Say it With Cupcakes

When there is a special occasion that needs to be celebrated, one of the purchases that usually go in the list would be a cake. Cakes can be had in all different shapes and sizes, flavors and designs. You can be almost hundred percent sure that you will see a cake as a centerpiece when you walk into a party.

But isn’t a cupcake simply a mini-version of a cake? Can’t we say with cupcakes what can be said with a cake? Having birthday or bar mitzvah cupcakes can turn out to be more convenient and unique. Whether you have the cupcakes all designed uniformly or keep each one different from the other, cupcakes can also steal the show the way a cake can.

Cupcakes come in a variety of sizes and flavors. Mini-cupcakes are particularly versatile because you can make them fit any shape you want. They can be placed in uniquely-shaped boxes and given as party favors.

Cupcakes for Different Occasions

On Valentine’s Day, you can place a bunch of mini-chocolate cupcakes in a heart-shaped box for a unique alternative to traditional chocolates. You can also earn a lot of brownie points if you bake the cupcakes yourself.

In the same way, you can give out unique Christmas souvenirs to your neighbors by sending out mini-cupcakes frosted in red and green, and placed inside a box shaped like a Christmas tree, a candy cane or a snow man.

For birthdays, instead of having a cake with ‘Happy Birthday’ piped on top, you can spell ‘Happy Birthday’ using mini-cupcakes. You can also have regular-sized cupcakes in the same number as the celebrator’s age, and have a candle on each one. The birthday celebrator can then blow out all the candles from the cupcakes!

How to Present Cupcakes

Centerpieces can be more interesting if they are made out of cupcakes. They can be arranged in tiers and piped in all different colors, lending a festive feel to any party. If the party has a color motif, the cupcakes can be jazzed up in the same colors as the motif, or in the same color palette.

With cupcakes, you do not need to limit yourself to having the cake in the center of the buffet. You can have a small cupcake tier or basket on each table. No need to slice anything, you can be sure that all your guests will be able to take a piece.

The good thing with cupcakes is that you can have them made in a variety of different flavors. You can have a luau and have cupcakes made out of different kinds of tropical fruits. You can also keep them simple by having them all in one flavor, such as chocolate.

You can choose to have the flavors baked directly into the cupcake, such as fresh blueberry and strawberry cupcakes, or to have a simple butter cupcake but frosted with different kinds of flavors. Still, you can have a simple cupcake and frosting, but vary the flavors by placing different fresh toppings on each one.

When you opt for cupcakes instead of one large cake, the possibilities are endless! Only your imagination can set the limit.

Lisa is an avid home cook who loves to share her favorite recipes with the rest of us. Find all her cupcake recipes at www.Cupcake-Creations.com. And be sure to try one of her delicious yet easy cupcake frosting recipes.

The Top 10 Drinks For Christmas

Christmas time is all about gathering with the ones you love and celebration. During the festivities, plenty of drink will flow, but which ones should you be serving this Christmas? The top ten drinks for Christmas list should include:

Mulled Wine

A long held tradition, especially on cold evenings, a glass of mulled wine is a wonderful way to greet guests after a trudge through the winter weather. Mulled wine can be bought ready-mixed such as the ever-popular Gl?hwein or you can create your own by adding cinnamon, orange, cloves and honey to a bottle of red wine and warming it by the fire in a pan. By adding orange juice you can turn the mulled wine into a punch.

Traditional Ales

Although largers are always popular, traditional ales still hold an important part of the drinks market and are always one of the top ten drinks for Christmas. With hundreds of microbreweries up and down the country, there are plenty of ales to choose from. Some breweries also produce speciality ales for the Christmas season and these are often beautifully presented with specially designed labels, making them a perfect Christmas present for an ale lover. Kernow Gold Ale, for example, is one of the most popular and well loved of the traditional ales.

