Glass Class

Are you preparing a nice Valentine’s dinner for your loved one, but are unsure about what type of glass is best to serve your special occassion wine? Follow this basic household guide and you’ll be sure to enjoy your vino to its fullest body.

A. Port
(Also known as dessert wine glass)
Dessert wines are sweeter and, generally, have a higher alcohol content, so they require a glass with a smaller opening that allows the drink to go directly to the back of the mouth to avoid seeming overbearing.

B. Burgundy/Pinot Noir
This type of glass is meant to handle the more delicate of red wines.The larger bowl allows the bouquet of wines such as a Pinot Noir to divulge in the added space of the glass, then sends it to the tip of the tongue allowing the wine more time on the palette.

C. White Sauvignon Blanc/Riesling/Chablis/Chardonnay
These are generally smaller than red wine glasses and more uniformly shaped from the opening to the base of the bowl to maintain their lower temperature while allowing the aromas to release

D. Red Bordeaux/Cabernet
This is a taller rounder vessel with a larger opening to allow the drinker to detect the wine’s aroma when their nose enters the glass upon drinking. The complex bouquets and flavors of red wine require a glass with a larger surface area to allow it to aerate and fully release its flavor.

E. Montrachet
The “fishbowl” quality of this type of glass allows the wine to flow to the corners of the mouth where a balance between the fruity/floral qualities of fine chardonnays can be detected among their generally acidic tones.

F. Champagne Flute
(Or sparkling wine glass)
These are narrower in order to prolong the carbonation of the beverage while still allowing the flavor to come forth

These days cooking with wine goes beyond sipping a glass or two while preparing dinner. From entrees to salads to desserts, adding a generous splash or two to your recipes will intensify the intoxicating flavors and dimensions of your culinary masterpieces.

When cooking with wine, use only a wine that you would drink. You do not have to spend an arm and a leg–just, but choose a wine that you would drink socially. You might want to consider using the same one you’ll be serving with dinner. Whatever you do, don’t use cooking wine unless the recipe specifically calls for it because it tends to be poor quality and is an inferior substitute.

If a wine’s alcohol content worries you or you’re pregnant and know it’s unsafe to have alcohol, don’t be overly concerned. Depending on when the wine is added during the cooking process, most of the alcohol will evaporate leaving only a fabulous depth of flavor behind. If you’re still apprehensive and would prefer to play it safe, you can look into a number of great, non-alcohol wines that are available.

While most recipes make wine suggestions, it is helpful if you take the time to learn the different characteristics of wines in order to make an informed decision. While you can learn a lot about grapes and vintage online, or by reading periodicals, nothing beats taste testing the real thing. Try different vintages when you go out to dinner, take part in wine tastings or visit local wineries.

When it comes to red wines, consider their body, sweetness and aromatics. Cabernets, Syrahs and Zinfandels are all excellent choices. Port, Sherry, Madeira, and Marsala are fortified wines that possess warm toffee and caramel notes. They’re sure to turn an ordinary dish into something extraordinary!

As a general rule, red wine adds bold color and flavor to foods and sauces made with red meat, such as spaghetti sauces and stews. It also makes a great marinade ingredient–tenderizing to mouthwatering goodness–everything from short ribs to flank steak. Pair red wine with berries, peaches, plums, cherries, oranges, chocolate and coffee for a match made in flavor heaven.
Deglaze your pan drippings with wine and you’ll have the makings for a truly flavorful sauce. Try it in a vinaigrette, basting sauce or as a baking ingredient or add it at or near the end of the cooking process as a finishing touch to your favorite recipe.

Finally, don’t be afraid to experiment. Get creative and try new flavor combinations in your recipes. Chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Cheers to your next cooking endeavor!

In this month of love, we here at Womens Focus magazine decided to seek out five couples in the Wichita area who have experienced love through the ages. Whether in their 20s or entering their eighth decade of life, these couples embody the traits that define true love: generosity of spirt, respect, patience, tolerance, mirth, loyalty, joy and affection. All of them spoke to us about the importance of commitment — realizing that “for better or for worse” can sometimes be painful but the end game is worth it. We celebrate them and all couples dedicated to staying in love.

Tony & Heather: Savoring Every Drop

It’s easy to see that Heather and Tony Denker are practically still newlyweds. Married just two and a half years, they still gaze at each other with that mixture of affection, admiration and good humor that young couples often exhibit.

But ask them what ingredients they think a good marriage should have, and they speak with a wisdom beyond their years. “The ability to communicate what you want and need,” says Tony, 35, an accountant for Koch Industries. “No game playing.” Says Heather, 33, “Laughter. Being able to laugh at each other and at yourself. Being comfortable with who you are, as your own person and as a couple.”

