HOW TO: Host a Wine Tasting (Featuring NAKED WINES!)

Some people are great at fixing things, or building things, and some people are even good at doing things. Painting, skiing, singing.... these things are called talents. I, too, have talents (which is the only way you know someone has talents, because they tell you.). Unfortunately, no matter how hard I try, singing will never be my ticket to fame and I will never get to be a pop star. My talents are a little more focused on things that I can put in my stomach and, fortunately for those around me, include drinking wine and feeding people. You might be asking yourself... Drinking wine is a talent? And I will tell you that the answer is yes. Drinking wine is a talent. One that I am exceedingly good at and also one that pairs very well with feeding people. People say, "Sarah, I think you have a problem." And I say, "No, I have a hobby that I am very great at. Are you jealous?"

So, just as doctors and architects take continuing education courses to stay on their game and learn new things, people who love wine have wine clubs. Richard and I are members of a great wine club called Naked Wines. Naked wines is a unique club where you invest directly in independent wine makers and in turn get huge discounts on the wines those winemakers make. Your monthly $40 "investment" goes into your account and you get to use that money towards the wine you buy.  I'd explain it more but I don't really like math. What I do like is a lot of great wine for very little money. So, as you can imagine I was excited to use this as an excuse to host a party. To be fair though, for me a strong breeze is a good enough reason to host a party, but wine is even better. Luckily for Rich and I, Naked Wines was kind enough to give us the opportunity (and the wine) to host a tasting with some of their new wines that we hadn't tried yet.  And while I told them that Richard and I didn't need help and that we could taste the wines all by ourselves, they suggested we invite a few friends. 

Wines:

Matt Iaconis Margaret River Valley Sauvignon Blanc Semilon 2013

La Tapatia Pinot Noir Nappa Valley 2012

Sartirano Piemonte DOC Barbera 2011

Sin Fronteras Los Primos Red Wine 2012

S & A Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Valley 2012

Matt Iaconis Globetrotter Red CA USA 2012

We are a red wine loving group, so while we did try one great Sauvignon Blanc, we kept the tasting focused on a selection of red wines. 

Along with the wines, we prepared several small bites for our friends to nibble on during their tastings.  For a cocktail party, it is a good idea to serve your guests about 5 ounces of cheese and 4 ounces of per person. You always want to make sure there's more than enough to eat when you are serving alcohol (don't worry, it won't go to waste. You'll crawl out of bed and finish it off at 3am). If your party will include dinner and the charcuterie will be presented as an appetizer, 2-3 ounces of cheese and about 4 slices of meat per person should be enough. If not tell your friends to stop pigging out on your free food! 

Some great snacks to serve at a wine tasting or cocktail party:

Assorted cheese and charcuterie with an assortment of dried fruits, nuts, olives, and crackers

Some of my favorite cheeses to serve are manchego, brie, gouda, camemburt, stilton, & cotswald. I always chooses a few that I know everyone will like and then a couple new ones to experiment with. 

Cheeses are at their optimum flavor at room temperature, so remove them from the refrigerator about 60 minutes before serving. 

I also prepared a spread of cured italian meats including several different salamis, mortadella, prosciutto, and bresaola. 

Some other great things to serve with charcuterie:

Crackers, crsuty bread, flatbreads, and crostinis

Fruits: Figs, grapes, apples, pears, dried apricots, dried cherries

Nuts: Almonds walnuts, pistachios, pecans

Jams & Spreads: Fig jam, onion confit, pesto, olive tapenade, mustard

Other: Roasted peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, cornichons, assorted olives

When serving charcuterie, I aways accompany the meats with whole grain mustard, cornichons, and arugula. 

Assorted Crostinis

Heirloom tomato brushetta topped with buratta cheese

Figs with goat cheese, honey and thyme

Butternut squash with sage and crispy pancetta

Artisan Flatbreads  

Caramelized shallots and mushrooms

Mozzarella and fresh basil

Brie cheese, apples, and caramelized onions

And of course we had a spread of fancy baked treats from Three Dog Bakery for the pups. 

we really have the loveliest of friends.

If you live in LA, you know every friend that you invite over has a dog that they really are dying to bring to your house... And since we have a lot of dogs ourselves, I figured what better than to take a classy afternoon and turn it into a dog halloween party. We are clearly a very well rounded bunch! 

Octopuses, Donkeys, and Skeletons, Oh my!

Thank you again, Naked Wines, for sponsoring such a wonderful afternoon! For more information about what they do (and how to get them to send you wine) visit http://us.nakedwines.com/

Cheers!

DIY: Wedding Band

While your wedding vows may be until death, odds are your husbands wedding ring is not. So, if you need to remind the wandering eyes of other actresses and waitresses that your man is taken, sometimes you have to make a wedding ring on the go. Luckily if you're wearing a pair of jean shorts, there's a quick fix. Just follow my recipe for this DIY Wedding Band.

I wonder what he's supposed to remember!?

Need:
Frayed Jean Shorts... or string.

Method:
Pull a piece of string from the frayed part of your jean shorts. Not wearing shorts? That's ok. A piece of string will do. Grab your husband's hand, not too tight even though you might want to strangle him, and tie the string around his "wedding finger" as I call it.

Live happily ever after in married bliss.

