Sparkling Wine

Let's talk about bubbles, baby. Since I have been studying to become a certified sommelier, the one thing I have realized that drives people in the wine biz crazy, is when consumers call any and all wine with bubbles in it, Champagne. If you're one of these people, no need to worry! I did this too, and I am here to educate you on a few delicious sparkling wines and why only true champagne can be called champagne.

(Image source: Wine Folly)

Real champagne is from a wine region in France called Champagne. It has a delicious light, nutty andfruity taste, and usually carries a pretty hefty price tag, starting at around $40 for an inexpensive 
bottle. There are tons of other delicious sparkling wines that you can find for an affordable price that carry similar taste profiles to champagne.

My personal favorite sparkling wine is crémant. Think of it as "champagne taste with a beer pocket 
book." Like champagne, it is made in the traditional method of making sparkling wine, which is 
where the second fermentation happens in the bottle, and the aging of the lees (sediment and yeast) 
happens in the bottle. There are several variations of this wine, based on the region it is produced in 
France, but they are all winners as far as I'm concerned.

Now, without getting too nerdy on the subject, I wanted to cover other sparkling wines that are pretty 
popular here in the US that you can find at your local wine shop.

Prosecco

This Italian-made sparkling wine carries a slightly sweeter flavor than a traditional champagne, and 
carries a very attractive price tag, making it one of the more economical choices for your holiday 
celebration. This dry, delicately fruity wine are found with spumante (lots of bubbles) and frizzante 
(lightly-bubbled) on the label. Prosecco, unlike champagne, cava, and crémant, spends it's second 
fermentation in a steel tank, which takes less time to make and is cheaper for the producer whose 
savings gets passed on to you, the consumer. Some great proseccos that are easily found in stores are La Marca and Ruffoni.

Cava

The sparkling wine from Spain is called cava. Similar to champagne, this wine is classified into six 
different types ranging from extra brut (the least sweet, 0-6 grams of sugar per liter) to dulce (the 
sweetest with more than 50 grams of sugar per liter). As a note to the consumer, the more expensive 
the cava, the drier it is, and the less expensive the cava, the sweeter it is. One cava you probably see 
at the store quite frequently is Freixenet. Their highest quality bottle is the black bottle with the silveraccents, called Gran Cordon Negro.

American Sparkling Wine

California has been producing some delicious, ever-improving sparkling wine over the years. 
Creating a Champagne-like sparkling wine in the USA has been a challenge due to climate. 
Wine makers have been looking to cooler climate regions, like Carneros and Oregon, to grow their 
grapes. American sparkling wines tend to be a bit fruitier and heavier on the palate than a true 
champagne, but nonetheless are more affordable, considering you can pick up a pretty decent 
bottle for right around $19.  (Some of the most popular regional wines include Scharffenberger Brut, Argyle Brut & Mumm.)

Some fun facts about sparkling wine:

• Sparkling wine corks can go as fast as 40 mph when popped! Cover your eyes!

• The ideal temperature for serving sparkling wine is 46-50 degrees.

• The pressure inside a bottle of sparkling wine is about 90 psi (pounds per square inch) – which is about 3x the pressure in a car tire

Raspberry Cosmopolitan Jello Shots

There's something about New Year's Eve that gives me the desire to make jello shots. Going to an SEC school, jello shots became synonymous with a celebration for me. I started making these classier-looking jello shots my senior year of college when I hosted my first NYE party with a few friends. I was in charge of the food and alcohol for the party.

The one request from the guys I received was to make jello shots. I was resistant at first because I thought they were so tacky. I usually see mismatching colors of jello shots served in cups that are holding way too large of a portion, which was always unattractive to me. I started looking for  way to serve them that would look more sophisticated and came up with this solution. 

I decided to do a little experiment. I used a baking dish and an ice cube mold to see which one would produce better looking shots. I was sure that the ice cube mold would make them look perfect.

I was wrong. After trying 3 different methods of removing the jello carefully from the mold, all 3 resulted in the same, terrible way...a glob.

After removing the jello from the baking dish lined with plastic wrap, I found that it was a much better way to create a more unified look for the shots.

These shots are a hit wherever I take them! I found these cute edible star sprinkles on amazon, and used them to garnish the tops of my shots for New Years. If I'm making these in the summer or spring, I usually liked to use rainbow sprinkles for birthday parties or a lemon or lime zest for other types of parties. Any way you serve them up, they are a tasty a fun treat to make for bachelorette parties, holiday events, or a girl's night!

