Next weekend I'm celebrating my anniversary with my SO. We're planning on having lasangna, salad and bread for dinner and molten lava cakes (these: http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/mo
I am wondering what kind of wine we should get that would go well with this, or two different kinds or whatever! I'm looking in lower priced wines. Normally we get shiraz, malbec, pinot noir or riesling.
Thanks for your input!
Has anybody here heard of the Winepod? It's kind of pricey, but seems like a pretty neat tool for home wine-makers. Basically it looks (and acts) essentially like a bread machine... except for wine. (and instead of being $50, it's closer to $5000)
Just thought I'd share because it definitely seems like a cool tool for the DIY wine enthusiast, although I'm not even sure if they are still being made/sold, according to some online posts I have read...

The empire strikes back
In recent weeks, we've taken huge steps towards blocking spam accounts on LiveJournal. In fact, we've suspended as many as 30,000 accounts in a single day! We've implemented several pre-emptive measures to prevent the creation of spam accounts, and we've honed our detection of suspicious content. Spam bots are a crafty lot, so we'll continue to refine our tactics and keep up the good fight to keep you safe from spam attacks on LiveJournal.RSS feeds again
If you're addicted toWii have killer CSI Deadly Intent contests!

If you're a gamer who loves CSI, have Wii got news for you!
Enveloped in postcards
Last week, we asked you to send in postcards to help us decorate our drab concrete walls. Here's a photo of the results so far! Thank you so much and please keep them coming! You can mail them to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. Be sure to include your username, since we'll be giving ten random users paid account credits.
Photos of the week
If you haven't visited our new LiveJournal photo community, you're in for an amazing visual trip. LiveJournal users from around the world will take you on a scenic journey to everywhere. Post your own pictures or kick back and enjoy at( Read more... )
Anyone interested in chat RPing with me on AIM? Either Hinata or Gaara, I can play either one <3 (although I have more experience with Hinata)
I WOULD LOVE YOU FOREVER.
AIM: hinatagentlefist
-Prompt: Coffee
Year: 2009
Type: Fanfiction
Series: Naruto
Pairing: None
Characters: Sasuke, Kyuubi
Word Count: 821
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto
Note: Takes place after Shock/Static
Warnings: Drug usage
---
( Here’s your water, princess. I even sweetened it for you. )
Title: The longest fight
Author: Ghostfriendly
Rating: G
Characters: Neji/Hinata
Summary: Nejihina, as three sparring matches. A few spoilers.
( Read more... )
MMMMM... its lightly bubbly like Vino Verde, got a great crisp crab apple, and citrus nose with a touch of lanolyn and lavender.
the palate is very close, with a bit of melon and lemon rind.
I think this sells for about $11 a bottle and is just really fun!

A Morning in Houston with Drops of Golden Dew: Dotson-Cervantes Gotas de Oro
It was 9:30 on a weekday morning when the door bell rang. I expected this as, the evening before, I received a call from Alphonse Dotson. He said that he and his wife Martha were going to be in Houston visiting his Mother. They were on the verge of releasing their first wine and wanted to stop by to visit with my wife Delia and me.
Alphonse and Martha arrived at our home in central Houston on a sunny, dew-laden morning. We leisurely sat in our living room as we tasted their new wine, the first under the Wines of Dotson-Cervantes label with the fascinating name “Gotas de Oro”. The name was a contribution by Martha which translates to “Drops of Gold” from her native Spanish.
As we relaxed and talked about friends, family and common acquaintances, I poured the wine that was well described by its name. The silky yellow liquid poured from the bottle with the color of golden drops of morning dew. The initial taste was pure tropical expression with sweet, very ripe pineapple with afollow-on of apricot and nectarine. Perfumed jasmine aromatics arose from the glass. The finish included a hint of musk. This was really one complex wine; quite an accomplishment for the couple’s first commercial wine.
More at: http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=1229
Tags: Texas, wine, Dotson-Cervantes, Gotas de Oro, Mustcat Canelli, Certenberg Vineyards, Alphonse Dotson
Author: hungrytiger11
Rating: G
Characters: Team Gai
Summary: Forget flying kunai, surprising blood limits, or enemy nin. Neji was going to die from embarrassment first. Hyuuga-centric.
Cross-posted to
Why did he get the feeling he was being laughed at ?
( Wouldn't you like to know what's in here....? )
I took a trip to Seattle for 4 days and documented almost all of my food journeys! Check out my blog for the rest of the pictures: HERE
Thank you everyone, and a special shout out to
Have a great day, night or afternoon wherever you may be.
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Hi everyone, sorry for the late notice but I'm going to have to do some testing on 1 of our 4 internet circuits TONIGHT; Friday night or Saturday morning depending on which time zone you're in.
Most of us shouldn't notice any impact, though there may be some slowness or lag when I switch traffic on to our other ISP circuits and then another hit when I stop the tests. If a page won't load or times out, try hitting refresh 1 or 2 times and it should load then. If it doesn't work at all... trust me, I'll be typing really really really fast to try to undo whatever I just did. Hopefully you'll have some Halloween candy (if you're in the USA and celebrate that kind of thing) nearby to take away the bitterness of a small site outage. :(
Here's the handy-dandy Website That I Always Use to get a feel for when the maintenance will start in your area. Our site traffic historically dips on Friday afternoons until Saturday morning which is why we tend to pick this time for maintenance work.
( tech details )
status.livejournal.org will, of course be updated before and after the maintenance window. Or else
bt

