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Thanksgiving

Turkey and wine
 by Mayank

Best Wines to Pair With Turkey

Thanksgiving is all about coming together with friends and family to give thanks and show appreciation for all of the blessings in your life, and if you’re like us, one of those blessings is an incredible glass of wine. Your turkey dinner is an amazing time to sit and truly enjoy some great wine pairings. Ultimately, wine pairing is a matter of personal preference. While it’s great to try new things, if you know you absolutely hate a Zinfandel, try the less intense Pinot Noir instead. The only real rule to wine pairing is to do what makes you, and your palate, happy. That being said, we’ve got some guidelines as to where you might want to begin your search for the perfect wine/turkey pairings.

Champagne/ Sparkling Wines/ Rose
If you want a super simple pairing that will work with everything served from appetizers to dessert, look to Champagne, Rose and other sparkling wines. Sparkling wines have an acidity level that makes them easy to pair with dishes filled with herbs, cranberries and turkey. The effervescent quality of Champagne and sparkling wines help them to cut through truly rich foods like that gorgeous pecan pie.

Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is perhaps the most traditional red wine pairing when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner. It has a lighter body than red wines like Cabernet and is softer on the palate than a Merlot. Pinot Noir typically features lush, berry fruits with an earthy undertone that pairs well with everything from the turkey to the cranberry sauce.

Zinfandel
Nicknamed the All-American grape, Zinfandel is another versatile red that pairs well with not just your turkey, but other trimmings on the table. Zinfandel is fuller in body than Pinot Noir and has a more intense flavor profile. As with Pinot Noir, Zinfandel has impressive fruit notes and it also features a bit of spice, both of which make it an excellent accompaniment to herb-laden dressings and both white and dark meat turkey.

Chardonnay
Another traditional Thanksgiving wine, Chardonnay is a pretty standard white at the table. An oaked Chardonnay has a round mouthfeel and is usually a bit creamy. The toasty oak flavors combine well with holiday classics like mashed potatoes and gravy and of course, your turkey. If you aren’t a fan of oaked Chardonnay, an un-oaked version of this white wine features more crisp citrus and apple flavors.

Riesling
Depending upon the Riesling, you may find that it is quite sweet or very dry, but the flavor profile of Riesling’s make them an excellent white wine choice for Thanksgiving dinner. Fruits such as apricots and apples and hints of delicious honey make this wine a great pairing for your sweet potato casserole as well as your turkey.

Remember that when it comes to wine, your tastes and preferences are more important than sticking to traditional wines that you don’t enjoy. If you feel adventurous, try pairing a few wines with your meal. Serve rose with appetizers, Pinot Noir or Riesling for dinner and finish with a sparkling wine. Savor your wine and your time with family and friends by picking a wine pairing that is meant for turkey.

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Thanksgiving recipe.
 by Mayank

Eat Well: Our Favorite Simple Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving is as much about the food and flavors as it is about giving thanks and practicing gratitude. Your table is likely full of dishes and recipes that have been passed down or are traditionally served for this holiday, but this year you may want to consider trying something new. Our super simple Thanksgiving recipes are quick and easy to make and are sure to please everyone gathered together. We’ve included a breakfast, appetizer, side dish and dessert so you can enjoy new flavors at any meal.

Pumpkin muffins

Pumpkin Muffins
Thanksgiving dinner steals the show this holiday, but you still need to eat breakfast to get your body going so you can make all the delicious dishes to fill your table. Start your morning with these super easy and festive pumpkin muffins.

Ingredients:

  • 1 18.5 oz box yellow cake mix
  • 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease muffin tin (or line with muffin paper liners). Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl and spoon equal amounts of batter into muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the muffins comes out clean.

Fresh Cranberry Salsa
Say goodbye to the can of cranberry sauce and hello to the taste of fresh cranberries. This easy cranberry salsa makes a great Thanksgiving appetizer served with cocktails.

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz fresh cranberries
  • 1 bunch cilantro chopped
  • 1 bunch green onions cut to 3 inches in length
  • 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and minced
  • 2 limes juiced
  • ¼ to ½ cup white sugar
  • Dash of salt
  • 1 8oz package cream cheese

Add cranberries, cilantro, green onions, jalapeno, lime juice, sugar and salt to the bowl of your food processor. Chop to a medium consistency and refrigerate. For best flavor, allow the salsa to refrigerate for 24 hours prior to serving. To serve pour salsa over softened cream cheese and serve with tortilla chips.

