Risky Fish
There's a certain weird appeal to the Japanese delicacy known as fugu. After all, it's not every day that the food on your plate could bring about almost instant death. Fugu is the Japanese name for the blowfish, also known as the pufferfish, which has the ability to puff up to twice its size and project poisonous spikes to defend itself from predators. The spikes of a blowfish contain tetradotoxin, a poison considered to be at least one thousand times deadlier than cyanide. Theoretically, the ...› Continue reading
Wine is in the moment
As a winemaker I spend more time than most people sniffing and peering at wine, holding it to the light, making notes. Eventually I take some in my mouth and roll it around over my tongue with great slurping noises as I mix it with air to test every edge of the wine for the flavors I find there. Then I spend even more time talking about what I have discovered with other wine tasters, some experienced, some not. I have realized, in the years since I started making wine in 1975, that this ...› Continue reading
30 Ways To Save The World While Making Dinner
From the Fall 2007 issue of Girlistic Magazine: Feminism & Food From purchasing food to cooking to clean up, there are hundreds of ways to reduce your impact on the environment and still make a fantastic meal. Gathered here are 30 of the easiest ways to do just that. Preparing For The Meal It is great to make food from scratch. It is often healthier, uses less packaging, and fewer resources from the earth during processing and packing. Here are ways to make the least impact on the earth when ...› Continue reading
Preparation Hints For Making Candies (Part 2)
HOW TO MAKE STOCK SYRUP Put one pound of granulated sugar into a saucepan; add one pint of water and bring slowly to boiling-point; then remove the scum from the surface. Put on the 3 lid, and boil for four minutes to allow the condensing steam to clear any crystals of sugar from the sides of the pan. Boil gently for twenty-five minutes. Remove from the fire, allow it to cool, and bottle for use. HOW TO CLARIFY STOCK SYRUP After making the syrup in the usual way pour it in a steady stream over ...› Continue reading
Birthday Party Invitations - Making it Fun
Its true creating your own birthday party invitation really is so much fun, and something you could do together with the birthday kid. If you're not very crafty don't feel like there is nothing to do but to buy some readymade invitations from the local store, there are so many birthday party invitation ideas on the internet you could enjoy finding these together. If the birthday party you are planning has a particular theme, simply surfing the internet is sure to bring up a fan site or two. If ...› Continue reading
Creating Your Dream Garden with the Ideal Furniture
So, you've finally decided it's time to spruce up your garden. Although a garden is within many people's minds when they imagine the house they'd like to settle in, it's surprising how many homeowners do not know how to look after their gardens, and the result can be messy and disappointing. However, the first step to changing is deciding that a change is necessary and, once you've decided to make your garden gorgeous you should be feeling motivated to make it happen. Unfortunately, there are ...› Continue reading
Food processing, making food hygienic and pleasurable to eat
Everybody loves to eat and eating becomes even more pleasurable when the food is hygienic, healthy and safe. It becomes even more attractive when it comes to your knowledge that the food is prepared and managed by sophisticated and the best quality machinery and it is ready to eat instantly. No doubt, people would love such kind of food that makes cooking and eating a pleasurable experience. This is where the 'food processing industry' takes a lead from the normal food industry. Food processing ...› Continue reading
4 Fun, Cheap Things to Do With Your Kitty (And How to Save Your Furniture in the Process!)
Nothing is worse than a bored cat, particularly when they take that boredom out on, say, your new sofa. Keep kitty interested, and you'll keep your furniture and feet intact. Bonus points for doing it with things you have around the house!1. MirrorsParticularly fun if your cat has never seen its reflection, as cats tend to go nuts the first time they see a mirror. Lean a mirror on the wall or place it on the floor and watch the cat go nuts. If its hair rises on end when it looks at itself in ...› Continue reading
Outdoor Patio Furniture: Embellishing Your Patio With the Best Furniture
The patio is one of the most frequented places in the house because it is where one gets to spend most of his sober moments. In the company of trees and fresh air, one will never regret sulking in those marvelous moments at the patio. From sunrise to sunset, one will be commonly found there, marveling at the days gone by and what the future ahead will be. This is why a lot of effort is made to embellish the patio's surroundings to make it more conducive to one's nostalgia. One way to embellish ...› Continue reading
There Really IS A Santa-- If You Know Where To Look For Him
I believe in Santa Claus. I'm not a child, nor even passingly young anymore. But as each year-end nears, and the stores begin stocking strings of lights and tinsel, alerting us to the fact that the holidays loom, I am gripped with a fever. And, perhaps it's because this feeling is familiar that I begin to see the truth. And the truth is, there really IS a Santa Claus. Oh, sure. I groan as much as the next person when I first hear holiday muzak in the stores. Maybe more so, having worked in ...› Continue reading