Valentines Day Wine And Food Ideas

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valentines Day and Winne - Photo: Pixabay

Once again Valentines Day is here and even though it may not be official holiday it is a very important day for that special woman in our life.  So while we have some time lets plan ahead for the big event and make it a great day for that special someone.

There are many different ways to celebrate this special day from the simple method just buying flowers and maybe some candy to the much more involved level of not buy the above items but also other items like jewelry.  It will vary depending on how you feel about this holiday after we all don’t celebrate it.  But below are some good ideas that you can try this year and that will help make this day special.

Let's start off with a simple plan for Valentine's day start off by buy some flowers usually a Roses are nice but you cant mix them with other flowers as well along with a nice vase if you don’t already have one.  The next step is to get some candy and wine because in this step we are going to do some pairing of wine food. When pairing wines with chocolate, your best bet is to match lighter, more elegant flavored chocolates with lighter bodied wines and likewise, the stronger the chocolate, the more full-bodied the wine should be. A good example is a bittersweet chocolate tends to pair well with an intense California Zinfandel now a more subtle white chocolate tends to be mellower flavor, making it an ideal candidate for a Sherry. This could make a very interesting and unique Valentines Day.  Of course, you might not need the chocolate candies at all depending on what your mate likes a good wine can be by itself can be a nice way to celebrate.

Another good idea plan is to go with more then just the flowers and candy plus but you add a romantic dinner with wine. Something about a candlelight dinner with that special someone and if by chance you has children find a babysitter, after all, it is pretty hard to set a romantic setting with your children playing with there food. If you feel like making the dinner yourself then go for it you can find lots of great recipes on our website listed below as well as others.  Now if you don’t feel like cooking then order out from a good restaurant which I would recommend you do ahead of time well before that evening.

Another good idea plan would plan a getaway possible to nice bed and breakfast in Wine Country. Not only is this a great way to spend time together on this holiday but it can also be a great way to celebrate other special events. There is nothing like getting away from it all and relaxing in the country and enjoy local wine food matching.  Of course, this idea you need to plan ahead for the event and make sure that you get your get your plane tickets and reservations at the bed and breakfast and I would suggest calling at least 4 to 6 months ahead of time depending on where you plan on going.

Hopefully, these Valentines Day ideas will help you this year or at least give you some new idea’s for that special day. Of course, with any special day remember to have fun and enjoy each others company and maybe dance the night away with each other.

The most important thing to remember as you celebrate trying new wine food matching is to have fun and enjoy yourself with your family and enjoy the food, wine, and conversation.

We hope you enjoyed this article and that you will take the time to visit our site listed below.

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How To Keep Your Garden Healthy In Winter

Photo: Pixabay

Old Man Winters' arrival doesn't mean that the Winter garden can be neglected. Keeping the garden on an even footing against the ravages that winter can bring is ongoing. Neglecting proper garden closing chores and winter maintenance tasks is only a recipe for a headache in the spring. Follow a few of these winter garden tips and a bountiful spring will be waiting in a few months time.

Setting the winter garden table

An interesting to look at and healthy winter garden depends upon taking steps in the late fall or early winter. Clean up the garden. Make sure that any garden trash is picked up before the snow flies. If this "trash" is left behind it presents an opportunity for bacteria to find its way into any cuts in the plant or onto the plant's roots. Bacteria growth, and possible disease, on the plant, is the biggest danger to a winter garden.

Watch out for color when trimming

If you have had your garden for at least one winter season you know what has color during winter and what does not. Trim this color judiciously looking for maverick branches, but be sure to keep the overall form of the shrub so that winter color can shine in a uniform way. If you are not sure, leave it alone and get a feel for what has winter color for next winter. If a shrub has a winter bud on it, leave it be as this is where the flower will come from next spring.

Trim out the cut or torn limbs

Chances are that a torn or cut (looks like a knife cutting into an apple about an eighth of an inch deep) limb will end up dangling, or on the ground, as winter progresses. Take care of it early and your garden will look sturdy and ready for whatever the winter has to offer. Look for a nodule on the limb (looks like a knuckle of sorts) and cut about one-quarter of an inch above it at an angle for a proper cut. 