Brandy

What better way to finish off Christmas Day dinner than with a glass of fine cognac? A warming, palate-cleansing drink, fine cognac has been traditionally the perfect way to round off a good meal. Classics such as Hennessy Fine de Cognac always go down well at Christmas.

Alcohol free larger

Although Christmas is a time of celebration, you may be entertaining guests who have to drive after the party. A selection of alcohol free beers will mean that they can join in the toasts without running the risk of drinking and driving afterwards.

White wine

The drier, lighter white wines such as Pino Grigio have become more popular over heavier, sweeter wines, and are perfect for mixing with soda water or lemonade to make a refreshing ‘spritzer’. White wine also makes a perfect accompaniment to fish or white meat dishes, helping to cleanse the palate in between courses.

Red Wine

Heavier and more full bodied than most white wines, a good red wine such as a Merlot or a New World Shiraz makes an ideal gift for your party’s host. Red wines tend to have richer bouquets and prices range from just a few pounds for a perfectly drinkable bottle of Merlot to hundreds of pounds for a vintage bottle for a true wine connoisseur.

Rose wine

Rose wine became popular in the 1970’s with the iconic Mateus Rose. After dropping out of fashion for a while, Rose has made a comeback in the past year, with new varieties available, particularly from the New World producers such as Australia and Chile. They are often slightly sweeter than most white wines.

Cocktails

A combination of stronger spirits and either fruit juice or carbonated mixers, cocktails are an ideal way to get a party really jumping. Do remember though, that cocktails can actually be much stronger volume-wise than they first appear, particularly if the fruit juice or mixers mask the taste of the spirits. If you’re mixing cocktails this Christmas, why not go for some exotic additions such as Rodniks Absinthe, for a truly unique flavour?

Spirits

Spirits are always high on any list of the top ten drinks for Christmas, mainly because there is such a huge variety available, catering for all tastes. From superb malt whiskeys such as Glenfiddich, Irish whiskeys such as Jameson’s or Bushmills, through to the more exotic like the coconut rum mix of Malibu or the warming orange flavour of Cointreau, a selection of spirits (including the old favourites such as Vodka and Bacardi) is a must for any Christmas celebration.

Champagne

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a glass of Buck’s Fizz on Christmas morning. The refreshing mix of champagne and orange juice is a classic and sets the tone for a day of celebration and fun. Champagnes are available to suit all pockets, from the indulgently expensive Dom Perignon to the cheaper Cava. Remember that to call itself Champagne, the wine has to come from the Champagne region of France. A quick check on the label will tell you if your Champagne is genuine.

Visit Drink Finder for the Top 10 Drinks for Christmas.

Binge Drinking — What Can Happen?

That’s Life: Advice by Susan DeAngelis at www.thatslifeadvice.com

Jay from Maryland asks, “Is it okay to binge drink at parties?”

What can happen when you binge drink?

Binge drinking, also known as heavy episodic drinking, is the massive consumption of alcohol in a short amount of time. An average person is said to have binged, when their blood alcohol concentration reads 0.08% or more. For the blood to reach this level males consume 5 or more drinks quickly, a female 4 drinks. This is known as the 5/4 rule. Height, weight, and other factors can alter this rule. Extreme drinking has been defined as the rapid consumption of 10 or more drinks for males and 8 for females.

In the United States, although the legal drinking age is 21, most individuals are likely to binge drink in college. Studies show over half of male college students and 40% of females have participated in binge drinking in the past few weeks. Nearly one-third of freshman in college have experiences with binge drinking before returning home for the holidays. Unfortunately, excessive drinking is not limited to the over 18 crowd. It was been reported that a quarter of high school students have binged in the last month.

Some methods of binge drinking are shots, shooters, chugging, shotguns, funnels, and drinking games. In the United States, two popular games are quarters and pong, where failure to get one of these objects in a glass after bouncing it off a table leads to chugging beer or the consumption of a shot.

