| Random classes worthwhile
College doesn't just have to be about exams and essays. Unbeknownst to many studious college students, TCU offers some fun, alternative classes to lighten up their college experiences.
Students should take advantage of the university's small liberal arts education by branching out of their majors with some unlikely classes.
A little-kept secret in the nutrition department is Gourmet Cooking, where students learn the science and basic principles of cooking, prepare a full-out gourmet meal once a week and get to eat it. It's a requirement for nutrition majors but an elective for everyone else.
Anne Vanbeber, who teaches the class, said cooking is a life skill.
"Any time you learn a life skill, you gain confidence," Vanbeber said on the first day of class.
LOCAL TASTINGS
WORLD OF WINE: This month's meeting will focus on California wines from small suppliers presented by Nikki Erpelding, Cat & Fiddle Beverage Distributor. Wines include a Grazenia zin, a Castoro Cellars cabernet and more. Reservations required. 7-9 p.m. Tues. $25 for nonmembers, free for members. Holiday Inn, 11801 Fountains Way N., Maple Grove. 612-387-6032. worldofwinemg@yahoo.com.WINE TASTING: Mac's Liquors wine club will feature blush and rosé wines paired with assorted foods. Registration required. 7-9 p.m. Wed. $8 for members, $10 for nonmembers. Tuttles Bowling, Bar & Restaurant, 107 Shady Oak Rd., Hopkins. 952-935-9291. www.macliquors.com.SPANISH WINE DINNER: A five-course dinner with wine pairings. Wines include a Vina Mayor Ribera del Duero '01, Pesascal Sauvignon Blanc Castillo Y Lion '05 and others.
Pet owners seek answers amid recalls
Dog and cat owners don't know what to do anymore after yet another line of pet food was recalled for fear of possible deadly contamination.
They do know that they're frustrated -- and scared.
Del Monte Pet Products this weekend became the latest pet-food manufacturer to recall some products following on the heels of Nestle Purina PetCare Co., which pulled some of its popular Alpo brand products for similar reasons. That brought to more than 100 the number of dog- and cat-food brands that have been recalled since mid-March amid suspicious deaths of pets.
The brands Del Monte pulled are Jerky Treats Beef Flavor Dog Snacks, Gravy Train Beef Sticks Dog Snacks and Pounce Meaty Morsels Moist Chicken Flavor Cat Treats. Two other products Del Monte makes for Wal-Mart stores, Ol' Roy Beef Flavor Jerky Strips Dog Treats and Ol' Roy Beef Flavor Snack Stick Dog Treats, also were recalled.
Iowa guys find zing for nationally celebrated sauce
Before that, Russ Cerniglia and Frank Ksiazak had careened on the road of trial and error between "really bad" and "good but not quite there."
Cerniglia estimates they made "between 50 and 75" batches, adding and subtracting varying ingredients in different combinations, in their quest to build a better barbecue sauce.
"It was molasses that put us over the top," Cerniglia said, referring back a few years ago to the "we've found it" moment shared by the two West Des Moines neighbors.
Molasses or whatever, the sauce concocted sometime in late 2002 has moved well beyond the point of winning polite praise from friends and neighbors.
In 2003, Russ & Frank's BBQ Sauce won its first award at the Iowa State Fair.
Most recently, two of their sauces finished third and fourth out of a field of 95 in the 2007 National Barbecue Association's Award of Excellence sauce contest.
Eva Longoria Gets Second Bridal Shower
Typically, a woman gets to have one bridal bash before her wedding. But for Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria, two bridal showers should do the trick. On Sunday, April 15, Housewives co-star Felicity Huffman gave Longoria an outdoor bridal bash at her Los Angeles home. The small co-ed gathering consisted of a sit-down lunch wherein guests feasted on a salad bar with chicken salmon, shrimp, gourmet cheeses with various wines and martinis. For desert, they gorged on chocolate chip cookies, brownies and white-chocolate pastries. Of course, guests also showered Longoria with gifts. Longoria told People, "It was such a special day! Felicity and my maid of honor, Brittany Olson, went above and beyond to make the whole afternoon beautiful and memorable. I can't thank them enough. I'm extremely blessed to be surrounded by my family, friends and co-workers and to have had them all together to celebrate this special moment in my life." Apart from Huffman’s bridal bash, Longoria aslo got an additional bridal party.shower This time, it was a girls-only party thrown by Desperate Housewives co-star Teri Hatcher.
Gramercy Rehab
It's been said (and if it hasn't, then I'll go ahead and say it) that great chefs have many of the same qualities as great musicians. Both disciplines require virtuoso talent, a taste for performing under pressure, and an ability to process prodigious amounts of detail and technique in a unique and creative way. Many chefs, like many musicians, are card-carrying control freaks. Many chefs, like many musicians, keep erratic, unhealthy hours, have a taste for addictive substances (Bordeaux, pork fat, cocaine), and are prone to towering displays of temper. And like musicians, certain chefs are drawn, divalike, to the spotlight, while others are content to make their careers in the shadows, as proficient and talented sidemen. For the last decade or so, Michael Anthony has been one of the most influential sidemen around.
Hosting a candidate is no easy task
So, youre thinking about hosting a house party for a presidential candidate. Its probably both easier and more difficult than you might imagine. My wife and I have played host to candidates on a number of occasions, and over time, the process has more or less settled into a routine.
Should you use your finest china and silverware to impress the presidential contender and his supporters? Definitely not. Politicians are accustomed to the rubber chicken circuit; that is, low-priced (and low taste) meals designed to produce a profit for the sponsoring organization. They are there to win converts, not to be served a gourmet meal. Your friends will generally help out by bringing food. Informality is usually the order of the day paper plates, paper cups, paper napkins, and plastic knives, forks and spoons.
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