Weed to a clean ground

Weeds also present a messy problem through the winter. Not only will they decay and offer disease potential, they will also continue to grow their roots until the ground freezes hard. This will only make them more invasive in the spring. Besides, if you need a clean ground you will have a nice clean contrast to the dormant plants in the garden.

A nice clean edge

Unless you are going for a more informal look, give a nice edge job to your garden flower beds before the ground freezes. Not only will this make for a crisp look during the winter months, as the edge freezes, but it will put you one step closer to a solid start in spring.

To wrap or not to wrap

If you look at many winter gardens you may notice that people have wrapped burlap or some other material around their evergreen shrubs. Generally, this is to prevent a snow load or high wind from damaging the plant. Unless you have the potential for a snow load or predictable high winds this is not necessarily needed. The wind issue is an issue, but remember that all plants need air circulation, no matter what type of plant they may be. If you wrap a shrub/plant to tightly air circulation will diminish and present the opportunity for moisture build up and disease. If you wrap your shrubs make sure to do it securely but with air circulation in mind.

It cannot hurt to mound

Mounding around the base of a plant is intended to give the root systems of a shrub/plant a little extra insulation during hard winters. Depending upon which zone you happen to be gardening in the need for mounding rises and falls. In any case, you want to make sure that you compress the dirt of the mound with a firm push of the hands. This gets some of the air out of the mound and generally makes a mound of dirt look a bit nicer. It also shows that you took a little care in your gardening. This sometimes impresses people that visit your winter garden.

Trees are plants too

Take a few moments to assess your trees before the winter winds start to howl. Look for any branches that may have grown old, look to be growing across the desired vertical path of a properly trimmed tree or have died during the season. What you are looking for is any limb or branch that may rub constantly on another opening a wound in the bark. Generally, you would not want to cut a branch as winter approaches, or during the winter months, but sometimes you need to.

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Which Foods are Common for Mexico's Day of the Dead

Mexican Food - Photo: MaxPixel

Mexico welcomes departed souls that come back to earth, at Day of the Dead celebrations. This occurs every year on November 1 and 2nd. Families gather at their homes and cemeteries to remember their relatives. Many Americans have seen Skeletons when reading about the celebration, and automatically think it is Mexico's version of Halloween, but it is not meant to be scary, it is a time to reflect and honor the deceased.

Many Americans have no idea of how much effort is put into this holiday. Women spend hours organizing flowers for gravesites. Music can be often heard because families play the deceased favorite songs. Food is a very important part of honoring them.

In homes, families make altars and cover them with flowers and burn incense for the spirits to enjoy. Usually, there are photos of the deceased and statues of saints. Also on the table are fruits and vegetables along with other foods that are later given away and eaten. The food is made to please the spirits, so naturally, the best foods to make are the ones that the deceased enjoyed the most on earth. Families make the deceased favorite dishes. It is popular to see Moles and Tamales made for the Day of the Dead celebration because they are hard to make dishes and are usually for special occasions. 

Bread is common in Day of the Dead celebrations. The bread is sweet and rich with eggs, but they vary in different regions of the country. Bakeries hire extra workers to make more bread during this time. The bread is made into different shapes. Bread that is round shape is the most common, but they can also be shaped as people and animals to represent the deceased.

Sugar Candy skulls are popular amongst children. It is a big treat for them similar to Christmas and Easter candies. Sugar skulls are traditional folk art that is from central and southern Mexico which is used every year to celebrate Day of the Dead. Vendors sell many colorful sugar skulls the week before the celebration. The skulls are made of the sugar is pressed into molds and then dried. Once the skulls are dried, they are decorated with colorful icing and even sometimes with non-edible items such as colorful feathers and sequins. Although the skulls are popular, traditional Halloween candy is now competing with the sugar skulls making the skulls hard to find in the South of Mexico.

Besides the sugar skulls, chocolate is another common favorite. Pumpkin candies can also be found where there are children celebrating the day. It consists of big green Mexican pumpkins that are grown for specifically making the candy.  

It takes much planning and hard work to take part in this event. It makes the families proud to remember and honor their family members. If ever in Mexico, try to visit during this time of year. It is beautiful to see how much love and respect people have for their loved ones that have passed away. 

