Author : Caroline Silverstone

Wine storage has a huge effect on how your wine tastes when you serve it The way you store your wine is almost as important as the grapes used to make it and the actual process of how the wine was made Experts and serious wine enthusiasts will go out of their way to ensure that storage is ideal

Usually you will need to create a wine cellar or other wine storage area in your home if you are going to be storing a large quantity of wine The following explains the five aspects of your storage area that are important to good wine storage

1 Light

Wine needs darkness in order to age properly It is important that there is no sunlight and limited artificial light in the storage area

2 Consistent Temperature

Temperature is important to wine You do not want a temperature that is too hot or too cold Temperature can relate to spoilage, so you have to ensure that it is kept at a consistent level The ideal temperature is around 50 to 60 degrees This temperature allows the wine to age properly and at a steady rate If you have it too hot then the wine will age quickly and the flavors will not be allowed to develop as they would at a colder temperature

3 No Vibration

You want to avoid any harsh vibrations which can cause a range of issues with your wine Things like trains, subways, airports and even close traffic can cause vibrations that can crack bottles, dislodge corks and not allow the wine to settle properly

4 Odor

You want to avoid an area where strong odors linger Any strong smell will taint the wine as it ages You do not want to ruin your carefully selected wines with a bad taste picked up form the storage area

5 Humidity

The humidity of your storage area is very important When the humidity is too low the cork will dry out When the cork dries out it shrinks and allows air into the bottle Air ruins the wine and will most often cause spoiling You have to keep the area at a good humidity level which usually requires special equipment Relying on nature to provide the right amount of humidity can spell disaster You must have at least a minimum of 60 humidity

These five aspects are very important to storing your wine Most people who are storing wine at their home are interested in making quite an investment in the wine they buy That is why you must understand the five aspects above Without a proper understanding you will end up with a lot of wasted money on wine that is spoiled or has a bad taste due to bad storage

You do not want to lose on your investment because you did not create adequate storage You will need to pay attention and be smart about wine storage so that you can be proud of your wine purchases and create the best tasting wine possible

For more information on http://www.thewinestandard.com on wine gift and http://www.thewinestandard.com/wine-glasses.html on wine glasses. Also see http://www.thewinestandard.com/wine-vacuum-pumps.html on wine vacuum pump.

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Author : Eddie Lamb

Essiac in itself is a mixture of herbs that are combined in order to make tea, and the original Essiac formula included that of burdock root, slippery elm inner bark, sheep sorrel, and Indian rhubarb root As well, items such as watercress, blessed thistle, red clover, and kelp were added to the later recipes, typically for a product that was sold which was called Flor Essence

What are the Benefits of Essiac Tea?

There are many advantages and benefits that you can receive from Essiac tea namely the fact that Essiac tea is claimed by some to have cancer-treating properties The blend itself was actually discovered and thus created by a Canadian nurse, Rene Caisse, who named it after her name spelled backwards

What is the Recipe for Essiac Tea?

In order to make Essiac tea, you only need to follow a quite simple recipe Essiac tea does not take long to make, nor does it require many ingredients, and people take Essiac tea on occasion not only for the claimed cancer-treating properties, but for general health purposes or for the healing of various ailments as well

The basic recipe for this tea is as follows, and the supplies you need are: 4 or 5 gallon stainless steel pot, 3 gallon stainless steel pot with lid, stainless steel fine-mesh double strainer, stainless steel funnel, stainless steel spatula, 12 or more 16 ounce amber glass bottles with air tight caps, and 2 gallons of sodium-free distilled water

As for the ingredients that you will need, they are as follows: 6 1/2 cups burdock root finely cut, 16 oz wild sheep sorrel herb powdered, 4 oz slippery elm bark powdered, and 1 oz turkey rhubarb root powdered First, you mix up the ingredients thoroughly, and then bring the sodium-free distilled water to a rolling boil in the 5 gallon pot with the lid on

