For the Wine Lovers

I'm home from my trip out west and super jet lagged, but I wanted to share some of our wonderful experiences out there.  It was a work trip, but that never stops us from having a little fun!  Wednesday my friend, and colleague, and I left BWI and headed west for San Francisco.  Neither of us had been there before, so we decided to spend some time there before heading to Napa for our conference.  We got there and started our very touristy journey on the cable cars.  

It was pretty cold and drizzly our first day there, but that didn't stop us.  The scenery in the cable cars was pretty cool as we headed down to Fisherman's Wharf.  

 We walked all over the area, but with a chill in the air, we decided to head in for some wine and cheese…the first of many, many plates and glasses we had!  This place was great, as even though it was chilly out, they had heaters outside so we could still take in the view over the water.

We headed to a couple other places and had a nice night filled with wine, dinner and TONS of laughs.  

The next morning we got up and headed back down to Fisherman's Wharf (after taking showers and drying our hair in the hotel that did not have AC…apparently this is quite common there?!  Nicole insists she could NEVER liver there due to this, but I didn't mind too much, as I'm always cold).  We had lunch at the Wine Market and then headed to Sausalito by ferry.  It was a gorgeous day and Nicole showed me how to use the panoramic feature on the iphone…perfect timing to capture the Golden Gate Bridge!  

 This was the best of many pics we tried to take on the ferry.  After a couple glasses of wine and a pretty windy trip, this is our best.

 We arrived in Sausalito and just walked around admiring the beautiful town and popping into a couple shops along the way.

 After our trip back on the ferry, we had some time, so we walked around downtown San Fran and just HAD to stop in Bloomy's….and surprisingly, neither of us got into trouble there!  Obviously, we didn't have as much time as we thought ;)

 We came back to get our luggage and say our goodbyes to our wonderful host/hostesses at The Inn at Union Square.  I highly recommend this little B&B.  They were so kind and helped us organize everything we wanted to do and made arrangements for us to get back to the airport.  As we got on the shuttle back to the airport, they even sent us on our way with an additional bottle of wine and some wine glasses to enjoy during our trip to Napa!

 Thursday night, after we arrived in Napa (it was quite an adventure that I will save for another day), we retired to bed, as we had an early morning of orthopedics for our conference.  After the conference on Friday, we headed out to our first vineyard.  The tasting room was in a cave, which was beautiful.  If you keep walking back, that is where there is a room for entertaining…rehearsal dinner/reception for a wedding?! I think so! To the left was the spa and to the right was where we headed…the tasting room!

 After our tastings, we headed out in the vineyard and took in the amazing scenery. I wish I was better at taking pictures, as it was breathtakingly beautiful and my photography does not do anything here justice!

Can you tell I might have just liked this wine just a little bit?!

 After our tasting and getting a bite to eat at the hotel, we headed into downtown Napa for dinner at Morimoto Restaurant.  To say the food was amazingly delicious is such an understatement!  It was out of this world!  Chef Morimoto is better known as the star of Iron Chef.  

 Not only was the food great, but the scenery was beautiful, as you were able to view water, mountains and beautiful forestry.  Again, this picture does NOTHING for the view.  

We started off with edamame and some shrimp dish and then shared a bunch of sushi rolls.  We probably looked like we had not eaten ever, as we could not get enough of it!  Plus, we were enjoying some Sauvignon Blanc from Leaping Frog Vineyard…Mmmm!  

As full as we were, we still decided to have dessert.  It was just too good to pass up.  We got two and split them.  My pic…the "S'more."  

Graham cracker, chocolate mousse, and toasted marshmallow…heavenly…

 Nicole's pick?  Doughnuts.  

Sugars, honey, and mollasses all wrapped into one….food/sugar coma!  

Sadly, that is the last of the pics from the trip.  We had a great time, learned a little something, and laughed harder than I have in a very long time!  Girls trips…something about it is just amazing for the soul!  

Tuesday Treats: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

These just might be my new favorite cookie.  Soft, delicious and make the whole house smell wonderful!

Ingredients

2 3/4 cup flour

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 3/4 cup sugar, divided

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

2 Tbsp cinnamon

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

2.  Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl and set aside.

3.  Cream together butter and 1 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy.  Add egg and pumpkin puree.  

4.  Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well.

5.  Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon in separate bowl.  

6.  Make balls with dough and roll in cinnamon sugar to coat and place on baking sheet.

7.  Bake 10 minutes, turning baking sheet half way through.  

8.  Allow to cool completely.

ENJOY!  

 On another note, have you tried these?  

Found these Pretzel Shells at Graul's Market.  It's just what it says…the shell of the pretzel.  Perfect for dipping with hummus…been my snack all week!  

 Last Thursday I went to the Ravens game.  Even though it started to rain, we were able to go to the club level seats under cover with our friends and got to stay for the whole game….and got home at 1am.

 We had a great time!

 ….but this is what I felt like the next day at work….

Hope you are having a wonderful day!  

Tuesday Treats: Pumpkin Cupcakes

The weather has been gorgeous here.  Sunny, no humidity and in the 70's.  LOVING it!  It made me want to break out the fall clothes and pumpkin pie!  Of course, I turned to Pintrest when I was craving a sweet treat on Sunday, and these were just perfect for my sluggish day, as they were EASY and tasty.

