intimidation associated with wine buying. This is a feeling that is most often associated with not understanding wine labels. New world wines tend to make it easier - wines bottled in Australia, South America and the United States are often more direct in their presentation of the type of wine and the name of the vineyard. On the other hand, old world wine labels like those from France, Italy, Spain and Germany carry with them loads of classifications, harvest-types, town names, vineyard titles and producer idiosyncrasies - all in a foreign language. While these labels embody the wonderfully classic aesthetic associated with a good looking wine label, they almost always cause a cocking of the head for the average wine buyer.
In an effort to make the process less of a mess and more fun for those unmoved with the prospect of memorizing a pocket dictionary worth of French, Italian, Spanish and German wine terms, here is a list of the top ten things to look for on a wine label. The first five are things you want to look for, and the last five are items that should raise a flag of caution or don’t mean what you think they should.
7 Reasons Alaskan Smoked Salmon Is Superior
May 28, 2008
7 Reasons Alaskan Smoked Salmon Is Superior
by: Davil Kunert
Wild Alaskan Smoked Salmon is superior in many ways, some of the reasons are:
1. Smoked salmon is high in Omega 3 fatty acids, which gives the body numerous health benefits.
2. Reduces men’s risk for stroke, prostate cancer, and heart disease.
3. Reduces a woman’s risk of heart attack and heart disease.
4. Reduces women’s risk of depression after pregnancy.
5. Smoked salmon in conjunction with a low fat diet helps to reduce blood pressure.
6. The texture of Alaskan Smoked Salmon is a finer one with rich better color.
7. Most importantly it is superior in flavor. Alaskan Smoked Salmon has a richer better taste.
The proof is there confirming Alaskan Smoked Salmon is preferred by many others over every other kind of smoked salmon on the market today. Don’t be fooled by other types, there is only one Wild Alaskan Salmon. Except no substitute.
Fast Food at Home
May 27, 2008
Kids have to eat. Three meals a day, every day. All moms know how important it is to have an arsenal of quick meals handy. You never know when you’ll have to put healthy food on the table in a hurry, or when you need ideas so dad can help.
Dunk It
Lucky for us, kids love dip. Cut some fresh cucumbers, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, celery, and bell peppers and serve them with ranch dressing. Even finicky veggie-haters will eat their veggies with dressing on them.
Saved by a Sandwich
Start with two waffles, an English muffin, bagel, croissant, or a hotdog, hoagie or hamburger bun. Simply add jam, peanut butter, fruit slices, meat, hummus, veggies, eggs, or cheese. The possibilities are endless.
Oodles of Noodles
If you’ve got noodles, you can make a meal. Add some salad dressing and some meat, garbanzo beans and veggies and you’ve got pasta salad. Or, start with noodles and add a little butter and parmesan cheese to make buttered noodles. And, there’s always the classic standby - add pasta sauce and a dollop of cottage cheese onto noodles and you just made lasagna.
Wrap it Up
Holiday Gift Baskets
May 26, 2008
Holiday Gift Baskets
by: La Tunya Sifford
Holiday gift baskets are a preferred choice for most occasions, Christmas, birthday, anniversary and Thanksgiving.
Let your friends and loved ones savor your thoughtfulness with a holiday gift.
Corporate holiday gift baskets range from elegant wine and gourmet baskets to simple gifts. You can select a corporate gift basket that is elegant and speaks volumes of your taste or or a Savory snack gift basket would be a great gift as well.
For a gift basket for corporate clients, you can pick a holly and pine basket with hot cocoa mixes, biscotti bites, cinnamon cookies and Irish whiskey cake. Select gift baskets with fresh almonds and pistachios.
These are exciting presentations for corporate holiday gift baskets, and will leave an lasting impression on the recipient. You can also Select gourmet food gift baskets to send across to your friends for the holiday season.
Surprise your friends with a gourmet holiday gift basket designed with beautiful silk floral accents and ribbons. Chocolate gourmet gift baskets are an all-time favorite with all. You can choose from assorted baskets with different varieties of chocolates, milk, toffee, hazelnut, almond and more!
Preparing Lobster Tails
May 25, 2008
Lobster, once the food of poor farmers, is now considered a special treat for many. Although some people prefer the meaty claws, I think that lobster tails are the best tasting part of this delicious creature. A great meal of lobster tails might seem like a gourmet feast to your guests, but they are actually quite easy to prepare. Add a little sprig of garnish and a fancy side dish and you’re sure to impress even your mother in law.
Your lobster tails might start off a fresh or frozen, being in New England, fresh lobster is easy to come by but frozen might be all you can get in some parts of the country and in the off season. If your lobster tails are frozen, you need to thaw them out (you can cook them frozen but they will not be as tender). Put them in the fridge for 10 hours or so or thaw them in the microwave on defrost ? be very careful if you choose this method as you don’t want them to start cooking in the microwave.
Cozy Up With These “Oh So Good” Hot Chocolate Recipes
May 24, 2008
Cozy Up With These “Oh So Good” Hot Chocolate Recipes
by: Donna Monday
When it’s cold and frosty outside, there’s nothing better than curling up with a nice big mug of homemade hot chocolate. Why pay several dollars for a cup of gourmet hot chocolate when you can easily learn how to make your own delicious hot chocolate drink?
You can make the classic creamy hot chocolate, or get a little adventurous and try the white chocolate or Mexican hot chocolate recipe. If you enjoy giving hot chocolate as a gift, then you may wish to make your own hot chocolate mix and put it in decorative glass jars.
The following hot chocolate recipes can be made the old fashioned way, using a pan and a stovetop. Or, you may wish to purchase a hot chocolate maker to speed things up.
However you decide to make it, you’ll definitely enjoy the aroma and flavors of a delicious hot chocolate drink tickling your taste buds, and warming your tummy during the long winter days and nights.
Creamy Hot Chocolate
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
˝ cup unsweetened cocoa
Weight Loss Recipe: Veal Mango
May 24, 2008
Just because you are watching your weight does not mean you can’t prepare fantastic meals for company. “Veal Mango” is one of range of hunger fighting, low fat recipes that will assist you manage your weight. Your guest will never know you are on a diet, and your family will love you for this great recipe!
Variety is an essential element of any successful health program. If you get bored with foods, you’re much more likely to abandon your program altogether. Each main meal should be accompanied by an exciting range of colorful vegetables.
Veal Mango (serves four)
Ingredients 2 small or 1 large mango or tinned mango 1 cup (250ml) dry white wine 3 tablespoons mango chutney 4 tablespoons chopped spring onions 4 lean veal schnitzels a little plain flour 1 teaspoon oil 2 tablespoons water 4 spring onions for garnish
