You’ll be surprised to find out that one of the most popular traditional Italian foods is actually comparatively young.

Fresh bread is a great and wonderful addition to anyone’s diet. Sure, there are some people who are anti-carbohydrate minded, but they are missing out on a great opportunity to produce fresh bread. The problem is that most people do not have six or so hours to make bread by hand. There are ways to avoid this. There are “how to guides” and “how to videos” available for making fresh bread from scratch, but there are even easier ways. A bread machine is a great way to enjoy fresh bread! Then you can try some of the free bread machine recipes that will be included when you buy your very own bread making machine.

The beauty of bread machines, such as the Panasonic SD YD250 automatic bread maker is that they are all designed with the same purpose; to produce a hot, succulent loaf of bread that is ready to eat the moment the machine has turned off. You can make a huge variety of bread products as well. You do not have to limit yourself to a regular loaf of white bread. Why not try homemade cinnamon roles, sticky buns, rolls, bread sticks or even pastas? It will be a great treat for your entire family and you can even make some baked treats to give to friends. They will most definitely be impressed with your culinary skills.

Bread machine recipes are often an added bonus to purchasing a bread making machine. The machines are incredibly easy to use and when you factor in the great recipes you receive for free, you’ll be telling all of your friends about what a great deal you just got! The best thing is the machine’s simplicity. No longer will you have to shape and knead the dough yourself. Just throw in the ingredients and in just three hours, you’ll have fresh, homemade bread that is sure to make you the envy of all of your friends!

You are crazy if you do not go out and immediately purchase a bread making machine. The Zojirushi bread maker is a great brand and it comes with free bread machine recipes so you can enjoy all the great breads you could possibly want. You will be amazed at how easy it is to produce fresh bread this way. To make things even easier, buy yourself a box mix. Your friends will be delighted to receive a loaf of your homemade bread as a wonderful gift.

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Do you spend far too much money on trail mix or granola when you go hiking? Well here’s a great recipe for homemade granola that will save you some money and taste better than anything you can buy at the grocery store.  This granola is delicious and is good for you too. I hope you like it as much as The Pennsylvania Wanderer and I do. Pack some in your picnic backpack next time you head out for a picnic or any other outdoor activity for a great snack on the go.

INGREDIENTS

1. 8 cups rolled oats
2. 1 1/2 cups wheat germ
3. 1 1/2 cups oat bran
4. 1 cup sunflower seeds
5. 1 cup finely chopped almonds
6. 1 cup finely chopped pecans
7. 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
8. 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
9. 1/2 cup brown sugar
10. 1/2 cup maple syrup
11. 1 cup honey
12. 1 cup vegetable oil
13. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
14. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
15. 3 cups raisins

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.

Combine the wheat germ, oats, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring the liquid ingredients to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients. Stir the mixture to coat it thoroughly.

Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets and bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted. This will take about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool the granola and then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.

Servings Per Recipe: 30

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SERVING

Calories: 368 (they’re worth it)
Total Fat: 19.8g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 122mg
Total Carbohydrates: 44.6g
Dietary Fiber: 6g
Protein: 9.1g

I hope you pack some of this great granola in your picnic backpack next time you go on a picnic. I know it’s always in mine.

Thanks,

Brenda

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When you are passionate about wine you start to collect it … and when you begin collecting it you need a place to store your wine collection.

It is easy to convert a closet into a mini wine cellar to house your growing wine collection.

Before you begin converting your closet into a wine cellar consider the position of the closet relative to the rest of the house.

Try not to convert a closet against an outside wall into a wine cellar. From season to season the other walls of your home may be subject to wide temperature fluctuations. Ideally, choose an internal closet where the temperature is likely to remain more constant.

The degree and the speed of any change in temperature are critical elements in successfully storing and aging wine. A gradual change of a few degrees between summer and winter won’t matter. A similar change each day will harm your wines by ageing them too rapidly.

The number one rule when you are storing wine is to avoid large temperature fluctuations. You’ll notice damage of this type immediately from the stickiness that will often form around the capsule. Over time the continual expansion and contraction of the wine will damage the integrity of the cork. It’s just like having the cork removed and replaced every day. When this occurs, tiny quantities of wine may be pushed out along the edge of the cork – between the cork and the neck of the bottle – allowing air to seep back in. Once air has come in contact with the wine the irreversible process of oxidation starts and your wine will be ruined.

At 55ºF to 58ºF the wine will age slowly, enabling it to develop fully as intended by the winemaker. Higher temperatures age wine more rapidly and cooler temperatures slow the ageing process. The damage done to your wine will be irreversible if it is stored at a temperature above 82ºF for even a month.

The most difficult part of creating a mini wine cellar in a closet can be finding other places to store the original contents of the closet! Don’t hesitate … remove all the present contents (give away / auction / move them) and start with an empty closet!