A common Canadian drinking game is Wizard Stick. After finishing a beer, the empty is stacked and taped underneath the current one. In New Zealand, Edward Wineyhands and Scrumpy Hands is a drinking game in which a 40 or 80 ounce can is duct taped to the hands and cannot be removed until completely consumed. The Pub Crawl first became popular in the United Kingdom where drinking establishments close by Midnight. Drinking from pub to pub, by the end of the evening, the binge drinker is crawling home. Botellon, passing a big bottle amongst a circle of friends in a public place, is common in Spain.

Regardless of the method, on the average, those who binge drink miss more classes, get lower grades, are sexually irresponsible, have been accidentally injured or date raped, and have or developed health ailments. In addiction, most alcoholics or addicts at one time were binge drinkers.

After binge drinking, a person is likely to

1) Have an argument or altercation

2) Fall or Pass out

3) Vomit, perhaps choke to death

4) Get into an automobile accident or fatality

5) Overdose (Alcohol poisoning)

During a blacked out state, urination on oneself is common. In extreme cases, however, a binge drinker’s bladder can rupture and cause septic blood poisoning.

When asked about his binge drinking experiences The Unknown Drunk replied, “I used to drink hard and fast… If I got drunk fast, I thought everyone would think I was cool. Thinking back, I just looked like a drunken idiot.”

Today, there is a movement in the United States to return the legal drinking age back 18.

“I was legally allowed to drink at 18,” the Unknown Drunk continued. “Maybe that’s why I started drinking heavy by the time I was 12.”

Healthy Meals Without the Fuss

Most of us cannot afford to have personal chefs who do nothing else but plan and prepare our meals. Most of the time, we have to think of meals in addition to the million and one other things we have to do each day. And if you are a mom, you probably need to take all that and multiply it by three.

No Need To Do It Alone

Sometimes it can be tempting to just call the nearest pizza place and order in. While this is good for a movie night once a month, it is unhealthy to let this become a habit. If you are a working mom, turn meal planning into something interactive and fun. This way, you are actually hitting two birds with one stone. You get help with the menu and you do away with the frustration of scrunched up faces when you serve something your family doesn’t like.

Set a day of the week for meal planning and grocery shopping. Younger kids would probably find being allowed to say what they want to eat on certain days as a treat. Planning ahead will not only allow you to save by buying only what you need, it will also allow you to organize your meal preparations, and you get things done in half the time.

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

Getting things done ahead will save you a lot of time. Check your work schedule and identify which days you have more free time. Use these days to prepare for multiple meals. You can cook some meals through and just store while others can be half-done then finished on the day the meal is to be had.

Still, you can use this time to do all the chopping and the slicing you need for the other dishes you have planned for the week. Do you need chopped carrots for a stew and grated ones for carrot soup? Prepare them all at one time, storing the chopped ones in the refrigerator for later. If you take this route, make sure that you have plastic containers in a variety of sizes on hand to use for storing your food or prepared ingredients.

Make Technology Work for You

On days when you simply do not have the time or the energy to get it all done, make your kitchen equipment work for you. Your best bet would be to have a Crock Pot on hand. When used correctly, a Crock Pot can be a safe and convenient way to prepare healthy, wholesome, home-cooked meals that will stay warm and be ready for you and your family when it is time to eat.

Since Crock Pots use slow cooking technology at lower temperatures, it will allow you to simply prepare the food in the morning and leave it in the Crock Pot, ready for you by dinner time. Once the cooking is done, it will automatically reset itself to just keep your food warm until you are ready to eat.

There are recipes for chicken, beef and vegetable dishes and even desserts that can be cooked in a Crock Pot. You can incorporate ‘Crock Pot’ days in your meal planning and let your family choose their ‘Crock Pot’ meal for the day. Eating healthy never sounded so easy!

Bill is an avid home cook who loves to share his favorite crock pot recipes with the rest of us. He finds the recipes for crock pots at www.A-Crock-Cook.com to be the easiest to follow. And suggests you try on of the slow cooker vegetable recipes there.