Next, you stir in 1 cup of the Essiac formula, and then put the lid back on the top of the pot, and continue boiling for another 10 minutes Next, turn off the stove, and scrape down the sides of the pot with a spatula and stir the mixture thoroughly, and then replace the lid again Allow the pot to remain closed for about 12 hours, and then turn the stove back on to full heat for 20 minutes

Then you turn off the stove again, strain the liquid into the 3 gallon pot, clean the 5 gallon pot and strainer, and then re-strain the filtered liquid back into the 5 gallon pot Use the funnel to pour the hot liquid into the bottles immediately, and be sure to tighten the caps properly Allow the bottles to cool and then tighten the caps again, and refrigerate

Eddie Lamb publishes an abundance of information on a range of topical subjects. This article The Advantages and Benefits of Essiac Tea , is just one of a host of useful articles about Tea listed on our site map at Tea Variety.

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Author : Wolfgang Jaegel

Malay cuisines are one of the world’s most popular as well as unique cuisines Malay cuisine is yummy and exciting, and is an amalgamation of cuisines of three main ethnic groups, such as, Malay, Indian, and Chinese

A strong influence of Thai, Indonesian, and Middle East culture is also prevalent in Malay cuisines In other words, almost all racial groups have contributed much to the Malaysian gastronomic heritage With such an amazing as well as sumptuous blend of cuisines available in the country, no wonder why Malaysia is considered the meeting point of both the Western and Eastern cultures

Malay cuisines are exotic and are mostly spicy They are also available in a range of other flavors, such as, sweet, sharp, and sour, which are created through the use of items including ginger, tamarind, cloves, lime, and lemon grass

As mentioned earlier, Malay cuisine is a combination of Malay, Indian, and Chinese cooking styles, the fusion of which has led to the origin of several individual cuisines, among which most popular are Nyonya, Kedah, and Kelantanese Nyonya cuisine is a fine blend of cooking styles of Malay and Chinese, and is mostly characterized by spicy, sour, and pungent flavors

Additionally, this type of cuisine mostly consists of a range of spicy items such as turmeric and galangal, apart from ingredients like pandan leaf and laksa leaf Kelantanese cuisines are akin to Thai cuisine But, Kedah cuisine is highly influenced by Indian cooking styles and spices

An integral element found in almost all Malay cuisines is rice Noodles also form an important ingredient of most of the Malay cuisines Also, popular for the preparation of Malay cuisine are ingredients such as mutton and beef In addition, seafood items such as shrimp, squid, and prawns are also used for the preparation of Malay cuisine

Since majority of the Malay cuisines are spicy, ingredients such as coriander, nutmeg, garlic, and clovers, are widely used in dishes In most of the traditional style Malay cuisine, the essence of ingredients such as daun kemangi, bunga kantan, and pandan leaves can be experienced Further, in order to provide a unique flavor to Malay cuisines, dried spices including fenugreek, cumin, fennel, and coriander are added Also, found in excess in many of the Malay cuisines are items such as coconut milk, fresh chilli paste, onion, cucumber, and garlic Above all, majority of Malay cuisine include the increased usage of Belachan, which is a paste like item made from dried baby shrimps Belachan is usually added to provide a rich taste and flavor to dishes like gravies and sauces

One of the specialties of Malay cuisine is that such ingredients as pork, alcohol, and non-halal meat are not used for its preparation Another unique feature of Malay cuisine is its sweetish tinge due to the adding of a small amount of sugar along with salt Discussed further are some of the most popular types of Malay dishes

Satay is perhaps the most popular of the Malay cuisines It is prepared with any of the meat items including mutton or chicken, which in turn is marinated with spice and grilled over charcoal Then, it is served with items such as cucumber, onion, and peanut gravy

Another popular Malay cuisine is sambal udang, whose prime ingredient is shrimps or prawns, prepared with Belachan, tamarind paste, tomatoes, and chillies Beef Redang is also a great Malay cuisine that is primarily prepared during festivals such as Ramzan and Malay New Year

