31 July 2008

The Challenge of Change

Today’s Daily Thought from Real Simple:

When we are no longer able to change a situation — we are challenged to change ourselves.

— Victor E. Frankl

26 July 2008

How to Host a Wine Tasting Party

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Would you like to have friends over for a wine tasting party without having to be Mr. or Ms. Wine Expert? Here are some ideas that require no wine knowledge... just friends who want to have fun!

Steps

Make a list of people to invite, and select a party theme.
Choose a wine varietal, and have everyone bring their favorite example of that varietal. Alternatively, choose a wine producing region, and have everyone bring an example from that region to get to know a particular type of wine in detail.
Assign everyone a different wine to bring wrapped in plain brown paper... you number the bottles and everyone must guess the varietal.
Everyone brings a wine with wine notes from winery or expert (i.e. very fruit forward wine with hints of vanilla with a lingering buttery finish). Guests must match the wine with the description.
Serve both varietals and dishes that pair well at a dinner party.
When supplying all the wines for a tasting, purchase wines that have something in common, wrap them in brown paper, provide a scoring sheet and discuss each wine as everyone tastes and scores.... total the scores and determine the winner.

Tips

The choices are endless and the potential for fun is enormous!

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Host a Wine Tasting Party. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

23 July 2008

Aaaaahhhh!

How to Store Wine

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Wine has been around for thousands of years; from the ancient Romans to modern Americans, this lavish drink is enjoyed worldwide. Nowadays, most people simply buy their wine from the local grocery store wine rack, oblivious on how to properly store the wine to make sure it lasts as long as possible. The main thing to keep in mind when storing wine is, of course, avoid light and heat, as well as vibration. There are other things to remember, though, such as the different storage methods required for different types of wine, and it is vital to be as careful as possible whenever considering how to store your particular bottle of wine.

Steps

Before Opening

Keep it in the dark. Store all wines away from light, especially direct sunlight and flourescent fixtures. UV rays maderize (i.e. oxidize) wine, resulting in it become 'light struck' picking up the taste and smell of wet cardboard (especially in delicate white wines and sparkling wines).[1] Darker bottles are better protected and some bottles have UV filters built into the glass, but enough UV rays can still penetrate to ruin the wine. If you can't keep a bottle entirely out of the light, keep it lightly wrapped up in a cloth, or simply put the bottle inside a box out of the way. If it does get exposed to light occasionally, try to make sure it's light from incandescent or sodium vapor lamps.[2]
Store corked wine bottles on their sides. If they are stored upright for a long amount of time, the corks will dry out, and air will eventually get to the wine, spoiling it. If you store it label side up, it'll be easier to spot any sediments that may have formed in the wine over time when you do eventually pick it up.
Keep the temperature constant. For extended aging of wine (over 1 year), refrigeration is a must in most parts of the world; even a below-ground cellar is not cool enough.
- Wine storage temperature should never go over 75 degrees F (24°C), except for brief spans of time. At 75°F, wine begins to oxidize. An ideal temperature for storing a varied wine collection is 54°F (12.2°C).[3] Letting the temperature drop below 54°F won't hurt the wine; it'll only slow down the aging process, as long as the temperature doesn't fluctuate dramatically.[4]
- Temperature in a wine storage area should be as steady as possible; changes should be gradual. A 68 to 73 degree storage area is far preferable to one that is 45 to 65 degrees F, though the first approaches the dangerous 75 figure. Rises in temperature force wine through the cork; drops cause air to be sucked back in. The greater the changes in temperature a wine suffers, the greater the premature aging of the wine from overbreathing. The temperature should never fluctuate more than 3°F (1.6°C) a day and 5°F (2.7°C) a year, especially with red wines, which will suffer more temperature-related problems than white wines.[5]
Don't move the wine. If possible, store the wines in such a way that you don't need to move them in order to reach a bottle to drink. Try not to move a bottle at all once it is stored. Even vibrations from heavy traffic, motors, or generators may negatively affect the wine.
Keep the humidity at around 70%. High humidity keeps the cork from drying and minimizes evaporation. Don't allow the humidity to go too high over 70%, however, because it can encourage the growth of mold and cause labels to loosen.[6][7] You can purchase a humidity thermometer to track the moisture conditions and use humidifying or dehumidifying techniques as needed.
Isolate the wine. Remember that wine "breathes", so don't store it with anything that has a strong smell because it will permeate through the cork and taint the wine. Good ventilation may help prevent musty odors from entering the wine.[8]
Store for an appropriate amount of time. Not all wines improve over time. Champagne is one example. Red wines should be stored and aged for anywhere between 4-10 years to mature, while white wines should be consumed after 2-3 years of storage.[9]
Adjust the temperature before serving. Different wines taste best at slightly different temperatures, which may vary from the temperature in which they were stored. Right before drinking the wine, allow the temperature to rise or fall to the appropriate serving temperature:[10]
- Blush, rose and dry white wines: 46-57F (8-14C)
- Sparkling wines and champagne: 43-47F (6-8C)
- Light red wine: 55F (13C)
- Deep red wines: 59-66F (15-19C)

