Thursday, December 18, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Get to know your Wine!
Earlier today on the B&C Show we had Brenda Audino, who's a wine expert for Twin Liquors here in Austin, with some pretty cool wine "pairing" ideas for the holidays if you're throwing a party. Here's some of the ideas Brenda has for your next house party;
There many books about the art of pairing wine with food, but I think it all comes down to eat and drink what you enjoy. Throw those rules out of the window! If you like white wine and are having a hamburger – fine! If you like red wine and are having fish – great! The wine police will not knock on your door warning you of these seemly ill-conceived wine and food matches.
There are some helpful hints in making even these food and wine pairings seem like a perfect match
Main Points
Balance
When pairing your wine with your food the most important element is the balance. You want the food and wine to complement each other and not compete. Rich heavyweight foods such as game or roast meats need a full-bodied wine regardless of color. Lighter foods such as fish or plain chicken are best complemented with a more delicate wine again regardless of color.
Flavor Intensity
Foods can range in flavor intensity and so can wine. A delicate wine can easily be overpowered by a strong flavored dish. Considering how a dish is cooked can influence the intensity of flavors. Take the chicken as an example. Chicken steamed with only minimal spices is very low on the flavor intensity and on the weight scale. A lighter more delicate wine would be a better match than a full-bodied one. Now imagine your chicken has been roasted in the oven. The flavor intensity increases as well as the weight. We could now match our chicken with a wine that has more flavor and weight as well. Finally we will braise or stew our chicken in a rich wine sauce. This dish will be high in flavor intensity as well as weight. This dish would pair nicely with a full-bodied wine. Notice still no mention of color…..
Helpful Hints
Pair Foods High in Acid with Crisp Fruity Wines
Dishes that are high in acidity will make your wine taste softer. You will want a wine also has high acidity or it may taste soft and flabby. Wines with good acidity can be great with rich, oily foods as well
Foods: Tomatoes, Vinaigrette, Lemon, Lime, Oily fish
White Wines: Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Un-oaked Chardonnay, Sparkling Wines
Red Wines: Rosé, Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Barbera
Pair Foods High in Fat with More Tannic Wines
Tannins in red wine create that drying sensation you often feel in your mouth. This is due to the tannins clearing away the protein molecules in your mouth. Foods with high protein content will soften the effects of these tannins in wine.
Foods: Roasted, grilled meats and poultry. Soups, stews and casseroles.
White Wine: Full-body Chardonnay, Viognier, Gewurztraminer
Red Wines: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz/Syrah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Nebbiolo
Pair Hot & Spicy Foods with Fruity Wines
Hot and spicy foods reduce the sweetness in wines and can make a dry wine seem bitter. Spices can also accentuate the flavors of oak in wine. Hot spices seem to get even hotter with a wine high in tannins.
Foods: Chinese, Mexican, Thai, Japanese, Spicy Barbeque
White Wines: Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Un-oaked Chardonnay, White Zinfandel
Red Wines: Rosé, Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Zinfandel, Merlot, Dolcetto, Shiraz/Syrah
Pair Sweet Foods with Sweet Wines
Sweet foods can make a dry wine seem tart. It’s best to match your dessert with a wine that is as sweet if not sweeter than the dessert.
Foods: Chocolate, Creamy desserts (crème brulee, cheesecake), Fruit desserts, Cakes and cookies.
Wines: Port, Madeira, Muscat, Late Harvest Riesling, Vin Santo, Sauternes, Tokaji, Ice Wine
There many books about the art of pairing wine with food, but I think it all comes down to eat and drink what you enjoy. Throw those rules out of the window! If you like white wine and are having a hamburger – fine! If you like red wine and are having fish – great! The wine police will not knock on your door warning you of these seemly ill-conceived wine and food matches.
There are some helpful hints in making even these food and wine pairings seem like a perfect match
Main Points
Balance
When pairing your wine with your food the most important element is the balance. You want the food and wine to complement each other and not compete. Rich heavyweight foods such as game or roast meats need a full-bodied wine regardless of color. Lighter foods such as fish or plain chicken are best complemented with a more delicate wine again regardless of color.
Flavor Intensity
Foods can range in flavor intensity and so can wine. A delicate wine can easily be overpowered by a strong flavored dish. Considering how a dish is cooked can influence the intensity of flavors. Take the chicken as an example. Chicken steamed with only minimal spices is very low on the flavor intensity and on the weight scale. A lighter more delicate wine would be a better match than a full-bodied one. Now imagine your chicken has been roasted in the oven. The flavor intensity increases as well as the weight. We could now match our chicken with a wine that has more flavor and weight as well. Finally we will braise or stew our chicken in a rich wine sauce. This dish will be high in flavor intensity as well as weight. This dish would pair nicely with a full-bodied wine. Notice still no mention of color…..