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Plants That Should Be Left Outside

Flowers - Photo: Pixabay

When you are an indoor gardener the same rules apply to your plants as they do to any other type of gardener.  Your plants will need water, food, and plenty of light as does the ones grown outside or in a greenhouse.  Of course, there are special considerations such as temperature and humidity control but they can be overcome with relatively minor adjustments.  With that being said, there are some plants that are best left to the outdoor gardener.

The type of plant that won’t do well indoors is really dependant on the climate you live in.  If you live in a warm area and have the air conditioning or fans on during the day a plant that is used to a higher temperature will not do well inside your home and should be left outside.  The same goes for the opposite if your house is overheated a plant will most likely dry out from lack of moisture in the air.

Other plants that are best left outdoors are perennials and bulb plants that need the seasonal rains and temperatures outside to grow again.  You could bring some tulips or daffodils inside in a pot but they will do much better outside.  

Most trees are best left outside too; by trying to grow certain trees inside you will only have a smaller less sturdy version than its outside mates.  If you do decide to grow a tree indoors plan ahead for a transplant that may have to occur.  You do not want to wait until the tree becomes too heavy to move.  When a larger plant is repotted or planted elsewhere it will usually go into shock – meaning it will not grow for at least one season (it may be more depending on the size and age of the plant).  

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Lima's Gastronomic Boom

Basic toyo cebiche from Peru: fish + choclo (boiled corn) + cancha (toasted corn)- Photo: Wikimedia

Although gastronomy has always been deeply rooted in Limeños' idiosyncrasy, the last few years have seen a huge leap in Lima's dining scene. Not only Peru's capital has become tapped with restaurants, both stylish and unpretentious, but many of them seem to be at full capacity all week long. 

One possible explanation for the boom, besides obvious food quality, is international recognition. The Economist magazine, for example, reported in 2004 that Peru could "lay claim to one of the world's dozens or so great cuisines". Norman Van Aken, one of Florida's most gifted chefs, acknowledged that Peruvian cuisine was possibly the most enticing of those he had studied. And Patrick Martin, academic director of Le Cordon Blue, said that one of the reasons for having a branch of the school in Lima was the excellent quality of local cuisine.

"Better late than never", believe most Limeños, increasingly proud of the exceptionality of their gastronomic heritage. However, notwithstanding general contentment, they are still demanding and hard-to-please and expect the best from their favorite restaurants and chefs. This, too, contributes to gastronomic excellence. Indeed Peruvian cuisine, though hardly noticed abroad until most recently, is one of the World's most varied and delicious.

Two aspects converge to give Peruvian cuisine a uniqueness that few others enjoy. The first is Peru's huge biodiversity. The country is home to 80 of the world's 104 different biological zones, which assures a remarkable assortment of fresh ingredients. Potatoes and hot peppers from the Andes, fish, and seafood from the Pacific Ocean, mangoes, and limes from the coastal valleys, bananas, and manioc from the Amazon jungle: a chef's only problem is the abundance of choice.

Second, Peruvian cuisine is the quintessence of cultural fusion. Ever since the first blending between Inca and Spanish traditions, local cooks have skillfully incorporated the flavors and techniques of the many immigrants that disembarked in Peru's ports, such as Italian and French. However, the strongest influences didn't arrive from Europe, but from Africa, China, and Japan. 

Although the restaurant offer in Lima is most varied and covers a wide range of cuisines, Ceviche -diced raw fish marinated in lime juice and hot peppers- is surely number one on the list of dishes you must taste. There is at least one cevichería in every neighborhood so it won't be hard to find one. Our suggestion goes to superb Pescados Capitales, a lunch-only cevicheria in Miraflores. 

A second must goes to Asian restaurants in Lima, both Chinese and Japanese, which, predictably, have a strong Peruvian influence. Chinese restaurants -known as Chifas-, can be counted by the hundreds. Usually down-to-earth neighborhood eateries, these offer a fare rich in seafood and chicken. Japanese restaurants and sushi bars, on the contrary, are less widespread, and more upscale and expensive. Their forte is a year-round supply of the freshest and most variegated seafood, which is delightfully transformed into sushi, sashimi, and rolls. Our favorites are Wa Lok for Chinese, and Matsuei (where Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, Nobu's chef, and owner, perfected his skills) for Japanese.