Cake Ingredients

1 box of any cake mix (I used the super moist yellow cake)

1 can pumpkin puree

Icing Ingredients

1/4 cup butter

8 ounce pkg of cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

3 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place cupcake liners in muffin tin (I always use my reusable silicone ones…my mom says this is "very green" of me which made me feel good!)

2.  Combine the pumpkin puree and cake mix.

3.  Fill up the muffin cups equally.

4.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.

5.  Allow to cool completely while you make the frosting.

6.  Combine all icing ingredients in mixing bowl until smooth and creamy.

7.  Frost the cupcakes once completely cool.

Taste the deliciousness of fall….

…and if you are like me and ate two in one sitting, you must pack up the rest and share with friends and family! 

ENJOY!

Wednesday Wellness: Take Over Meal

When my parents moved a couple weeks ago, I knew they would be hungry after a big day of moving. I made this dinner for them and took it over for them to pop in the oven whenever they were ready.  Its a very simple dish to take over to anyone who may have just moved, had a baby, is ill, etc.  

Ingredients

Chicken breasts, 3

Red potatoes, quartered

Fresh green beans

Italian dressing seasoning pack

Olive oil (or butter)

Directions

Place chicken breasts in 9 X 13 baking dish, cover with potatoes and green beans.  Drizzle with olive oil (or butter) and sprinkle italian seasoning over top.  Cover and take to your friend or family!

When they are ready to eat, have them bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

ENJOY!

Pintrest Project

So, I have this {gross} dish that sits on my bathroom counter to hold soap, lotion, and perfume.  When I bought it in Cape Code I was in love with it.  It was so sparkly and beautiful.  Well, now look at it.  GROSS!  So, once again, I turned to Pintrest for a little help.

 Just look at this bottom.  It makes me sad :(

So, Pintrest suggested I line a baking dish with crumbled up aluminum foil, fill it with boiling hot water, covering my piece, and sprinkle with baking soda.  VIOLA…the grime would be gone.

DID NOT WORK!

So, I turned to the next suggestion on Pintrest….toothpaste.  This made me nervous, to say the least.  And as I rubbed toothpaste all over one of my favorite pieces, with black foaming toothpaste filling the sink, I started to sweat.  What was I doing?!

BUT…it turned out great!  

 Now I have my perfectly beautiful piece all shined up for display again!  

Moral of the story:  Toothpaste works!  

Fish Tacos

What girl wouldn't like a guy to bring her flowers and cook a healthy meal for her?

I was lucky enough to have that happen to me!  My California friend showed me a recipe of the west coast, which I will be sure to incorporate more often.

He baked tilapia in the oven with a rub covering on top.

 Sliced it up into bite size pieces...

…served with a bunch of toppings which included pico de gallo, lettuce, feta cheese, lime, and cilantro.

 To put it simply…it was DELICIOUS!

ENJOY!

So Long Summer

I can't believe its SEPTEMBER!  Every year the summers seem to slip by quicker and quicker…I guess I'm just having more and more fun!

I wanted to soak up every last bit of the summer this weekend, so Friday after work, I headed to the pool.  It was so nice to sit there, read, and just look out onto the golf course.  

Later that night, I headed over to a friends' house for a wonderful, healthy dinner!  He made a delicious pork tenderloin with veggies.  It was so nice to relax, enjoy the meal with a cocktail and watch the Vols tackle NC State (Ok, I guess relax and football don't really go together well, but you know what I mean).

Even Bax was entertained!  Poor thing was put in this mini golf bag…but at least he got to join his mom for date night!  :)

Saturday I woke up bright and early and got some things done around the house before heading over to the pool with friends.  I got to catch up with Leslie and baby Hadley for lunch up in the club (poor Hadley…it was so humid and warm out, but she was a trooper!), and then headed back down to the pool for some R&R.  It might not have been the brightest day out, but we made up for it with orange crushes and cocktails poolside.  Even the adults were going off the slide!  It was a great last pool day of the year!  I will really miss seeing all the people at the pool over the next couple months!

Sunday I was invited to go to the Grand Prix.  I headed down to meet the group at the hotel and then we had some mimosas and bloody's before heading out on the town.  We made a couple bar stops and eventually got to our seats.  This, unfortunately, was the only picture I have of the races…and it was just the practice round!  They were going so fast, and apparently I am not coordinated enough to take a picture that quickly!

We headed over to Federal Hill (after quite an obstacle of fences and stairs from the Grand Prix set up) and had some apps and beverages.  

Needless to say,  I was ready to come home Monday morning to see my little boy and relax with him!  

I tried out this new Pintrest recipe I found the other day, as I was carb-craving!  It was DE-LISH!!!  Even Bax liked it!  I know, I'm a bad mom...

Garlic Bread Pasta

Ingredients

Pasta (recipe called for linguine, but this is what I had on hand, and it is always whole wheat in this house)

Breadcrumbs (I used Panko)

Olive Oil

Lemon Juice

Parsley

Garlic Powder Salt (I used plain garlic powder)

Directions

Toss pasta in olive oil.  Sprinkle remaining ingredients on top and mix well. 

ENJOY!