The weekend is almost here! Time to celebrate with those precious few days off.  What will you do?  Sleep, read, relax… How about throw a wine and cheese party!?  A simple way to gather with friends and enjoy the decadent pairings of wine and cheese.  And with these easy steps throwing a fabulous soiree will be effortless.

Step 1: Invite Your Guests

Six to 10 people is the ideal group for a tasting party: big enough to spark interesting conversation, but still small enough for everyone to sit around the table.

Step 2: Go Shopping

Buy three or four different wines and cheeses. You’ll need 12 to 20 ounces of each cheese and two or three bottles of each wine. Buy cheeses no more than a day in advance so they’ll be fresh and flavorful.

Chill sparkling wines overnight. Chill white wines two to three hours before the party (too cold kills the flavor), red wines about 30 minutes prior.  Take cheese out of fridge one hour before the party.

Step 3: Arrange the Pairings

On a side table or counter, pair cheeses and wines in order from mildest to strongest. Group similar cheeses on one plate (soft cheeses, goat cheeses, etc.). “Don’t crowd all the cheese together,” warns Marguerite Thomas, a writer and editor for winereview online.com, “or the flavors will get murky.”

On folded index cards, list each cheese and its accompanying wine.  On the dining table, put out palate cleansers (crackers, bread, water) for guests to nibble on or drink between selections, and notepaper and pens so guests can jot down their thoughts and impressions.

Pairing Suggestions
Sparkling wines go with mild, buttery triple-cream cheeses (St. Andre, Explorateur).

Simple, young wines (sauvignon blanc, Sancerre) go with soft, young cheeses (goat cheese).

Chardonnays and full cabernets go well with semisoft cheeses (Brie, Camembert).

Medium-bodied reds (pinot noir, Côtes du Rhone) go with hard, stronger-flavored cheeses (Parmesan, Gruyère, aged cheddar).

Sweet/dessert wines go with pungent blue cheeses. It may sound odd, but try it!

From: Redbook.com

1. Purchase decorative glass bottles from your local craft store or beer bottling supplier. Pick bottles that have caps that can be tightly sealed
2. Mix together about 4 ounces of fresh herb such as lavender or peppermint, or the scent you find sensual, with one pint of olive, grape seed, coconut, jojoba or avocado oil. Add more or less herb depending on the strength desired.
3. Put the combination into a saucepan. Heat on low for about 1 hour. Make sure the mixture never boils. Infuse the oil with the scent of the herb.
4. Strain the oil into a bottle. Place the cap on the bottle, once the oil has cooled. Store the oil in a cool dry place away from sunlight.
5. Use the oil as a massage or bath oil and enjoy.

Learning how to taste wines is a straightforward adventure that will deepen your appreciation for both wines and winemakers. Look, smell, taste – starting with your basic senses and expanding from there you will learn how to taste wines like the pros in no time! Keep in mind that you can smell thousands of unique scents, but your taste perception is limited to salty, sweet, sour and bitter. It is the combination of smell and taste that allows you to discern flavor.

Here’s How:

1. Look: Check out the Color and Clarity. Pour a glass of wine into a suitable wine glass. Then take a good look at the wine. Tilt the glass away from you and check out the color of the wine from the rim edges to the middle of the glass (it’s helpful to have a white background – either paper, napkin or a white tablecloth).

2. Smell: Our sense of smell is critical in properly analyzing a glass of wine. To get a good impression of your wine’s aroma, swirl your glass for a solid 10-12 seconds (this helps vaporize some of the wine’s alcohol and release more of its natural aromas) and then take a quick whiff to gain a first impression.

3. Taste: Finally, take a taste. Start with a small sip and let it roll around your mouth. There are three stages of taste: the Attack phase, the Evolution phase and the Finish.

The Attack Phase, is the initial impression that the wine makes on your palate. The Attack is comprised of four pieces of the wine puzzle: alcohol content, tannin levels, acidity and residual sugar. These four puzzle pieces display initial sensations on the palate. Ideally these components will be well-balanced one piece will not be more prominent than the others.

