Salvador Dali

If you have not yet been to the new, world-class Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, this Saturday's event would be a perfect opportunity for you to check it out! A great night of tapas from Ceviche, music, silent art auction, museum tours, and Spanish wine & beer tastings. Don't miss it!

 

Two Years...and Counting!

It was 2 years ago today that I said "I do", and I can't imagine life without my amazing husband. But instead of talking all about him, I have to bring up the subject of anniversary gifts. For us, we don't really buy each other big gifts for Christmas or our birthdays, but we are pretty traditional when it comes to our anniversary. We still get each other small things, but we have stuck to the traditional guidelines for each year (check out the chart here). So for year 2, it says gifts of Cotton or China....

Boring!!!!

I did go a little traditional and get him some nice cotton handkerchiefs. But I went a little non-traditional and also got him this:

TWO book from Starbucks I bought at Christmas time, at the recommendation of a good friend. It has quotes and anecdotes about love and relationships, and has places where you fill in your feelings about the other person. It is very cute, and I hope he likes my answers! I don't know if Starbucks still has them in stock, but if they do, it is a great gift for an anniversary or even Valentine's Day!

I also made this for him:

It is a photo album of our trip to California. It took me a while to get all my favorite photos fit into one album, but I really think he is going to love this. I have photos from all our stops in San Francisco, Monterey & Carmel, and Napa Valley. I think my favorites are the series of whale pictures and the beautiful wineries.

Speaking of wineries, tonight, besides the company of my husband, I am going to love every minute of this:

We were fortunate to get a bottle as a gift for our first anniversary, and this past summer, we visited the Silver Oak winery, where we purchased another bottle for this year's anniversary. It just may have to become a tradition!

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

Genius!

Ever have some angry clients at work ruining your day, being stuck in rush hour traffic that takes you 2 hours to get home, or getting into the 10 items or less lane at the grocery store, only to find an old lady there with an entire cart full? Its just one of those days, when all you want to is go home, relax, and pour yourself a glass of wine.

Except....You can't find the darn wine opener.

No fear- someone (in France, of course!) has found a way to prevent utter desperation and depression and get to the wine. Simply use a shoe and a concrete wall to open that wine bottle.

Genius, I say!

Napa & San Francisco

We took a little vacation this summer.... an important one, in fact: Our Honeymoon. I know what you're thinking.... we have been married for a year and a half. But the truth of it is, we couldn't go anywhere after our wedding, due to some work training and other friends' weddings. So we decided to take it this summer. We still told people it was a delayed honeymoon, since we got married in January... of LAST year (we left out that minor detail). So off to California we go!

Napa Valley and a little town called Yountville were our first stops. The grapes and vines were in full bloom, and the countryside was so lush.

We went to several vineyards: Silver Oak, Grgich Hills, Merryvale, and Cakebread. All were so beautiful and it was so cool to learn about how they cultivate and age their grapes, and end up with such delicious wines. We tried lots of different types of wines, even though the standard Cabernet Sauvignon is our go-to wine. We may have even come home with some bottles, to open only for special occasions.

Napa Valley is not just about wine though. The food there is equally amazing. We went to Ristorante Tra Vigne, a recommendation from some friends, and I have to say that their fresh mozzarella changed my life! They make it on site, and it had just been pulled out of pasteurization that day. Then they place it in a small bowl with a little fresh olive oil, and warm it up just enough. They bring it to your table and slice it for you, and then you spread it over their freshly baked and toasted sourdough bread. It is HEAVEN! Here's me with what was left of it:



We also went to Mustard's Grill for dinner.... I had their famous Mongolian Pork Chop, which was delicious. However, my husband got the New York Strip, which was even more amazing!! Lets just say, we didn't leave hungry!

Our next stop on our trip was on our way to Monterrey/Carmel. Fifteen years ago, when I was last in California, my family stopped in a little town called Gilroy, the "Garlic Capital of the World", and tried some amazing garlic delicacies. So on our trip this year, we happened to be in time for their Annual Gilroy Garlic Festival. I insisted that we go. While it was ten times as large as any festival we have here in Florida in all its craziness, it was definitely a great experience. I made my husband try Garlic Ice Cream (I have had it before and liked it a lot!), since he is a hugs ice cream lover. Here he is, trying the Praline Pecan Garlic Ice Cream:

It was pretty delicious, but we wish we had ordered it like seasoned festival-goers scooped into half of a cantaloupe. A new idea for summer!!!

After Monterrey/Carmel, we drove up Big Sur and Highway 1 up the coast of California to our last destination: San Francisco. There, we saw the redwoods at Muir Woods, took a tour of Alcatraz, and hung out with the sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf.



There were also so many great restaurants, but here were our favorites:

Bobo's: The Steak, The Crab. This restaurant certainly lives up to its name. We met some of our California friends at their favorite steak joint on Lombard Street. They have a bone-in filet mignon that is out of this world, and with an iron skillet roasted mussels, crab, and shrimp combo to start with, they made the restaurant live up to its name. Their sides are served family style, with amazing pancetta brussel sprouts and a twice baked potato the size of my arm. While it is not the most well-known or popular restaurant in San Francisco, it is definitely one not to miss!

Our last stop before heading home was Scoma's seafood restaurant on the Wharf. While it doesn't have the best view, it does have some of the freshest seafood right off the dock! Order the LazyMan's Cioppino for a real treat (recipe to follow).

Between the wine, restaurants, and amazing sights, our honeymoon was certainly worth the wait!

Two Of My Favorite Words...

DISCOUNT WINE.

As most of you have seen, there have been online retailers popping up weekly selling designer goods at deeply discounted prices. It was only a matter of time until the wine world caught on.

The Winery Insider features new wines every 24-72 hours, and what I like most about them is that they offer 3 reasonable price points. This week they offer a 2006 Rubicon Estate Captain's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon for $29 (usually $48), a 2004 Chateau Bolaire Bordeaux for $12.99 (usually $25), and a 2008 Schug Sauvignon Blanc for $9.99 (usually $19). For each wine they also give you a review, tasting notes, and information about the winery itself. While the shipping is a little high for a single bottle or two, buy a case (12 wines- they can be mixed!) and get the entire case shipped to your door for just $10! A great deal for your next party or event.

Click here to sign up for e-mails and offerings from the Winery Insider.

Thanksgiving Wines

Thanksgiving is just not complete without good wines. My feeling is, if you are going to spend all that time on making a turkey, 10 sides, and 5 desserts, not to mention chaos with your family all being in one house, you'd better have some good wine around.

Here are a few of my favorites:

They are La Crema, Chalk Hill, and Carmel Road, and coincidentally, they are all Chardonnay. I think these buttery chardonnays are your best bet for really engaging the palate in all the flavors of white turkey meat, mashed potatoes, and green beans.



Some other favorites are Bogle Phantom, a red wine, Layer Cake Malbec, and Charles Smith Cabernet Sauvignon. These rich and delicious reds would be decadent with dark turkey meat, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and pumpkin pie.

No matter what you pick, just make sure that like the mashed potatoes and gravy, there is plenty to go around!

For more wines, you can always check out Wino Wednesday.