Do You Drink Wine Cold? Expert Opinions and Helpful Advice

There's a lot of advice out there when it comes to drinking wine. Serious collectors and aficionados are more than happy to tell you all about their special rules and regulations when it comes to storing and serving wine to protect its flavor and aroma.

But if the idea of asking a "wine expert" for help makes you nervous — or, let's face it, a little irritated at the snobbery that can come into play when it comes to talking about wine — don't worry. The basics of wine storing and serving are, well, pretty basic. Anyone can master them.

First things first: If you plan to keep your wine unopened and save it for later, you really shouldn't be keeping it at room temperature. These days, room temperature is usually between 68 and 73 degrees, thanks to modern climate control technology. That's perfect for humans, but wine needs to be kept much cooler to keep it from spoiling.

From Jalapeño to Chipotle

This year we have excellent jalapeños. I grew them from seed (El Jefe), and they are super-spicy — unlike last year's crop. We've already pickled several pints of slices for future plates of nachos, but we still have loads left on the plants. Yesterday we grabbed a pile of ones that have turned from green to red to preserve them in a new way: smoke them into chipotles.

Here’s how we did it.

While I cut the stems off of the ripe peppers, Kirk started the fire. He used newspaper (and apparently dried leaves) in the chimney to start some mesquite charcoal and scrap bits of cherry wood to burning.

Once the wood and charcoal were burning, he split it into two small fires on the sides of the grill, leaving the center open.

Beer Basics: Advice About How to Store Beer the Right Way

Craft beer fans can spend whole afternoons earnestly discussing different varieties of hops and the perfect flavor profile to pair with a chargrilled burger, but what about beer storage? While this topic may not be as sexy as cracking open a fresh Belgian or imperial stout and reviewing its taste, it’s fundamentally important if you hope to get the best flavor — and the longest shelf life — out of your collection of cans and bottles. Whether you love microbrews or are a die-hard macro lager drinker, knowing how to store your beer will make your drinks last longer and taste better when you’re ready to open them.

Though passionate beer aficionados have always had strong opinions on the care and keeping of ales, storing beer doesn’t have to be difficult. Once you understand the basics, you’ll have all the information you need to put together the perfect beer cellar.

12 Surprising Foods You Can Find an Eat on a Carnival Cruise

Cruise ships are known for a lot of things, but one of the best has to be the amazing food served from sunrise until well past midnight. There’s more to dining aboard a ship than room service and the buffet — though these are also excellent! Carnival offers an array of truly surprising and utterly delicious foods you can sample at sea. You may be hard-pressed to find these items back in your hometown, so make the most of your vacation by tasting these 12 unique dishes.

1. Rum-Spiked Milkshakes

Need an excuse to step out of the afternoon sun? The Shake Spot offers cool, creamy drinks guaranteed to refresh your spirits. And speaking of spirits, why not add some to your milkshake? You can get a float or a shake with a shot of rum for a little island-style relaxation. We won’t tell anyone.

8 Items That Get the Most Bang for Your Buck at the Grocery Store

Cooking at home will definitely save you money, but it needs to be delicious as well as inexpensive if you’re going to stick with playing chef for the long haul. Fortunately, you can stock up on cheap but tasty ingredients that are really versatile to get the absolute most out of your grocery budget. Try these ten super-smart foods to make a variety of delicious meals at home — you won’t be bored any time soon!

1. Eggs

Eggs are about the least expensive protein around, and they’re a magical ingredient. In addition to making your standard breakfast eggs in your favorite style, you can always add a hardboiled egg to a green salad to make it a hearty meal. Stir in some mayo for classic egg salad, or slice a hardboiled egg to top a steaming bowl of ramen. You can also whip up a quick custard for dessert if you’re running low on baking supplies.

How to Cook Leeks

Leeks are a must-grow star of the winter garden. They are milder in flavor and have a longer growing season than onions, and won’t be ready to harvest until late fall and throughout the winter — but they’re definitely worth the wait.

Preparing Leeks For Cooking

Once you’ve pulled or dug up your leeks, trim the roots to the base of the bulb. Leave a bit of green above the bulb, but make sure to cut back the leaves far enough that they no longer fan out away from the bulb.

Rinse off any loose soil in cool water. When they’re completely dry, tuck the leeks into the crisper drawer or root cellar for cold storage. Dry leeks should last for several weeks.

Use the green leek tops to make chicken stock.