Roasted red potatoes

Honey Mustard Roasted Red Potatoes
Who says you have to eat mashed potatoes? If you feel like switching things up at the table a bit this year, try this delicious take on roasted red potatoes.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ tablespoon honey
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • ¼ teaspoon thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon rosemary
  • Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 5 red potatoes quartered or cut into 1 inch pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Add all ingredients to a large bowl except the potatoes. Whisk the olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper together. Add potatoes and toss to make sure all potatoes are coated. Roast in preheated oven, turning occasionally, until tender. Depending on your oven this may take anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes, potatoes are done when a fork easily slides into potatoes.

Chocolate rum balls.

Chocolate Rum Balls
Traditional desserts like pumpkin and pecan pie are definitely a tasty treat, but sometimes you’re a bit too full after dinner to enjoy a slice. These simple, bite-size desserts are made a few days in advance (to allow for best flavor) so they won’t take any time out of your holiday.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
  • â…“ cup confectioners sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)1 tablespoon honey
  • ¼ cup spiced rum
  • 1 gallon plastic zip bag
  • Additional confectioners sugar

In a large bowl, mix vanilla wafers, confectioners sugar, unsweetened cocoa and nuts. Once well mixed, blend in honey and spiced rum. Refrigerate for one hour. Shape rum ball dough into one-inch pieces. In a gallon sized plastic bag, add some additional confectioners sugar. Pour confectioners sugar into bag, add rum balls and shake well. Once coated with confectioners sugar, set aside in an airtight container for a few days to develop flavor.

Our favorite simple Thanksgiving recipes don’t require much time to prepare but they sure taste like they did. Wow your crowd with some new flavors by whipping up one of these tasty recipes. Start a new tradition this year with our favorite simple Thanksgiving recipes that your friends and family are sure to look forward to all year.

in Eat Well 0 comments
 by Mayank

Resveralife Examines the Relationship Between Gratitude and Your Health

Irrespective of how you are planning to spend Thanksgiving this year or who you plan to spend it with, make sure that you celebrate the festival the way it is meant to be celebrated. Thanksgiving is a day to spend some quality time with your loved ones and celebrate your victories of the past year. It is a day to show that you love someone and a day when you express your feelings with gratitude. And gratitude doesn’t just make you a nicer person. It also helps you to look better and live for a longer period of time.

Recent studies conducted to determine the effects of adding gratitude to one’s everyday life have shown that practicing gratitude and saying thanks regularly can help a person to become healthier, calmer, happier and peaceful. Moreover, people who are nice on the inside are also perceived to be more beautiful on the outside.

So what is it that makes being grateful so special? Vine Vera came across a number of theories which state that people who are grateful are more than likely to recognize their core values and prioritize their goals in the correct order. Moreover, these values also help them to take care of themselves as well as their loved ones. In other words, if one practices gratitude on a daily basis, he/ she is more likely to eat better, exercise better, get professional treatments and engage in better protective health behaviors.

Being grateful and practicing gratitude doesn’t need to be very hard and it doesn’t require a major lifestyle change either. Resveralife examines the four simple steps that you can add to your everyday lives in order to start enjoying the health benefits that gratitude has to offer.

Focus on positive things

Life has always been challenging and it always will be challenging. What really matters is how you approach the challenges thrown at you. Gratitude has often been defined as the attitude of a person towards the external and internal world. Thus, those who are more aware of the positive things in their lives, both inside and out, are more than likely to focus their attention on things besides themselves, thereby managing to lead a better and more fulfilling life.

Learn to appreciate what you have

Irrespective of which spectrum of the society we belong to, we often end up looking at others and hoping of having or doing things that they seem to be having or doing. However, most of us don’t bother to remember that there are people who dream of doing and enjoying the same things that we have the privilege of enjoying. There are very few people in the modern world who know how to value and appreciate what they have. It is important to understand that what a person has cannot be calculated only in terms of his/ her material possessions. It also includes the people, the person’s health and the person’s talent. Ultimately, it’s not about what you have or don’t have. It’s about what you feel about what you have.

Try to reframe those challenging situations

Problems are a part and parcel of our life. No one can enjoy a problem-free life. Every person is bound to face some kind of problem or the other at some point of time or the other. As difficult as your problems might seem to be, you need to understand that they won’t always be the same. There will be times when you have problems and there will be times when the going is smooth. After all, that’s the beauty of life. That’s what makes you who you are and defines you as an individual. What you need to understand is that you cannot change people around you or your situations. What you can change is your attitude and how you perceive your problems.

Remind yourself of the reasons for being grateful

Try to appreciate and value the things that you already have. In the midst of our everyday life, it is often easy to forget about the reasons we have to be grateful. Try to think about a few things you have to be grateful before going to sleep. Reflect on your gratitude journal and figure out all you have to be thankful for. It won’t just help you become happy, it will make you a better person as well.

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