Give in to a Sweeter Life

Today’s working environment often leaves us tired, worn out and cranky. A lot of people nowadays also juggle multiple careers to make ends meet, while at the same time fulfilling family responsibilities. Sometimes, it can all be too much.

When everything seems so down and out though, indulging your sweet tooth can perk you up better than anything else can. A simple scoop of ice cream or a bar of good milk chocolate can soothe away the day’s troubles. This is why dessert nowadays is just as important as our main meals. Now, more than ever, we need comfort and solace and dessert is the ultimate comfort food.

In the same breath, we also have to remember that in order to cope with the demands of our careers, it is important to stay healthy. So, how do we put two and two together? The secret is to indulge but never to over-indulge. Just keep in mind that most things in this world are inherently good. It is when things are done in excess that good things become bad.

Stock up on Desserts

The easiest comfort foods to reach for are chocolates and ice cream. You can stock up and keep them in the freezer, ready anytime you need a quick fix.

You can actually save by looking out for specials at your grocery store, where ice cream quarts of good name brands can be had at a huge discount if you catch them on sale at the right time. Buy the smaller containers in a variety of different flavors, so that you can have the illusion of having something new each time.

Do the same for chocolates. Stock up on a variety of brands and flavors so you can always reach for something new.

Make Your Own Desserts

A healthier alternative would be to indulge your sweet tooth with more natural foods such as fruits. You can actually drop by the fresh food section and ask for the best fruits in season. A simple dressing or syrup can jazz up fresh fruits and you have instant, homemade dessert.

If you are not much of a baker and don’t have the time but would like to have something homemade that is still fancy, you can try making desserts in your Crock Pot. A lot of people instantly associate Crock Pots with stews but it is actually so versatile that it can satisfy your sweet tooth in a lot of different ways.

You can have crock pot cheesecake, bread and rice pudding, fruit pies and cobblers. A lot of special recipes for crock pot desserts are available, sometimes in the recipe booklets provided by your manufacturer. Certainly there are a lot that can be sourced online. Crock Pot desserts are very convenient. You can put the ingredients into the Crock Pot dish, put it on, leave for work and you will have dessert ready for you when you come home.

Treat Yourself

Nothing beats a romantic ambience and delicious, gourmet desserts at the end of a busy work week or on your payday. Remember, your work supports you – don’t let it run your life. So, indulge yourself occasionally; you deserve it! After all, you have worked hard for it.

Bill is an avid home cook who loves to share his favorite crock pot recipes with the rest of us. He finds the crock pot recipes at www.A-Crock-Cook.com to be the easiest to follow. And suggest you try on of the crock dessert recipes there.

Confused About the Differences Between Black Tea Vs. Green Tea?

On the surface, the differences between black tea vs green tea may seem numerous - and indeed they are! However, there are countless similarities between the two as well.

Let’s learn a bit about what these similarities and differences are and just how they can help start you on the path to a healthier, more energetic lifestyle.

Both black tea and green tea come from the leaves of the same plant, Camellia sinensis. However, it is the way the leaves are processed that determines the outcome of the final product.

Green tea is very high in antioxidants and out of the two, it’s processed the least. Unlike its darker, more full-flavored cousin, it isn’t allowed to ferment or oxidize at all.

This part of the process ensures the final product still retains most of its beneficial antioxidants and polyphenols.

The phytochemicals present in tea leaves are highly sensitive to the oxidation process.

During oxidation, the leaves are exposed to air which allows “fermentation” or oxidation to take place. This increases caffeine levels as well tannins, whilst lessening some of its other phytochemical components such as catechins - the antioxidant powerhouses responsible for green tea fame

Fret not, even though black tea is fully fermented, all of its free-radical scavenging antioxidants are not lost. It still has a variety of health benefits associated with its consumption as well and studies have shown the theaflavins found in a fermented leaf may be just as powerful an antioxidant as those inherent in unfermented leaves.