After Opening

Store opened white wine in the refrigerator. This will only keep the wine for three to five days if you have already opened it; make sure the cork is in the bottle as tightly as possible. If you want to keep it in the refrigerator for a longer period of time after opening, purchase a wine stopper and pump, and hope for the best. The important thing is to minimize the wine's exposure to air. If you have a smaller bottle, you may wish to transfer the leftover wine to it, because there will be less air for it to contend with. A wine cellar or closet would be better for it, though, simply because of the long amount of time many people spend with the refrigerator door wide open, letting in large amounts of light, and, if you leave the door open long enough, heat. If you happen to have a refrigerator that you do not use often, such as a pool house refrigerator, keep it there. You may even consider turning a small fridge into a wine refrigerator.
Leave red wine out. For the sake of the wine, and for yourself, only do this with red wine, never white. Place the cork in the bottle, put the bottle in a dark place, and don't worry about it. This will help for a couple of days.
Keep dessert wines like Sauternes, most everyday Ports and most Sherries for longer. They will resist degradation for more than 3-5 days, though exactly how long depends on the individual wine.[11]

Storage Options

Wine cellar. This is an obvious one- if you have a wine cellar, worry no more! Just place the bottle of wine on the rack, close the door, and you are set. Make sure to have some type of system for finding certain bottles of wine in your wine cellar, though, otherwise it can be very easy to spend a good amount of time searching for that one particular bottle.
Makeshift closet wine cellar. While digging a large hole in the basement would seem the most effective thing to do, that would be a major undertaking, and will cost you quite a bit. Only do that if you are an absolute fanatic about wine, and have dozens of bottles in need of long term storage. A closet wine cellar is ideal for the every day wine lover, and will probably only cost you around two, three hundred dollars. The major problem with this, however, is that if you ever want to convert this back to a regular closet, you very well may have to replace all of the sheetrock in the closet.
- Find an empty, out of the way closet on the ground floor of your house.
- Glue strips of 1" foam board to the walls and ceiling of the closet, using construction cement as a glue.
- Replace the door with an insulated, preferably steel, door. If you would like, also glue the foam to this, just to make sure it is all even.
- Attach weather stripping to the edges of the door to make sure that no air gets in or out- heat could ruin the wine.
- Make sure that the temperature is relatively cool. There are numerous devices you can use to decrease the temperature in the closet- just find one that suits your particular closet.
Wine cooler/refrigerator. This will keep the temperature constant, as long as you only store wine in there so that you're not always opening and closing the door. Good humidity levels are maintained, as well. Some have different temperature zones for different wines.

OR
Store your wine with a professional wine storage company.
(think self-storage but without the roll-up garage door) Wine storage companies are popping up all around the country, especially in areas with large wine industries such as Napa Valley or Santa Barbara County in California. These business offer private cellars, often in a temperature and humidity controlled environment. Some of these companies will even accept deliveries for you which means if you do find a favorite bottle at a great price you can have the winery ship a few cases directly to your wine cellar and bypass the hassle of having the mailman refuse to drop off your wine when your 8 year old answers the door.