Other popular Malay dishes are Ayam Masak Merah, in which chicken pieces are fried and cooked in tomato sauce; nasi lemak; lontong – a vegetable dish cooked with coconut milk; nasi goreng -a kind of fried rice cooked with prawns, vegetables, and egg; roti canai, a type of crispy pancake made from wheat flour; and ulam – an appetizing dish made using raw herbs and plants Malay specialties also include a variety of noodles and vermicelli dishes, such as, laksa, which is served with gravy-like seafood soup

Above all, Malay cuisine is much famed for its desserts, such as, Pulut Hitam -a rice porridge made from sago; Air Batu Campur (ABC) -a desserts prepared with items like jelly grass, sweet corn, condensed milk, and red beans; and cendol Let it be any type of Malay desserts, ingredients such as palm sugar and coconut milk as well as freshly grated coconut are considered staple for its preparation

Malaysia is home to a range of restaurants and food stalls, each of them serving a diverse range of Malay cuisines

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Author : Pat Carpenter

You live in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio or elsewhere in Texas and you love TexMex cuisine That makes you a bona fide “chile head ” TexMex food is the specialty in these here parts and it’s got quite a history!

History of the word “TexMex”

The term “TexMex” first entered the common lexicon as a nickname for the Texas-Mexican Railway, chartered in 1875 Train schedules, published in newspapers, abbreviated the names of railroads For example, the Missouri Pacific was called the Mo Pac and the Texas-Mexican was abbreviated Tex Mex It was in the 1920s that the hyphenated form was used in reference to the railroad as well as to describe people of Mexican descent who were born in Texas

Food historians claim that the first print evidence of “TexMex” in reference to food happened in 1945 From there, TexMex restaurants slowly surfaced outside the Southwest U S in cities with substantial Hispanic populations Then TexMex went “gourmet” In the 1970s Mexican culinary expert Diana Kennedy is credited for taking this common food and making it trendy fare and a new “must-eat” cuisine for a younger generation

What exactly is TexMex cuisine?

Several hundred years ago, during the mission era, Spanish and Mexican-Indian foods were combined Anglo fare in Texas, as in other parts of what was called the Northern Frontier of New Spain It was this cuisine that would eventually be called TexMex The cuisine actually originated with the Texans of Hispanic descent or Tejanos, as a hybrid of Spanish and Mexican Indian foods when Texas was still part of New Spain and, later, of Mexico

Served at dinner tables across the South Texas region, between San Antonio to Brownsville, this cuisine has varied little from its earliest origins and was heavily influenced by the cuisine in the neighboring northern states of Mexico Originally, TexMex started with a taste for cabrito (kid goat), barbacoa (barbecued cow heads), carne seca (dried beef), and other products of cattle culture that were common on both sides of the Rio Grande during that period

TexMex incorporates ingredients common to Mexican cuisine, although some unknown in Mexico are often added This cuisine is also characterized by its heavy use of meat (particularly beef), beans and spices, in addition to Mexican-style tortillas (maize or flour), fried or baked Nachos, crispy tacos, crispy chalupas, chili con queso, chili con carne, chili gravy and fajitas are all TexMex inventions

Serving tortilla chips and a hot sauce or salsa as an appetizer is also an original TexMex dish In addition, TexMex has imported flavors from other spicy cuisines, such as the use of cumin (common in Indian food), but used in only a few authentic Mexican recipes In the 20th century, TexMex took on elements such as yellow cheese from the United States, because it became cheap and readily available

The cuisine evolved during the 1950s in Mexican restaurants, whose popularity coincided with the arrival of large numbers of Mexican immigrants and created the style of TexMex food, the mix of Northern Mexican peasant food with Texas farm and cowboy fare Chili was unknown in Mexico and derived from the use of beef in Texan cooking Refried beans were a mis-translation of the Mexican dish, frijoles refritos, which actually means well-fried beans

With this followed the combination platters, replete with enchiladas, tacos, and tortillas, which have now become the standards of the Tex-Mex menu New dishes, like chimichangas and nachos were created to please the American palate One of the most successful ethnic TexMex dishes to date is the fajita

Yo quero Taco Bell!