Now parents to 11-month-old A.J., Heather and Tony find much of their life revolving around him. But they make time for the interests they both enjoy: cooking, attending concerts and musical theater, and going to wine tastings. It was at a wine tasting that they met, in fact. And after their small but mostly traditional church wedding on June 6, 2009, they held a cocktail reception at Oeno, the trendy wine bar in Old Town. They waited until the cold of winter six months later to honeymoon in Hawaii.

They have definite ideas about what couples should discuss before plunging into marriage. “Money,” says Tony. “Finances can cause so much stress in a marriage. Know what your partner’s views on money are and find a middle ground you can both support.”

Heather, who’s director of the Young Professionals of Wichita group with the Greater Wichita Chamber of Commerce, thinks couples should never keep big secrets from each other. “If there’s anything you think your partner might find out about you, you need to have that conversation with them first, not somewhere down the road.”

Their best marriage advice? “Be comfortable and accepting of your partner in totality,” Tony says. “The things that you love about them, and the things that maybe you don’t love so much. You have to accept the total person.” Heather gazes at him in agreement before adding: “Loving the good and the bad.”

Ian & Julie: Young love becomes a commitment

Ian and Julie Johnson may be only 29, but the experiences they’ve had as a married couple seem to have cemented the bond they committed to eight years ago. One of those experiences occurred two years ago when their youngest child, Calla, was born three-and-a-half months prematurely. Today, they’re engaged in another monumental challenge, the adoption of a child from China.

“I think any couple can actually grow closer if they allow the hard times in their marriage, or the stressful experiences, to bring them closer together,” says Julie, a teacher who is staying at home now with the couple’s young children, which also includes Orrin, 3.

Their Christian faith is key to their philosophy about life and marriage, says Ian, a graphic designer for Associated Advertising. It keeps them focused and intent on living a shared life, one that recognizes the importance of compromise, gratitude and generosity.

“Having a mission that’s bigger than either one of us is something that pulls us together,” he says. “We make an effort to be intentional with our relationship, our communication, so that we’re married and not just roommates.”
At the end of each day, usually over dinner, Ian and Julie share their highs and lows from the day as a way to stay connected and close.

They would urge any couple considering marriage to have a conversation beforehand about a topic they themselves did not discuss: finances. Each had different views on the importance of spending and saving, differences that led to arguments and disagreements until they participated in a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace course that helped resolve their conflicts.

This August, Ian and Julie will celebrate their eighth wedding anniversary. After a traditional church wedding, they held their reception in the back yard of Ian’s parents’ house, which sits along the Arkansas River. When it was time to make their getaway, they climbed into a canoe and paddled away, at one point getting stuck on a sandbar. But this couple doesn’t let obstacles get in their way.

“Marriage isn’t something you do on a trial basis,” Ian says. “We both went into knowing there’s no back door. Whatever comes up, you just work through it.”

Patrick & Elizabeth: Artful living

Patrick Duegaw and Elizabeth Stevenson would be the first to admit that theirs is a somewhat unconventional marriage. They haven’t gone the route of two kids and a house in the suburbs, preferring instead to live child-free in a downtown warehouse turned into a loft home/art studio.

They waited until he was 37 and she was 31 to marry. Even then, their decision to formalize their relationship was based more on practical considerations then philosophical or romantic ones. “We pretty much have been committed to each other since 1999,” says Patrick, who is now 45. “We didn’t need an institution to formalize it.”

Yet in most ways, the couple is oh-so-typical. They finish each other’s sentences, they divvy up the household chores (he cooks and washes dishes, she cleans and does laundry) and they share their passions. Both are into running and staying fit but, more importantly, both are artists with an almost consuming need to express themselves creatively.

Despite their somewhat bohemian lifestyles, their maturity and life experiences have shown them what’s important when it comes to marital success. “Having a sense of humor,” says Elizabeth, 39, an architectural consultant as well as an artist. “You can’t take yourself too seriously when you live with another human being.” For Patrick, it all comes down to respecting your partner and following the Golden Rule. “Treat them the way you would want to be treated.”

Their best marriage advice? It actually has to do with the wedding itself, they agree. Instead of spending tens of thousands of dollars on a “white wedding,” they’d urge any couple to consider a less conventional affair and then spend the money they saved on a house they love, traveling together or even taking a month off work to spend time together.