In response to user comments from last week, we want to let you know that we'll remain LJ cut-free for the next month in order to get more eyeballs on our evolving newsletter. As for product coverage, that continues to be our top priority. For more granular detail, however, we recommend you join
Super-tweak for Yandex search
Some of our beta testers expressed privacy concerns using the Yandex search engine. Here's why: Last week, when you ran a search, you could see the usernames (and only the usernames) of everyone who commented on an entry, even if that entry was switched to Private or Friends Only after it was originally indexed. You could NOT see the actual comments from Friends Only or Private posts. In response to your input, we've implemented a fix to keep all user activity currently marked Friends Only or Private completely hidden. If you'd prefer your public content not to be indexed by Yandex, click here and use the settings labeled Search Inclusion (this covers your entire journal) and/or Comment Search Inclusion (which covers comments only). To test drive Yandex search now, click here.Postcards from the edge
Several years ago, we asked LiveJournal users to send postcards to help us decorate our dull, white-washed offices. Since a good idea warrants repetition, we're at it again (same issue, new address). We hope you'll surround us with LiveJournal love by sending your postcards to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. We'll post snapshots right here. Be sure to include your username, since we'll randomly pick 10 lucky recipients to win free paid account time.Conquer Writer's Block
Here are some excerpts from this week's most popular question of the day:If a friend or relative makes a racist or homophobic remark, do you tend to confront them or let it slide? Are you more likely to confront them if it offends you directly or someone else who seems reluctant to speak up?
- I find it easier to stand up for other people, and i wouldn't let it slide if they made a rude or hurtful comment.
- Usually if a friend makes a racist or homophobic remark, I tend to let it slide. I think that while i would not say such things myself, I have no right to censor those around me.
- This happens all of the time. I confront some relatives, but I refuse to if they are drunk or watch Fox News.
- I'd let it slide if it was just a private remark... As much as I despise bigotry and intolerance, I know that you can't change people-they have to change themselves ...
- Confront! confront! confront! Politely, but without equivocation.
- SPEAK UP. Always, always, always speak up. Letting something slide lets ignorance win. No matter if it offends me directly, or someone else, I will confront the speaker and let them know that's not ok.
- I don't get offended personally. As an immigrant, woman, gay and person of color if I took every single potentially offensive remark seriously I wouldn't get anything done.
- I punch them in the balls. With my mind.
- I do speak up, but often very timidly because I feel that I'm white and therefore I don't really have any authority to lecture someone on what's racist and what isn't...
- Generally speaking, I do not let this shit fly, because it reduces me as a person, to this non-person and it replicates the destructive discourse that makes sure that sexual minorities, racial minorities, women, people with disabilities, trans people and every intersection thereof into something other than human... And sometimes... I'm just too tired to deal with it, so I roll my eyes, make a sarcastic remark and hope the conversation moves on quickly.
Spotlight community of the week
We can't resist making one last midnight trip to the ol' pumpkin patch. If you adore crazy costumes, fiendish festivities, and bottomless candy consumption as much as we do, this community has just what it takes to light up your jack-o-lantern.
Photos of the week
We received so many incredible photos, we had to close our eyes and point. We uploaded a selection of awesome images at our new![]() |
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Curtains
Thanks, again, for tuning in. We look forward to seeing you next week.60% CInsault 30$ Grenache 10% Carignan.
A guy that used to run an import company in town was dating french girl who's family had a very small winery in southern France.
