yummy summery asiany lettuce wraps

...or 'we finally went grocery shopping!'

This month has been go-go-go and I am loving it, but the downside is that we haven't prioritized domestic basics.  We've gone camping almost every weekend and have various social engagements throughout the work week, be it sports, gymtime, happy hours, etc.  I know, boo hoo.  I'm definitely not complaining.  However, it felt so refreshing to go nuts at the market yesterday so that we could eat at home more, for all the day's meals.  Gabe and I eat vegetarian at home so we stocked up on fresh vegetables {hello! it's summer!} and basics like pastas, potatoes, wine.  Of course wine is a basic, how dare you question.

I love wine. Winey wine wine. Here it goes down. Down into my belly. Mmm mmm mmm.

Since it is summer, and it is warmer than I expected today {read: didn't think I needed to shave my legs, so I wore pants} I felt like making a cold and raw dinner.  That sounds odd.  I just mean I didn't want warm food.  I was starving after my hair appointment, so naturally I chose to spend an hour to prepare dinner.  All that chopping of vegetables and blending of saucey goodness was worth it, and I snacked on some veggies while I was prepping, so I lived.

You know when you make something and you are so freaking proud of yourself?  It doesn't even have to be something all that significant, but you know that is rocks and you are awesome!  {Assuming you are viciously nodding your heads} That is how I feel about the dinner I just made.  And enjoyed solo.  Solo supper.  Don't feel sad, I had wine.  What is that rule about not drinking alone?  Pssshhhh.

Peanut Sauce:
1/2 c  natural peanut butter
1/2 c  milk
3 T  freshly squeezed lime juice
2 T  packed brown sugar
1.5 T  low sodium soy sauce
2 T  Asian chili and garlic paste
1/3 c  orange juice
KS&P  to taste

Cups:
Several butter leaf lettuce cups
radishes, thinly sliced
yellow bell pepper, julienned
button mushrooms, caps only and thinly sliced
fresh basil, chiffonade
alfalfa sprouts {cuz they're awesome!}
mixed vegetable salad {slaw of cabbage and carrots and such}
toasted sesame oil
rice vinegar
teriyaki tofu, chunked

First blend all the ingredients for the peanut sauce in a blender and set aside.  Then toss all ingredients, except for the lettuce cups of course, in a bowl and drizzle some sesame oil and rice vinegar to taste.  I normally press and marinate my own tofu, but I grabbed some Wild Wood baked teriyaki sprouted tofu at the store and was eager to try it.  So yummy!  I highly recommend it.  Their brand makes all good stuff.  Then, fill your cups with the goods and top with peanut sauce.  The most important step is this one:  Open and pour yourself a glass of Bogle Chardonnay to enjoy with your lettuce cups.  I mean it.  Speaking of, time out...tank's empty.

...

Okay, I'm back.  Bogle is a local and a favorite wine of mine.  I went to school with the Bogle boys, and their vineyards dominate are located in the Delta.  Nugget had the chard on sale for $8.99 so I grabbed a couple, which is not nearly enough.  Sorry babe, I know you said you weren't going to drink in preparation for climbing that undisclosed mountain, but that doesn't mean I am going to cut back out of sympathy.  Love you!

Oh man, this peanut sauce! I made extra so I could pour it over anything and everything.

What have you friends been proudly making these summer nights?  I'd love to hear!  And even more importantly, what wines are you drinking right now?  Summertime is primetime for white varietals methinks.  Give me a delicious and chilled Sauvignon Blanc and/or Chardonnay, or perhaps a Viognier, and I will be happy as a clam.  Why do they say that?  A clam?  Is it because the split in their shells is shaped like a smile?  I wonder.

laughs in Napa w/ hubby

Gabe and I saw Lisa Lampanelli perform live in Napa on Friday night, and we had a blast!  We did not stop laughing during her entire set.  She is one ridiculously hilarious broad.  Here are some photos from that night + the next day.

• This sweet message was posted on the outside wall of a business, randomly, on First Street in Napa.  We saw it while walking to eat the yummiest Mexican food at Bistro Sabor.  Two words, friends: homemade. churros.
• Me, enjoying a glass of {free!} Cabernet at Embassy Suites, where we were lucky enough to stay for a very reasonable rate.  Not only is the hotel beautiful and conveniently located in downtown Napa, but they offer free drinks for several hours every day in their in-house restaurant. Score!
• A black swan!  There were two of these fellas chilling in the pond area at our hotel. 
• The theater Lisa performed at was so cute and old-timey.  

Our hotel fed us a full-on-super-awesome-made-to-order-breakfast the next morning {included}, then we hit up some antique shops and Ben + Jerry's downtown.  It was a quick, close little getaway, and the weather was nice enough to cooperate.  We got the impression from the locals that Bistro Sabor is a newer restaurant, and I think it's going to last.  I've been thinking about those mouthwatering tacos and churros all day...