Tom & Jill: A fairy tale start to their love story

Tom and Jill Docking have more than a passing familiarity with the concept of “two ships passing in the night.” When they’re not working — he’s a lawyer and she’s a financial adviser — they’re actively involved in civic, political and professional pursuits.

“We lead very busy and very independent lives,” says Tom, a former lieutenant governor for Kansas and also the son of one of Kansas’ most popular and long-serving governors, Robert Docking. “What has helped us is making sure we separate out time just for us, time to be alone and focus on each other.”

From the start, both felt a keen compatibility with the other. Even though they were from different religious backgrounds – Jill is Jewish and Tom, Presbyterian – they knew they wanted a nondenominational wedding. Their parents fully supported them, something they still feel grateful for, and they were married in Jill’s hometown of Springfield, Mass., by a close friend who was also a judge.

But there was a hitch.

The judge didn’t have legal jurisdiction in Springfield, so Tom and Jill had a secret ceremony that morning in her parents’ back yard, conducted by a judge who did have jurisdiction. Only their parents attended. “It was very intimate and actually very special,” says Jill, who was 21 at the time. Later that day, they got married again with all of their friends and family present, in a hotel ballroom overlooking the city. Then it was off to a honeymoon touring Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Thirty-five years later, the couple is at home in College Hill, with Gus the dog. They have a grown son and daughter, and two grandchildren.

Their best marriage advice? “Not only do you have to have common goals and values in order for your marriage to last through things like children and all of the  challenges that happen in life, you also have to work to keep it fresh,” says Jill.

“There are all sorts of ways to keep it fun and exciting, but too many people just take it for granted.”

She also would urge anyone considering marriage to talk first about their financial attitudes and goals. “I see so much tension in marriages because of financial issues,” she says.

Both agree that couples need to remind themselves during the tough times that marriage is a long-term arrangement. “There is no marriage that doesn’t go through hard times,” says Jill. “Remember the things you love about each other, even when you’re really ticked off.”

Jill and Tom consider themselves lucky that they found each other, and have so much to be grateful for in their lives. “It’s a blessing,” Jill says of their marriage. “We don’t take it for granted.”

Shelby & Betty: Sixty years, and counting

Shelby and Betty Smith have done pretty well for a couple who got off to a bit of a shaky start. They will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary this year, but you could argue that Shelby’s lucky he even got a second chance with Betty back in their college years.

Then students at the University of Kansas, they were introduced by one of Shelby’s fraternity brothers and arranged to meet at the campus library, one Saturday, to attend a track event. She arrived first and waited. And waited. And waited. Meanwhile, back at the frat house, Shelby was asleep.

“You were so excited about our date you slept right through it,” Betty says with a laugh today, sitting in a cozy breakfast nook in the couple’s College Hill home.

But a second date did occur, then months of courting and finally a church wedding in 1952 in Kansas City. The honeymoon had to wait. Shelby was due to report at his new job with the FBI, in Atlanta, the following week.

The Smiths moved to Wichita in the late 1950s when Shelby got a job directing security at Boeing. Today, their family of five children and 12 grandchildren live all over the country, but they have a big reunion every year at a fun vacation spot. “We’ve been doing that for 30 years,” Shelby says.

So what are their secrets for a long and happy marriage? “Be respectful at all times and in every situation, even when you have challenges and problems,” Shelby says. Adds Betty, “Be less disagreeable and argumentative. Sometimes arguing can become a habit.”

They both believe that religion is an important topic couples should discuss before they marry. Betty grew up Catholic and wanted to raise their children in the church. Shelby, a Presbyterian, agreed and took classes and counseling to become knowledgeable about Catholicism.

Betty offers another piece of marriage advice that might sound a little contradictory. “Both people in a marriage need to have their own lives, their own interests and their own space,” she says. But just as important is making sure to carve out time together. One way to do that is to take short trips away from kids and domestic duties, Betty says. “Taking just two days away can do wonders to rekindle a marriage,” she says.

Regardless of the trials and tribulations couples run into, keep one thing top of mind, says Shelby. “It’s a lifetime commitment. Don’t lose sight of that.”

Boudoir Photography: Uncovering the Taboo

The Midwest isn’t the first place you’d expect to read about stripping down and taking photos. Around here, the very notion of boudoir brings with it a certain stigma, taboo, scandal. There are those that equate boudoir photography to “dirty pictures”, those that would say that all boudoir photographers are ulteriorly motivated, and those who say only a “certain kind of girl” would have boudoir photos done. They couldn’t be more wrong.