A last word for Lima's Criollo restaurants. Their cuisine is a vivid and tasty demonstration of the rich cultural fusion undergone by Peruvian gastronomy over the centuries. Besides the obvious Spanish and Andean fusion (a.k.a. Criollo), in their menus, you'll discover much Africa (tacu-tacu and anticuchos), China (Lomo saltado), and Japan (ceviches and tiraditos).

Bon appétit!

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The History of Organic Vegetable Gardening

Organic Gardening - Photo: Maxpixel

The history of organic vegetable gardening dates back many centuries ago as the ancient civilizations relied on this livelihood and fishing to put food on the table. 

Back then, nobody used fertilizers and pesticides but as the world’s increased in population, the demand for food also went up. To fill the gap, scientists decided to introduce fertilizers and chemicals to cut the harvesting time and make the vegetables bigger.

Organic vegetable gardening only made a come back in the 1980’s making an old practice new again when the US Department of Agriculture encouraged farmers to do it by giving them incentives. This made more farmers join the bandwagon which is also being done in Europe. 

But organic vegetable gardening is not just eliminating the use of fertilizers and pesticides. Farmers will have to use other means to make crop grows such as compost, crop residue, crop rotation, integrated pest management and mechanical cultivation in order to preserve soil productivity and combat pests.

The  International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements is the regulator these days that tells farmers across the globe how this should be done. Their recommendations help crops grow to 75 million acres of land across the globe. 

Their strategy is focused on sustainable development so that the land used today can only be used by the next generation as we have left for them a healthy ecosystem.

Organic vegetable gardening has proven to be effective because since its inception in 1980. To prove this point, one study has pointed out that the amount of corn and soybeans produced using this method was almost the same compared to those who used fertilizers and pesticides. The best part is that this was achieved without using that much energy and without the risk of having harmful chemicals enter our bodies. 

It has been estimated by one university that if developing countries also practice organic vegetable gardening, they too can also double or triple their crops without wasting money on buying pesticides and fertilizes. 

One thing you have to keep in mind here is that a percentage of vegetables being consumed in the US are imported from other countries. 

Because organic vegetable gardening is so easy, anyone can do it. This will enable you to plant your own vegetables at home instead of buying these from the supermarket. 

The key to a successful harvest using organic farming is planning. You will need the land to plant these on that has adequate sunlight and an efficient drainage system so that they are able to get water. 

If you are able to figure that out, the only thing you have to worry about is what to plant because some vegetables do not well under certain conditions that could be attributed to the climate and the type of soil in the ground. 

Those who know what they can and cannot plant will save themselves time and money so they can focus on what works.

The history of organic vegetable gardening has now come full circle as we are doing what the ancients have practiced long before we were born. You can do your part by buying those that are organically grown from the supermarket or planting your own.

The end result is that we eat healthy without ever thinking if these contain any chemicals that may be harmful to our bodies. 

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Mexican BURGERS

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Makes: 6 servings

Photo: Flickr

• 1 pkg Knorr® Onion Soup Mix
• 1 1/2 lbs (750 g) medium ground beef
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) water
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) chili powder
• 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) dried oregano
• 6 slices Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (2x 1.5 inches/ 5x3 cm)
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) prepared salsa
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) mayonnaise
• 6 buns
• shredded lettuce
• coriander leaves

In a large bowl, combine Knorr® Onion Soup Mix, beef, water, chili powder, cumin, and oregano; mix well. Divide into 6 equal portions. On a baking sheet pat each portion into a 5-inch (12 cm) thin, round patty. Place one piece of cheese on each patty. 

Fold edges of meat over the cheese, pressing firmly in the center to seal completely. Chill 30 minutes or overnight. In a small bowl, combine salsa and mayonnaise; chill until ready to serve. Grill patties over medium-hot coals for 6 to 7 minutes on each side or until no longer pink inside. Place cooked patty on the bun and add lettuce. 

Top with salsa mayonnaise and coriander to serve.

- News Canada