Helpful Hints
Pair Foods High in Acid with Crisp Fruity Wines
Dishes that are high in acidity will make your wine taste softer. You will want a wine also has high acidity or it may taste soft and flabby. Wines with good acidity can be great with rich, oily foods as well
Foods: Tomatoes, Vinaigrette, Lemon, Lime, Oily fish
White Wines: Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Un-oaked Chardonnay, Sparkling Wines
Red Wines: Rosé, Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Barbera
Pair Foods High in Fat with More Tannic Wines
Tannins in red wine create that drying sensation you often feel in your mouth. This is due to the tannins clearing away the protein molecules in your mouth. Foods with high protein content will soften the effects of these tannins in wine.
Foods: Roasted, grilled meats and poultry. Soups, stews and casseroles.
White Wine: Full-body Chardonnay, Viognier, Gewurztraminer
Red Wines: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz/Syrah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Nebbiolo
Pair Hot & Spicy Foods with Fruity Wines
Hot and spicy foods reduce the sweetness in wines and can make a dry wine seem bitter. Spices can also accentuate the flavors of oak in wine. Hot spices seem to get even hotter with a wine high in tannins.
Foods: Chinese, Mexican, Thai, Japanese, Spicy Barbeque
White Wines: Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Un-oaked Chardonnay, White Zinfandel
Red Wines: Rosé, Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Zinfandel, Merlot, Dolcetto, Shiraz/Syrah
Pair Sweet Foods with Sweet Wines
Sweet foods can make a dry wine seem tart. It’s best to match your dessert with a wine that is as sweet if not sweeter than the dessert.
Foods: Chocolate, Creamy desserts (crème brulee, cheesecake), Fruit desserts, Cakes and cookies.
Wines: Port, Madeira, Muscat, Late Harvest Riesling, Vin Santo, Sauternes, Tokaji, Ice Wine
Thursday, December 11, 2008
2009 is almost here...we need some new useless words to describe stuff.
Here are some of 2008 wonder-words that got inserted into our vocabulary:
FLEXTING: Flirting through mobile phone texts.
MOBISODE: A clip of a full-length TV show or film made for watching on a mobile phone or MP4 player.
WOOF: Stands for Well Off Old Fogey : the sort a gold-digger goes for.
CHINDIA: The combination of China and India as a major economic force.
OH-NO-SECOND: That minuscule fraction of time when you realise you’ve just made a huge mistake.
NONEBRITY: Someone who ends up a minor celebrity despite having no obvious talent.
SWIPEOUT: The moment your debit card is swiped at a till and you find you’ve run out of cash. Also used to describe the magnetic strip on a card becoming worn out through overuse.
SINBAD: Stands for Single Income, No Boyfriend And Desperate.
MOUSE POTATO: A modern version of a couch potato. Someone who spends all their time at home surfing the internet.
FLEXTING: Flirting through mobile phone texts.
MOBISODE: A clip of a full-length TV show or film made for watching on a mobile phone or MP4 player.
WOOF: Stands for Well Off Old Fogey : the sort a gold-digger goes for.
CHINDIA: The combination of China and India as a major economic force.
OH-NO-SECOND: That minuscule fraction of time when you realise you’ve just made a huge mistake.
NONEBRITY: Someone who ends up a minor celebrity despite having no obvious talent.
SWIPEOUT: The moment your debit card is swiped at a till and you find you’ve run out of cash. Also used to describe the magnetic strip on a card becoming worn out through overuse.
SINBAD: Stands for Single Income, No Boyfriend And Desperate.
MOUSE POTATO: A modern version of a couch potato. Someone who spends all their time at home surfing the internet.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Lenka: the next BIG thing in 2009.
For the past month, my favorite new song that will not be on the radio for awhile is "We Will Not Grow Old" by Lenka. It's been my title song on www.myspace.com/mix947 for awhile and tonight I just decided to blog about it. Right now it's just a CD track on Lenka's current CD called "Lenka." (hey, that's imaginative!) Lenka is from Australia, lives in L.A. now, and has been on the Hotel Cafe Tour a bit. That's the tour that launched Sara Barellis, Ingrid Michaelson, and more. The version of this song on video is not the version you hear remastered on the Lenka CD, but it's close...just a bit more produced on the album. Kind of like when Sara B. released "Love Song." The demo version really got jazzed up on the re-release and it worked. Anyway I am a big fan on this song, it's lyrics, and the artist. Kinda reminds me of The Sundays, back in the day. Tell me what you think. Peace!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Kevin Nealon in the House...