Adequate wine racks may be purchased quite inexpensively from hardware stores, online retailers or storage specialty shop and you’ll have a simple but very effective mini wine cellar.

Wine rack designs vary greatly in bottle density; price variations have more to do with the aesthetic appeal of the racks than their efficiency.

Individual racks makes it easy to select bottles. If you place racks against only one wall of the closet you may still have floor or shelf space available for wines that you purchase by the case.

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A wine gift basket can provide the ideal gift for a birthday, anniversary or other special occasion that requires a gift. They can provide elegant gifts for wine lovers and can include additional products besides wine. You could also include such treats as cheese, chocolates, fruit, nuts and wine accessories like corkscrews and bottle openers, drip stoppers, foil cutters or whatever else you decide to add to the basket. You can buy them already assembled or you can make your own for a very special gift-giving touch. All you need to know is the style of wine the receiver enjoys, or you can create a surprise basket.

Where To Buy Prepared Baskets

If you’d rather buy a wine gift basket pre-packaged, stop into your local liquor store to see if they have a selection available. Liquor outlets will often sell gift baskets, especially during the holiday times. You’ll be able to choose the wine you’d like to include in the basket and then add additional products.

Shop Online For Wine Gift Baskets

The internet is the first place to search for customizable gift baskets. You can start by ordering one or more bottles of wine of your choice, then begin adding complementary products from the wide range available. Similar products that could be included are smoked salmon and caviar, cheese crackers or other savory bites, small dairy cheeses, cheese platters and knives, nuts, whole grain mustards or regional honeys … the sky’s the limit in what you can add to them.

The online retailer will then arrange delivery the basket directly to the gift recipient. This is an easy option if you are choosing a corporate gift or to thank a staff member.

Create Your Own Gift Baskets

Making your own wine gift basket gives allows you to add that extra personal touch. Start by buying an attractive basket. You don’t need an expensive basket because you can decorate it yourself with fabric, paper or flowers. Start by choosing your wine – or champagne for a special celebration – add some other items depending on the taste of the gift receiver. For example, you don’t need to limit your basket to wine and wine-themed gifts. You could include handicrafts for someone interested in arts and crafts, or a book about wine for a wine lover who is also interested in the history or the making of wine. Select some additional gourmet delights to accompany the wine, pack it all into the well-decorated basket and wrap the entire package in clear cellophane.

When possible, deliver the gift basket personally to the recipient so you can experience their joy on they receive it. If you’re very lucky they might even share the bottle of wine with you.

You can still assemble a stunning gift basket for a non-wine drinker. For a coffee drinker you could try a coffee-themed gift basket that could include coffee mugs, freshly roasted coffee beans from different coffee-growing regions of the world, gourmet cookies, toffees and, nuts. A tea drinker may like to receive a selection of teas from different regions, a teapot and strainer and a fine china teacup. A tea or coffee gift basket could be packed into a nicely decorated tray instead a basket. Again, wrap the whole package in clear cellophane and tie with a ribbon.

Gift basket contents are only limited by your imagination.

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The Loire Valley offers goat cheese lovers a paradise. It is a perfect location for a holiday meandering beside the Loire River, visiting famous historic chateaux, cheese producers and caves for wine tasting and even staying in a boutique chateau hotel if you chose. Chateau du Guerinet near Blois is a perfect base for a cheese lover’s Loire Valley holiday and for a fairytale french destination wedding.  They also have a new credit crunch buster wedding package offering incredible value. 

The Loire Valley is the starting point in the history of goat’s-milk cheese in France In the 8th Century, the Saracens of Arab descent were repelled at Poitiers. When they were expelled from France they left behind their goats and the recipes for making incredible cheese from goats milk.

The quaint villages on either side of the Loire River produce goat’s cheeses of different sizes and shapes. There are six AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlee) cheeses: Crottin de Chavignol, Sainte-Maure de Touraine, Selles-sur-Cher, Valencay, Pouligny-Saint-Pierre,and Chabichou du Poitou. An AOC label indicates quality and guarantees that a product has been made within a specified region of France following established methods of production.

Pouligny-Saint-Pierre nicknamed the Eiffel Tower or Pyramid because if its shape. The rind is of natural mould. The pate is a soft moist white and crumbly. The taste is at first sour and salty followed by sweetness. This cheese goes wonderfully with a glass of Reuilly or Sancerre.

Chabichou du Poitou has a thin rind of white, yellow or blue mould and a delicate slightly sweet flavour. Pouilly Fume and Sancerre wines go nicely with this cheese.

Crottin de Chavignol known as Chavignol is hard black and knobbly on the surface, and the taste is a balance of sourness, sweetness and a little salt to be enjoyed with a glass of Sancerre de Chavignol.