The catechins found in fermented leaves are simply converted into theaflavins during the oxidation process. This means that black tea, although offering different beneficial properties than green tea, still delivers a wealth of healthful properties.

Aside from processing, these two possess two different flavor profiles and brewing methods.

Due to its minimal handling, green tea has more of well, green flavor. It has been described as having a flavor profile ranging from a grassy and herbaceous taste to light and slightly sweet. Indeed, green tea came from different countries, hence, Japan, China, Sri Lanka, India, and Vietnamese.

Be aware that green tea from different parts of Asia varies as far as the quality, taste, and benefits are concerned. It is because of the soil, climate, and processing that makes the huge difference.

The flavor of a fully fermented black tea is cherished the world over. In fact, outside of Asia, this beverage is enjoyed second only to the consumption of water!

It is full-bodied, yet also described as sweet or even nutty.

Its robust taste, rich, dark color and moderate caffeine content makes it the perfect choice for coffee drinkers seeking a healthier alternative to their morning cup of coffee.

As an added bonus, the caffeine found in the fully fermented leaves not only gives your body a much needed midday energy boost, but you won’t endure that jittery coffee feeling afterward.

So now you see, whether you’re in the green corner or the black corner, there is no loser in the Black Tea vs. Green Tea battle!

Rose is a tea enthusiast and a health advocate. Find out more about green tea and black tea. Visit her online store at www.theteaavenue.com where you can find organic tea and fine tea accessories. She also would like to share with everyone her passion and knowledge on tea and its effects on your overall well-being.

Finding Top Restaurants In Madrid

Bringing tapas back to their “purest state”

Sure, Madrid’s smoky tapas bars filled with old men have their appeal. But for some really posh tapas, check out the new spot in the NH Hotel Paseo de Prado. Paco Roncero, winner of the 2006 Best Future Chef award from the International Gastronomy Academy and chef at La Terraza del Casino in Madrid, has opened Estado Puro to bring tapas back to their “purest state.” Roncero, who studied with Ferran Adri? and is considered the most outstanding of the famous chef’s prot?g?s, opened Estado Puro to combine classic tapas using the highest-quality ingredients and his signature creative touch. He hopes to open more, similar bars throughout Spain and internationally.

The place is decked out with upscale, cosmopolitan d?cor from architects and designers James & Mau featuring 1,000 kitschy white peinetas, decorative hair combs, covering the ceiling and a wall, adding a bit of an ironic twist to touristy tapas traps. Estado Puro also features an area where patrons can see the chefs cooking, a merchandising area with cookbooks from Roncero and aprons along with a selection sauces from the tapas to take home. There’s even a terrace with a tree surrounded by a small garden of tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers. The menu features cold and hot tapas such as croquettes, potatoes with alioli sauce and mini hamburgers as well as sandwiches, salads, desserts and some bigger dishes of rice, meat and fish.

Dinner with a side of celebrity

Javier Bardem, Hollywood’s latest It Boy, comes from a very talented family of directors, producers, artists and actors. But what they should be most famous for are their croquettes. That’s right, La Bardemcilla, owned by the venerable acting7/producing/directing family, cooks some of the best melt-in-your-mouth, falling-apart-at-the-touch croquettes in Madrid. Aptly named “Jam?n, Jam?n,” a plateful of these will cheer you up on the coldest of Madrid winter days.

The cozy place also offers delicious entrees such as Huevos de Oro, scrambled eggs with chorizo and potatoes, and Entre Las Piernas, scrambled eggs with morcilla. The grilled vegetable plate is also scrumptious. On a weekend night, it’s best to call ahead for a reservation. The menu del d?a is a cheaper alternative to enjoy some of their house specialties. Make sure to bring your camera, it’s a great place for celebrity spotting!

