A primer on handling Mussels

When purchasing mussels make sure the shells are closed. Some open shells will close when gently tapped. If shells do not close discard those mussels. Mussels should have a slight, fresh seafood odour. Remember, mussels are alive when purchased and should be handled carefully. Ensure that mussels always have access to an adequate supply of oxygen.

Mussels are alive when purchased and should be alive when cooked. When storing mussels, ensure that there are holes in the containers or bags to allow oxygen to flow through to the mussels. Keep mussels in a refrigerator or cool environment until ready to use. Mussels may keep for 2-3 days prior to cooking. Cooked mussels, in strained liquor and put in a covered container, may last for approximately 2 days. Frozen, cooked mussels may last up to 4 months if properly sealed. (Do not freeze live mussels).

I Love Italian Wine and Food - Northern Veneto

If you are looking for a European tourist destination, consider the Veneto region of northern Italy on the Gulf of Venice. Venice is of course its best-known city and one of the most popular tourist destinations on earth. But the Veneto region has a lot more to offer. You'll find many, many excellent tourist attractions and you won't have to fight huge crowds. With a little luck you'll avoid tourist traps and come back home feeling that you have truly visited Italy. This article examines tourist attractions in northern Veneto. Be sure to read our companion articles on southern Veneto, on that Shakespearean city of Verona, and on the university city of Padua.

We start our tour of northern Veneto in Marostica, northeast of Vicenza and northwest of Venice. Then we head basically east, first to Bassano del Grappa, on to Asolo, and finally southeast to Treviso.

How To Handle a Panel of Interviewers During a Job Interview

The best way is to handle a panel of interviewers is to take them on one at a time. The board or panel is not one entity, but several individuals coming together with the common goal of hiring the best candidate for the job. At the same time, each person has his own agenda or department's interest at heart. For example, the HR manager will be checking to make sure you are a good fit with the culture and people working at this company. The hiring manager will want to know about your technical skills or business know-how. And the person from accounting will want to know if you are savvy enough to operate a business budget.

I Love French Wine and Food - A Rhone Valley Crozes-Hermitage

If you are looking for fine French wine and food, consider the Rhone Valley region of southeastern France. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you'll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a Crozes-Hermitage red wine from the northern Rhone Valley.

Among France's eleven wine-growing regions the Rhone Valley ranks second in acreage. The region extends 125 miles (200 kilometers) along the Rhone River. This region is actually composed of two parts, the north and the south whose wines tend to be quite different. The northern Rhone Valley is quite narrow. Its major red grape variety is Syrah, while its major white variety is Viognier. The northern Rhone Valley produces some of the best red wines in all France, and according to its fan club, some of the best red wines on earth. The southern Rhone Valley produces about 95% of the Rhone Valley wines. This is the kingdom of grape blending. For example the famous Chateauneuf-Du-Pape AOC wine may be made from up to thirteen different grape varieties.

FLEXIBILITY IN HOSPITALITY DESIGN

Quite rapidly, it seems that our global society has adopted a common trait - we want what we want, when we want it. Yesterday's amenities, which provided added benefits to the guest experience, have quickly evolved into today's expectations. The internet, e-mail, on-demand movies and television programming, satellite radio, and general pace of life have all impacted the way that we live our lives - and the way that we expect those providing services deemed essential to support our new lifestyles. There are few industries which have been impacted by these new expectations as significantly as the hospitality industry. In fact, I believe that the need for flexibility may have become the single most dominant trend in hospitality design, as it allows or limits the ability for operators to address other trends that appear on the horizon. After all, doesn't the facility typically outlive most trends that come and go?

St. Patrick's Day All Year Long

Once during a St. Patrick's Day pub crawl, I saw a bruiser of a man swagger down the street wearing an ill-fitting dress and a lopsided wig, his face painted bright green. When some revelers on a balcony howled at him, he turned, lifted the back of his skirt and mooned them. We all discovered that his face wasn't the only thing he'd painted green! The partiers on the balcony roared with approval and raised their glasses filled with green-dyed beer to salute what they perceived to be his Irish chutzpah.
This didn't happen in Ireland, and quite frankly, none of it had anything to do with St. Patrick's Day. Not really. The Irish don't spend the day getting knee-walking drunk on green-dyed beer. In fact, they're not prone to paint anything green on the occasion that honors their patron saint.
Traditionally, the Irish celebrated St. Patrick's Day as Americans would Thanksgiving. Families began the day at church, then gathered at someone's home for a special meal. While the day has metamorphosed into a celebration of national pride, for the Irish it's still about the food and the fellowship.