SNL's great Kevin Nealon stopped in the B&C house on Friday. He's got a new book "Yes, Your Pregnant, But What About Me?" in bookstores now, and he's doing some comedy on tour too (Cap City this weekend). Kev dropped some Hanz N' Franz on us and even did a little Mr. Subliminal. Nice! Love that guy.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Great Bridget & Carey listener email.
Yesterday on the show we talked about how people are cutting back on Christmas this year, and we asked you how the holidays would be diferent at your house this season! We got many great calls and emails and here's one of them I wanted to share!
Keep the spirit! Happy Holidays!
Carey, I listened to your program last night on the way home, and thought I'd share with you a couple of my favorite Christmas presents - you can't beat 'em - that are very inexpensive, and soooo memorable. No one has to go without being celebrated over the holidays. These are the times that inspire the gifts that we actually remember from one year to the next.
1.) The best one is a letter. No kidding. You might illustrate it; or if you feel like you can't draw well, just do something cartoony. You may not believe me, but what matters most is that it comes from your hands and your heart. Here are some ideas for content:
• A review of the recipient's year. Every year has some special - or weird - moments. Celebrate them! My daughter's favorite tv show is the oldie from the '70s: the Incredible Hulk. So I'll have a drawing of that in her letter; or I could photocopy or printout a Hulk Image and then color over it with crayons and colored pencils. Then I'll write a few words about the dangers of turning green! hehe
• What this person means to you in two easy paragraphs, or in a very short rhyme. Corny is beautiful, as long as its heartfelt. You already know this: think back on some of your favorite songs! hehe
• A favorite poem or song lyrics, one that you think reflects who the recipient is, or that you know has special meaning to that person. Put it in your own handwriting. You could say or write a sentence or two as to why you chose that poem or that song. The public library is a great resource for this. You don't have to have a card to look through the books.
• A humorous memory from this past year.
• (For older people) a letter about what you were doing or what you were like when you were the age of the recipient. Or when you got your first bicycle, your first job, your driver's license, your first cigarette, when you left home, when Romeo finally popped the question, when someone said just the right thing at the right moment....anything like that.
For a little something extra, enclose a photograph, a printed-out image (remember that most libraries have computers and photocopiers), a stick of gum, or the name of the book from which you drew the quote or poem. These are the priceless presents that people will have framed, or will keep under their pillow or in a special book for the rest of their lives. It only costs you a bit of time and things you already have on hand. Don't worry about how well you write. Just make it sound the way you talk. Bad spelling can make it all the more charming, so don't sweat the small stuff.
Years ago, when I turned 21, I received a piece of jewelry from my grandmother. It had a story all its own. But do you know what I remember most about it? The little slip of paper inside the box that said, "for Laura, on her 21st birthday!". It was in her handwriting, and she must have put away that little box before I was 10. Sometimes the "little things" are really big!
2.)"Small stuff" brings me to the second idea. I just went to a website (www.oldenglishcrackers.com - no; I'm not in anyway affiliated with them except as a customer) and for under $30, with shipping, ordered all the materials necessary to make 25 Christmas crackers. For up to 25 people, then. I will have to add in my own wrapping paper, low temp glue gun (you can get these for under $7.00), and fillings. (My order included the little "snap" strips that make the "pop" sound when you pull the cracker apart; small cardboard tubes - but you could use toilet paper rolls; folded crepe paper party hats; instructions (free)- but you can google these up; and one set of "rollers" to make the job easier.) So what will I fill these with? For the person who dreams of having a Porsche one day, I might look for a Matchbox Cars version of it. I'll find a box of gorgeous Christmas candy, and put one piece of it in each cracker (example: a petit four or a maple candy Santa). I might google up some Christmas joke - or other corny humour; I could get a librarian to help me find just the right thing - there's usually a person at the reference desk standing by for just such questions. (Yes, my sister is a librarian. And she adores helping folks find the information, or the quote that they want!) Or I might come up with a fortune cookie-style bit of paper, which might have a very few affirming words, or inspirational quote for a specific person. (Again, check out the library.) There are lots of little things out there - such as a marble that looks like the earth, foil covered chocolate, silver colored charms for good luck or to spark a memory, miniature Playdough; confetti; a beautiful stamp, a shiney, new quarter or half dollar - the bank will help you get a great one. Ideas will come to you as you get going. All you have to do is fill it with something that shows you know that person a bit, and that you care. Believe me, it will be fun for you to assemble and decorate; and they will remember that cracker. For years.
I hope these will be useful, and that everyone gives and receives a bit of joy over the holiday season. That's really what it's all about anyway.