The Evolution Phase In this phase you are looking to discern the flavor profile of the wine. If it’s a red wine you may start noting fruit – berry, plum, prune or fig; perhaps some spice – pepper, clove, cinnamon, or maybe a woody flavor like oak, cedar, or a detectable smokiness. If it’s a white wine you may taste apple, pear, tropical or citrus fruits, or the taste may be more floral in nature or consist of honey, butter, herbs or a bit of earthiness.

The Finish The wine’s finish is how long the flavor impression lasts after it is swallowed. This is where the wine culminates, where the aftertaste comes into play. Can you taste the remnant of the wine on the back of your mouth and throat? Do you want another sip or was the wine too bitter at the end? Does the taste persist or is it short-lived?

4. After you have taken the time to taste your wine, you might record some of your impressions. Did you like the wine overall? Was it sweet, sour or bitter? How was the wine’s acidity? Was it well balanced? Does it taste better with cheese, bread or a heavy meal? Will you buy it again? If so, jot the wine’s name, producer and vintage year down for future reference.

Source: About.com

1. Change the situation

Avoid the stressor. Learn how to say “no,” you don’t need to save the world all in one day. Avoid the people who stress you out. If someone makes you want to rip your hair out, don’t go grab a coffee with him or her. Pare down your to-do list. Express your feelings instead of bottling them up. Be willing to compromise and be more assertive. Manage your time so you make time for you!

2. Change your reaction

Adapt. Reframe your problems. Look at the big picture, sometimes just because your boyfriend doesn’t text you back in 0.5 seconds does not mean that he is cheating on you. Adjust your standards. Focus on the positive. Accept that you cannot control everything.

3. Make time for fun!

Go for a walk. Spend time with nature. Call on a good friend. Sweat out tension with a good workout. Write in your journal. Take a long bath with scented candles, bath bubbles and a glass of wine. Put on your favorite song, turn up the volume, grab a spatula or some other pseudo microphone and dance around the room.

4. Adapt a healthy lifestyle

Exercise regularly. Eat well. Get enough sleep. Reduce caffeine and sugar.

1. RUN! Most bar fights stem from jealousy, intoxication and misunderstandings. When some people drink a switch is flipped and they become hypersensitive and irrational. In this drunken state, there will be no winner. So it’s best to avoid the fight all together.

2. Assess the situation. Ask yourself these simple questions: Is this a bar I ever want to go to again? Am I going to regret this in the morning? How drunk is my opponent? How drunk am I? Who has more friends behind them? What would Borracha do?

3. Stand by bartenders and bouncers. They will be the first to break up a fight and their presence will probably even diffuse a rumble before it starts. So, if you want to keep your manicure intact, edge your way closer to these burly men.

4. Take a defensive stance. Lean forward, guard your face with your hands, and firmly plant your feet.

5. Give your best war cry. This will not only intimidate your opponent but also will draw attention. With more attention shining on you, there is a higher chance that your rival will back down. Or he will just think you are a crazy and he will go running for the hills!

6. Act like the victim. This will be your best chance at avoiding criminal charges and being thrown out of the bar.

During an unexpected night out with the girls downtown you met this great guy and spend the whole night dancing hip to hip. In the dim lights of the club he looks tall, dark and handsome and you are feeling great (especially since the dim lights of the club also flawlessly mask the sheen of sweat on your face and your now slightly out of place hair!). But the clock is ticking away and you start to feel like Cinderella as the night is about to expire. Even though your car won’t turn into a pumpkin and your hot dress won’t turn into a ragged mess, you still feel the panic of when the night ends and the lights come on. Will your perfect guy run for the hills and suddenly have ‘an early meeting’ the next morning? Follow these tips and tricks to make sure you look fabulous and snag your man!

Just before heading home for the night, sneak off to the restroom. Grab a toilet seat cover and blot your face to remove sweat. The seat covers actually work just as well as the name brand shine control blotting sheets and can be found in practically ever bar or club! If you have any sweat stains on your shirt, you can dry them out with the hand blow dryers. Carry a small compact brush in your purse of clutch and brush out any fly away hairs. Sephora makes a great travel brush that is cheap, folds closed, and has a mirror in it. Also in your bag bring a shimmery lip gloss and slick some on—just make sure it’s not too sticky! Use these tricks and you will be ready and waiting for those bright lights to come on.