I started this post almost two years ago and never published it. With summer on the horizon I thought this might still be useful to families as they begin to make travel plans… Or if you’re like me, you really don’t “plan” at all, and instead rely on last minute recommendations on the fly, then…
Food and Recipes
Friday Favorites – new and improved pulled pork and a wine for humid New England weather
A roundup of some of my favorite things this week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. Food The Ultimate Pulled Pork Sandwiches, and updated blog pics My husband’s favorite thing to smoke is pork butt. It was one of the first things he ever tried after he bought his smoker, and remains…
Championship BBQ Secrets for Real Smoked Food — Book Review
In our house, both my husband and I cook. He’s the outdoor cook and loves to grill and smoke (food that is), and I love to do almost everything else. So when I was sent a cookbook to review on all smoked food recipes I couldn’t think of a better person to review the technical…
Friday Favorites – the ultimate Mother’s Day menu, memories of The Cure, and a Giveaway!
A roundup of some of my favorite things from the past week in the categories of wine, food, travel and lifestyle. Since this past weekend was Mother’s Day, many of the items that topped the list this week are, naturally, a result of a memorable weekend. LIFESTYLE My weekend began with my husband presenting me…
For Mother’s Day – My Mama’s Basic Red Chile Sauce
My mother loves to cook. More than this she loves cooking for people. She will intentionally make enough of any dish for an army, just so she can bring some to co-workers or friends the next day. It is how she expresses her love to people. She has no secrets in her kitchen, and is…
Friday Favorites — Sweet Moscato, Ribs, Nemo, and Toddler Mishaps
First of all I need to point out the elephant in the room – my pictures this week. My least favorite moment of this week was when my toddlers decided to make my Canon EOS Rebel XTi their new toy (i.e. they broke it). I think my kids are mind readers and knew I was…
Wine and food are a great match for Ribera del Duero
I was first introduced to the wines of Ribera del Duero several years ago while vacationing in the Adirondack Mountains in Lake Placid, New York. My husband and I were still just discovering our love for wines made from Tempranillo, and one stood out on the menu of the restaurant we were dining at. I…
The Beginning of a Friuli Experience
After my brief time in Croatia I headed to a region in Northeast Italy I had never been before — Friuli–Venezia Giulia (Friuli for short). Friuli’s tourist board describes this land best in this description: Alps and the Adriatic symbolize the two extremes of a multi-faceted and changing landscape, Italian, Slavic and Germanic cultures meet…
Friday Favorites — Gratitude
With so many horrible events that occurred this week it was hard to focus on “favorites”. But if anything positive came out of this week, it was thoughts of gratitude. Feeling thankful for everything I have in my life. Appreciating both the big and little things. TRAVEL A weekend in Boston. We went…
Brisket Bruschetta Recipe: Great for Leftover Brisket
Brisket Bruschetta is a light and delicious use for any leftover beef brisket you may have after a big BBQ or event. Shred some brisket, mix in your favorite BBQ sauce, and top onto a toasted baguette slice for a unique meaty treat! My husband’s eyes are bigger than his stomach. He often has grand…
In search of kuna in Zagreb I discover a Wine Bar instead
I arrived in Zagreb alone, two days before the International Wine Tourism Conference (IWINETC) was set to begin and the day before I had anything on my schedule. Traveling long distances and across five time zones can take a lot out of you. All I wanted to do when I arrived was take a nap with…
Friday Favorites – homecoming edition
Wine My weekend was spent in NYC at the Snooth People’s Voice Wine Awards Grand Tasting, which included three days of seminars — ranging from the wines of Brazil to Grüner Veltliners of Austria, and a lot in between. I will be writing about the highlights in the weeks to come, but just as a…
A yogurt that is “Better Than Heaven” in Friuli, Italy
This post was originally published on the International Wine Tourism Conference (IWINETC) website on March 25, 2013. This version is slightly longer with more photographs. Giuseppe Zoff warns my colleagues and I, “This is better than heaven.” He presents us with a sample of his “special” flavored yogurt produced at his farm, Azienda Agricola Zoff,…
The Road Trip – First Stop, Oregon and WBC
It has been over a week now since we hit the road with the twins for our month long journey across the country. Unsurprisingly, I have noticed a lot of questions coming my way. “Why did you guys decide to do this trip?” “You really flew across the country, and are doing a month long…
The Santorini I Want You To Taste
When I first put visiting Greece on my bucket list years ago it was because of pictures like these… I wanted to see this place. You may have felt the same way too. But since returning from my recent trip there I want to introduce you a different Greece. One beyond the intense beauty of…
An ambassador for Campania – How an individual can make or break a hospitality experience
I’ve always believed a good test of someone’s true character is how well he or she responds to extreme pressure during unforeseen circumstances (aka when plans go massively wrong). A few years back I was managing a private event for a winery during a “freak wind and ice storm” (yes I seem to be prone…
Villa Matilde – Where hospitality and humor create a wonderful match
On the morning of February 3rd, our group was scheduled to visit the Irpinia region of Campania exploring the famous Taurisi DOCG, with winery visits to Mastroberardino, TerreDora and Cantina Feudi di San Gregorio. Nature, however, had different plans for us. That morning Italy (and all of Europe for that matter) was on the verge…
Makin’ Gnocchi – The Recipe
Up until this weekend if you had asked me about making homemade gnocchi my answer would have been “sure, if by homemade you mean cutting open a vacuumed sealed pack purchased at Trader Joe’s then throwing them into boiling water, then yes I have”. Only there’s nothing truly homemade about that process and in fact…
My nine days in Italy – A preview
I have just returned from Italy where I spent nine days exploring the wine, food, and sights with a group of talented (and fun) bloggers, writers, and other media. We were there for the International Wine Tourism Conference where I presented a seminar titled, “A Sense of Place: How to leverage your region and place…
Giving thanks… and a little bit of wine
…Not your average Thanksgiving wine post… I had a very hard time accepting the fact that I would spend my first Thanksgiving away from my family in Arizona. This was many years ago mind you. We had many family customs that made me nervous to explore what others traditions would be like. My family never…
2011 Wine Bloggers Conference in Photos
Cheers and I’ll see you all in Portland in 2012!
Wine and Food Pairing: It’s not poppycock
Today I am speaking at the 4th annual American Wine Bloggers Conference in Charlottesville, Virginia on the topic of Wine & Food Pairing so I thought I’d let you in on some of the goods. As soon as I have a link to the video of the presentation I promise to post it here… even…
Show Me Some Love!
An article I wrote is currently featured on the website Snooth as a part of their “Bloggers Itinerary Contest”. The editors of Snooth asked wine bloggers to write about their favorite wine country itinerary and submit it to their contest. My article is currently in the running. I’ve lived in Northern California, near Napa and…
Open That Bottle Night, part II: Even special wines are meant to be opened
This past Saturday I did something I’ve been putting off for a long time. Inspired by Open That Bottle Night (OTBN) I opened two bottles of wine that I never quite found the right occasion to do so. They were not my most expensive, rare, or oldest wines. They were just wines that had a…