Raspberry Cosmo Jello Shots

Preparation:  5 min Cool Time: 4 hours Total Time: 4 hours

Serves: 25-30 shots

Ingredients

        

          1 cup of hot water

          1/2 cup vodka

          1/2 cup cold water

          1 package of raspberry lemon jello

          Sprinkles or zest from a lemon or lime for garnish

Instructions

          1) Pour jello packet into a large bowl. Add hot water and mix until all of the jello packet has dissolved.

          

          2) Once dissolved, add your vodka and the cold water to the bowl and mix.

          3) Line a baking dish with foil or plastic wrap. Pour the mixture into the baking dish.

          4) Place the dish in the fridge for 3-4 hours, or until set.

          5) Once your jello is set, lift the foil/plastic wrap from the baking dish, holding the jello, and place on a 

               flat surface. Using a knife or square cookie cutter, begin cutting squares out of the jello. 

          6) Place the squares onto a serving dish and garnish with sprinkles or zest.

Enjoy!

My Winter Tablescape for Flavors Magazine

I've been busy the last few months working on fun collaborations and this tablescape I created for Flavors Magazine was definitely one of them! They asked me to do something pretty for their winter issue that could go off of their over arching theme, "Artist's Palate." I instantly thought of the theme "Blank Canvas", as the winter months are bare and the landscape is usually all grey and white. I am so thrilled with how it came out! I decided to use birchwood printed plates, natural elements like animal horns and pinecones, and everyday pieces that were perfectly imperfect like the beautiful BeHome pitcher. Naturally I had to add some hints of gold to that too, just for good measure.

Christmas Garland Tutorial

I am so thrilled with how my first fresh greenery garland came out! I have always loved the way fresh greenery looks in homes for the holidays, but felt that it would be extremely challenging to make one myself. I was wrong. This garland only took me about 45 minutes in total to make, and you can make this just as easily for your own home!

Fresh garlands look and smell amazing! They give your home instant charm and warmth for the holidays. I love tying a thin ribbon into a big floppy bow for the top and the bottom banisters to finish the look. I feel like it gives the garland a feeling of whimsy. If you want your garland to look more polished and traditional, I'd recommend making two large bows with a few different types of ribbon, and keep the greenery tight in the garland.

For our holiday party this year, I decided to serve these delicious cranberry mojitos in wine glasses to make the drink more festive and formal. I placed them at the front entrance by my garland so guests could grab one as they enter. You can snag my recipe for them here.

HOW TO MAKE A FRESH PINE GARLAND

I looked at a few other tutorials before making my own, and saw that many other DIYers recommend using a rope. I like the idea because you can throw away the entire garland once you're done with it but I instantly realized an issue with this method. Last year for Thanksgiving, I made my very own magnolia garland using rope. I remember it being very difficult to get the garland to lay flat the way I wanted it to. Also, using this method typically requires more greenery.

I decided to use a traditional wired green garland to work the pieces of fresh greenery in and it worked great! The great thing about the wired garland is that you can continue to use it for years to come, therefore, saving yourself money in the long-run.

I began taking photos of this tutorial, but I realized it would be more confusing to use the images and explain in my writing, than it would be to just film what I did with my iPhone. I realize I'm not going to win any awards here on the quality of my video, but hey, I thought the video would help you guys out. 

Without further ado, here are my tips for putting together your very own garland.

( Also - for some reason I had the word "work wreath" on the brain...this is a work garland. )

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

Work gloves (optional)

Shears

Florist wire

Fresh greenery

Regular faux garland

Ribbon

Christmas music playing in the background :)

I hope these little tips helped you to build your very own gorgeous garland for your staircase!

Cranberry Mojitos

Christmas is almost here! It is such a wonderful time of year! Friends and family coming to town, communities coming together to celebrate and decorate, and best of all, holiday treats and drinks! I love getting into the spirit with seasonal libations. I enjoy putting a holiday spin on traditional favorites. Mojitos are one of my favorite drinks to make during the summer, and I found myself wanting to make them festive for the holidays. Rather than using cranberry cocktail, I decided to make a cranberry-infused simple syrup and add it to a traditional mojito recipe. Warning: these are so tasty you may forget there is alcohol in them! I just love the way they look, too! With fun pops of red and green, these gorgeous cocktails are sure to be a hit at your next party!

Cranberry Mojitos

Preparation:  10 min Cook Time: 5 min Total Time: 15 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients

        

          1 cup of fresh cranberries

          1 1/2 cups of fresh mint (just the leaves)

          1 cup water

          4 tbsp lime juice

          1 cup (or 8 oz) of rum

          Soda water

Instructions

          1) Place the cranberries, sugar and water in a medium size pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.

          2) Once simmering, lower the heat to medium-low for 10 minutes.

          3) Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cooled, take a mesh strainer and place it over a bowl. 