A Taste of Home

Burger bars don’t necessarily mean junk food — something that’s abundantly clear at Home Burger Bar. The wood-paneled diner boasts booths, little frilly lamps at each table, authentic chunky cutlery, and menus printed on brown-paper grocery bags, like the ones you see in American movies — all that’s missing are waitresses in gingham aprons. The menu features creative choices such as La Especial, with cream cheese, nuts and onions and the Caprese, with sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese as well as staples such as La Cl?sica, a burger served with lettuce, tomato, pickles, bacon and cheese.

The 100 percent organic meat is fantastic, and is perfectly accompanied by the extras. This month, they are expanding from Malasa?a into Chueca with a second location. Good thing, too, because during lunchtime the place is bursting with hungry diners.

Get your just desserts

It’s a venerable Madrid tradition: stay up all night dancing, then refuel with some sickly sweet churros con chocolate. There’s no better place than the Chocolater?a San Gin?s, where madrile?os have been going since 1894, right in the center and open all night. Order a few cups of the thick, rich chocolate to share among a group and a few plates of churros, which are basically sticks of fried dough, and lean back in the plush green velvet chairs to watch the hordes come in about 4am when the clubs close. Chocolater?a San Gin?s, Pasadizo de San Gin?s 5, (Metro: Sol)

Brunch in Style

Madrile?os are just now catching on to the amazing concept that is brunch. And though it’s taken a while to catch on, new spots are springing up all over the city and established restaurants are moving away from the traditional to try something new. Some of the best options include Bristol Bar, (c/Almirante, 20), which is a hip gin bar by night but a relaxing brunch spot on Saturdays and Sundays, when you can choose from a traditional English breakfast to an American-style brunch, complete with eggs, sausage, toast and mimosas. Or head over to Toma, (c/Conde Duqe, 14) where American owner Mack Kern certainly knows what he’s doing.

It’s often cited as the best brunch in Madrid, because it combines tasty Spanish ingredients with classic brunch recipes. Try eggs Benedict, or omelets stuffed with your choice of delicacies ranging from asparagus to goat cheese. Wash it all down with a tasty Bloody Mary. For a buffet-style brunch, try Nina (c/Manuela Malasa?a, 10) which offers bagels alongside classics like bacon and eggs.

This and lots more are among the hundreds of restaurants that madrid has to offer, its often said, to test it, you have to visit the spanish capital!

The Author is a contributing writer a travel guide to madrid. We carry a lot of useful information about Madrid restaurants, bars, nightclubs, Hotels, and shopping centers. Visit us today and bookmark us for your return visits!

Banned Beer Labels and Santa’s Butt

Winter is an important time for micro- and craft-brewers. The colder months mean that the heavier beers sell better, and beer aficionados love their holiday-themed beverages. The heavy ales and porters — beers that warm the drinker — lead to sales spikes in the winter. For one of their special holiday beers, Ridgeway brewers had Gary Lippencourt paint them a Santa.

Lippencourt painted a warm image of Claus; the jolly man is sitting atop a large beer barrel (or “butt” in industry lingo) with his back to the viewer, a stein in one hand, and his famous list in the other. The painting wasn’t meant to cause controversy. No, it was meant to be a clever visual pun, perhaps bringing a chuckle, and hopefully sell some beer. The man’s face had been synonymous with Christmas and giving and holiday cheer for decades. Santa, or his visage, would be everywhere and on everything following Thanksgiving. It seemed like everything from Coca-Cola to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade would have a Santa in 2006. Well, everything except for one of the Ridgeway beers that Dan Shelton of the Shelton Brothers was trying to import into a pair of American states. The label for Ridgeway’s Santa’s Butt Winter Porter, which had the Lippencourt Santa, was officially banned by the state liquor authorities of New York and Maine.

For Dan Shelton, and for the Ridgeway beers he imports from England, this wasn’t the first holiday beer that he’d had blocked. A year prior, Connecticut had barred him from selling two Ridgeway ales which had a mischievous elf on the label. Connecticut’s reasoning, the same reason which was paraphrased by New York and Maine, was that depicting such images appealed to children, and could lead to an increase in underage drinking.

