Champagne. Nothing says “Happy New Year” like the sound of a cork popping from a a big bottle of bubbly.

But movies and TV would have you believe that opening a bottle of Champagne means the cork should ricochet around the room while the precious wine gushes out of the bottle like a waterfall.

That’s just a waste of good (and usually expensive) Champers (not to mention a tad bit dangerous)!

If you plan to welcome the New Year with a glass of Champagne (or sparkling wine), make sure you know how to open the bottle so you don’t spill a drop!

Here’s how to chill and open a bottle of Champagne:

1. Chill the sealed bottle in a bucket of ice and water for 30 to 45-minutes before you’re ready to open and serve it. If you have more time, refrigerate it for 2 to 3 hours. The folks at Dom Perignon recommend serving the Champagne at about 54°F.
2. To open the bottle, keep the palm of your hand flat over the top of the bottle and remove the foil and wire cage.
3. Hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle away from you (and your otherwise terrified guests) and press your palm flat on the cork.
4. With your hand on the bottleneck, twist the bottle, NOT THE CORK, until the cork starts to loosen.
5. Gently ease the cork from the bottle. The cork should come out with a sigh not a bang!

Perfect! That’s how you open a bottle of Champagne! Now serve the wine in tall and narrow flutes or the old-school, wider shaped coupes (like the two in the photo).

And, while you’re sipping your Champagne, ask your guests: How many bubbles are contained in average bottle of Champagne?

The answer? Forty-nine million!

Have a safe and happy New Year celebration!

I’ve found the perfect way to stay hydrated and energized during a blogging conference, trade show or any event where you need to keep your star-power bright.

You’re going to want one of these, especially before all the spring-time travel begins! This is the best water bottle ever!

My good pals over at Dexas International know me soooo well. They know that I’m always on the go… or just playing catch-up with my crazy life.

Drinking lots of water is the name of the game (as we all know), but having something healthy to eat when you are on the verge of your next meal is just as important (that’s when we make bad choices… or at least I do).

Dexas has the answer: The Snack-DuO water bottle… the only bottle that has two side-by-side chambers: one to hold whatever you like to drink, and another to hold a snack.

And, before I continue, because this is important, the Snack-DuO is made of Tritan™ copolyester, a BPA and BPS-free plastic. No bisphenols in this high impact-resistant bottle! Good to know, especially because there’s so much talk about the risk of using plastic water bottles that aren’t BPA free!

Do you workout or go to the gym? I really try (key word: try) to work out everyday. I know that after a workout I need to eat something… especially something healthy. Before I work out, I fill the snack-side of the Snack-DuO with protein bar bites, trail mix or almonds. Okay, sometimes I fill it with M&M’s, but that’s only sometimes.

The bottle is watertight and holds 12 ounces of liquid. The snack chamber holds 1½ cups of your fave snack, which is more than a serving size of most healthy snacks. Love that the Snack-DuO is also dishwasher safe.

The Snack-DuO is great for commuting… or for making sure the kids have a healthy snack before their after-school activities!

Now… doesn’t this sound like the best water bottle ever? Order your Snack DuO here!

It’s National Pasta Day!

Here’s a 4-ingredient recipe that takes no time to prepare, so you can get on with the festivities! (You are celebrating, aren’t you?!)

Seriously, when you get slammed with everything life throws at you, it’s nice to be able to whip up a delicious hot dinner like this Easy Ravioli Bake. I used frozen ravioli, but you can use fresh ravioli from the supermarket’s refrigerator case. A jar of pasta sauce, some mozz and Parm and you’ve got a one- dish wonder.

If you don’t get around to making this Easy Ravioli Bake for National Pasta Day, save it for next week’s Meatless Monday!

       Print this recipe.    

 

Easy Ravioli Bake

prep: 10 minutes
bake: 20 minutes

serves 4

you’ll need…
2 cups pasta sauce
1 12-ounce package frozen or fresh ravioli
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or your favorite cheese)
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

let’s get to it…

HEAT oven to 375°F. Spray a 1-quart casserole with non-stick spray.

POUR ½ cup sauce into the casserole; top with half of the ravioli and half of the shredded mozzarella. Pour ½ cup sauce on ravioli and top with the rest of the ravioli and mozzarella. Pour remaining 1-cup sauce on ravioli and top with Parmesan cheese.

BAKE 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly and heated through.

cooking know-how: Add cooked and drained spinach or chopped red and green bell peppers for added flavor!

Do you remember this?

image by dmitriy shapiro

Airplane food. We used to love to hate it.

Most airlines don’t serve these types of meals anymore… at least not in economy class, where Mama’s family sits. And, unless you’re lucky enough to be traveling through a kid-friendly airport, you’re left feeding everyone pricey food you buy at the airport or going hungry.

OR…

You can take the advice of my friends at Prêt a Paquet and bring your own food from home. Simply put: practical and stylish on-the-go food storage.

The BPA-free, leak-proof containers come in a lot of different sizes and shapes depending on what you want to eat: salad bowls, sandwich packs and snack kits. The lunch kits have portion-sized compartments, so you can pack healthy options.

Prêt a Paquet has baby in mind, too, with lunch kits, snack kits and a bottle kit that keeps bottles at the perfect temperature.

Every container comes with a colorful, insulated cover so food stays hot or cold. The covers, and of course the containers, are dishwasher safe. You can find everything at Target.

Most important, these containers also help YOU not become THAT GUY on the plane. You know who I mean… that guy who brings the smelly deep dish pizza on the 7 a.m. flight to Orlando!