V-day surprise: hubby reads my blog!

I came home from work Monday to find this giant fort in my great room, made out of every sheet and blanket we own it seems, and about fifty clothespins and binder clips.  Hubby definitely surprised me!!  There were string lights, a roaring fire in the fireplace, fresh flowers in a vase, a nice bottle of wine, board games, and take-out for dinner and dessert from Hot Italian!  Wow.  It was so awesome.

He told me that due to weather, he was on to Plan E for how he was planning on treating me for the holiday, and after reading my post on forts, he knew building me this was the perfect surprise.  He was totally right.  It is now Wednesday, and the fort still remains up.  I love how organic it is, with the ladder and all...:)

 

We spent the evening chilling in our fort with our dogs; played Battleship, Yahtzee, and card games; ate delicious salad, pizza, and Zucchero, with Kokomo Pinot Noir; and exchanged our traditional two-cards-a-piece: one sweet, one funny.  It was really a great night. 

 

 

And for breakfast...leftover Zucchero + coffee. yum.

How was everyone's Valentine's Day?? I hope yours was splendid!

{And yep! That's an EmersonMade Jack Tack on my shirt pocket!!} ;)

tasting along the wine road: revisited

I'm about wined-out.  Well, at least for another, say, day or so.

For the second year in a row, we took part in the Annual Wine & Food Affair:  a tasting event along the Wine Road, integrating the Dry Creek, Alexander, and Russian River Valleys.  This year, we brought along Gabe's mom and her boyfriend.

 sober @ Windsor Oaks Vineyards, our first stop

About ninety {90!} wineries participated in this two-day event, pouring their current releases, some reserves and library wines, and served food that paired well with their wines.  Many prepared and served their own homemade dishes, while others hired caterers.  Either way, the food was amazing everywhere we visited {several veg dishes}, and the best part is we each got to take home a souvenir cookbook containing all of the recipes from every participating winery.  We also got to take home our commemorative wine goblets that we toted to each place.

Not included in the price of our tickets, however, were the eight bottles of wine we bought to enjoy during this upcoming holiday season at home.  Although it didn't seem like it at the end of the day, we had visited ten wineries, all within a five-hour time period.  Don't worry, we hired a chauffeur for the day!  We used the same company, Wine Country Chauffeur, we used last year on our honeymoon, and we were again very pleased.  I highly recommend them, especially Mary, if you plan on livin' it up in wine country in the future. 

Although all of the wineries we visited had perfectly drinkable wines, there were definitely a few that stood out above the rest.  These were the wines we bought.  Of course.
@ Kokomo Winery: {2} bottles of 2007 Pinot Noir, Winemaker's Reserve, Peters Vineyard
also @ Kokomo Winery:  {2} bottles of 2008 Chardonnay, Peters Vineyard
also also @ Kokomo Winery:  {2} bottles of 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Dry Creek Valley
@ Papapietro Perry Winery:  {1} bottle of 2008 Pinot Noir, Leras Family Vineyard
@ Selby Winery:  {1} bottle of 2008 Selby Rosé of Syrah {on sale for only $9!}

We are so grateful to Mary, our driver, for understanding our taste in wines and insisting that we visit Kokomo and Papapietro Perry.  Their reds are big reds, which I love, and Kokomo's Chardonnay is big, buttery, clean, and phenomenal.  Mmm...

At Kokomo, we had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Randy Peters, of Peters Vineyard, and we were just as excited about his Reserve Pinot as he was.  That is another benefit of this event:  you get to meet the winemakers, and if you are really lucky, their dogs too.

I don't know which part of the day is my definite favorite--rubbing Lobo's belly at Matrix Winery, or going back for seconds {alright, thirds!} of four mushroom soup at Papapietro Perry's. 

 We also met Tucker, a Giants fan, at Wilson Winery.

 The view at Wilson is breathtaking. And the wine is good, too!

All in all, a very enjoyable event that you should definitely check out next year.  We could go the next seven consecutive years and still not hit every participating winery.

This year was their 12th annual.  Anyone ever been?

Anniversary SuRpRiSe!

