Entertaining

“But these chains don’t promote moderation. They practice caloric extremism, and they’re helping make modern-day Americans become the most obese people ever to walk the Earth.” more »

Pinot Grigio is a fine apéritif, and is generally paired with salads, antipasto, fish, shellfish, chicken, pork, and vegetable and seafood pastas. Ruffino recommends this Lumina with soft shell crabs, grilled fish, pasta primavera, grilled chicken, and ethnic dishes including Mexican enchiladas, Greek dolmas and Thai green curries. more »

Each section includes overviews of the region, vintage information and recommended wines, with short (usually one- to two-sentence) tasting notes. These descriptions of the style and character of the wines are what you should typically expect in a good vintage. Rather than recommending particular vintages for each wine, “Vintage Smarts” features the best and worst vintages in the region. So you’ll need to check out which vintages to seek out and which to avoid. (Keep in mind that younger is usually better for white and rosé wines.) more »

My oldest brother, Ben had moved back to our hometown by then, and he became the person with whom she could talk things over. They enjoyed planning for and preparing holiday meals and lunched together most days of the work week. Ben kept his weekend activities separate, except when family members were in town. Mom wisely ignored what she must have suspected about his sometimes rowdy behavior with his fourth wife, a local girl younger than his own daughter whom he’d recently married, and their motorcycle-riding friends. more »