Let’s take a look at the facts. A recent study by Glamour Magazine shows that 97 percent of all women are unhappy with their bodies in one way or another. The mass media has provided us with the all-too-familiar idea of the perfect (read: impossible) body type, and rather than disregard this idea, women (and men) have embraced it as the standard against which we measure all other female forms. This leaves 3% of the American female population that either fit that profile or (more healthily) choose to ignore it in favor of the body they were given.
 

Sure, there are photographers out there who will lure women in with the promise of Photoshopping away every perceived imperfection and tucking here, lifting there, flattening this and filling that out, leaving them with images that are nothing more than another depressingly impossible goal. On the flip side of that coin are boudoir photographers. A good boudoir photographer will welcome you just as you are! They are focused on accenting your favorite assets and proving to you that your “trouble areas” in no way detract from the beauty that you as a woman inherently possess.

Boudoir is all about building confidence and discovering a side of yourself that you have either forgotten, never knew existed, or just don’t let out enough. It’s about abandoning your insecurities and embracing YOU! A lot of women have been somehow convinced that it is shameful to feel sexy, but what more pure feeling is there than loving the person you were made to be? The goal of a good boudoir photographer is to give you the opportunity and environment to know what that is like, and images to let that feeling last.

 
You owe it to yourself to give it a try. If your first thought is “I would, but (insert body issue)…”, just remember that 97% of women think the same thing. There are always a million reasons not to do something. Find a boudoir photographer whose work you love and who you can trust to take good care of you…you also owe it to yourself to do some research to find a good fit for you. Meet with them before you shoot, make sure that your comfort and privacy are paramount, and then get yourself ready to feel gorgeous!
 

Boudoir photography isn’t about taking “dirty pictures”, it’s about feeling gorgeous; good boudoir photographers are motivated by the confidence they see come over their clients; and, that “certain kind of girl”. Boudoir is for women of all ages, shapes, and sizes looking for the perfect gift not only for their significant other, but for themselves.
 

You are beautiful!

Marguerite Schmidt: Getting to the heart of health

The past year has been one of many highs and lows for Marguerite Schmidt. The highs began last March when she was one of 12 Wichita-area women selected to participate in the American Heart Association’s Go Red Makeover Challenge. It got even better when she was chosen the winner for making the most significant improvement in her health, including losing 40 pounds.

But that achievement also led to a low. While undergoing balance tests as part of the challenge, this Newton woman was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm so serious it probably would have been fatal had it not been discovered. Successful surgery followed, and when she awoke in the intensive care unit to learn that 25 family members and friends were in the waiting room pulling for her, including her two grandchildren, she vowed to get healthy.

“I remember them coming to see me,” she says of her grandkids, June, who was 3 at the time, and Hudson, just 1. “They’re the reason I want to keep living and have a healthy life. I want to enjoy their lives and be there for them.”

Schmidt, who is married to Greg and has three grown sons, had to quit her job as a computer software trainer at Wichita State University after her diagnosis. She still has severe headaches and, at times, double vision, but she’s determined not to let them stand in the way of her health regimen. She swims twice a week at Health Strategies in Wichita, rides a recumbent bike at home, does strength training and works hard to eat heart healthy. And her own experience in the past year has influenced her husband and sons to make their own heart-healthy changes. One son, in fact, has lost 50 pounds.

Almost one year after entering the Go Red Makeover Challenge, she feels like the lows are behind her. February, which is American Heart Month, is a good time to take stock of your heart health and begin changing unhealthy behaviors, she says. And she encourages all women to consider trying out for the Go Red Makeover Challenge in March.

“I’m very thankful for the Go Red Challenge,” she says. “It actually saved my life.”

Matt Dover: The guy with the beard

You could sum up two of the most important things in Matt Dover’s life with one word: beards.

Beards, as in the name of the floral design shop he opened three years ago, and beards, as in the one he grows on the end of his chin and hopes, someday, to win an international championship with.

Any way you cut it, beards are big to the 30-year-old native Wichitan. When he decided to open his own business, he relied on his knowledge of marketing and branding to come up with a good name that he knew people would remember.

“Beards’ has kind of a classic feel to it but also has a fun playfulness to it,” he says, sitting at a table inside his shop at 926 W. Second St. “And it’s memorable. I wanted people to say, ‘Call the guy with the beard. He’s the best.”

Dover got into the floral design business 12 years ago as a driver for a local florist. It was then that he was exposed to designers whose work he found inspiring and artistic. “Growing up in Wichita, I always knew I wanted to do something entrepreneurial as an artist,” he says.

