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News Bites February 10, 2018

No more margaritas: why we might see a tequila shortage soon

All you margarita fans out there, let’s get serious. Experts are projecting a massive world-wide tequila shortage until 2021, and unfortunately, yes, your Friday night binges are partially to blame. According to Reuters, a shortage of the agave plant — the plant used to make the liquor — is the problem. The price of the the blue-tinged spikey-leaved succulent has increased six-fold in just two years, causing the price to jump from 3.85 pesos per kilo to 22. Agave plants normally take seven or eight years to reach maturity. The report states that only 17.7 million agaves were planted in 2011 — and 42 million are needed to supply the 140 registered tequila companies. This shortage is forcing farmers to harvest agaves that have not yet reached maturity — causing a downward spiral for several upcoming years. Tequila has gained popularity in recent years with total U.S. sales up 7.4 percent between 2015 and 2016. That amounts…

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News Bites September 15, 2017

Positive running behavior is socially contagious

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The key to becoming a better running might just be your friend squad. A study published in Nature Communications found evidence to suggest that friends who push themselves to run father and faster influenced other friends to do the same — just by being running buddies. Essentially, positive exercise behavior is contagious. The researchers looked at the habits of 1.1 million runners around the world over a period of five years. Knowing that its possible runners could be pairing up because of their comparable running habits, researchers wanted to rule out coincidence. Since bad weather can deter runners, they compared friend pairs in different regions of the world to see if weather made a difference. The found that friends of runners who typically run an extra 10 minutes, influenced friends to run an extra 3 minutes — even when the weather was bad. Also, the study found, when one friend goes…

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News Bites August 1, 2017

Study finds a few alcoholic beverages could actually boost your memory

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Social drinkers probably wouldn’t consider memory recall one of the benefits to their Friday night habit, but a new study shows that a few drinks may actually strengthen your ability to learn new information. Researchers at the University of Exeter conducted a study by giving 88 participants a word-learning task. Participants were then divided at random into two groups. One group was told to drink as much as they want, while the other was told not to drink at all. The next day, participants were asked to complete the same task. Surprisingly, those who had drank alcohol did better when remembering what they learned the previous day. “The theory is that the hippocampus – the brain area really important in memory – switches to ‘consolidating’ memories, transferring from short into longer-term memory,” said Professor Celia Morgan of Exeter. The researchers stressed that this limited positive effect should be taken in stride…

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Crave-Worthy Recipes February 27, 2017

Quick and easy appetizer for anytime

Sometimes you want something a little fancier than chips and salsa as a snack or appetizer for your friends. These are perfect because you can keep the pre-made pastry shells in your freezer for up to 3 months. They look like you put a ton of time into them, but you can get these plated in under a half hour. I made these for breakfast one morning as something out of the ordinary, and everyone loved the idea. I had three flavors combos: Egg, onion and mushroom Warm berries and cream cheese Brie with dried figs and apricot slices INGREDIENTS 1 package puff pastry cups (I use these from Pepperidge Farm) OR 2 packages puff pastry shells Toppings: I used cream cheese and berries; eggs, onion and mushrooms; and brie with dried figs and apricots DIRECTIONS Follow directions for baking pastry shells in oven. Prepare fillings to your liking. Cook eggs and mushrooms in separate…

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