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Taste-Off: The best tater tots in supermarket freezer cases — and the ones to avoid

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:32:26 GMT

Warning: There’s absolutely nothing healthy or nutritionally redeeming about “tater tots.” They’re straight up junk food, loaded with fat and salt. But they’re also crispy, salty and simply irresistible — at any age.Ore-Ida’s Tater Tots were invented in Oregon in 1953 as a way to use up potato scraps. The tots are essentially shredded potatoes mixed with seasonings, oil and starch before being shaped into tiny cylinders and fried. The result is a pile of crunchy potato croquettes loved all over the world.Besides their appeal as a crispy snack or side, tots are a fantastic shortcut ingredient in an egg scramble, a cheesy casserole or a diner-style skillet dinner. But the best part about them is that you simply can’t mess them up. Whether you bake them too long or not long enough or serve them hot or at room temperature, they’re just plain tasty.While Ore-Ida retains the greatest share of the Tater Tot market — and the trademark for that name — mult...

There’s knowledge in every glass at Testarossa University

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:32:26 GMT

It may be spring break for most colleges, but Testarossa University is in full swing with a lineup of classes revealing the secrets of the vineyards.Testarossa winemaker Bill Brosseau has been working with most of the vineyards in the brand’s portfolio for at least a decade, longer in some cases—to wit, Garys’ and Pisoni vineyards since 1999 and 1997, respectively. There’s a lot of history stored up in the memory banks and in the bottle.First up is a vertical tasting of Doctor’s Vineyard and Tondre Grapefield pinot noir, two of the winery’s most popular vineyard sources, on March 26, 2-4 p.m. Educators will lead the class through a tasting of six wines that reflect the unique terroir of these two very different vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands.The art of wine and food pairing is a never-ending source of discussion and experimentation. This class calls on the pairing skills of resident Chef Nadiv Geiger. Six current and library wines will be presented along with Nadiv’s creativ...

Bay Area Storm: Winds expected to gust near 50 MPH alongside heavy rain Tuesday

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:32:26 GMT

Consistent downpours and swirling winds graced the National Weather Service forecast in the Bay Area yet again on Tuesday in a storm which could bring more wind damage and power outage issues to the region.After Sunday saw scattered showers and Monday was filled with pockets of blissful sunshine, Tuesday’s conditions could prove to be disruptive through Wednesday morning.“It’s a good idea to stay indoors if at all possible today and wait for the storm to finish before venturing outside,” NWS meteorologist Rick Canepa said.Problem is, the storm was expected to be an all day event, according to Canepa. The heaviest rains were predicted for the morning hours, NWS projections showed, with peak time coming between 7-10 a.m. The rainfall was expected to calm slightly in the late morning and continue at what Canepa called “stationary” levels all the way through to Wednesday morning.In all, San Jose and Oakland were forecast between one-quarter and one-ha...

How many Bay Area concrete buildings might fall like those in Turkey’s deadly earthquake?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:32:26 GMT

The scenes of tilted, crumbled and collapsed concrete buildings after powerful earthquakes jolted Turkey and Syria last month are sobering. In Turkey alone, the shaking wrecked some 185,000 buildings, and the death toll in both countries has topped 48,000 people.Could the Bay Area’s concrete buildings suffer a similar fate when The Big One strikes?Fortunately, experts say California wouldn’t see the level of devastation like that in Turkey and Syria. But there is a danger, and experts say some buildings erected before 1980 using inflexible or “nonductile” concrete construction will fall. The trick is figuring out which ones — and what to do about them — before it’s too late.“I don’t think there’s any question there’s risk,” said Terrence Paret, a senior principal with the engineering firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates in San Francisco. “If the San Andreas fault went off here and the shaking was as intense as what t...

What went right for the Warriors in fourth quarter of rare road win

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:32:26 GMT

HOUSTON — Coach Steve Kerr couldn’t remember the last time the Warriors won a road game this season.This reporter promptly reminded him Monday night it was Jan. 30.“Thanks,” he replied. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”Warriors’ wins away from Chase Center have been few and far between this season, but Golden State took advantage of its best chance to get a victory on this five-game road trip.Despite playing what Kerr thought was their worst game of the last four, the Warriors overcame a sloppy first half to put an end to their 11-game road losing streak with a 121-108 win over the West-worst Houston Rockets.A fourth-quarter push with the team’s best defensive effort of the night put the Rockets away for good.Kerr pointed to the three-man combo of Draymond Green, Anthony Lamb and Jonathan Kuminga as being the difference in the final quarter. They deployed a switchable scheme, which helped the Warriors push the pace and get ...

