Light-bodied, floral and crisp, cider is a lovely bridge between summer white wines and winter reds. Gary Itkin, manager of New York's Bottlerocket wine and spirits shop, gave us five simple rules for enjoying it.
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1. Understand the varieties. You may think cider's too sweet for your taste, but like Riesling, which suffers from a similar image problem, there are dry, "off-dry," and sweet styles. If you're new to the beverage, ask a salesperson to show you a "completely dry" or "extra-dry" option.
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2. Don't spend too much. Most good ciders fall between $10 and $25.
3. Buy local, if you can. There are wonderful bottles produced on the West Coast, the Midwest, the East Coast, the Great Lakes region and New England. Two of Itkin's favorites come from New Hampshire (Farnum Hill) and Virginia (Foggy Ridge).
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4. Pick up a few bottles. Cider's alcohol content ranges from 2% to 9%-much lower than
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5 Simple Rules for Enjoying Cider, the Autumn Champagne
By Oprah.com | Shine Food – Fri, Oct 7, 2011 9:32 PM EDT
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Tulle, fredflare.com
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Luxe Rachel Zoe for QVC, qvc.com
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Like O, The Oprah Magazine on FacebookRead More »from 5 Affordable, Colorful Coats for Fall
Read More »from 4 Natural Pain Treatments from Dr. Oz
Photo: Dan SaelingerBy Dr Mehmet Oz
The Pain: Lower backache
Nature's RX: Devil's claw
The Khoisan tribes of the Kalahari Desert used this herb as a pain remedy for thousands of years before it was introduced to Europe in the early 1900s. One study found that devil's claw-which contains an anti-inflammatory agent called harpagoside-was just as effective as the prescription NSAID Vioxx, which was immensely popular before it was withdrawn from the market due to its cardiovascular side effects. I recommend taking an extract that provides 50 to 100 milligrams of harpagoside daily for as long as your pain lasts.
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The Pain: Migraine
Nature's RX: Butterbur root
When a migraine strikes, cells in the brain release chemicals that cause inflammation. By interfering with some of those chemicals, butterbur can provide relief. In a study of migraine patients, 68 percent of those who took butterbur root reduced their number of attacks by at least 50 percent. Take 75 to 100 milligramsFat That Makes You Thin And Other Amazing Medical Advances
By Oprah.com | Healthy Living – Thu, Oct 6, 2011 8:53 PM EDT
Read More »from Fat That Makes You Thin And Other Amazing Medical Advances
Photo: Dan SaelingerBy Gretchen Reynolds
Electronic Eyes
These "eyes" have restored partial vision to people with deteriorating retinas. The imitation peepers involve an implanted device that receives input from a tiny camera and a transmitter mounted on a pair of glasses. Images from the camera are converted into signals that the implant uses to stimulate retinal cells-allowing the brain's vision center to, in essence, see a rough version of what the camera sees. The device could be, for many people, a chance at second sight.
How Soon: Testing is under way at several universities. Early results are promising, and the technology could be available within a year.
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Haircolor That Lasts
In June scientists from NYU Langone Medical Center announced their discovery that specialized signaling molecules can dictate the color of hair cells. Once they learn more about this process, they hope to develop a treatment for gray hair.
How Soon: Difficult to predict at this point, since thisMythbuster: Is Fast Food Cheaper Than a Home-Cooked Dinner?
By Oprah.com | Shine Food – Thu, Oct 6, 2011 8:25 PM EDT
Read More »from Mythbuster: Is Fast Food Cheaper Than a Home-Cooked Dinner?Photo: ThinkstockWe've heard it a million times: Fast food-at drive-thru's, airports, or mini-marts-is cheaper than real food. It's why so many of people are unhealthy and un-slim. We so get it.
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Turns out, we are so wrong. In an Op-Ed in the New York Times, the food writer Mark Bittman (his How to Cook Everything is one of our go-to cookbooks) made a passionate argument against the idea.
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(Read the article to see how a typical McDonald's dinner for a family of four quickly adds up, and to see Bittman's suggestions for two simple, filling meals that cost half as much). He not only makes the case that homemade dinners can be less expensive than food-on-the-run but he also points out how the addictive power of high-fat, salty foods like burgers and fries (and potato chips) can make non-processed "real food" seem less satisfying.
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It quickly becomes clear, though, that what fast food does5 Lessons on Life with Kids From "I Don't Know How She Does It" Author, Allison Pearson
By Oprah.com | Parenting – Wed, Oct 5, 2011 8:53 PM EDT
Read More »from 5 Lessons on Life with Kids From "I Don't Know How She Does It" Author, Allison Pearson
Photo: Getty ImagesThe author of the best-selling novel I Don't Know How She Does It-the current film version stars Sarah Jessica Parker-gets real about guilt, marriage, and loving what you do.