The food community began referring to Americanized Mexican food as “TexMex,” a term previously used to describe anything that was half-Texan and half-Mexican Texas-Mexican restaurant owners considered it an insult Yet this insult launched many successes For the rest of the world, TexMex had reflected the wilder, untamed parts of Texas It evoked images of cantinas, cowboys and the Wild West Dozens of Tex-Mex restaurants sprang up in Paris, and across Europe, to Bangkok, Buenos Aires and Abu Dhabi

Tortilla chips, margaritas and chili con carne are now well-known TexMex staples around the world The cuisine is found in many independent and chain restaurants in the state of Texas as well as throughout the rest of the country TexMex chain restaurants include Chili’s, Ninfa’s, Casa Ole, Chuy’s, El Fenix, El Chico, and Taco Cabana While Chili’s serves some TexMex items, it is considered to be more Southwestern cuisine And of course, there’s the ubiquitous Taco Bell; a conglomeration of fast food versions of Mexican and TexMex dishes, owned by Yum! Brands, Inc , based in Louisville, KY

If you love spicy dishes, you’ll love the variety of entrees TexMex cuisine offers But as good as TexMex is, it should be everything in moderation Because, as you’ll discover, what you put into your body now will affect your health down the road And your health, good or bad, will eventually affect your bank account

Pat Carpenter writes for Precedent Insurance Company. Precedent puts a new spin on health insurance. Learn more at Precedent.com

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Author : Dominic Donaldson

Although you might stir in your milk in the morning without batting an eyelid, there is a side of tea that manufacturers and distributers do not want you to know The global demand of the product has been an issue for centuries and as with most profitable enterprises there is a darker side to tea Whenever mass profits are concerned there is no doubt that there are stories of human rights abuses and many of them are in the not too distant past

The leaf is claimed to have originated in the area around India, China and Tibet and the dark associations of tea began with its mythical origins According to a legend dating back to the Tang dynasty, the founder of the Zen Buddhist religion known as Chan had been meditating in front of a wall for nine years when he fell asleep; shocked by his weakness he proceeded to cut off his eyelids and discard them on the ground where a tea bush began to grow

Tea certainly has its cultural origins in China dating back thousands of years Chinese philosophers and physicians have been quoted throughout the centuries discussing the benefits of drinking it Ceremonies have been a part of Chinese culture for millennia however not everything is a calm and tranquil when it came to the exotic leaf As the Chinese might have you believe it was the western influence that caused the trouble

The Venetian Marco Polo was one of the first western explorers to discover the drink during his travels in the late thirteenth century He reported witnessing an implementation of a high tax on the produce when visiting with the Chinese minister of finance and other explorers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries reported on the mystical herb After various missionary expeditions the Portuguese set up a trading port in Macau and then the Brits arrived

Due to the superior weight of the British navy, the British merchant traders thrived from the Chinese markets and tea became an global phenomenon This was amongst other products including Chinese fine china and silk The British traders were not happy with the profits they were making from tea and began importing opium to China despite several empirical decrees In 1839 the first Opium War broke out where traders and their tea stock were imprisoned on the Chinese mainland

The British navy was supremely underestimated and the Chinese were crushed, the opium importing continued and the Chinese responded with the second opium war During this time tea supplies were drying up and a member of the British Expeditionary force planted Chinese seeds and tea began being produced in India where there were not the same trade restrictions as China The leaf began to be embedded in Indian culture with natural Indian seeds used

India is now the world’s largest producer of tea however it seems that the problems have followed the leaf Now the Assam tea wars are still alleged to be raging in parts of India Organised criminals are attempting to assume control of plantations and there were a string of high profile multiple murders of plantation owners and their families in 2001

There is a darker side to tea however it seems that the sustained commercial value of the leaf is what has caused the problems It seems that wherever there is commercial value there is someone waiting to exploit another human to maximise profit Luckily there are ethical producers and importers of tea that can be easily found over the internet so that the darker side of tea does not have to be indulged

Dominic Donaldson is an expert on tea and contributes to trade publications on the subject.

