Two Thousand Eleven

 

Hello 2011.  You were really good to me.  Thank you for all the lovely memories and the incredible year.  I'm looking forward to all that 2012 has to offer.  Happy New Year! xx

--

 

Cheers to the New Year,
B

Pin It

Winos and Such

"I saw this wino, he was eating grapes. I was like, 'Dude, you have to wait.'"

- -Mitch Hedberg

Pin It

Big bubbly has some epic names

750mL (75cl, represented below) is the standard size for a bottle of wine. But as wineries bottle up the bubbly in larger volumes, there are names that correlate with each specific size. I certainly got a kick out of this:

{Click here for a more in-depth list of bottle sizes}

I almost want a large bottle of Champagne like this, just so I can say I sport jeroboam or even a Salmanazar in the kitchen. Now that's boss.

(Names sound familiar? The names are actually biblical characters). I think I will name my next pet Nebuchadnezzar, what do you think? hehe ;)

Cheers,
B

Pin It

TASTING NOTES—2008 Signature Merlot: Darioush

My family was happy to savor this '08 Napa Valley Merlot with our Christmas dinner.  In fact, this was a wine I picked up (per request) on my most recent visit to Napa (my experience of the winery here).

Tasting Notes

With just a sip of the wine, the Merlot has prominent notes of strawberry and spicy raspberry on the palette with soft tannins and subtle acidity but the Darioush website describes it best:   

"The moderate 2008 growing season yielded small amounts of mature, highly-concentrated Merlot. The resulting wine offers a profile of dense, expressive dark fruit, black raspberry, cherry and dried fig supported by a tight core of dark cocoa, licorice and cola. Sweet, succulent tannins add textural complexity, while a beautiful, long finish reveals notes of rosemary, cinnamon and graham cracker"

Winemaker's notes below:

{photo property of Darioush Winery, Napa Valley. Click for larger view}

Cheers,
B

Pin It

Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Hope everyone had a Happy Christmas weekend that was filled with time spent with family, friends, and lots of love! I know I did, and we lucked out with some gorgeous beach weather on Christmas day.  We even made some delicious cinnamon roll waffles.  Cinnamon Roll Waffles. Yeah, I said it.
The steps are simple and yield seriously AMAZING results. Like seriously. And with something as easy as this, I don't even think I can classify this as a recipe but more of a new method of waffle-making! :)

See below:

{Spray waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray}

-

{Select a package of cinnamon rolls of preference}

-

{Place cinnamon roll dough into waffle iron, and cook for approx 3 minutes}

-

{Voila! The cinnamon roll waffle}

-

{Drizzle with the included frosting and enjoy!! Bon Apetit!}

-

Cheers,

B

Pin It

I'd like: A glass of wine

An adorable how-to wine etiquette guide with illustrations as seen on this awesome blog is simply irresistible, helping you to avoid faux pas and embarrassing moments. And it has arrived just in time for Christmas and holiday nights made for entertaining! Genius.


Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a wonderful weekend ahead!

Cheers,
B

Pin It

Wine Cellar Wishlist

I think that one day it would be nice to have a cellar inspired by one of these home designs.
Hey, a girl can dream, right? ;) I might add it to my Christmas wish list... like 20 years from now-haha.
Until then, I can begin collecting the wines to fill it up!

 

{Images via 1, 2, 3 & 4}

Cheers,

B

Pin It

Mexican Wedding Cookies

also known as Noel Nut Balls or Polvorones

With the holidays approaching and Christmas right around the corner, I decided to whip up some of these fantastic holiday cookies.  You may know them as Noel Nut Balls, Russian Tea Cakes or Snowflakes but these are seriously amazing.  And trust me, I made a batch last night and they have already disappeared.  Good with a nice red wine in the evening or with coffee or tea in the morning! 

This recipe yielded perfectly imperfect results.  My advice: these cookies can be too dry if you over-bake them so I recommend carefully following the recipe and baking them for 16 minutes (just under the suggested 18 minute baking time). You'll then be rewarded by the warm, light and crumbly melt-in-your-mouth Christmas goodness that are these cookies. 

 

Enjoy!

Cheers,
B

Pin It