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Men will never be women...
The software program for motherhood is impossible to fully download into the male brain. You give them two tasks and they're like, "I have to change the baby and get the dry cleaning?"
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...But the right partner makes all the difference.
When you have kids, there's a tendency to put the marriage stew on the back burner and give it a quick stir now and then. But it's important to remember why you had children with this person. My husband is old-fashioned and kind, he does the greatest Sinatra impression, and I'd never have written anything if he hadn't read all those bedtime stories and unloaded the dishwasher while I slaved over chapters.
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By Oprah.com | Life Made Easy – Wed, Oct 5, 2011 7:55 PM EDT
Photo: ThinkstockWhat would it take to change your life for the better? It may be less than you think.
Edit Your Online SelfDeleting old Flickr photos and closing Myspace accounts do only so much. If you want to seriously revamp what pops up when someone searches for you, consider turning to an online reputation management agency. Such sites, like Reputation.com and MetalRabbitMedia.com, reverse engineer search-engine algorithms in order to drive favorable content towards the top and bury unflattering posts. One DIY to hiding embarassing content: Create Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter pages; Google and Bing generally put content from social networking sites toward the top of search results.
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Send a Smarter Message
Yes, we live in a 140-character world, thumbs furiously tapping out terse missives. But consider an e-mail received recently by O magazine's editor-in-chief: "susan: hows it goin?? Annny chance you might know some peeps that could get a Read More »from 3 Online Solutions to Real Life ProblemsAt Last: A Supportive Flat Shoe for Unhappy Feet
By Oprah.com | Healthy Living – Wed, Oct 5, 2011 7:21 PM EDT
Read More »from At Last: A Supportive Flat Shoe for Unhappy FeetPhoto: Dr. Andrew Weil Integrative FootwearBy Corrie Pikul
For those with hard-to-please feet, autumn is the awkward season. We can't keep wearing our orthopedic (yet vaguely Euro and therefore chic) sandals, and it's not yet cold enough to strap sensitive or injured feet into boots.
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This in-between weather calls for in-between shoes: flats that cover toes but expose ankles and can be worn with or without tights. Unfortunately, those of us who rely upon our podiatrists for style advice know that the prettiest flats don't often offer enough arch or lateral support. The clunky flats that tend to look more appropriate for clogging than ballet.
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After dealing with foot problems for half a decade, I've found a few pairs of supportive shoes that won't make my bad feet worse, yet also won't age me by 30 years. This fall, I'll be expanding my safe shoe collection with a pair of moccasins by Dr. Andrew Weil. Yes, that Dr. Weil -- theAuthor-Rapper Common on Learning From Your Break-up
By Oprah.com | Love + Sex – Wed, Oct 5, 2011 3:43 AM EDT
Photo: Getty ImagesIn 2003, my girlfriend and I broke up. We'd been together for two years-we were practically engaged-and had been friends for years before that. After we parted ways, I entered a long period of heartbreak. Like any person who's been rejected, I thought, Man, what's wrong with me? I tried to figure out which of my own flaws had kept us from having a successful relationship. But in my gut, I knew my mistakes. My ex had a lot of power and presence, and that had made me less assertive about my own needs. I had sacrificed parts of who I am to avoid conflict. When you're not sticking up for yourself, things start building up.
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About three months after the breakup, I was really feeling the loss when something dawned on me: It wasn't just in my relationship that I'd let myself be overshadowed. Even with my managers, my mentality was, It's all about your needs. When they wanted me to try out for a TV show that paid good money, I
Read More »from Author-Rapper Common on Learning From Your Break-up
Read More »from 6 Ways to Strengthen Your Brain
By Paige Greenfield
1. Volunteer
Stimulates: The prefrontal cortex, which analyzes, plans, and problem-solves
Why: A Johns Hopkins study found that older women who tutored kids for six months developed sharper cognitive skills. The social and mental activity required for teaching sends blood rushing to this part of the brain.
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2. Work out
Stimulates: The hippocampus, which forms memories
Why: Arthur Kramer, PhD, a researcher at the University of Illinois, used MRIs to show that exercise actually makes your hippocampus bigger. Physical activity may increase the number of capillaries in the region, which in turn helps new cells grow. Kramer prescribes one-hour sweat sessions three times a week.
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3. Learn a skill
Stimulates: The intraparietal sulcus, which directs hand-eye coordination
Why: At Oxford University, researchers taught 24 people to juggle and found that after six weeks this region had a higher density of