Though he had acquiesced in 2005, Shelton was not going to let two states ruin Christmas in 2006. According to his logic, the iconic images of Santa Claus, elves, and reindeer appealed to smaller children, not those likely to buy his beer. Dan stated firmly that his beer wasn’t even remotely marketed at underage drinkers, nor many of those of legal age. To put it bluntly, Dan’s beer is expensive, with the importer quoting in a press release that the average prices are “about five or six bucks a bottle.” No, what seemed to be happening was various state liquor authorities were picking on the proverbial little guy. As Shelton himself put it, banning his beer due to Santa being on the label was “just an easy way to appear to be doing something about [underage drinking] without actually doing something about it.”

While the Shelton Brothers distribution company let Connecticut slide previously, New York and Maine would not be so lucky. Dan Shelton retained Albany-based attorney George Carpinello to bring suit against New York. Carpinello was a sound choice; less than a decade ago he had championed a similar case all the way to the Federal Court of Appeals. The ruling from that case set the precedent Dan was banking on — beer labels were protected as artistic statements under the First Amendment. Though states were granted the right to regulate alcohol sales, denying a product based simply on the label was constitutional infringement.

In Maine, the Maine Civil Liberties Union (MCLU) helped the Shelton Brothers file suit against the Maine Bureau of Liquor Enforcement (MBLE) on those very same grounds. Through the course of that December, it looked like Dan Shelton and Santa would have a pair of very hot court cases on their hands. Or would have, if Carpinello’s case hadn’t been so sound the first time around.

New York, the first to ban the beer label that year, was also the first to fold. The state’s official statement came out on the heels of a press release by the Shelton Brothers after retaining Carpinello. New York State Liquor Authority stated that the label had originally been banned at a “staff level”. When it was reviewed by the New York State Liquor Authority General Counsel, it passed without issue.

Maine took a bit longer, perhaps waiting for the lawsuit to be fully filed, perhaps examining the evidence, or maybe they were just waiting for fallout from New York’s reversal. Either way, on December 22, 2006, the Maine Bureau of Liquor Enforcement mailed Shelton to inform him of their decision to reverse the ruling against Santa’s Butt Winter Porter. Dan was out of the country at the time, so he didn’t receive the news until after the holiday season, but it did prove his point. While beer lovers consider what’s in the bottle to be art, the federal government considers the art to be the outside.

Written by Lawrence Reaves. Article provided by http://MaverickLabel.com, providing online label printing quotes, online proofs and online ordering to make quick work of your label projects.

Catering Tips and Tricks For Newbie Caterers

If you are planning on starting your own catering business, here are some catering tips and tricks for you. Catering may be a tedious business but it sure is a profitable one. Follow these steps and have the best of luck in your endeavor!

1. Decide what kind of catering would you like your business to focus on. If you’re just starting in the business, you might want to try to cater small events first before engaging in a big event that may overwhelmed you and your staff. You don’t need to hurry with these things because several successes on small event are worth remembering than one flop catering service at a big event. You need to decide if you want to try home based catering first or school catering or corporate catering or small events catering first. Once you’ve gained experience and the much needed accomplishments, you can start courting clients for big occasions.

2. More than anything else, you need to make sure that the place where you prepare and cook the food is impeccably clean - this is actually one of the most important catering tips you can live by. It doesn’t matter if your starting business doesn’t have the flare as the old caterers have YET. What matter’s is that you’re serving your clients and guests the best food that you can offer and under the cleanest conditions. They may not be able to verify, see and inspect you place but the health and sanitation committee in your State will do, so make it a point to have a clean environment when cooking.

3. Aside from the supplies and food ingredients, clients and guests, you also need to have all the necessary permits, certifications and authentications to legalize your business. This is one of the most important tasks that you need to do even before having your first client. When you have legal papers, a large chunk of worry is lifted off your shoulder, for sure. You can stop by your local town hall and state offices to find out what sort of certifications and inspections you might need. If you are preparing food in your home, expect to make some changes to comply with all the regulations.

