Whimsicalidocious

Interesting finds and discoveries of a virtual traveler.
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Whimsical ('hwim-zi-k&l, 'wim-)
Function: adjective
resulting from or characterized by whim or caprice; especially : lightly fanciful
subject to erratic behavior or unpredictable change


Archive for July, 2008


Tips on How to Ensure Coffee Freshness

by Guy Morris

The best coffee comes form the freshest beans possible. It can be a challenge to get the freshest coffee unless you have a coffee bean field outside your back door. There are ways, though, that you can try to have the freshest coffee possible. When it comes to a good bean, there are a few factors to consider.

Roasting

Roasting is a complex process. It is actually cooking and therefore should be looked at as a complex art. There are right and wrong ways to roast beans. If done improperly the results will be beans that are less than desirable. Roasting beans yourself is something that is a hard task. You would need roasting equipment and even then you would have to know how to do it, which can take along time to learn properly. After roasting beans will stay fresh for quite some time, so buying roasted beans is fine. You should understand, though, that beans are freshest when ground right after roasting and keep that in mind.

Storage

Since you will likely be buying your beans already roasted, storage is very important to maintaining freshness. Beans are the best when ground following roasting. The more time that lapses, the less fresh the coffee will be. However, they can still be fine after a few days. You wan tot store them properly, though. The skin should remain in tact or lese useful oils are lost and the bean will go stale. The container used to store the beans should be airtight. A rubber sealed jar is the best choice. It should be left in a cool, dry place without any light or heat which can spoil the beans.

Grinding

You can grind your own beans at home. This is not nearly as difficult as roasting. There are many different ways to grind beans and the different methods produce different tastes. You should learn about grinding before trying it. This will allow you to create the coffee you desire. Ground beans should be used a soon as possible since they can go stale quickly. They should be protected form air and moisture in a tightly sealed container. The oil in the grounds can evaporate leaving behind a stale coffee. It is best to grind only what is needed.

In the never ending saga of the rush to find the perfect cup of coffee, the coffee expert can struggle. Many times that is because their coffee is just not fresh enough. By leaning things about grinding storage and roasting you can be better trained to learn how to go about creating that perfect cup of coffee. In fact, it is only through learning about the science behind coffee that you can truly understand it. You may know about all the differentials when it comes to certain aspects of coffee, but until you truly understand what makes coffee fresh you will never be able to make that perfect cup.

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Family Vacations at Myrtle Beach

by Maria Russell

Have you ever wanted to go to South Carolina to take a family beach vacation? If so, there are many places there you can visit. It is filled with history in addition to beautiful sites that are sure to thrill your family.

Seeking a location good for all of the family can be challenging yet in South Carolina this will never be a problem. However, one of the most well-known locations to visit in South Carolina is Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach is an excellent place to take a family beach vacation. It is filled with beautiful beaches, golf courses and amusement parks.

Myrtle Beach is also called the Grand Strand. It is a long stretch of 60-miles of beautiful sandy shored beaches. It is close to 100 miles north of Charleston. You can rent a car while visiting here and easily drive to the beach and surrounding cities. Your family definitely love all that Myrtle Beach offers.

Family fun is available here all year round. So yes, that says you can visit during the winter time. Planning such family vacations during the winter to Myrtle Beach is easy as pie. No you may not be able to swim in the Atlantic but many beach resorts around the beach still offer things like waterparks and theme parks. So while the weather is not July-like you can have wonderful family beach vacations at Myrtle Beach.

Regardless what your budget may be when in Myrtle Beach there is never a care. This is a fun place that is budget and family-friendly. Nearby lodging and surrounding the areas have many things for the kids to do and you can try scenic beachfront rentals. The price spread varies but they are always moderate and affordable.

Taking a Myrtle Beach family vacation, you should most definitely check out all of the fun and amusement parks that are located here. One of the best is the Family Kingdom Amusement and Water Park. At this park, there is an oceanfront water park that is surrounded with wooden rollercoasters, a Ferris wheel for the children, as well as many other rides for the little ones.

One more fun family park to visit at Myrtle Beach is the Myrtle Waves Water Park. Here this special park offers more than 30 rides for mom, dad, kids and all in between. Sure to be the most fun part of this park is the largely huge water-tube slide. This is sure to provide excitement for everyone.

While staying in Myrtle Beach, the best place to stay at is the Kingston Plantation. Despite the negative name, this beach resort presents the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort, an Embassy Suites Hotel, as well as condos to rent. The Splash!, which is a pool complex has great water slides, waterspouts, and kiddie pools.

Arranging a Myrtle Beach family vacation will be a get together that no one will be sorry about. It’s affordable, the beach will provide fun for the kids and adults.

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Find Your Favorite Maker

by Rob Carlton

Not a big shock, but coffee makers have been around basically since coffee has. The very first brewer was Turkish. It was called the Ibrik and it is a copper container, a long handle, and a grooved tongue all in one. It is still used to make coffee in the Middle East. There is no filtering involved which leaves the coffee quite strong.

For those who want a filtered cup of coffee there are many different kinds of brewers available. The most common of the current coffee makers is the conventional drip coffee machine. These are quite inexpensive now. But there are still certain things to look for. The drip makers work by water being poured into the machine, it is then heated by an electric coil and then the water passed through the coffee grounds, then a filter and into a glass coffee pot that sits on a heated plate, to keep the coffee warm. These of course are only the basics.

