Albariño is a refreshing, dry, and aromatic white grape with northwest Spanish roots, that is great with a variety of foods and also on its own. Find out what makes this wine so great and why you should be drinking this white wine year-round. One of my favorite white wines to drink with a variety…
Food and Recipes
Smoked Tri-Tip Sandwich with Chimichurri Sauce
An easy smoked tri-tip sandwich recipe topped with our awesome Chimichurri Sauce, onions, and a ciabatta roll. Don’t have a smoker? That’s fine, you can grill or roast it in the oven. Tri-tip, where have you been all my life. We serve this cut at catering events and in our house. And when we have…
Cocktail Week — Adults Only Blueberry Lemonade with Gin
Cocktail Week continues today with… GIN I love the signature juniper berry flavor of gin. I love gin martinis. I love a refreshing gin and tonic. What’s not to love about gin?! And this bottle of gin makes me wonder why I don’t drink it more often. Produced in Scotland, Hendrick’s Gin is infused with…
A Chilean Winemaker in Argentina – Meet Aurelio Montes Jr. of Kaiken Winery
“Passion is the best way that I can describe the country of Argentina.” This is how Chilean winemaker Aurelio Montes Jr. described his new home when I met him a few weeks ago. I had asked him to describe the difference between making wine in Argentina vs. Chile, where he is from. Aurelio (who bears…
Stag Hollow Vineyard — creating work-life balance
Since the purchase of the new smoker (“Old Smokey” as he’s being referred to throughout our neighborhood), we’ve been asked by nearly all of our family and close friends when we are going to start a BBQ business — as in, give up our day jobs and start a restaurant or catering company. We chuckle…
Friday Favorites – Travel edition (Neskowin, Oregon)
A roundup of my favorite things from the week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. TRAVEL About two weeks ago we decided we needed to get out of town for a weekend. We have not had a vacation in what feels like forever and I needed to get the heck out of…
BBQ Corner (part 11) — Dry-Aged Beef and Wine Pairing
By contributing writer Sean, aka “the hubby” Um, it costs how much? That was my initial response when challenged to understand the unique flavor of dry-aged beef. I’ve had it in restaurants, but you come to expect big prices at a big meat house. But buying it raw from a local butcher? I had to…
Exploring Cabernet Franc — Cornerstone Cellars
I first knew of Craig Camp, of Cornerstone Cellars, several years ago through the Wine Bloggers Conference, but our paths never crossed. I’m not sure why. It wasn’t until, several years later, through the introduction by a mutual friend, Thea, that I was officially introduced to Craig and able to taste a few of the…
July Favorites
A roundup of my favorite things from the week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. It’s been awhile since I posted my weekly favorites. This month was a blur, involving lots of travel, visitors, and toddlers who aren’t in preschool for the summer (eek!). So here are a few favs from the…
A Wine for Spicy Thai Food
The day after I arrived home from the Wine Bloggers Conference I was exhausted. Hubby, who had been on twin patrol solo for four days, was arguably even more exhausted than I was. Neither of us felt like cooking. More importantly, neither of us felt like cleaning dishes after dinner. This was a job for…
McKinley Springs BBQ Competition
By contributing writer Sean “The Hubby” It’s no secret that I love to BBQ. But to make the investment in competition BBQ is an entirely different level of love obsession. You don’t have the safety of having your own kitchen and bed right around the corner. You don’t have friends and family giving you positive…
Cahors, France — a photo preview
This week’s “favorites” are dedicated to my week in Cahors, France. Cahors, France Cahors, located in southwest France, hails claim to the birthplace of Malbec (the grape Argentina gets all the credit for). I was there for “Cahors Malbec Days”, a four day symposium and trade event focusing on all things Malbec. While there I…
Friday Favorites – more simple summer wines and Cahors prep
A roundup of my favorite things from the week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. FOOD I’m still coming off a high watching hubs help cater his first event with the new smoker. 320 pounds of pork butt were slow cooked to perfection by hubby and Matt Johnston of Boda’s Kitchen celebrating…
BBQ Corner (part 7) — Introducing the Yoder Chisholm, and our first catering gig
In lieu of a BBQ lesson this week we have an important announcement to make. By contributing writer Sean “The Hubby” There is a fine line between obsession and passion. At least, that’s what I think. I’ll admit that my passion for quality barbecue and obsession with the right tools and ingredients are what guide…
Different Styles of BBQ Sauces
A rundown of the major styles of BBQ and regional sauces and what they are good for. I love being asked what my style of BBQ is, for a couple reasons. I find it an opportunity to gauge how much that person really understands styles, and why it matters (or doesn’t). To be candid, if…
Mini-Vacation Spotlight — Sedona, Arizona
Things to do for a great mini-vacation to Sedona, Arizona. For Mother’s Day two years ago my husband asked what I’d most like. I told him I wanted Sedona. I wanted to go somewhere warm, quiet, beautiful, serene, and most of all peaceful. I had just come off of my first year of having twins,…
How to make a Grilled and Glazed Chicken
How to make Grilled and Glazed Chicken. I must admit a few years ago I was so uninspired when grilling chicken (but my wife requested it several times a week!). Frankly, I just felt that the flavor was bland and half the time it was either too charred or not cooked enough, meaning it would…
The Carlton Inn Bed and Breakfast (Carlton, Oregon)
The Carlton Inn Bed and Breakfast, in Carlton, Oregon, is a fantastic place to stay when in Oregon’s wine country. Following our wedding, my husband and I spent a quiet week near Lake Placid in upstate NY, at a bed and breakfast called the Porcupine Inn. We immediately fell smitten by the B&B bug. Upon…
Friday Favorites – Touring Oregon Wine Country
A weekly roundup of my favorite things this week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. Since returning to Oregon I’ve tried to immerse myself in Pacific Northwest wines, specifically on understanding the intricacies of each wine-growing region. This week I had the opportunity to spend some time focusing on two different regions…
A St. Patrick’s Day Irish Cheese and Wine Pairing
A much better alternative to dying your food green on this festive day. I met a chef recently who said pairing food and wine is really quite simple. “If you have good food and good wine people will be happy. There’s really not much more to it.” While he has a point, I would argue…
February Favorites — a wine country getaway & stress relieving bubbles
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…
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…
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…
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…