4. Finally, you need to be flexible and accommodating to your customers as it’s a given that they will probably change their mind about at least one of the things ordered. While you cannot give in all the time, it helps your business to provide good customer service so try to be accommodating with any changes that do not hurt your bottom line. When outlining a contract, make sure you stipulate up front any additional charge for changes and substitutions.

Starting a catering business can be a fun and rewarding task but it can also be a lot of work. When dealing with food, you have to provide a high level of customer satisfaction as well as pay close attention to the cleanliness of your prep areas. These catering tips will help you get an idea of what’s involved in the start-up of your operation.

For more great catering tips, visit http://www.eventcateringtips.com.

Pinot Grigio Wine From the Pinot Gris Grape

Pinot Grigio is the Italian name for Pinot Gris wine. This wine is made from grapes that range in color from bluish gray to pinkish gray which is where they get their name. In fact, clusters of grapes on the same vine can be of different colors.

The grapes have varying levels of sweetness, which tends to dissipate as the grapes ripen. There are different names for the grapes and thus the wine made from them depending on the country in which they are grown. In Burgundy they are known as Pinot Beurot, In Germany, they are called Rulander, not to be confused with Riesling (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Riesling/).

The main area for production of Pinot Grigio is the Fruili region of Italy. There are also sizeable vineyards in Alsace, France and Oregon in the US. In Alsace, this grape is known as the Tokay d’Alsace and the wine has a very distinctive flavour. The Italian variety from Fruili has the best taste of all, perhaps due to the attention given to the growing and vinifying processes.

The typical flavor of the wine is delicately fragrant and has a slight lemon taste. However, the taste does depend on the wine making process used and can range from tangy to light and can be full-bodied. You can also get flavors of this wine that taste of pears, melons and tropical fruits, much like a Sauvignon Blanc (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Sauvignon%20Blanc/). The Oregon versions of the wine have mainly tastes of peach and apricots, while those from Germany have a more earthy and austere taste.

The color of Pinot Grigio is usually light yellow in color and the texture is very smooth. It works well with cheese and fruit trays and with foods that are high in acidity because of the high acidic taste of the wine itself. This is a very simple wine that can be a very refreshing drink on a hot summer day. Because of its simplicity it is often overlooked for use at events and with meals. In Alsace it is most often paired with desserts or rich tasting foods. As a rule, it is mainly a cocktail wine.

Some of the most popular brands of Pinot Grigio are:

• Graffigna. This wine comes from the wineries of the San Juan region of Argentina and very closely resembles the Pinot Grigio of Alsace with its peach and pear aroma.

• Villa del Borgo. This wine has a fine, silky and succulent taste with a hint of fresh cream. It is inexpensive, but has the taste of a really expensive wine that you can have as an aperitif.

• Di Lenardo. Direct from Fruili, Italy, the home of Pinot Grigio, this wine has a crisp and refreshing taste. It is the perfect choice for relaxing at the end of the day.

• Villa Girardi. Produced in Venetto, Italy, this brand will give you a Venetian style of Pinot Grigio. It has a medium body and an aromatic flavour that just lends itself to use at a wine and cheese event.

• Jean-Baptists Adam. These wines from Alsace have a tendency to stimulate your appetite. They are the perfect choice as cocktails before dinner so that your guests will really enjoy the cuisine you prepare.

• Terlano. If you want a Pinot Grigio wine for sipping while you have stimulating conversation, this wine from Alto Adige, Italy, has the taste of minerals and lemon. It is the perfect wine to accompany seafood dishes.

Sarah Martin is a freelance marketing writer based out of San Diego, CA. She specializes in international travel, cuisine, and fine wine varietals. To browse a wide selection of wines including Pinot Grigio and Riesling, please visit http://www.wineaccess.com.

Next Page »