Bar Basics
Maintaining a well-stocked bar can be an expensive endeavor. The good news is that spirits will last indefinitely, so you can build your collection gradually without any worry of spoilage. As when stocking a bar for a gathering, buy the highest ... [... more]
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A Little Something On The Side
There is also a whole world of side dishes that you can prepare right on the grill, or nestled into the coals. Most vegetables and fruits, from bell peppers and corn to bananas and cantaloupe, are delicious when seasoned and cooked directly on ... [... more]
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Beer 101
Lagers include hoppy, floral Pilsners, malty helles (blonde) bocks, refreshing Dortmunders and silky Bavarian-style lagers. There are also darker offerings like schwarzbier, dunkels, and the darker bocks. While it is hard to generalize about such ... [... more]
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Bridal Shower 101
Like many time-honored customs, the bridal shower is rooted in romantic legend and down-to-earth practicality. Some say it began as a Dutch village's generous response when a farmer refused to let his daughter marry an impoverished suitor. Others ... [... more]
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Argentina's Wine Regions
Undoubtedly Mendoza is Argentina's most important wine region. It's high desert out here, and growers depend on irrigation to bring snowmelt down off the Andes. The eastern part of the region, furthest from the mountains, is the hottest; and many ... [... more]
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Argentina Opens Up
The 1980s saw improving political and economic conditions. Since then, Argentina's wine industry has slowly led itself out of its dark age, consistently improving quality, upgrading technology and increasing understanding in the vineyards and ... [... more]
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Australian Wine Country
As Captain Phillip observed, the climate of Australia borders on the ideal, borne out most recently by a series of sensational vintages that date back to 2001. Most of the vineyard country runs along a band in the southern portion of the ... [... more]
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7 Affordable Sparkling Wines
I love sparkling rosé wines. They are generally made from Pinot Noir grapes and have a bit more body, and they are a lovely festive color that matches special occasions well. But I had trouble finding one I liked in this price range until I met ... [... more]
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A Holiday Feast - One Meal, Two Traditions
For Jewish cooks who prefer not to use vinegar and mustard in the salad dressing, try kosher vinegar and Dijon mustard made expressly for Passover, suggests my friend Marlene Sorosky, the author of Fast & Festive Meals for the Jewish Holidays and ... [... more]
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A Spring Feast
Despite its beauty, I have a few bones to pick with bone-in leg of lamb: It may look easy enough to carve, but hidden bones at odd angles are waiting to parry the knife of an unskilled carver. It's also difficult to season. You can massage it ... [... more]
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An Irish Feast
Most will start the day with a good old Irish Breakfast: fried rashers of bacon, fried sausage, fried black pudding, fried tomato, and a fried egg. If that's not enough, you can always go one step further and have an Ulster Fry. It's the bread ... [... more]
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Appetizer Bar
A few years back, I discovered a delicious high-flavor, no-risk alternative: milk punch, made with whole milk (no cream, no eggs). And it's easy to make. No cooking, no whipping egg whites and cream: Just mix and freeze. Make a pitcher today, and ... [... more]
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