Last month I checked a thing off my bucket list: visiting an English sparkling vineyard/winery! We visited Hambledon Vineyard near Portsmouth and Southampton, about an hour train ride from London. We enjoyed a tour hour tour and tasting, and it was one of the most, if not THE most, comprehensive tour and explanation of the […]
sparkling wine
Loire Valley Wines Event: Spring to Loire in Houston
There are a couple countries/regions that have been swaying me away from my usual Italian pour lately. While I’ve been learning about and enjoying South American wines, I received an invitation to attend the Spring to Loire tasting and seminar event hosted by Loire Valley Wines. Having never dabbled in this French region, I jumped […]
A Visit to Spicewood Vineyards
A road trip in Texas would not be complete without a stop at a winery. So on our way back to Houston from Brownwood after a weekend teaching geology for TPWD Becoming an Outdoors Woman Program, we stopped at Spicewood Vineyards near Austin for a visit. It had been years since I had visited this location, […]
Aspen Food & Wine Classic (Is Winefesting a Verb?)
A guest blog post by Tracy Continued from Aspen Food & Wine Classic (Aspen: Not Just for Bears and Rich People) Now, let’s get to the important business of food and winefesting (if you will)! I must say I was incredibly impressed with the organization of the entire weekend, although perhaps I shouldn’t have […]
Aspen Food & Wine Classic (Aspen: Not Just for Bears and Rich People)
A guest blog post by Tracy NEWS FLASH…Aspen is Fabulous! Perhaps that’s not exactly breaking news. After all, you don’t earn a reputation for hosting the rich and famous without a damn good reason. And while I’ve never visited in winter when the snowbirds flock by the thousands to ski Aspen’s renowned slopes, I can […]
Carnival Cruise Line’s Warm Chocolate Melting Cake Recipe
Carnival Cruise Line’s Warm Chocolate Melting Cake is the most famous culinary item that Carnival cruisers rave about. I cannot adequately describe the taste, other than if “death by chocolate” is the way you want to go, this is it. This dessert needs to be ordered before you finish your main dish because the preparation […]
A Cruise Must: Chef’s Table on Carnival Cruises
Cruising Carnival soon? During your planning and packing (read about my recommendations here), consider adding Chef’s Table to your planned events. IF you can get in. I’ve been trying to attend Chef’s Table for years and finally got the opportunity in February on Carnival Valor. So what’s the big deal, anyway? Chef’s Table […]
Alaskan Cruise: Wine Tastings on Ruby Princess
Maybe I’m just a wino, but one of the things we do during the First 24 Hours on a Cruise Ship is look for wine tastings. This is a great way to taste the available wines on the ship without committing to a full bottle (or glass). When we cruised Ruby Princess from Seattle to […]
Champagne Jell-O Shots: Pomegranate Moscato Spumante
As much as I try to avoid things overly girly (or mature), I’m still a sucker for sparkles, pink, sweets, and fun food. Champagne Jell-O Shots can encompass all those things depending on recipe, which there are many on Pinterest. So I conducted a bit of a science experiment in my kitchen and played with […]
Champagne Jell-O Shots: Sidecar Cocktail
I rarely drink anything other than wine. I like scotch on occasion, but my go-to cocktail is the sidecar. This brandy/cognac based cocktail originated some time in the 1920s during Prohibition. Rather than just order sidecars at bars, I sometimes ask “can you make a sidecar?” and heavily scrutinize the bartender’s reaction. Most bartenders immediately […]