Video

Tips

Make sure the wine is safe, no matter how you eventually decide to store it. If it's only a short-term type of situation, this isn't as big of a problem, however, if you are hoping to keep a bottle of wine around for a while to help age it, you need to be sure to store it in a safe spot. 'Safe' means, in this case, out of the light, out of the heat, out of danger of being drunk, out of danger of breaking, cracking, or being dropped.
If you threw the cork away but still want to store leftover wine, secure the opening with a piece of plastic wrap and a tightly wound rubber band.
Some wines are designed to be enjoyed fresh, while others improve with age. You should only be concerned with long-term storage for the latter. If you have white wine that you want to improve by aging, do not place them in the refrigerator. This is where the wine cellar, or closet, or even just a cool, dark place, is key.
Purposefully developing a wine's flavor with age by controlling the conditions in which it is stored is an art and a science that requires far more knowledge than a single article can cover.
If you make your own wine, it would be best to have a wine cellar, especially if you plan on selling any of it. All other kinds of storage could possibly damage the wine after a long period of time.
Wine that has been left out and has gone bad isn't worse for you than if it were stored properly, it just has a different taste. Don't throw it out- it will still be fine for cooking purposes.
Talk to a local wine connoisseur who has their own wine cellar. See what they recommend, or even if they will hold on to a few bottles of your wine for you if you have no room for storage.
Now that your wine keeps a lot longer, why not host a wine tasting party? They are quite enjoyable for wine lovers, and a great way to find out what wines your friends enjoy.
Some companies across the U.S. will actually agree to store your wine for you for a fee; if you are in possession of a rare or delicate bottle of wine that you aren't planning on drinking any time soon, this is probably your absolute best bet for storage.

Warnings

Don't store wine with foods that are capable of fermenting, especially cheese or anything that might rot (fruits and vegetables). Moldy flavors can actually enter stored wine through the cork.
As always, drink responsibly.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Store Wine. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

19 July 2008

Clever, But You Really Need to Look at the Original to Make the Thing…

How to Make a Pop Up Water Lily Card

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Water lilies are beautiful and exotic flowers which float on the surface of water, anchored to the soil underneath. A pop up card can convey the loveliness of a water lily to someone you care about. Give it to someone with a July birthday, since the water lily is the birth flower for July,[1] or give it as a metaphor to someone who floats through life gracefully yet always remains grounded.

Steps

Click the image on the right to enlarge and then print out the full size image on a heavy paper, like card stock or construction paper.
Click the image on the right to enlarge and then print out the card on another piece of heavy paper.
Use a ruler as a guide while you press along the dotted lines of the pop-up pieces with the rounded end of a paper clip or a ballpoint pen that has run out of ink.
Use a ruler as a guide while you press along the dotted line on the center of the card with the rounded end of a paper clip or a ballpoint pen that has run out of ink. Go all the way from the top to the bottom of the card.
Carefully cut out the pop-up pieces for the flower following the solid, black lines.
Carefully cut out the card following the solid, black lines.
Flip the pop-up pieces over so the black dotted lines are not visible. Color the flower pieces with markers, crayons or art paint.
Fold piece "A" so the center fold comes up towards you.
Lay the piece on a flat surface and fold up one of the tabs.
Fold the other tab. Set the piece aside.
Fold the card in half along its center and open up again.
Put a small amount of glue along the upper two glue areas only. Do not put glue on the lower glue areas yet.
Align piece "A" over the glue areas and press onto the card. The pop-up piece will lay flat against the card when it is in position. Let dry!
Fold the small tab back on piece "B".
Fold both sides up towards you so the center becomes a valley.
Insert piece "B" into piece "A" that is already glued to the card.
- Start from the right side and begin inserting piece "B" into piece "A" as shown. Make sure the small tab on piece "B" is still folded up and you can see it.
- Continue inserting piece "B" into piece "A." The right side of piece "B" should come all the way down into piece "A" until it stops. This point is shown by the red arrow.
- Carefully bring down the left side of piece "B" all the way down into piece "A." Piece "B" must be snugly inserted into piece "A" and should be equally positioned as shown.
Put a very small amount of glue on the small tab on piece "B."
Fold the small tab (with the glue on it) over onto piece "A" and press. Let dry!
Fold the sides of piece "C" back so the center fold comes up towards you.
Lay the piece on a flat surface and fold up one of the tabs.
Fold up the other tab.
Put a small amount of glue along the lower two glue areas.
Align piece "C" over the glue areas and press onto the card.
Let dry. The pop-up piece will lay flat against the card when it is in position.
Carefully close the card.
Give the personalized pop up water lily card to someone you care about!

Things You'll Need

Construction paper or heavy or cardstock paper
Ruler
Paper clip
Ballpoint pen without ink in it
Scissors
Art supplies of choice to decorate finished
Glue

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Simple Pop ups you can make Source of Information. Used with permission.
1. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphaeaceae

↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphaeaceae

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make a Pop Up Water Lily Card. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

05 July 2008

Deliciousness Out of the Past

How to Make Candied Violets

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Candied violets were a candy delicacy of the nineteenth century. Today, they are still a delicacy and are perfect for serving in country cafés, home afternoon teas and in candy stores.