                Pour the mixture into the strainer, and using a large spoon, press the cranberries to try and extract 

                as much liquid as you can.

          4) Arrange the glasses you plan on serving the drinks in. Place about 8-10 mint leaves and 

              squeeze one tbsp of lime juice into each glass. Muddle the leaves with the lime juice. 

             (Note: I infused my simple syrup with the mint leaves...this is a nice option if you want less of the 

               leaves in your drink.)

          5) Place ice in each glass and then pour 4 tbsp (2 oz) of rum and 4 tbsp (2 oz) of the cranberry simple 

               syrup into each glass. Top with soda water and garnish with fresh cranberries.

Cheers!

     

Christmas Stovetop Potpourri

Are you ready for the simplest way to make your entire home smell like Christmas? You may still have these items on hand from Thanksgiving! All you need is four simple ingredients to make this amazing-smelling mixture. You can put this on the stovetop, or throw all of the ingredients into your crockpot on low to keep the aromas going. When the water runs low, simply add more to keep the smell going. 

I love using this easy mixture before I entertain, to make the house smell like it's right out of a Christmas catalogue! As soon as I put this mixture on the stove, my husband asked what I was cooking because it smelled "amazing all over the house." While the mixture doesn't last as long as a candle (the mixture keeps 1-3 days), it certainly smells better and stronger than any Christmas candle I've found....not to mention it is beautiful to look at! 

I hope this seasonal medley makes your home a hit at your next rendezvous!

Christmas Stovetop Potpourri

Preparation:  5 min

                  Cook Time:  All Day                     

Ingredients

        

          1 bag of cranberries

          1 orange, cut into thin slices

          2-3 cinnamon sticks

          3 fresh pine clippings

          Top with water or red wine (the water is to keep the mixture moist, add more as needed)

           Optional: 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

          1) Bring all ingredients to a boil on the stovetop. Lower the temperature to low heat, and enjoy!

Snow Day in Atlanta

Is there anything better than a snow day?! I'm sure the people tuning in from the north certainly think there is, but living in the south we know a) we get to get off work early, and b) it won't last for more than a few days. I woke up Friday morning, and looked out the window to find small patches of snow around our road. I instantly went outside to get pictures thinking that it was all just a flurry! 

Little did I know, it was going to last all weekend and snow for almost 12 hours straight.

I did what anyone would do in this situation...I tried to stay outside all day to embrace this seldom opportunity. My husband and I were lucky to hit the grocery store first thing that morning. We all know how people in Atlanta react about snow, thanks to the "snowmageddon" of 2014. We wanted to make sure we grabbed the necessities before there was nothing left but energy drinks and canned meat. Necessities like all of the ingredients to make s'mores...and some prosecco....and hot cocoa.  What can I say, I live through cheap marketing ploys that get me to buy "snow food." I will say, the marketing worked and I wasn't disappointed with our frivolous grocery dash. 

One good thing about having a wood-burning fireplace and a fire pit is that you are never short on firewood. We bought a cord of firewood to entertain guests with right before Thanksgiving, and it saved us over the weekend. The first night of our snow storm, the lights were flickering and the heat kept shutting off. My mind instantly imagined my husband and I building a fort in front of the fireplace with hot cocoa to stay warm. Am I the only one with these childish fantasies?  Just me? I blame too much TV as a child.

The next day, we woke up to a full 8 inches of snow outside. I know some of you are laughing, but that is a BIG deal in the south. Our DOT doesn't have the resources on-hand to handle snow like this, and need to know ahead of time to be prepared to handle the roads. Not to mention, most of the people who live here aren't used to driving in these conditions. My husband luckily has a pretty sturdy truck with big tires, so we went riding around where we felt the conditions would be safe. We couldn't believe the amount of vehicles that were abandoned on the sides of the road! They were in neighborhoods, several people had to abandon at the bottom of steep hills, not to mention all the luxury vehicles that had clearly slid off the road into ditches. It was crazy. 

Once we made it back home, I made us some hot cocoa with my favorite ingredient: roasted marshmallows. We couldn't get our fire pit to light because of all moisture, so I used a quick and easy back-up plan: my kitchen torch. I love getting creative with add-ons for hot cocoa! Sometimes I will add a peppermint stick, or sometimes I'll add some peppermint schnapps ;). Any way you mix it, my husband and I love cocoa because we had it on our first anniversary together at the Atlanta Botanical Garden's Christmas light show. It's still a fun memory looking back, when we hid in the bathroom to pour schnapps into our drinks before we walked around to tour the garden.

We had such an amazing weekend, playing in the snow. We may not have a white Christmas this year, but I'm happy we got to experience a little taste of winter and all of the magic it has to offer.