Guy imports wine from family and other local small wineries..... girl and guy breaks up import company goes belly up.... there are a few bottles left in town and thats it. no mas in country from what I have been told.
Light in color almost copper kind of brickish...
this tastes almost like a red, it has a bit of meat from the grenache red fruit and berry. it is very rustic with a bit of cream and melon.
if you are lucky enough to cross paths with this its really neat.
It is not inexpensive, but it is very reasonable for a 1/6th share of the food and wine. Also, as this tasting spans a wide range of houses and decades, it is a great introduction to Vintage Port. Please contact me directly (via Message) if you are interested in attending and would like more details.
Color: Lighter than I thought it would be, given the Petite Sirah and Malbec, but a pretty shade of red-violet.
Sniff Test: Plum preserves, with notes of dark cherry and currant.
First Impression: Not quite rich enough in fruit flavors or lush in the mouth to be called "jammy", but certainly fruity. It's a little astringent out of the bottle, so it needs needs a little breathing.
Breathing Room: Fruit forward with notes of plum, dark cherry, and currant. A nice peppery note towards the finish. Not thin in the mouth, but not lush or velvety, either. It's the fruit you want from the Zin, but the Malbec provides a good backbone to keep it from being a fruit bomb. The finish is a little longer than I thought it would be. It's not a subtle or nuanced wine, and in fact, is a bit rough around the edges and a little hot. (14.5% alcohol.)
It tasted pretty good with steak I had for lunch, but really, this wine would be aces with any kind of robust Italian food, like a garlicy pizza or a 'sketti sauce with lots of oregano and rosemary. Oh, lasagna. A really savory lasagna would work well with this.
At $6/bottle it's a real bargain, and splash a little of it in your 'sketti sauce when you cook.
I know these things change all the time, so I could be wrong, google says I am not, but that does not mean much.
I get thick dried fruit, leather, plum coco, some eucaliptus (?) Vanilla, oak, in the far background I get the old world dirty earthy flavors.
I really like the way it has grown. I think it has a few more years.
P.S. its not cheap, over$100 a bottle
So of course I made it a point to stop in again on my most recent trip. The girlfriend and I enjoyed many of their wines enough to join their shipment club (despite the fact that their wines are not cheap and membership gets you no discount -- just free shipping)
Right now they are too young to have their own estate vineyards -- the ones they planted are in their 2nd year, I believe -- so all of the grapes are locally sourced from neighboring vineyards. However, what's noteworthy is that they excel at both reds and whites. Their pinots are great, but so are their chardonnay and pinot gris (apparently Robert Parker loves them, too), and their Rosé of Syrah is also one of the best rosés I've tried.
So, I have what I feel like must be a question with an obvious answer.... However, I'm having a total mental block on it. :-D
I'm making some Oatmeal Peanut Butter cookies. I'm thinking they would verge on spectacular if they had a dark chocolate bottom. Only, I'm trying to figure out how to coat *just* the bottom, without making a huge mess/getting it all over the cookie, etc. That's where you come in. :-D
First, does this combination sound good to you? If so, how would you go about executing it?

What Wine Do You Serve with Chicken Fried Bacon? The State Fair of Texas Winning Fried Food
Let’s see….You could go sweet as do the Germans. They pair ham, bacon and a whole host of pork sausages with off-dry Rieslings. The French on the German border augment their equally pork-rich diet with a raft of full bodied but dry white Vin d’Alsace including Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Gewürztraminer or even a lighter, dry sparkling white wine, Crémant d’Alsace. The Spanish go a different route with libacious quantities of young red wines known as “vino joven” or the slightly oak aged, crianza Rioja. They might even pull a bottle of dry fino Sherry.
More at:: http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=1220
Give me your personal selections.