Merry Christmas!
Laura
Keep the spirit! Happy Holidays!
Carey, I listened to your program last night on the way home, and thought I'd share with you a couple of my favorite Christmas presents - you can't beat 'em - that are very inexpensive, and soooo memorable. No one has to go without being celebrated over the holidays. These are the times that inspire the gifts that we actually remember from one year to the next.
1.) The best one is a letter. No kidding. You might illustrate it; or if you feel like you can't draw well, just do something cartoony. You may not believe me, but what matters most is that it comes from your hands and your heart. Here are some ideas for content:
• A review of the recipient's year. Every year has some special - or weird - moments. Celebrate them! My daughter's favorite tv show is the oldie from the '70s: the Incredible Hulk. So I'll have a drawing of that in her letter; or I could photocopy or printout a Hulk Image and then color over it with crayons and colored pencils. Then I'll write a few words about the dangers of turning green! hehe
• What this person means to you in two easy paragraphs, or in a very short rhyme. Corny is beautiful, as long as its heartfelt. You already know this: think back on some of your favorite songs! hehe
• A favorite poem or song lyrics, one that you think reflects who the recipient is, or that you know has special meaning to that person. Put it in your own handwriting. You could say or write a sentence or two as to why you chose that poem or that song. The public library is a great resource for this. You don't have to have a card to look through the books.
• A humorous memory from this past year.
• (For older people) a letter about what you were doing or what you were like when you were the age of the recipient. Or when you got your first bicycle, your first job, your driver's license, your first cigarette, when you left home, when Romeo finally popped the question, when someone said just the right thing at the right moment....anything like that.
For a little something extra, enclose a photograph, a printed-out image (remember that most libraries have computers and photocopiers), a stick of gum, or the name of the book from which you drew the quote or poem. These are the priceless presents that people will have framed, or will keep under their pillow or in a special book for the rest of their lives. It only costs you a bit of time and things you already have on hand. Don't worry about how well you write. Just make it sound the way you talk. Bad spelling can make it all the more charming, so don't sweat the small stuff.
Years ago, when I turned 21, I received a piece of jewelry from my grandmother. It had a story all its own. But do you know what I remember most about it? The little slip of paper inside the box that said, "for Laura, on her 21st birthday!". It was in her handwriting, and she must have put away that little box before I was 10. Sometimes the "little things" are really big!
2.)"Small stuff" brings me to the second idea. I just went to a website (www.oldenglishcrackers.com - no; I'm not in anyway affiliated with them except as a customer) and for under $30, with shipping, ordered all the materials necessary to make 25 Christmas crackers. For up to 25 people, then. I will have to add in my own wrapping paper, low temp glue gun (you can get these for under $7.00), and fillings. (My order included the little "snap" strips that make the "pop" sound when you pull the cracker apart; small cardboard tubes - but you could use toilet paper rolls; folded crepe paper party hats; instructions (free)- but you can google these up; and one set of "rollers" to make the job easier.) So what will I fill these with? For the person who dreams of having a Porsche one day, I might look for a Matchbox Cars version of it. I'll find a box of gorgeous Christmas candy, and put one piece of it in each cracker (example: a petit four or a maple candy Santa). I might google up some Christmas joke - or other corny humour; I could get a librarian to help me find just the right thing - there's usually a person at the reference desk standing by for just such questions. (Yes, my sister is a librarian. And she adores helping folks find the information, or the quote that they want!) Or I might come up with a fortune cookie-style bit of paper, which might have a very few affirming words, or inspirational quote for a specific person. (Again, check out the library.) There are lots of little things out there - such as a marble that looks like the earth, foil covered chocolate, silver colored charms for good luck or to spark a memory, miniature Playdough; confetti; a beautiful stamp, a shiney, new quarter or half dollar - the bank will help you get a great one. Ideas will come to you as you get going. All you have to do is fill it with something that shows you know that person a bit, and that you care. Believe me, it will be fun for you to assemble and decorate; and they will remember that cracker. For years.
I hope these will be useful, and that everyone gives and receives a bit of joy over the holiday season. That's really what it's all about anyway.
Merry Christmas!
Laura
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Wacky MIX video of the day.
My buddy, Rick, the dummer for Lifehouse is one wacky dude when he not onstage!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
PUPPIES! Nothing but PUPPIES.
Go to http://cdn1.ustream.tv/swf/4/viewer.45.swf?cid=317016 if you want to see this heartwarming stream of new puppies! Cassiday, our B&C Show producer turned me on to this (I'm giving her credit here also because I don't want to lose any MAN points from my guy friends checking out my blog. Imean, this is the next best thing to having a litter of new puppies delievered to your house for the holidays. And...you don't to get up at 3am and lay down fresh newspaper or clean up any puppy poop!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Pics from The Rags To Wags AHS Event!