Just like the rest of the world, coffee makers have advanced with technology. There are drip machines now with LCD screens to display all the important things like time, brew time, temperature, and much more. More features than less may be preferred by most now. Although the degree of brew desired, is the minimum of extras. The auto-shutoff is quite a popular addition to the coffee maker, especially for those forgetful types. The auto shut-off also stops the coffee from flowing when the pot has been pulled away, for the impatient coffee drinkers. Then there are lighted displays when the bed head does not want to flick the light on or cannot find it.

The cleaning of coffee makers has advanced as well. With the new coffee pods, there are no lose grinds that can stuck to things and imbedded in crevasses. When the coffee has been brewed, the pod is simply thrown away. These are essential for the too busy to clean or the too lazy.

There are many different options as well when it comes to the water filters. Water filters are important for people who want to brew coffee but do not like their tap water. Although these filters can be pricey they are essential for some who wish to seek the ultimate in home made coffee.

There are coffee makers now that have permanent filters, so paper filters do not have to be used and discarded, however, the use of pods does take this element away as well. There are several debates about which way are more environmentally friendly and alter the taste less. There are also coffee brewers that come with attached coffee grinders, however, this can make clean up a little more difficult. It probably will no be too long before they come with attached roasters. Technology is good, but sometimes the old fashioned and traditional is best. Strong coffee lovers can always stick with the Turkish brew, it?s inimitable.

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Satellite Radio - Imagine no Commercials!

by Orlando Robbin

We are often irritated by advertising message bearing the same one liners being drooled again and again in one irritating monotonous tone being repeated over and over again. Relax as there is a way to listen to pleasurable music or enjoy hours listening to your favorite show without being interrupted by advertising messages through the use of satellite radio.

This is only possible when the income for the provider is generated from the subscribers instead of the advertiser. You can listen to many hours of listening pleasure by tuning in to the channel of your choice and select the kind of music you want.

You can enjoy hours of listening pleasure by listening to a satellite radio service. This type of radio uses digital signals so expect to hear crystal clear music!

Satellite radio has the capacity to receive the actual radio signals plus a horde of other useful information such as the title of the song, the album and the artist.

This means the radio receiver will display that information along when a tune is being played. If you hear a pleasing tune and wish to know the artist, just glance at the display panel and you have the answers.

The good news is they are totally raw and uncensored! You can listen to your favorite songs without the irritating beep sounds. There will be news about the traffic conditions and weather updates periodically.

You can use this to plan your journey home taking roads which are less congested. You can rely on satellite radio to give you the information you need in times of a national emergency.

If you think that you should not be paying for something you can easily get for free, just remember the times when you feel totally pissed by the perpetual advertising jingle that keeps interrupting your favorite show! The traditional radio is not as free as you believe.

The price is paid through your listening time spent during those commercials are being aired. It is possible to remove all these advertisement just by paying 13 bucks a month!

There are plans to include video into the service in the future. Sirius and XM services have made some recent announcements about the possibility of this service. Now everyone can enjoy pure delightful music, great programs, and commercial free hours of listening pleasure that covers a wide geographical area.

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Selecting The Right Wine For That Special Occasion

by Mary Swanson

Choosing the perfect wine really depends upon personal tastes. You can do research on the various vineyards, what was a good year for a particular wine, etc. but the bottom line is what do you like. We have listed a few things to look for in a really great wine below to try to make your next purchase a successful one.

1. The White Wines: Most commonly served as the first course, these wines do not have a really strong flavor, therefore leaving the taste buds relatively unaffected for the next course. Do not be afraid to ask the wine salesman for his advice. They will know exactly what year and which grape is best at this time.

A sparkling white wine such as the Rolls Royce of wines the champagne are reserved for those very special occasions such as a wedding, anniversary or engagement party. Again, you may want to ask the local wine connoiseuer what would be just perfect for the event.

2. The Reds: Now you are ready to serve that special dish you have worked on all day and planned especially for your dearest friends you must choose just the right wine. This is when you go for the full bodied red. One of the most popular is a Merlot. Being a lighter red but still full bodied it is perfect for saute’ed chicken, grilled pork or roasted lamb.

The Pinot Noir, while not as commonly served as a Merlot or Cabernet, is a unique blend of plum, vanilla and blackberry. Oregon produces Pinot Noir where the blackberries grow wild and are sweet and juicy. This wine will certainly be a hit.

The spiciness of the Shiraz would make it a great addition to a spicy Mexican dinner. It would enhance the flavors a make a simple meal of enchiladas and tacos seem elegant.

A Chianti is a perfect choice for a hearty lasagna or spaghetti dinner. You do not have to spend a lot to get a good Chianti. Who can resist those cute little bottles wrapped in the basket weave?

If you are serving a tender rib roast, tenderloin steak, Chateaubriand, filet mignon, or tournedos of beef, a robust Burgundy would be just the ticket.

As you can see from the suggestions above you may wish to have both a white wine and a red wine on hand when hosting a dinner. Some guests will most likely pick the wine they prefer and stay with that choice for the entire evening. Another may choose a white for the start of the evening and finish with a red. So always be prepared.

If you are a true wine connoisseur you may want to experiment with your own creations. Producing your own wine at home can be quite rewarding. You can make a variety of fruit wines that would actually be a great addition with most desserts. If you would like to learn more about making wine visit Fruit Wine Making

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