A roundup of my favorite things in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. Since this month has flown by I decided to highlight the month of February instead of just this past week. TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE Napa/Sonoma girls weekend – a much-needed getaway When the opportunity arises for your best friend to join…
Food
Friday Favorites – Valentine’s Day Edition
A weekly roundup of my favorite things in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. Once upon a time I was a cynic about Valentine’s Day. I had my years where I boycotted the holiday, and also those where I preached that you should appreciate your loved ones every day, not just one day…
Uses for leftover smoked beef brisket – Smoked Beef Brisket Nachos (recipe and wine pairing)
Award-Winning Smoked Beef Brisket Nachos is the perfect cure for cabin fever. It’s also the perfect way to use up leftover brisket! *Update: As of April 2015, this recipe became the grand prize winning recipe in the Traeger Grills Meat Madness Competition. How cool is that?! If you haven’t heard, Portland experienced a bit of…
Wine & Dine of the Week
In lieu of Friday Favorites this week I’m simply sharing my favorite wine and food experience of the week. Wine of the Week 2012 Durant Vineyards Pinot Gris A few months ago I had the honor and pleasure of attending an incredible harvest dinner at Red Ridge Farms. My only regret that evening was not…
9 Super Bowl Recipes
T-minus six days ‘till the big day. The Super Bowl. I’m not gonna lie, I only watch one football game a year – the Super Bowl (though I do fantasize about the idea of buying a traveling smoker just to take up tailgating). To me, the Super Bowl is just one grand snack-foodie holiday, and…
Friday Favorites — Touring Portland with Friends
A weekly roundup of my favorite things in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. Two of my dearest friends, Allison and Lynn, were visiting last weekend from CA, one of whom I’ve been BFF’s since we were fifteen years old, singing and dancing our way through high school together. We had a lot…
What to Drink, Eat, Do, and See in Santorini, Greece
Right about this time of year I start itching for a vacation. It is cold and wet where I am, so I dream of someplace warm… no, make that hot… with plenty of sunshine, good food, and great wine — A place like Santorini. Though it may be a few years before I get back…
Smoked Buffalo Chicken Pizza & Wine Pairing
Smoked Buffalo Chicken Pizza is the perfect answer for when you’re wanting Buffalo wings, but also pizza! Also a great use for leftover chicken. Shred it, mix it with Franks RedHot hot sauce, and add to your pizza. I didn’t know Buffalo wings could be elevated to such a level… until this weekend. I thought…
Friday Favorites — A wine for Game of Thrones… and more
First of all I want to wish my dear father a very happy birthday today. Happy Birthday Dad!!! We love you! I’m excited to continue highlighting my favorite things from each week (or month if I happen to skip a week… or three). These posts are to provide fun, simple recommendations of wines to seek…
New Year, New Stories, New Ideas, New Inspiration
Happy New Year. I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season and got through the last few weeks healthy! We’ve been battling bouts of bronchitis, coughs, colds, and ear infections in our neck of the woods. Oh winter how I loathe love you! This also explains why things have been rather slow here on…
Holiday Gift Ideas for Wine and Food Lovers
I’m going to let you in on a secret. Christmas is ten days away and I haven’t purchased a single present. Just this morning my mom lectured me about my procrastination. I assured her there’s still nearly two weeks left for me check off everyone on my list. That’s what Amazon Prime shipping is for,…
Discussing Holiday Food and Wine Pairing with The Hudson Valley Wine Goddess
Holiday parties are in full swing, and if you should find yourself in a rut trying to figure out which wines to drink you’re not alone. It can be an intimidating topic for many. My advice is don’t think too deeply about it. Pairing wine with holiday foods is no different than any style of…
Smoked Buffalo Turkey Dip
I thought I knew what the ultimate use for leftover Thanksgiving turkey was. I was wrong. The ultimate use for leftover turkey is this Smoked Buffalo Turkey Dip!!! On Sunday we were still chugging away at leftover smoked turkey from Thanksgiving Day (yes we smoked our turkey… two of them actually), when hubby declared he…
Recent Articles – all things Bordeaux
Two of my recent articles were published this week – both on Bordeaux. The first, over on VineSleuth Uncorked is all about a recipe inspired by one of the best meals I had on my trip to the region last September – 7 Hour Braised Lamb and Bordeaux. This was the version I had at…
Burger Wines — what does that even mean?
What food do you think has more variations, a burger or a pizza? This is a question I spent way too much time thinking about the other night, thus prompting this post. (The photo above is of one of my favorite burger recipes — Turkey Burgers with Bacon Paste. A recipe I wrote for the…
Red Ridge Farms Annual Harvest Dinner, and why you should explore olive oils
A few years ago a good friend gave my hubby and I a gift pack that included several locally made olive oils and vinegars for Christmas. When we opened it she mentioned she gave several other friends and family members the same pack and joked that we would probably be the only ones to actually…
The Ultimate Smoked Buffalo Chicken Wings (with crispy skin!)
The best method for Smoked Buffalo Chicken Wings with crispy skin. Learn the tips and tricks for getting crispy skin when cooking smoked buffalo chicken wings low and slow. My husband is from Rochester, NY, and I’m pretty sure that means it is required by upstate NY law a baby’s first food must be Buffalo…
Recent Articles — Butternut Squash Soup and Wine Pairing on VineSleuth Uncorked
This has been a rough week so far. Both my kids have been home sick. Taking care of twin toddlers can be challenging. Taking care of sick twin toddlers is a whole new category of challenging. I’ve put everything else aside this week to just be there for my guys. Everything else I had planned…
Friday Favorites – welcoming fall, and a stunning Pinot from California
A roundup of some of my favorite things this week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. The Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maize on Sauvie Island It was a perfect fall day yesterday and I’m trying to take in all the good weather I can before the you-know-what wet stuff starts and doesn’t…
5 things to do in Bordeaux (besides visiting wineries)
When my husband and I visited France on our two-week honeymoon we spent a couple days in Paris, a day in Champagne, and the remaining time split between Burgundy and Bordeaux. When anybody in country asked us about our travels the responses were unanimously, “Oh, you must like wine.” Yes, oh yes we do. But…
Uses for leftover smoked beef brisket – Smoked Beef Brisket Chili (recipe and wine pairing)
An incredible use for leftover smoked brisket — Smoked Beef Brisket Chili! This recipe may be worth even smoking a brisket for, just to use the meat in this (controversial) chili with the leftover brisket. This chili has not only won us several competitions, but we’ve had several readers email us to tell us this recipe has won…
Friday Favorites – bubbles, harvest, and getting my hands dirty all for the love of wine
A weekly roundup of my favorite things from the week, in the categories of wine, food, travel and lifestyle. WINE Bubbles! Last Friday I participated in a twitter tasting of sparkling wines from the Franciacorta DOCG in the larger Lombardy region of northern Italy. Produced in the traditional Champagne method, these sparkling wines undergo secondary…
Recent Articles — Food and Wine Pairing on VineSleuth
Next to sparkling wine, food and wine pairing has to be my all time favorite subject to write and about and teach. Some could care less, but for others it’s a topic in the wine world that can cause heated debate. Just mention pairing wine and chocolate to a group of wine enthusiasts and you’ll…
Friday Favorites — Bordeaux Travel Edition
I returned from Bordeaux this week, so naturally this weeks favorites are all about some of my favorite things from the trip, and as always in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. Wine For many the word Bordeaux conjures up images of the famous great growth wines of Bordeaux. Wines that are…