Today, he’s the only full-time employee at Beards Floral Design, but he uses contract workers to help him with big jobs, such as the gig he recently landed providing flowers for the Kansas Star Casino’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. He also works lots of weddings and parties, such as the upcoming Color soiree on Feb. 4 at the Wichita Art Museum.

Just as his occupation gives him a creative outlet, so does his beard provide another way to express himself. Already streaked with strands of gray, the beard is full and long – but not quite where it needs to be to compete. That may take a couple more years. “I love it,” Dover says. “It’s fun and people identify it with me. You’d be surprised how many people call me Mr. Beard.”

Dear Readers,

I am excited to have the opportunity this month to share with you about the Kansas Eye Bank & Cornea Research Center, Inc. We are a nonprofit organization established in 1985 and dedicated solely to restoring eyesight for those who suffer from diseases and injuries of the eye. Just imagine for a moment what it would be like to not be able to see the faces of the people you love. Think about how different your life would be if you didn’t have your vision.

Every year in the United States, more than 34,000 people have their sight restored through corneal transplantation and hundreds of thousands are helped through important research to find cures for other blinding diseases. Today, cornea transplant surgery is the most widely performed of all transplant surgeries with a greater than 95% success rate. Kansas Eye Bank donor corneas restore sight locally, nationally and even reach around the world to other countries.

Every day we talk with families who have just lost a loved one to offer them the opportunity to donate eye tissue for transplant or research.  Because these families frequently say “yes” to donation, in the last three years alone, we have been privileged to share the gift of sight with more than 2,800 people. We currently work with hospitals, hospices and we are starting a new program with 911 to assure that every person or family who wants to donate has the opportunity. We honor these generous families who give a sacrificial gift to help others, even in the midst of their own loss.

We also work with leading scientists and researchers who are developing new programs and treatments in addition to transplant to maintain and restore vision. The gift of cornea and eye tissue is always a precious gift that helps to give sight and restore vision. The Kansas Eye Bank is FDA Registered and accredited by the Eye Bank Association of America.

I encourage you to visit our website at www.kansaseyebank.org. We are also committed to serving our community through education and outreach and we welcome visitors to our offices. We are often able to accommodate presentations and group tours of our facilities. Presentations are made regularly to area nursing students and we offer a symposium for nurses to educate them on organ, tissue and eye donation. We are located at 625 N Carriage Parkway, Suite 190 in Wichita, Kansas. Please consider giving the gift of sight by signing up when you renew your driver’s license or by visiting www.donatelifekansas.com to be a donor of organs, eyes and tissue.  

Giving the Gift of Sight,

Penny L. Vogelsang
President & CEO

The Wichita Art Museum Contemporaries have launched DESTINATION: WAM, a project that sponsors free school field trips and transportation to the Wichita Art Museum (WAM) for Wichita school children.  Destination: WAM allows classrooms to experience a hands-on art adventure designed by the Education Department and its staff, including gallery tours, scavenger hunts, art history lessons, and much, much more.  Each experience is designed specifically for each class to make curriculum connections, from math to social studies to visual arts, while interacting with original works of art.  Contact Andrea Keppers, Director of Education, at 316-268-4907 or keppers@wichitaartmuseum.org to plan your child’s next art adventure and free trip to the museum.

This dentist’s tastes run from Harleys to alpacas

It was on a trip with her husband, Monte, to see Mount Rushmore in South Dakota that Carol Ysidro discovered a new passion in her life. Coincidentally, the Ysidros had scheduled their trip at the same time as the infamous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. “We decided to go into town to see what all the excitement was about,” she recalls. That’s when the motorcycle bug first bit them.

Five years later, Carol and Monte are seasoned riders. She owns a Harley Soft Tail Deluxe and he rides a Harley Road King. “Every year we pick a destination and just go,” Carol says. “This year it was Pike’s Peak. We’ll pack whatever we can get into a little duffel bag and just go.”

When she’s not on her Harley, Carol is a dentist with her own practice in Derby. She oversees a team of eight that includes another dentist, Omar Barakeh, and her husband, who is her office manager. Her modern office has floor-to-ceiling windows along the north wall so that patients can look out on a wooded area with a pond and feeding stations for whatever wildlife comes by. It’s not uncommon to see raccoons, deer, even an occasional skunk or wild turkey.

Animals are another passion for Carol Ysidro. She and Monte have an Australian shepherd named Mattie, a cat they call Kitty, and three alpacas roaming around in the back yard.

Carol and Monte have lived in Derby for 26 years and love the community. She serves on the board of the Derby Educational Foundation, which raises money for innovative programs in the Derby public school system. “Derby is growing so fast,” she says. “We have practically everything we need right here.”