Hey guys...The Austin Humane Society is the city’s largest no kill, non-profit animal adoption shelter dedicated to saving Austin’s homeless cats and dogs by educating our community about responsible pet ownership and reducing pet overpopulation. A few weeks backs I was on the runway with my Airdale, Blaze for the "fashion show" part of the event. It was a blast! And teh AHS had their best year yet in fundraising! If you want to make a holiday time donation for yourself or someone else to help keep great pets in Austin alive and well cared for, I suggest you drop into http://www.austinhumanesociety.org/ and give whatever you can. Here's me and Blaze on the runway looking...ah...I mean...keeping austin weird!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Get more than a "Nickelback"...ha!
This is by far the coolest download deal today. I found this on http://www.bargainist.com/ so check it baby. Today only, download the "Dark Horse" album by Nickelback for a mere $3.99. That's a savings of at least $6 over the same album download from iTunes. The album consists of 11 tracks that include "Gotta Be Somebody", "Never Gonna Be Alone", and "Burn It to The Ground". Available at this price on 11/18/2008 only. Download Nickelback for $4, burn it to disc for your lover, instant points!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Madonna was pretty cool.
Over the weekend I took in the Madonna show live in Houston with a friend. Never got to see her on tour and I wanted to check it off my "Bucket List!" So now I can say it was definitely worth being there. Here's a couple of pics from the show for now...I also shot some video that I'll be uploading next and blogging about!
Bridget's Annoying Shirt
Does anyone reading this have any extra Advil you can throw my way? Bridget decided to wear a "blinking" shirt to work today. Do you know what I am talking about here? It's one thing to pass by someone wearing this at the mall and go, "OK, that's lind of cool", but try spending 4 hours in the studio with your co-host sitting 3 feet away from you, with the same blinking shirt. I am now seeing spots when I close my eyes...and I feel dizzy.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Plain White T's on the B&C Show today
The Rockband Tour is in town tonight and the PWT's dropped in to do a Friend's With Benefit's Listener Lounge with us. Tom, Mike, and Tim hung for awhile before barely making soundcheck late this afternoon, at The Frank Erwin Center.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
King Of All Dorky Radio Photos
So, the other day a friend emailed me a pic of my radio life back in the day. Light years ago I worked on this legendary radio station in Phoenix (where I learned all about how not to get fired a keep my $10 an hour DJ gig going a couple more years). The station was called KZZP and I got to work with a couple of radio folk that went on to actually accomplish something in their lives. Anyway, this old radio station ended up having semi-legendary peeps working on the same microphone, including....Jimmy Kimmel!! Crazy!
Fuels seems to be a great way to celebrate Barack Obama’s win (and maybe even to mourn John McCain’s loss if that’s how you voted). Now that the election is over we all need to step up and think about how to save this planet. Also, this looks to be a pretty focused environmental documentary. We had "Fields Of Fuel" moviemaker Josh Tickell in studio today (11/12) to talk about this important film before it's Austin premiere at The Arbor Theatres Wednesday evening. Congrats to everyone that won free passes on the show. For more on this documentary and Josh's work go to http://thefuelfilm.com/
Peace,
Carey
Monday, November 10, 2008
Scary Edwards...my alter ego.
What did you guys end up doing for Holloween? We headed out to Ruta Maya for a Mediterranean theme night. There was belly dancing, a band, lamb wraps, and lots of peeps in costume. I had no plan for a costume, so I ended up with this lame mask and dressed in black, pretending to be bad-ass. O.K. next year I'll have a better plan.More weirdness with Ingrid Michaelson
So, yeah, sometimes artists drop by the studio for no reason at all to serenade Bridget and me during our 3-7pm show. I can't explain it, but something about the sound of a ukelele in the middle of the afternoon makes me want to take a bubble bath and light scented candles.
Blaze, my 8 1/2 year old Airedale is back from the dog hospital and feeling great! I talked about this on the air the other day, she had Hematoma, which sounded like some fatal heart situation to me at first, until I googled the results, then saw my vet, Dr. Erin Holmberg at Brykerwood. This place rocks when it comes to a neighborhood pet clinic that really cares about your pet. My dog is everything to me, so I didn't waste anytime in getting procedure dome right away. Blaze has stiches and a crazy head harness on for the next 10-14 days. She's on about 5 different kinds of meds, but still very active, and has her appetite back already. Anybody out there gone though something similiar with your pet? Write me!
Peace,
Carey
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