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Author : Savina Darzes

Hold a piece of chocolate in your hand and you hold the end result of an amazing, global journey

To fully appreciate the story chocolate has to tell us, one needs to visit a tropical rainforest Within about 1200 miles north and south of the equator, the correct balance of rainfall, temperature and humidity creates the perfect environment for the cacao tree Cacao, a broadleaf evergreen tree found beneath the forest’s canopy, thrives only within this narrow belt across the planet

From Tropical Rainforests

The cacao tree has beautiful tiny flowers, only a quarter inch in size, which open only during the night A gnat like insect, called a midge (think small tropical no see ums), is primarily responsible for pollinating this tree The young midges live down in the leaf liter When the larvae turn into adults, they feed on the nectar, pollen and leaf petals of these small flowers Not only are these insects responsible for the treat we all know and love, they also have the fastest wing beats of any creature, some say 20 times faster than a hummingbird

The flowers, and the resulting pollinated football sized pods, are situated directly on the trunk and branches of the tree One can only image how surprised the early explorers were to see such an unusual sight Many Europeans back home thought the early drawings by the explorers were incorrect and possibly the result of taking part in excessive native intoxicating beverages! Inside each pod are 40 50 beans surrounded by a like pulp which some says tastes like honey dew and is a favorite food of forest animals and young children alike

To the Factory

This mixture of succulent pulp and bean mixture is then scooped out by hand out of the pod and place typically under banana leaves to ferment The heat generated by the naturally occurring bacteria prepares the beans to unleash their flavors when later roasted If the beans aren’t made into chocolate at the country of their origin, the beans are then dried, bagged, transported (sometimes by foot) to the nearest port, and shipped across the oceans to a factory to be further processed Once at the factory the beans are cleaned, roasted and separated from the shell They are then crushed and further mixed until the chocolate is produced and molded into bars and wrapped

To the Tastebuds of Your Mouth

Slowly unwrap a chocolate bar You begin tasting food before it ever enters your mouth Your sense of sight is very powerful Look at the surface of the chocolate Is it shiny or dull? Feel it between your fingers Does it melt slowly or quickly in your hand? Then smell the morsel Now, bite into a piece of chocolate and let it melt on your tongue This may require some patience and practice Notice if the chocolate feels grainy or smooth in your mouth as well You may experience an immediate blast of flavor, which then changes as the chocolate continues to melt in your mouth Called a tasting arch, this parade of different flavors can be subtle or quite obvious The lingering taste is just as important as the initial sensation

It’s Personal

Whether tasting wine, cheeses, or chocolate, just remember that your experience is very personal It is important to realize that everyone’s palate is unique Some people have more acute sense of taste and smell Others sense of taste or smell may have been dulled over time from allergies, smoking, etc So be gentle with yourself Don’t be intimidated if you can’t detect every flavor note written on the label Have confidence in knowing that your tasting skills can continue to be developed over time

The journey of a single cacao bean takes many twists and turns from a tree half way across the world to the taste buds of your mouth That in itself is enough for total appreciation

Savina Darzes leads Portland chocolate tours and manages her website http://www.chocolatetastingandmore.com she also does chocolate tastings.

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Author : Mary Anne Durkee

The last few days have had me thinking about “What a person suffering from diabetes should eat?” Will a person diagnosed with diabetics have to give up all the good foods and resort to a rather bland diet

There has been much talk of the disease and also a cookery book launch on the subject by eminent Indian food author “Nita Mehta” With food expert like these who have been working on improvising recipes to suit specific health conditions life no longer is a drab for diabetics

A few years back being diagnosed with the disease would mean having to give up everything that is sweet However, with a lot of research that has gone into the disease per se, there have been important findings that go to show that all sugar is not bad The findings have come as a real boon to most diabetics who love their food

You do not have to give up all those great tasting dishes and go the spiritual way just because you have been diagnosed with the disease You can continue eating most of all that you love Just a attention to what you eat is what you must instill in yourself

