Visit Tuscany in Texas at two Florence wineries
FLORENCE - I love wine, it’s a fact. By sheer luck and chance, right about the time I started drinking wine I was living in France, in the Alsace region, where wine is a way of life. I spent months sampling as many different wines as I could in a region of the world renowned for a fine bottle of “vin.” Since then, I’ve traveled across Europe, including Germany, Italy and Spain, and always made sure to sample the local varieties of wine. When I moved to Texas, I was surprised to find a robust number of vineyards and wineries dotted across the state. And guess what? Texas has some pretty darn good wines. Just outside the small town of Florence, about 30 minutes away from Fort Hood, visitors can find two wineries that sit side-by-side. The location is close, the wines are delicious and the...

Double Espresso Brownies with Caramel Macchiato Mousse
I don’t understand. I can publish a newspaper, produce a television newscast and design websites. So why is it so hard for me to order a drink at Starbucks? I’m not much of a coffee drinker. I prefer iced unsweet jasmine tea, freshly brewed, but after the town hall Jan. 26, I needed some major caffeine. The problem is when I walk into Starbucks, I feel like I’ve landed on another planet. I’ve honestly tried to figure out the trendy way to order, but the baristas always look at me funny. I’ve got the sizes figured out, but then there’s the soy, skinny, wet, dry, single, double, etc. The fact that there are websites devoted to explaining how to order legitimizes the fact that this isn’t normal. It happened to me again on Friday. Fortunately, there was a line, so I could look at the me...

Calendar of Events
FEB. 4 Apache Arts and Crafts Center closure The Apache Arts and Crafts Center will close Saturday due to water main repairs. FEB. 5 Exchange Super Bowl Event The Mega Food Court on 761st Tank Battalion Avenue will be hosting a Super Bowl party Sunday from 4-8 p.m., with the game showing on four big-screen televisions. Familes are welcome to bring their children, as there is a playroom available. For more information, call 532-6537, ext. 200. Club Hood Menu Club Hood offers lunch 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Monday-Friday (excluding holidays and training holidays) for $7.50. This Week’s Menu: Today Pork schnitzel, red cabbage, cottage fries. Soup: cream of asparagus Friday Fried catfish, okra, hush puppies. Soup: Thai fire and rice Monday Mango chicken, cilantro rice, Southwe...

Across Central Texas
HARKER HEIGHTS Saturday storytime Visit Barnes & Noble every Saturday morning for a storytime featuring favorite storybook characters. Classic stories will be read and new books will be explored as well. Storytime is held at 11 a.m. For more information, call 690-1592 or visit www.barnesandnoble.com. KILLEEN Celebration of Freedom The NAACP Killeen Branch and Phantom Warrior ROCKS, Inc. presents “Celebration of Freedom” Friday 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Greater Peace Missionary Baptist Church. The guest speaker will be Brig. Gen. Barrye Price, director of Human Resources Policy Directorate, Army G1 in the Pentagon. This event is free and open to the public, but you must have a ticket for admittance. Tickets can be picked up at Vive Les Arts, Killeen Community Center and Killeen Cham...

Visit Tuscany in Texas at two Florence wineries
FLORENCE - I love wine, it’s a fact. By sheer luck and chance, right about the time I started drinking wine I was living in France, in the Alsace region, where wine is a way of life. I spent months sampling as many different wines as I could in a region of the world renowned for a fine bottle of “vin.” Since then, I’ve traveled across Europe, including Germany, Italy and Spain, and always made sure to sample the local varieties of wine. When I moved to Texas, I was surprised to find a robust number of vineyards and wineries dotted across the state. And guess what? Texas has some pretty darn good wines. Just outside the small town of Florence, about 30 minutes away from Fort Hood, visitors can find two wineries that sit side-by-side. The location is close, the wines are delicious and the...