When I was fourteen our family lived in Cork, Ireland, for a year.  It was a time of high adventure.  My unknowing parents enrolled each of us kids in private Catholic schools, having been advised to do so.  We weren’t Catholics, however, so it involved lots of time sitting out in the hall during religion classes for me.  I did learn Latin and memorized lots of poetry!  I’m very grateful for that.  I never saw any cabbage being eaten, and they didn’t celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day.  So here’s to us in the United States!!  We make our holidays as we choose.

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A few days ago I had the pleasure of spending some time with Fergal Murray, the Master Brewer for Guinness. What a cool experience! I learned a ton. For instance, I always thought that the Guinness Draught that we all know and love as “a Guinness” must be their best seller worldwide. Turns out a “Guinness” in most of the rest of the world is the Foreign Extra Stout! Awesome beer, by the way, and you can get it at Wegmans. I also found out that the original lease Arthur Guinness signed for the land that the St. James Gate Brewery is on was for 9,000 years. Now that’s a long term lease! Last we settled an old argument. The Guinness Book of World Records was in fact started by the folks at Guinness. Why? To settle arguments in bars, of course! True story.

With St. Patty’s around the corner, the conversation inevitably got around to how to pour the perfect pint. Personal training from Fergal Murray on how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness, how cool is that?! Here’s what I learned:

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Ahhhh, Valentine’s Day.  When I think of this holiday, the image of mostly men sweating it out comes to mind. They just want the tools to make this day a success. Well, thankfully times have changed, and Valentine’s has become a point of inspiration for everyone.

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As another holiday approaches and the questions start coming about what’s the perfect go-to wine I realized most of us just want the best wines to impress the loved ones in our lives. Let’s face it, this is one of our opportunities to truly express our love, gratitude and appreciation and we don’t want to mess it up!

When you need a food-flexible wine and want to attach it to any type of celebration there is one and only one simple answer – a sparkler!

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It may seem surprising, but registered dietitians like me are just as prone to holiday weight gain as everyone else.  Case in point: I’d let some pounds creep on.  These vestiges of prior holidays are evidence that I’m a social eater.  Though fine with everyday routine, put me at a dinner party or in front of a luscious buffet where the wine doesn’t stop, and I readily overdo it, sometimes uncomfortably so.

The good news… over the past year I’ve strategically cut calories and pumped up physical activity.  And have no intention of greeting any of those formerly lost pounds in 2012.  In the spirit of sharing, here are some practical strategies that I’m counting on to keep the holiday pounds at bay.

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