Ingredients

Old fashioned egg-white version:

Violet flowers, at least 20 in excellent condition with stems still attached, untreated with chemicals
1 egg white
Caster/fine sugar

Sugar and water version (no egg-white):

Violet flowers, at least 20 in excellent condition with stems still attached, untreated with chemicals
1/2 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract or 1 tsp rosewater (optional)
Caster/fine sugar (to sprinkle)

Steps

Both versions

Wash the flowers very gently. Use a gentle water spray with the violets sitting in a sieve. Leave the stems on the violets to allow for ease of handling when preparing the flowers.
Allow to dry by leaving on a kitchen paper towel, wire cake rack or sheet of plastic wrap.

Egg-white version

Allow the egg white to warm to room temperature.
Use a fine brush to paint each flower with the egg white. Make sure to cover each flower completely. Do this over a piece of greaseproof paper or plastic wrap to collect drips.
Dust each egg-white-coated flower in a sprinkling of fine sugar. Make sure that each flower is well covered in sugar.
Remove the stems. Using fine scissors, snip the stems off.
Lay the sugar-coated flowers out on greaseproof paper or baking paper to set. It helps if the paper is sitting over a wire cake rack or chopping board, to make moving the flowers around easier. Move the flowers to a warm and dry place to set.
Allow the flowers to dry for at least 24 hours, or longer.

Sugar and water version

Heat the sugar and water until sugar is completely dissolved. Add the extract or rose water at the time when you are dissolving the sugar.
Dip each flower in liquid sugar mixture with a pair of tweezers. Set on wax coated paper and dust with extra-fine sugar. Make sure that each flower is well covered in sugar.
Remove the stems. Using fine scissors, snip the stems off.
Lay the sugar-coated flowers out on wax paper to set. Move the flowers to a cool and dry place to set.
Allow the flowers to dry.

Storage and Use of Candied Violets

Store once dried. Store in an airtight glass container. If you need to layer the flowers, place a layer of baking paper between each layer to prevent the candied violets from sticking together. Keep in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.
Serve. The candied violets are ready for serving any time wanted. They are great as a treat on their own or as a garnish next to a slice of cake and coulis.

Tips

Only use perfect flowers for making candied violets, as the way they appear is a large part of the treat.
Use within one month of creating.

Warnings

Only use flowers that you know are pesticide-free.
Do not dry the flowers in direct sunlight; they will not set and will wilt.
If you have any concerns about the source of your eggs, or you are against using egg-white, simply use the sugar and water version. The use of raw egg-white remains a personal matter for cooks and is less frowned upon in some countries than in others. It is not an outright ban or warning against their use, so please respect the fact that some cooks and consumers do not have concerns about use of egg-white from safe egg stock.

Things You'll Need

Kitchen paper towel or wire rack
Saucepan
Fine artist or culinary brush, suitable for food
Greaseproof paper or baking paper or wax coated paper
Wire rack or chopping board for drying
Tweezers

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Candied Violets. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

----------------
Now playing: Dougie MacLean - All Together
via FoxyTunes

A New Saint (to me, at least)

Gratefulness.org’s Word For the Day today:

May your heart be an altar, from which the bright flame of unending thanksgiving ascends to heaven.

St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier, Embrace the World

----------------
Now playing: The Robert Shaw Chorale - Away in the Manger
via FoxyTunes

04 July 2008

Straight from the Sublime…

From Quotes of the Day, today:

Cocaine is God’s way of saying that you’re making too much money.

- Robin Williams

----------------
Now playing: Gian Carlo Menotti - This is my box
via FoxyTunes

Pause

Gratefulness.org’s Word For the Day today:

Try pausing right before and right after undertaking a new action, even something simple like putting a key in a lock to open a door. Such pauses take a brief moment, yet they have the effect of decompressing time and centering you.

A life practice from Br. David Steindl-Rast

----------------
Now playing: Polyphony, Britten Sinfonia/Stephen Layton - Ave, dulcissima Maria
via FoxyTunes

02 July 2008

A Different View on Seeing

Today’s Daily Thought from Real Simple:

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.

— Henry David Thoreau

----------------
Now playing: Leonard Bernstein - Peter and the Wolf
via FoxyTunes

31 July 2008

26 July 2008

Steps

Tips

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

23 July 2008

Steps

Video

Tips

Warnings

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

19 July 2008

Steps

Things You'll Need

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

05 July 2008

Ingredients

Steps

Tips

Warnings

Things You'll Need

Related wikiHows

04 July 2008

02 July 2008

Followers

About Me

Quick Linker

Blog Archive

Labels

Links