Pickles & Things

The Mr. and I recently joined a CSA. CSA stands for community supported agriculture.... And that is awesome. Once a week we wake up to a box on our doorstep filled with organic fruits and veggies of all kinds. Its pretty wonderful and forces us to learn how to cook using obscure new ingredients. plus, it's pretty much like getting mail in the morning...and we all know how much I love getting mail. Anywho, you will hear more about this in some upcoming posts (stay tuned) but for now we need to discuss something.

Food waste.

Look, I'm not proud, but sometimes this produce picker gets a little ahead of herself at the market and we end up with enough fruits and veggies to feed a family of six..... for a week. And then it happens. That awful day once a week where I clean out of refrigerator and find all of the things that are now past their "best by" date and moving into the trash can. So this week, with our first CSA delivery looking for room in the fridge, I decided it was a good idea to jump on that good old pickling bandwagon once again.

Now, I don't necessarily pickle the good old fashioned way. I am more a fan of refrigerator pickles.... You know, the kind that give you almost immediate satisfaction. No canning equipment, no waiting, no bullshit. And the best thing about pickling this was is that it is pretty much fool proof. You need some vinegar, some spices, some things to pickle (in my case.... all of the veggies that are about to expire) and voila. Pickles.

Basic ingredients:
1 cup of vinegar (white or cider work great, sometimes I do a combo of two..... usually I just use white)
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon of salt

And whatever of the following tickles your fancy:
Garlic
Sliced jalapeño
Sliced onions
Dill (mmmm dill.....lots and lots,  please)
Spices and herbs (mustard seeds, dill seed, coriander seed, fennel seed, peppercorns..... Go crazy!)


Method:
Slice, dice, and chop your veggies that you want to pickle to your hearts desire and arrange them in a glass mason jar with a few cloves of garlic, about 1/4 of an onion (sliced) and some sprigs of fresh dill. Have some respect for yourself and make it look nice!

In a saucepan combine the vinegar, water, salt, and spices. I usually do 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon dill seeds, 1 teaspoon celery seeds, and 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds. Bring the mixture to a boil and then remove it from the heat and pour it into the glass jar with your veggies. Cover the jar with the lid, let it cool, and put it in the fridge. That's it! Now, because these are refrigerator pickles, they must stay refrigerated! Unless you get into all of that fancy canning stuff, you cannot store these pickles at room temperature. They will, however, keep perfectly in your fridge for 2 weeks..... If they last that long!

HOW TO: Pack the Perfect Picnic!

I have this kind of creepy obsession with picnics. This is news to nobody. It all started about 4 years ago when I went to Cinespia for the first time. (For those of you who live somewhere with a little more substance and purpose than Los Angeles, Cinespia is summer movie screenings at the Hollywood Cemetery and they are awesome.) Actually, my obsession started the second time I went. The first time that I picnicked with ghosts and tipsy hipsters, my Trader Joe's shopping bag of pre-packaged goodies was put to shame. I went home, purchased a proper picnic basket, educated myself on cheese and the importance of other incredibly yuppy snacks, and the rest is history. Some may be a little embarrassed by my picnic enthusiasm, but those who are lucky enough to be eating out of my basket (hmmm... that could be phrased in a less weirdly sexual way) are nothing less than thrilled. I just really love picnics.

1. My first Pic-Tip (that's a cuter way of saying picnic tip, obviously) is that any outing can be the perfect time for a picnic! Especially this time of year. Rich and recently went sailing and before the boat was booked, I was already thinking of snacks to pack.

2. Pack a pretty basket. It doesn't matter if you pack it heavy, that's what boys are for. If you are a cooler kind of chick, fine, so be it. But I think picnic baskets should be just that.... baskets.

2. Use jars to pack food. They are pretty AND you can eat right out of them. Again, they may be heavy, but see above. Plus, if you have leftovers, they can go right into the fridge when you get home. 

3. Put sauces and dressings on the side. Nobody likes a soggy salad. 

4. SALADS! Nothing better than a crisp snack on a hot day! Plus, salad possibilities are endless. For this picnic I made a roasted beet salad, a Brussels sprout salad with shallots and dijon, and a caprese salad.

5. This kind of goes with the jar tip.... but pack in food in clear containers! That way you can see what is in everything without having to open each container up. Plus, lets be honest.... it looks pretty. 

 6. Pack your plastics! We always use plastic dinnerware and govino glasses! They are not breakable, but they cut down on waste. I do buy disposable flatware, but made from corn, not petroleum. You may as well be friendly to the planet!

7.  Please, please, don't forget the cheese plate! Every good dinner party has one.... so every good picnic should, too! And make sure to pack your cheese knives- plastic ones are less than helpful. A few of my favorite picnic cheese that everyone will enjoy are manchego, camembert, and gorgonzola!

8. Remember some carbs. Salads are great on a hot summer's day, but we all need some carbs..... especially when there is alcohol involved, which, let's be honest.... what's a picnic without a few adult beverages? In this picnic I packed some quinoa tabbouleh, a baguette (key!) some crackers and some strawberry-basil hand pies!

** note- things you can eat with your hands are perfect for a picnic! Cookies are of course wonderful, but try hand pies in your next picnic! They are easy, delicious, and sure to impress!

9. BOOZE! Summer + day drinking are like two little tipsy peas in a pod....just perfect together. (Just remember a wine opener or look for a screw off top.... you don't want to bring the goods and not be able to drink them!)

10. These guys.... are awesome. I want one.

Happy picnicking!