Finnish Independence Day and Angry Birds

You have got to love a lady that doesn't take herself so seriously that she cannot poke fun at fashion. I guess some people believe Teija Vesterbacka, wife of Chief Marketing Officer of Rovio of Angry Birds fame, should have worn something more traditional and classy to the Finnish Presidential Palace in honor of of their Independence Day. I believe, however, that people often take things way too seriously, and having fun with fashion is a great way to to help them get over it. Here is the dress if you haven't seen it:

Still classy, just........fun. I will never understand why so many people insist on feeling as though everyone must share the same fashion sense as them anyway. I find that it makes life more interesting that we have people who dress differently, whether for personal or cultural reasons. I like that when I venture out into the world, I might see a teenage boy dressed in emo or steampunk faire or woman dressed in her own at do it yourself creations. It's not about whether or not I like the fashion personally; it's about how dull the world would be if we all dressed as someone else thinks we should. There is no right or wrong in fashion. Well, there might be some wrong, because this is pretty bad:

But you get the idea. ;)

Magnificent Wine Labels, Horror, Metal, and Cheese

As a wine lover and a collector of all things awesome, I wanted to share some of my favorite bottle labels I have come across, ones that I would be sure to keep after savoring the last drop of bittery, sweetness from my favorite red. The first label comes from Redhead Studio (Austrailia) and was designed by Mash Design:

I completely wish that I had been clever enough to come up with "Night of the Living Red." The wax is melted into blood-like drips, and when the loosely tied label is opened up, one sees zombie related scenes and crime files. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find this one yet, but I will let you know when and where I do!

Secondly, we have this simple, but effective label brought to us by R Wines in Austrailia:

Live, Evil, make it what you will. I think it is awesome. Although it looks to have been a vintage from 2007-08, it seems like it can still be found, and for a steal of a price. I have seen it anywhere from $6.50 to $17 on sites like Snooth.

Next up, is the Cycles Gladiator from Hahn Family Wines:

I like this one so much that I plan to get the poster with the same depiction from their web shop. It portrays the Alexandre Darracq painting of the original Cycles Gladiator advertising poster. The cool story behind this one is that it was banned in Alabama for three years, but has apparently been recently forgiven. From the Hahn Family Wines website: 

"Several years ago the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board took a look at our label and decided that it was a little too wild for the average wine drinker in Birmingham. our beloved Belle (seen taking a casual ride on the front label) was deemed "immodest and sensuous," and banned from all the stores in the state. However, after nearly three years of banishment Cycles Gladiator has been welcomed back in Alabama!"

You should be able to find this one at any liquor store with wine. I can actually find it down the street at my nearest Kroger's, from about $10-$15.

This next one might be my favorite. It was made by Roar Reserve Wines, and I plan to buy the whole line because it's so awesome ($20 each or $110 for the line)! Most importantly, it also benefits Big Cat Rescue, an organization that provides homes for abandoned and abused big cats. You can buy one or all of the wines at a site called Benefit wines, http://www.benefitwines.com/default.asp, and a portion of the purchase will go toward the Big Cat Rescue.

How could a self-professed animal lover not want these?! And the site also has these, which I simply cannot resist as a Bat lover:

The purchase of these would benefit the Bat World Sanctuary. There are many other charities that can benefit on this site from the purchase of a bottle of Vino. Makes a good present too :)

The vintage pin-up girl in me loves these labels from Turn Me Wines in Illinois:

Apparently, the pin-up girls can also be optioned for your establishment on a promotional basis! The Reisling, shown here in it previous and current incarnation, is from a German importer and distributor known as Wein-Bauer, and they attempted to create a drier version of the typically sweetwe Reisling. The Red is a Cabernet from Austria and uses the Zweigelt grape. The Sweet is produced in the Tempranillo La Mancha Region of Spain. I love the polka-dotted dress with the black Tulle embellishment; so fun. All the wines are inexpensive, typically running under $10 or $15.

Another extremely awesome pin-up label is this holiday inspired one from PasoPort Wine in California:

How cute is that?! It runs at $40 per bottle as a limited edition wine, and is listed as a dessert wine. Not too overpriced to give it a try for the holidays.

For the Vintage Horror movie fan, Killibinbin from Brother in Arms Winery in Austrailia offers these great labels from one of their lines, once again designed by Mash Design:

Another vintage themed set of labels comes from Wine by Some Young Punks. This is their Pulp Novel themed line:

 Finally, the brilliant minds who decided to pair Heavy Metal music and wine will always have a piece of my heart. AC/DC labeled wines, from Warburn Estate Wineries in, once again, Austrailia made these:

I mean, "Highway to Hell" Cabernet and "Back in Black" Shiraz?! Brilliant! I cannot find these outside of Austrialia, though, nor can I find anyone to ship them here. I saw that some people were upset that AC/DC would do such a thing to try to make money, which I don't get at all. I think they are great collectibles, and who wouldn't try to make as much money as they could? I never really understood that attitude. The whole "sell-out" thing is a bit overplayed, I think.