Gabriel planned a surprise mini-getaway for our anniversary: a trip to St. Helena in Napa Valley + dinner at my favorite restaurant, Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen.  If you have never been to Cindy's, you have not lived.  My only instructions for the surprise were to be ready at 2, and to look cute.  Well, I was ready by 2:30, but I did look cute in my new top + skirt from J. Crew and my EmersonMade flower! :)

We sat at the same table, and I ordered the same thing as on our honeymoon: Schramsberg Blanc de blancs, avocado + papaya salad, Incredible Mushroom Tamale, and coffee, sans campfire pie for dessert {no room}.  Gabe ordered something different this time: the special.  He had the most delicious halibut we have ever tasted, accompanied by the same beer he ordered on our honeymoon, Death and Taxes Lager.  Although we passed on dessert, our server brought us a sundae of strawberry ice cream topped with chocolate and a warm baked chocolate chip cookie {all made in house}, with a lit candle on the plate.  It was so sweet, and we felt as though we were once again on our honeymoon.

After dinner we walked down Main St., which was eerily empty seeing as how it was Sunday night, but we enjoyed the peace.  When we returned to our car we decided to go fantasy-house-hunting through the neighborhoods of St. Helena...neighborhoods that rival Stars Hollow in charm.  We were happy to see several residents sitting out on their front porches enjoying the early autumn weather, and wished we could join them.  When all sunlight was lost, we headed back home.  Upon returning, I jumped online to check the MLS for listed homes in St. Helena... :::and:::

...Maybe we'll just continue to visit on occasion. ;)

Mario Batali's EATALY is open!

Can I please get locked in here?  I could really do some damage.

In his own words, Mario tells NY mag, "We’re not a food hall. We’re a grocery store with tasting rooms and restaurants. We don’t want you to just come and eat and walk away. We want you to come and taste some things and then take them home and cook them." {source}

Oh, Mario.  You adorable, brilliant man, you.  I'm going to look at flights to NY. right. now.

{sources: 1. gothamist.com; 2.  slashfood.com; 3. GQ; 4. seriouseats.com; 5. NYmag}

I don't get it.

"Wine bottle holder" from Wisteria.  I am just baffled.  Those are empty bottles.  Empty.  Kinda depressing.  Plus, the stand costs $150 and holds 88 wine bottles.  You'd be missing out on like $4.50 in recycling profit!  Okay, so maybe you don't get a chunk of your paid CRV back when you recycle, but you could re-purpose the empty bottles.  The resources are ubiquitous in Blogland.  Here.  Here are a couple of ideas that make much more sense than turning the bottles upside down and displaying them on a spiny rack in your kitchen.

DIY recycled wine bottle torches via re-nest

DIY hanging vases via 100 Layer Cake

Your husbands will thank you for choosing the torches.

I wonder if Molly has seen this photo in the Wisteria catalog.  She'd probably have much funnier things to say about it.

WEDding WEDnesdays: for the kiddies in the wedding party

Wedding junk is expensive.  You with me? 

I could not bring myself to buy a fancy basket for the flower-girl or a fancy pillow for the ring-bearer to carry down the aisle.  So, being the crafty girl that I am, I made my own.  Luckily, I already had an old Easter basket that would work splendidly for the flower-girl to carry if I dolled it up a bit. As for the ring-bearer's pillow, I enlisted the help of my MOH, the talented Vicki, to help me make it from scratch. 

She sewed the pillow from a roll of muslin I had leftover from a college project (years ago!), using a cool zigzag stitch in dark blue thread.  Me?  I drank wine while plotting the pillow's ornamentation.  Yes, this is the same muslin I used to line the inside of my vintage train case that housed the guests' comment cards at the reception {mentioned here}.

My dining room was our sweatshop;  and although it looks insane, we were actually done with the project in only a couple of hours.  Put two Virgos on a project together in a time crunch, and you will see magic my friends.

Because I had read that it is a very bad idea to give a small child the responsibility of carrying your actual wedding bands at the ceremony, I faked it with two shiny key rings to decorate the pillow.  And because I have the corniest humor known to my circle of family and friends, I used buttons and one of Gabe's guitar picks to spell out the phrase, 'I Pick You.'

For the flower-girl's basket, I used the leftover muslin to line the inside of the basket, making it easier for her to grab the flower petals to sprinkle down the aisle at the ceremony.  I glued a strand of vintage ribbon around the outside of the basket, and wrapped a couple strands of pink beaded ribbon around the handle.  All of this material was supplies I already had on hand from previous craft projects, including the two faux dahlias I pinned to the base of the handle on each side of the basket, which were leftover from the bridesmaids' shoes project {mentioned here}. 

I used the same ribbon and dahlias, along with some vintage buttons and my old cheerleading hair ribbons, to make the flower-girl's headband as well.  Originally, my plan was for me to wear the headband, but after I finished it, I realized it would be much more fitting for the under-ten-aesthetic.  I gifted the headband to Taylor at our rehearsal dinner, and told her it was her's to keep after she wore it in the wedding.  I don't know who was more excited, her or me, judging by her reaction.

