Wine and Food Tasting

Last week I decided to plan a wine and food pairing get together.  I purchased my wines from the Bevmo 5 cent sale. (very convenient)  Once I selected my wine's I researched the best foods to pair with each varietal in order to get the most out of their distinct and unique flavors.  For my tasting I choose 2 whites, 4 reds, and one sparkling wine.

I decided to create and frame a menu for the party listing every wine with a brief description, along with the food that each wine would be paired with. I also researched the best glasses to serve each type of wine in order to enhance the flavors and aromas.  A tapered glass for white, balloon shape for red, and of course a flute for the sparkling wine.

I also came up with some creative, simple center pieces.

I prepared as much of the food as possible ahead of time, so that I would not have to spend the majority of the party in the kitchen, this worked out very well!  

First Course: Apple Smoked Gouda and Gruyere with Pinot Grigio

Second Course: Grilled Shrimp with Homemade Pesto and Sauteed Spinach with Chardonnay 

Third Course: Goat Cheese and Fig Relish on crackers and Baguette with Pinot Noir

Fourth Course: Spicy Chorizo and Olive Tapenade with Tempranillo 

Fifth Course: Grilled Beef with Valley of the Moon Orbiter  

Sixth Course: Fresh Pasta and Homemade Marinara Sauce with Ranch 32 Coopers Red

Final Course: Chocolate FILLED strawberries with Cremant 

I served each course as "little bites" as to not overwhelm my guests with food, they all agreed that by the end it was the perfect amount of food.  After the tasting was over everyone was welcome to go back to which ever was their favorite.  This was a huge success and  I can't wait to do it again!

Vampire's Kiss

Last week we went for another Halloween themed martini night!  This time we got a bit more creative.  I decided I wanted to learn how to make the "dripping blood" effect on the rim of our martini glasses. I researched, and found that it was actually pretty easy, and it only took about 10 minutes.

Ingrediants:

Combine 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup karo syrup, ans 1/2 cup water into a frying pan.

Heat until the mixture reaches 300 degrees

Once it has reached 300 degrees, mix in the red food coloring, turn off the heat, and dip the rims of your glasses into the mixture.  NOTE: Be VERY careful not to drip any of the mixture onto yourself during this process.  It will burn, it will blisture, and it will hurt....a lot.  I found that out the hard way!

Once on the martini glasses the candy will create small drips, and instantly harden. 

Now that the garnish is complete, we can work on the martini!  We choose the "Vampire's Kiss" martini. 

1 part Chambord

1 part Vodka

1 part Champagne

Besdies my accidental burn, I had a lot of fun with this martini.  I love experimenting, nd trying out new things.  This martini was tasty as well, next time I might use a little less Chambord to take away some of the sweetness, but to me it was all worth it!

Pumpkin Carving

Every year my husband and I host a pumpkin carving party.  We provide all of the food and drinks, but it is BYOP!  As I said in my last post, I love Halloween, so I also love to decorate for it!

Some of our party decor:

Our appetizers for the night consisted of Halloween cookies, crudite, ranch dip, cheese and crackers, and of course Halloween candy.

You may recognize the candy corn from martini night!

Beverages!

Octoberfest and Pumpkin Ale, what else?!?

This year I also tried something different which ended up being a huge hit!  I made Spiked Autumn Punch.

Spices:

Cinnamon sticks, cloves, and splenda.

First  I simmered these spices along with cranberry juice, dry vermouth, and sweet vermouth.  I simmered it until ithe sugar was completely dissolved, and the mixture had bagan to boil.  Then you let it all steep for 1 hour.


Liquor:

 2 bottles dry white wine, 1 bottle full red wine, 1 cup vodka, 1 cup apple brandy.


Then I decided to add two creative touches of my own:

1. Pumpkin Serving Bowl

              

 2. Cranberries

                                                                                                     

It was amazingly delicious, it may seem similar to jungle juice, but it is much less dangerous!





And now the reason we were all there, pumpkin carving!!!!

Before:

After:

Hers

His

My husband and I were the only ones to do our own pumpkins, everyone else did "couple pumpkins."  Here is our group shot.

Which Pumpkin is your favorite?

The City of Lights

Las Vegas may not be NEW for me, but it is definitely always an adventure! And of course, all adventures are born from trying out new things.  The first adventure we did in Vegas was a trip to the Minus 5 Ice Bar.  Inside this bar is made entirely of ice, right down to the drink glasses.  They even give you coats, gloves, and Ugg boots to keep warm. You can also upgrade to a "fur" coat and hat.  I highly recommend this place, it is an amazing experience!!

After Minus 5 we headed over to Mix nightclub in Mandalay Bay.  This bar is on the 64th floor, and has an absolutely gorgeous view.  It is definitely worth your time, amazing view, good music, and plenty of seating- even if you do not get bottle service, which is almost unheard of in Vegas clubs!

The View

For lunch Saturday we stopped at Hussong's, a Mexican restaurant that made the first margarita way back when.  So of course I had to try one of their original concoctions.  This one included muddled cucumber and jalapeno  SO delicious!

Saturday turned into a margarita kind of day with the Grand Opening of the Margaritaville Casino in the Flamingo.  We were very excited to hear that the grand opening was occurring during our trip! I loved the decor in the casino, and the fact that is all brand new and clean!  

Of course you cannot go to Margaritaville without having a Margarita, and because it was the grand opening of the casino, we had to go big!  Here is our amazing margarita!

We spent Saturday night in a chandelier, yes that's right a chandelier.  We went to the Chandelier Bar in The Cosmopolitan.  It is a gorgeous three floor bar with crystals hanging everywhere inside and out.  This is definitely a unique experience that you must try on your next Vegas visit.  

That wraps up my adventure in Vegas, remember a new experience a day, keeps the doctor away!