LifeStyle

Almost everyone on the planet has heard of Chardonnay, in fact it is so popular that some people even name their children after it.

Chardonnay is commonly ordered as a type of wine from bars and restaurants but it is in fact the name of the most popular and possibly the most versatile grape in the world.

Almost all white Burgundy from Bourgogne Blanc to Chablis is made from 100% chardonnay grapes. The Chardonnay grape is also the mainstay in many types of champagne and is now even being used in Spain to make Cava.

Thanksgiving Day is a Holiday rooted in rich history. Here are some very fun and interesting Thanksgiving facts to share during Thanksgiving dinner.

*Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States.

*Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada.

*The pilgrims arrived in North America in December 1620.

*The Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to reach North America.

*The pilgrims sailed on the ship, which was known by the name of ‘Mayflower’.

*The Wampanoag Indians were the people who taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate the land.

*The drink that the Puritans brought with them in the Mayflower was beer.

*By the fall of 1621 only half of the pilgrims, who had sailed on the Mayflower, survived. The survivors, thankful to be alive, decided to give a thanksgiving feast.
They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day at Plymouth, Massachusetts.

You do not have to go by the book to create tasty, easy, sociable food. Easy meal preparation is all about stripping cooking down to its bare essentials using little techniques and conveniences to make the most of your recipes. It is so simple Skip the fuss and follow your heart.

Here are some tips to take the stress out of cooking, whether you are stirring up supper for your mate or hoping to impress the new in laws

Dinners in a Bag

Make these dinner bags involving glorious aluminum foil and write on them,

25 minutes at 425 F, for example, with a marker pen. Even though Jools didn t like cooking, she never had a problem with cooking the bags. I just program the Favorites Cycle, in your  microwave . Here s just one version, but feel free to vary the recipe with things like grated parsnip, smoked bacon or red wine.

Chicken Breasts Baked in a Bag

Serves two

As any health conscious beverage drinker will know, rooibos tea is one of the most effective and natural teas available, with no caffeine and a wide range of health benefits to be enjoyed in every cup. Grown in South Africa, with the scientific name of Aspalathus linearis, rooibos means ‘red bush’ in the local Afrikaans dialect. This tea is known for its powerful antioxidants and health properties which are also found in regular Camellia sinensis tea plants, such as polyphenols, the antioxidants that protect against cell damage and counteract diseases such as age-related decline, cancer and heart disease. Rooibos does not contain caffeine however, which makes it even more effective as a healthy immune booster.

Additional health benefits of rooibos include far lower tannin levels compared to fully oxidized black tea or un-oxidized green tea leaves. This tea also contains a number of phenolic compounds, such as flavanols, flavones, flavanones, and dihydrochalcones. Rooibos is known to assist with a wide range of health problems, including nervous tension, allergies and digestive problems. In Africa the tea is used medicinally to treat symptoms ranging from infantile colic to allergies, asthma and dermatological problems.