INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Each espresso shot will need to have a specific amount of coffee. Most lattes are made using a double shot of espresso, which means two shots.  For each shot of espresso measure out 18-21 grams of ground coffee. You can do this by putting the espresso machine's portafilter on a kitchen scale. Zero the machine with the empty portafilter on it. Carefully add 18-21 grams of coffee per espresso shot.

SUMMARY: Measure the coffee for your latte.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Place the sausage casings in a bowl of warm water while the meat mixture is freezing. This softens them to make them easier to stuff without ripping. Set up the meat grinder in a large, clean work area. Place a clean chilled bowl next to the grinder to catch the ground meat as it comes out of the machine. Remove the meat mixture from the freezer. The meat pieces should be frozen on the outside, but still slightly soft in the middle. Feed the mixture into the grinder and grind to a fine texture. When all the meat has been ground, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the freezer. Clean the meat grinder and your work surface, and put the grinder away for later use.  While you are grinding the meat, pay attention to its temperature. If it seems to be warming up, halt the process and return it to the freezer for 15 - 20 minutes before continuing. Keep your hands cold while you are working with the meat. Run them under cold water when they start to get too warm. Remove the meat from the freezer and add 1/2 cup of ice water to the bowl. Use your hands to mix the water with the meat for a little over a minute. This helps the meat bind, which results in a better texture. When you're finished, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer while you get the stuffing equipment ready.

SUMMARY: Prepare the casings. Remove the grinder from the freezer. Grind the meat. Add 1/2 cup ice water.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: For many, cracked lips are the result of too much sun exposure. When you're doing yard work, construction, or other tasks out in the heat, coat your lips with a zinc-based product to ensure protection.  Using diaper cream on your lips also has this same protective effect. After your lip has healed, buy a non-medicated, beeswax-based, unflavored lip balm and apply it frequently. It's even better if the balm contains lanolin or petroleum. Some lip balms even have an SPF rating and can help protect your lips from dryness caused by sun exposure. To keep your entire body hydrated, and avoid cracked and split lips, drink at least eight glasses of water per day. To promote healing of a split lip, boosting your water intake up by a few glasses might even help. There are many dental hygiene products that are specifically made to eliminate or at least reduce mouth dryness. Using these products can help prevent you from getting cracked lips. Winter and cold weather can create dry conditions that will cause your lips to crack. These cracks can then turn into deep splits. To counter this pattern, use a humidifier in your room at night. Or, install a humidistat device on your interior heating and cooling system. This is especially a good idea if you are a known mouth-sleeper, which can dry out your lips even more. If you suffer from continue split lips, it could be that your medications are to blame. Read all of the warning labels for your meds, looking for any cautions against dryness. If you see something that concerns you, talk with your doctor about medication alternatives. For example, some acne medications dry up the moisture and oils on your entire face, including your lips. Split lips are often a sign of a vitamin deficiency. To counter this problem, take a quality multi vitamin each day that contains iron and zinc. B9 (folate) and other B vitamins can also promote skin healing. Try out a few different vitamin combinations, with the guidance of your doctor, to see what works the best for you.

SUMMARY: Apply a zinc-based cream to your lips. Apply lip balm. Increase your water intake. Use toothpaste and mouthwash for dry mouths. Use a humidifier. Monitor your medications. Take a multivitamin.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Imagine settings and characters. Although the subject matter can be just about anything, songs are widely used to convey very personal stories, so focus on characters especially: their motivations, what actions they might take, and the consequences of those actions.  Of course, no rule says that you must start with lyrics before composing the music. So if you wake in the night with a snatch of melody in your head, feel free to skip ahead to Part 2 and start from there. But having a firm grasp on the story you want to tell can make critical choices easier when composing music. Even if you only aim to create an instrumental piece, consider keeping a story in mind to guide you. Classical composers would often do this for inspiration. For instance, Dvorak scored the second and third movements of his ninth symphony, “From the New World,” to a poem by Henry Wordsworth Longfellow. Songs are typically structured into verses and choruses. A traditional verse is composed of four lines, with the second and fourth line forming a rhyme. Build your characters here and develop your story. For example, Bruce Springsteen’s “Brilliant Disguise” depicts the mounting mistrust between a husband and his wife. Each verse depicts their relationship by listing the husband's growing suspicions. While verses develop a story, the chorus sums up the situation. Use the chorus to hammer home the point you're trying to make. It can be expressed in a single line that’s only sung once, a single line that’s repeated for emphasis, a rhyming couplet, or four lines, just like a traditional verse. In “Brilliant Disguise,” Springsteen follows the four-line format for his chorus. In a few words, he sums up the overall theme of mistrust with: “So tell me what I see/When I look in your eyes/Is that you, baby/Or just a brilliant disguise?” A middle-eight (also known as a bridge) is a unique piece of music within a song. Usually it comes before the last verse and chorus, offering the audience a fresh change in sound. Lyrically, they serve as a means to express a significant change in the story, whether it's a change in perspective for the characters or a new turn in the narrative. However, middle-eights are not necessary, so don’t feel obligated to write one. In the last verse before the middle-eight in “Brilliant Disguise,” the narrator begins to switch focus from his wife to himself as he wonders why she’s with him at all. Springsteen employs the middle-eight to expand this shifted focus. Here, the narrator examines his own actions and state of mind, revealing a new dimension to his mistrust with the conclusion: “I wanna know if it’s you I don’t trust/‘Cause I damn sure don’t trust myself” In your first draft, concentrate on the story itself and flesh it out in full. With each subsequent draft, make edits that will strengthen your lyrics when sung.  Count the number of syllables in each line to make sure no one line has too many for you to sing. If you’re using a rhyming scheme, identify cliched rhymes, like “forever” and “together." See if you can express the same idea in other words that will stand out as an original statement instead of a borrowed phrase. Don’t worry about perfecting a final draft just yet. Most likely you will have to make additional edits once you’ve composed the music.

SUMMARY:
Choose a story to tell. Flesh your story out in verse. Encapsulate your theme in the chorus. Consider including a middle-eight. Write multiple drafts.