Valencay cheese looks like a small black pyramid. It is purported that the shape of the cheese was originally a perfect pyramid. But when Napoleon returned from a disastrous campaign in Egypt he stopped at Valencay Castle, the cheese reminded him of the Egyptian pyramids and in a furry he chopped of the top of the cheese with his sword. The Valencay goat’s cheese has a rind of natural mould, covered with salted powdered charcoal and goes nicely with a glass of Quincy, Reuilly or Sancerre.

Sainte-Maure de Touraine is a blue-grey mould covered long truncated log of goat’s cheese. The cheese is mature, balanced, round with salt, sourness and an aroma of walnut. This cheese is produced all year long and is nicely complimented by a glass of Chinon or Vouvray.

Selles-sur-Cher also has a rind of natural mould covered with powdered and salted charcoal. The pate is hard at first, then moist, heavy and clay-like as it blends and melts in the mouth. The taste is slightly sour and salty with a touch of sweetness. A glass of Sancerre or Pouilly Fume accompanies this cheese beautifully.

Don’t just visit a french chateau - stay in one. Guests get to truly experience the grandeur of living in a french chateau.

For prospective brides you could entertain your french destination wedding guest with wine and cheese tastings on a trail meandering through the Loire Valley visiting historic chateaux.At your wedding breakfast you could serve goats cheese as part of your entree as well as on your cheese plate.   If you love goat’s cheese you will not regret it.

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Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we visit a new microbrewery in Charlotte to taste their premier brew.

On Saturday, I had the chance to take a tour with the Charlotte Beer Club of the newest craft brewery in North Carolina. The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery is located in a rehabbed brick building on the city’s southside. About 40 members of the CBC came to the new brewery for a tour and tasting. If the first beer brewed by the new company is any indication, the string of quality beermaking in the Carolinas has been extended.

The brewery is a partnership between Jon Hayward, Carey Savoy and John Marrino. Hayward, who toured us through the brewery, fell in love with German beer styles while living in that country and you can taste that connection in the brewery’s first beer.

Since Olde Mecklenburg Brewing is just getting off the ground, I was expecting the first beer to be something fairly ordinary and straightforward. Instead, the beer they had on tap was a rather complex traditional German brew. OMB Copper Duesseldorf-style Altbier is a lagered ale that is made using a decoction brewing process, where the brew is split during mashing, boiled separately and then reconstituted. The results are quite pleasing. OMB Copper is a glowing amber color with a good fluffy head. The beer has a satisfying malty character with a clean, crisp edge. OMB Copper comes in at 4.8 percent alcohol by volume.

Olde Mecklenburg plans to offer OMB Kölsner, a Kolsch, in time for summer. The brewery’s website suggests they may offer some seasonals, perhaps an Oktoberfest, but for right now hitting the marks with these first two beers are the priority. So far, so good.

Olde Mecklenburg is located at 215 Southside Dr. in Charlotte, not far off of I-77. Call ahead for hours of operation for the tasting room and tour times at 704-525-5644.

How do small craft brewers manage to compete with mega corporations in the multi-billion dollar beer industry? On April 16 a one night movie event called “Beer Wars” promises “an irreverent and comical journey through the underbelly of the American beer industry.” Filmmaker Anat Baron interviewed some of the industry’s biggest names, focusing on the stories of Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Rhonda Kallman of New Century Brewing Co.

The event is being offered in 430 theaters nationwide, with a live feed hosted by Ben Stein. The movie trailer includes plenty of scenes illustrating the David vs. Goliath story that is the American brewing industry.

This is surely something that craft beer fans should buy a ticket to see, but Beer Wars will also appeal to people interested in marketing and business ethics. After the film Stein will moderate a panel discussion among a number of well known brewers and beer experts.

Mutineer Magazine is relatively new on the beverage scene — just four issues so far — but the publication is already displaying some good depth and style.

The current issue has a cover story about Jones Soda, along with features on Zane Lamprey, Sierra Nevada Brewing and a spirited barista competition. The photography in the magazine is a cut above the average and the attitude is overall young and hip.

Also in issue number four is a piece called “Beverage 2.0: Beer Blogs” and I’m happy to report Lyke2Drink is one of six blogs profiled. It’s nice to be called a “very informative blog” — especially compared to the other potential alternatives.

Here’s hoping that Barnes & Noble and Borders make more room for beer and beverage magazines like Mutineer and stop hiding them on the bottom shelf of the home and gardening section. I truly believe more people drink beer than are into World War II history or professional wrestling, but if you judge it on a trip to one of these book stores you might think otherwise.

One cup of strawberries is 49 calories and 7 grams of sugar. Instead of eating 1 cup of ice cream or more, scoop out only 1/2 cup and add another 1/2 - 1 cup of strawberries. Mix it all together for a delicious tasting treat of less than 200 calories.

… There’s more. Continue reading ‘ Simple Food Substitutions to Cut Calories Without Eating Less: Add Strawberries to Ice Cream’…