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First dates are nerve wracking enough without having to worry about what wine to choose to impress your new friend!

One of the great things about wine on a date is that one bottle is a defined amount, normally about five glasses. If shared equally it is unlikely that you will fall off your chair drunk after half a bottle of wine!

However, there are some other social sins that can be committed whilst choosing wine on a date.

Getting Started

First, you need to decide whether you want white, red, rosé or sparkling wine. This is perhaps the most important decision. As a general rule, red wine is more of an acquired taste and it can be harder to select a good red. Therefore, when you do not know your companion\’s tastes it may be wise to steer clear of the red wine section.

Sparkling wine can make you appear a little pretentious or if you go for a cheaper version, a tightwad; so this is usually best avoided. If you are not sure whether your companion likes wine at all, rosé wine is often a safe option as it often lacks the sharpness that people commonly dislike in wines.

How Much to Spend?

Remember more money doesn\’t always mean more quality. If you are very new to wine, go for a house white. A house white is unlikely to be extremely imaginative or unusual, but is almost always perfectly drinkable. For this reason it is a safe, middle of the road option.

If you want to impress, look for something other than the house white. Keep away from extremes until you know your companion a little better, so don\’t go for bone dry whites. Instead, opt for a fruity dry wine that appeals to those who like both dry and medium whites.

Whilst neutral wines may seem like a bit of a cop-out, bear in mind that you simply want a drinkable wine that does not offend.

If you are really not sure what to choose, why not offer your companion a choice of glasses as an aperitif while you have a beer or spirit. This way you can judge your companion\’s taste. Even if they select a spirit, you can still get a measure of whether they prefer sweet or dry wines.

Of course, you could always give your companion the choice…

Since Neil Best first wondered who made the first wine? he\’s been recording his findings at http://www.goodglug.com. To get your free Good Glug Wine Appreciation course visit http://www.goodglug.com/free-wine-course.php now .

Iced Coffee is coffee brewed cool rather than the normal brew of
coffee served hot. The basic principle of brewing ice coffee
involves the soaking of coarsely ground coffee beans in ice-cold
water for several hours. This mixture is then filtered and
finally you get the cold coffee concentrate. Then you’ve got to
dilute this concentrate per your preferance of milk or water.

Iced Coffee is sometimes referred to as Toddy coffee. This is
because in 1964 a person named Todd Simpson developed and
patented an exclusive cold-coffee brewing device. However, today
you can also use other individualized set ups for making ice
coffee at home other than Toddy brewing systems.

Iced coffee is just so smooth, creamy and delicious! You can
prepare a glass of delicious ice coffee with loads of
crushed/whole ice cubes and lots of cream and sugar. Or you can
enjoy cold icy coffee with dollops of yummy coffee flavored ice
cream. Such a cold concoction of delightful coffee can be made
smoother and creamier if it is put in a blender and whipped
thoroughly.

For the coffee crazy Americans iced coffee is just another
irresistible option. Sipping into such a cool, cool coffee drink
just lifts up the spirits. Your taste buds are sure to be
pampered. Cold coffee is especially popular in the summer time
providing instant relief from the heat and revitalizing the
senses!

You can try out various varieties of iced coffee recipes at
home. Some of the key ingredients that are essential to make the
perfect ice coffee must not be overlooked. So you’ve got to make
sure to use plenty of ice cubes, sugar, whipped cream, coffee
powder, milk and water. To make your cool and icy drink tastier
and more exotic you can add some interesting ingredients such as
cardamom powder, chocolate or caramel sauce, vanilla and orange
essence as the final topping!

A cup of iced coffee can be very refreshing in the warm sunny
afternoons. When you add just ice cubes to make your ice coffee,
the ice melting actually dilutes the strong coffee brew. To
avoid this its best that you add the ice cubes just before
sipping into the coffee. Coffee experts suggest that
dark-roasted coffee beans are ideal to be used to make ice
coffee. In this way the strong coffee flavor is retained even
after adding ice cubes.

So if you are health conscious then how about switching from
colas and soft drinks to iced coffee? Well there is no doubt
about the innumerable beneficial aspects of coffee and caffeine
with respect to health. Ice coffee contains all the goodness of
coffee as well as being as freshening as any soft drink or cola.

The next time you are in the mood for iced coffee you can try
out these fabulous cold coffee recipes at home. Iced Jamaican
Coffee, Amaretto icy coffee, Coffee soda, Iced Honey Coffee,
Whole Iced drinks of coffee, etc. Yummy! These recipes are easy
to prepare and truly scrumptious! You can also go in for a
fusion recipe where you can mix coffee and coke together called
Coffee Coke Float!

The recipes that are chosen for your restaurant play a major role in your business success. It is not an easy task to choose a recipe. Each and every restaurant would have some specialty food for which the customers come back again and again. It will be because of the recipe of that particular food item. Many restaurants guard their secret recipes. Only the restaurant owner or head chef may know the complete recipe of that particular dish.

There are many categories of recipes available for a restaurant. Depending upon the season and the holidays in that locality there could be some seasonal addition to the menu items available.

The locality in which a restaurant is situated plays an important role in the selection of your recipes. People who frequent a particular area may be seeking a particular food item which could be native to that locality. Recipes of such foods should be included in your menu items if you want to retain those customers. These customers also tend to be more frequent, as they have a taste for a particular specialty that is served in the area.

Before you choose the best recipes for your restaurant, it is advantageous to monitor the area for what types of foods are the most popular and experiment with integrating menu items using these recipes into your repertoire. If your restaurant is aiming at providing different types of foods that people would try to experiment with, then you should have an experienced chef who can provide those varieties of dishes in your restaurant. For example, you could try more international recipes if your restaurant is situated in a place which is of interest to foreign tourists. Bringing in international chefs once in a while to spice up the recipes in your restaurant would also help to attract new customers.

Lydia Quinn writes for R&I Solutions, developer of Cost Genie, a leading restaurant costing software package. Visit CostGenie.com for a free demo. http://www.costgenie.com

Soup and Salad is a common summer lunch menu. Try something new
serve soup and salad for as a winter lunch or brunch. Here is a
bisque and salad combination that make a good choice for a
winter soup and salad.

Wine and Onion Bisque

5 Cups Vegetable Stock

2 Cups Dry White Wine

1 Tbs Dill weed

1 tsp Dried Savory

2 Carrots, peeled and chopped

4 Cups Onions, pealed and chopped

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

In a large stock pot bring all ingredients to a boil. Reduce
heat and simmer for 2 hours.

Strain the vegetables and place them in a food processor or
blender. Blend the vegetables until pureed. Return the broth to
the stock pot. Add the pureed vegetables back into the broth and
stir well. Salt and pepper to taste. Salad

Spring Mix Salad with Worcestershire-Parsley Dressing

Dressing

Cup Mayonnaise

3 Tbs White Vinegar

1 Green Onion, chopped

1 Clove Garlic, minced

1 tsp Sugar

tsp Salt

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

tsp Hot Sauce

Cup Vegetable Oil

1 Cup Fresh Parsley, finely chopped

Blend all the ingredients in a blender or whisk vigorously for
two minutes. When well blended chill for 1 hour.

Greens

Choose a spring salad mix, or tender fresh greens of your
liking. I enjoy a simple spring mix.