We gave Dino, our ring-bearer, a vintage bow-tie for his gift at our rehearsal dinner, so he would look just like the groomsmen in their vintage bow-ties.  But, that's another post.  :)

As you are probably noticing by now, if you have been reading the WEDding WEDnesday posts from the start, we did not go the traditional two-color-scheme route for our wedding.  Instead, we mixed patterns, styles, and colors, but for the most part kept within a certain color palette.  That palette was inspired by this photo:

{100 Layer Cake}

When I stumbled upon this beauty, there was no questioning what our 'colors' would be for our wedding.  We originally had planned on sticking to 'dark chocolate and raspberry' but eventually realized the visual was lacking.  I never wanted our color choices to be so obvious that they screamed theme, so we were satisfied with the palette we chose.  It also gave us focus in a world of chaos infinite choices, known as wedding planning.

More next week.  Happy hump day! 

Sweet Summertime

We finally caught a break in the capital city yesterday with a nice cool breeze and only double-digit temperatures.  Of course I took advantage of this break, knowing it likely would not last.

After work, I went home and changed into comfy play clothes {hubby's tattered vintage shirt}, grabbed some gear, and drove down to the Delta for some good ol' fashioned fruit pickin'.  I parked at my friends' home and helped myself to two dozen beautiful peaches off their tree, at their insistence.  No one was there at the house yet, except for their two farm dogs--one of which was finishing off a dead bird.  Not so pleasant.  But soon, my friends Clayton and his lady Manuela showed up and invited me inside for a glass of wine.  I love being in wine country.

Clay poured me the last of the Bogle Chardonnay in the bottle, which I have had countless times in the past, but it seemed to taste different this time.  I buried my nose in the stemmed glass, breathing in every note. Vanilla. I stopped there.  The next smell wasn't a fruit or a spice.  All I could smell were the vines, the barrels, the fermentation, and the juice combined.  I was overwhelmed as the entire wine-making process flashed through my memory, and I hadn't even taken a sip yet.  I have so much appreciation and respect for this industry, that I can't help but get emotional.

It took me a good twenty-five minutes to finish my glass, sip by sip, and by that time, Abby had arrived to join me for picking.  With our play clothes and rubber gloves on, bags and camera in hand, we headed out to the slough dock to try our luck.  We also brought a wooden skim board to use as a 'plank' on the vines, should we need to explore beyond the surface.

I decided to jump right in, while Abby quickly volunteered to play photog after seeing too many spiders in the vines.  The gloves were a must, not only for protection from the thorns on the vines, but also to keep us from looking like we murdered someone with our bare hands. {Blackberries stain your skin something terrible}.  

We wiped out the areas we could reach from the dock and the floating barge, so we decided to take a stroll down the slough road to see if we could spot a jackpot. 

No luck, but the views and the company were marvelous.

Abby knew of a spot near her house, about two miles away, that would surely please us.  She also lent me a shirt when the Delta breeze cooled the temp down in to the 60s. 

This time she jumped in to the action, and together we filled my little 80s cooler, all before sundown. We even had time to pick some famous Bartlett pears.  The best.

Exhausted, but delighted, we gathered our booty and headed home. 

All this delicious fruit.  Too many recipes to choose from.  Any recommendations? 

The last picture is deceiving, admittedly, as there are only about half as many peaches left...mmm...

This weekend is...

...this guy's birthday!  

 my guys: Clayton, (me), Casey

My long-time buddy Casey is turning 25, which means a blow-out all-weekend party in the Delta. Keg. Boats. Bocce ball. Beer. BBQ. Tent Camping. Wine. Beer. Beer. Big brother Clay makes the most delicious Chardonnay, so I'm hoping he still has some on hand.

Me & Abby showing off our guns in a heated game of bocce

...and more than likely many rounds of beirut, flip-cup, and other beverage-related festivities.

Nancy, Clay & Case's mom, loves her beer. And we love mom. ;)

What plans have you for this weekend, friends?  Hopefully they involve spending time with friends and staying well-hydrated. ;) Yay for summertime!

Better than nothin'

First, readers, my apologies for being MIA lately.  I truly have been extremely busy, and not in a good way, unfortunately.  I wish I could say that I finally kicked myself into gear and have been rollin through projects like a mad woman, but I've just been working. working. working. working. Oh! And drinking. drinking. Wine, that is. So, that's something good to post I think!  Especially since I've been drinking some really super good wine.  But, that's another post... Right now, I want to share with you another very cool and inspiring video I stumbled upon while blog-hopping.  I discovered [through various channels] Makeunder My Life 's blog just now, and watched this video, and thought I'd break my procrastination mold and post about it. 
Also, if you have time, check out the rest of her blog--it's cute... :)  Lemme know what you think....  of the video, her blog, my drinking, anything.  Really.

Yes, I've said this before.