Google was beloved as an employer for years. Then it laid off thousands by email

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:32:26 GMT

By Clare Duffy and Catherine Thorbecke | CNNOn the morning of January 20, one Google employee had to call tech support after getting hit with an unusual error message when they tried to log in to their work system.Another employee’s manager was on vacation, so they had no one to reach out to when rumors of layoffs started to swirl.A third was waking up to demands from their toddler when their phone started to buzz with text messages asking, “Are you safe?”The three employees, who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity, were all among the 12,000 workers laid off by Google that day. While the extent of the layoffs was staggering, and by far the largest cuts in its history, it was the way the cuts were handled that stunned many inside and outside the company.Google, which for years ranked as the top company to work for in the United States, laid off thousands of workers by e-mail. And not just any employees: Decades-long veterans of the company, at least one employee on health leave, a...

Photos: Christian McCaffrey's NC penthouse hits market for $3.75M

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:32:26 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) - Though 49ers player Christian McCaffrey is in San Francisco, he's still got a home in Charlotte.That includes a premier 3-bedroom, 3.5-bath, two-story penthouse located in Skye Condominiums high-rise Uptown building. He's asking for $3.75 million.“To me, this penthouse was more than a home," McCaffrey said. "It allowed me to feel a part of the city that I love so much every time I look out the window." Michael Jordan in ‘serious talks’ to sell majority stake of Hornets, ESPN reports If it sells anywhere near that amount, it would be the most expensive condo ever sold in Charlotte on a per-square-foot basis, according to his real estate agent, Victoria Speer of Ivester Jackson Christie’s International Real Estate.(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam Digital)(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam Digital)(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam Digital)(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam Digital)(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam Digital)(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam...

Coconut? Marshmallows? Feelings run hot for ambrosia salad

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:32:26 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — “My name’s Joyce,” drawls a neighbor to Edward Scissorhands, “and I noticed that you have not tasted any of the ambrosia salad that I made especially for you.”Johnny Depp’s character in the 1990 cult film opens wide to receive a giant spoonful of the fluffy pink-tinged fruit confection.He manages an “mmm” as he chews, but not before viewers are treated to a food-sexy little scene involving Joyce’s disembodied hands laboriously preparing the dish, which has a long history and passionate protectors. Mostly a holiday treat for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, ambrosia of yore was a humble delight. At least when compared to Joyce’s version or many of the fluffy parties in fancy bowls seen now on TikTok and Instagram. In 1867, Maria Massey Barringer of Concord, North Carolina, provided a recipe in her “Dixie Cookery; or, How I Managed My Table for Twelve Years.” She counseled readers to stick to fresh grated coconut, sweetened with a little suga...

Pentagon to speed up delivery of tanks to Ukraine by sending older refurbished models, officials tell AP

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:32:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pentagon to speed up delivery of tanks to Ukraine by sending older refurbished models, officials tell AP.Source

Russia’s reliance on China rises amid Ukraine sanctions

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:32:26 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Like a salesman buttering up his best customer, President Vladimir Putin gushed about China’s economic success as he welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Kremlin.“We even feel a bit envious,” Putin said Monday as Xi grinned.That was more than idle flattery. China isn’t just Moscow’s diplomatic partner in opposing what they see as U.S. domination of global affairs. Its thriving economy is the biggest buyer of Russian oil and gas exports, pumping billions of dollars into Putin’s treasury and helping the Kremlin resist Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.Putin welcomes the lifeline, but that reliance is accelerating Russia’s slide into the junior role in an uneasy relationship with Xi’s government. Beijing has ambitions that diverge from Moscow’s and sometimes conflict.“Russia may worry about increasing reliance upon China, but it has no other good options,” said Li Xin, director of the Institute of European and Asian Studies...