Diabetics, in simple terms, means either the lack of or the reduced levels of insulin in your body Insulin helps to breakdown the glucose or sugar and thus, the reduced insulin levels or a lack of insulin results in high sugar levels in your blood stream This results in the disease known as diabetes Diabetes can be well-managed with a little attention to your diet and by leading a healthy lifestyle (exercise and a regular routine)

Diabetes till a few years back was considered one that is passed down through genes however, today forms of diabetes caused due to high stress levels and an unhealthy lifestyle is reported It is also a condition seen in several children as well and is known as juvenile diabetes

When on one hand, you may feel rather depressed that the disease would impose several restrictions on your diet, on the other hand, you must be happy that it is something that can be controlled by a few dietary changes With just a few changes in your diet and some substitutions you can continue leading a good quality of life as before Type 2 diabetes can be almost completely controlled with diet and exercise alone

A dietician can help you in devising a diet that would help you eat your favorite dishes without doing you any harm Slight changes in recipes and substitution of ingredients can go a long way in making the dish diabetic friendly

Although each person who is a diabetic suffers from the disease, each person’s individual symptoms and requirements vary You must understand how your body responds to different foods and accordingly work to devise a diet suitable to you

-Keep a record of the food that you eat so as to be able to perfectly pin-point the problem areas and make the necessary changes in diet

-Weight control too is very important

-Take care to reduce the sugar, salt and fat levels in your daily diet

-Low fat dairy products are recommended and while including chicken in your diet do ensure that you use it only after removing the skin to reduce the fat content

-The cooking techniques like grilling and baking would be a better alternative to frying Experiment with some low calorie cooking the tasty healthy way

My research into food for diabetics continues and will soon be bringing you further details into meal planning and what to avoid and what to include in your diet

Mary-Anne is a featured member and regular contributor at ifood.tv, a global food network, featuring recipes from all over the world. Other popular recipes videos on ifood.tv include Basa Fish Recipe, Smoked chicken recipe and KFC Cole Slaw recipe

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Author : Corbin Newlyn

One of the nicest gifts you can give, or receive, is a chocolate candy gift basket Whether you’re attempting to find a gift for a wedding, searching for the perfect anniversary present, or if you can not seem to find the perfect item to take along to the office Christmas party, you are sure to find a gift basket that has the desserts that everyone would want

Personalize For That Special Effect

The basket can be individualized to contain all a person’s favorite types of treats, and there are so many low-cost options Here are some of the things you will wish to include in whatever chocolate candy gift basket you might be giving away

Because you you have the ability to customize the basket in in the majority of cases, you should include the recipient’s favorite items, such as colors, objects, as well as candy flavors will all play an important part in your decision

If the person’s who is getting the gift favorite color is purple, you can request that the basket be lined in purple fabric, or that the box that the chocolates come in have purple trim You also can include other items inside the basket, such as red grapes or wine to preserve the ‘purple’ theme

If you are aware that your loved one likes dark chocolate, try to include as many varieties of this kind of chocolate as you possibly can, and make sure that the presentation is elegant and classy You can also include other food items that might be layered with dark chocolate, such as strawberries or popcorn, as well as chocolate treats that are decorated with sweet toppings such as caramel or coconut

Complimentary Items

A chocolate candy gift basket can also have items that go well with chocolate, such as champagne or cheese There are several companies that will pair the best types of cheese, wine or champagne up with your loved one’s favorite chocolates, and larger gift baskets will make a terrific spread at a party or small gathering You can check out sites on the internet to find out which pairings you need to pay particular attention to, and which basket presentations would be suitable for the person you are giving the gift to

While you can order your chocolate candy gift basket over the internet, you can visit places such as Godiva to tailor-make your basket, and to get a taste of all the exceptional chocolates that will be included within your basket

You can even check out discount department stores like Wal-Mart and Target for unique gift basket ideas, in addition to some candy making tips that you an use to create your own gift basket All you’ll need is a basket at the size you want, gift paper, ribbons, and all the chocolate you want

Listen to Corbin Newlyn as he shares his insights as an expert author and an avid writer in the field of fine foods. If you would like to learn more go to Chocolate Molds advice and at Chocolate Fondue tips.

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