And finally, the singer of the Norwegian Satyricon, my favorite band (aside from my all time favorite, Pantera), collaborated with an Italian winery known as Roagna Winery to create his namesake, Wongraven Wines:

There's even a boxed variety, if you're so inclined. Currently, the Barolo Unione Nero di Wongraven 2006 and Langhe Rosso Alleanza Nero di Wongraven 2009 are available. I personally think wine is metal, although many out there, especially within the Black Metal genre might disagree. This one is tough to find, and when you do it get a little pricy. I think partly because it is limited edition. $$65 to $95 a bottle.

One last thought.......I recommend this amazing cheese from Sartori Cheese to pair with any red wine:

It is the Merlot Bellavitano cheese from their Reserve line, and it's amazing as long as you like aged cheese of the smelly variety. Cheers! :)

Duck Hunter Gets Shot In Buttocks

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/01/9139460-dog-shoots-man-medics-remove-27-pellets-from-hunters-buttocks

Maybe it's the animal lover in me, or maybe I'm just a little messed up, but I love stories like this! Here is a piece from the MSN article:

A bird hunter in Utah was shot in the buttocks after his dog stepped on a shotgun laid across the bow of a boat.

Box Elder County Sheriff's Deputy Kevin Potter says the 46-year-old Brigham City man was duck hunting with a friend 10 miles west of the city when he climbed out of the boat to move decoys.

Potter says the man left his 12-gauge shotgun in the boat and the dog stepped on it, causing it to fire.

I try not to judge people, I really do. I also feel like people should be able to do what makes them happy. And I know that this isn't some kind of karma, although I'd like to think that it is a form of "instant" karma, but I always feel like you get what you deserve when I hear about stories like this. If that makes me a bad person, that's okay by me.

Tasty Winter Recipes

I wanted to share a couple of recipes that sound amazing, especially for this time of year. You know, Autmun, Thanksgiving, Winter, Christmas, savory comfort food time. The first can be found on the Food Network website, and was made by Paula Deen. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/caramel-apple-cheesecake-recipe/index.html. A video for it follows:

I suppose you could do with or without the nuts, depending on your preference, but either way I want to eat that up!

The second recipe is from the Vegetarian Times website, (originally found in their Novemer 2005 issue), and I think it's such a fun and creative way to get your fill of vegetables. It's call a Roasted Vegetable Cornucopia with Gravy, and it can be found here: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9698?section=, but I will also list it below:

Cornucopias

1 large egg

1 17.3-oz. pkg. prepared puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed

Roasted Vegetables

2 cups cauliflower florets

2 cups baby zucchini, or 1/2 lb. regular zucchini, halved and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks

2 cups baby pattypan squash, or 1/2 lb. regular pattypan squash, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks

1 cup baby carrots

12 purple pearl onions, peeled and halved

6 oz. cremini mushrooms, trimmed

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbs. chopped fresh sage

2 Tbs. chopped fresh marjoram

1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
To make Cornucopias:
2. Tear off 8 18-inch-long sheets of heavy-duty foil. Fold each sheet into quarters. Roll each quarter into cone; bend "tail" if desired.
3. Beat egg with 1 Tbs. water and pinch of salt in small bowl. Place 1 puff pastry sheet on lightly floured work surface. Refrigerate second sheet until ready to use. Gently pull ends of puff pastry to stretch it out to 10 inches wide. Cut pastry sheet into 20 1/2-inch strips. Loosely wrap 1 strip around pointed end of first foil cone, and spiral strip around cone, overlapping edges as you wrap. When strip runs out, brush end with egg wash, then press on second strip to adhere. Continue wrapping cone with 4 more pastry strips, "gluing" them with egg as you go. Repeat with remaining strips, cones and remaining pastry sheet.
4. Place cones on their sides on 1 baking sheet. Brush all over with remaining egg wash. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet.
To make Roasted Vegetables:
5. Increase oven heat to 450°F. Toss together all ingredients in large bowl. Spread vegetables on second baking sheet. Roast 30 to 35 minutes, or until vegetables are browned and tender, turning every 10 minutes to make sure they cook evenly. Transfer to large bowl.
To assemble Cornucopias:
6. Gently pull foil cones away from insides of cooled Cornucopias, and discard. If desired, toss vegetables with 2/3 cup Holiday Gravy (which can also be found on their site, if desired) Spoon into Cornucopias, and serve

I hope you enjoy these suggestions. :)