Fun Announcement AND a Cash Giveaway!

Happy Hump Day!  So I promised some news yesterday and I may be a late poster (#sorryimnotsorry) but I never want to disappoint.  So here we go…

If you know me at all or have ever visited my little space before you know I love wine.  But now, not only do I love wine, I sell wine.

YES – I AM NOW A WINE REP!!! 

Specifically, I am a wine rep for Ruby Blues Winery, the funkiest boutique winery located in the amazing Okanagan wine region, specifically in Naramata, BC.  This dream job opportunity was presented to me in August by the winery owner, Prudence Maher, whom I met in 2009 when my husband brought me to his family’s cabin for the first time and when I introduced him to wine tasting. (Side note: my hubby’s family has owned this place since before he was born, the nearest winery is 5 minutes away and go on as far as you can see, and he had never been wine tasting. He’s a pro now.)



The funky bus that greets you at the winery's entrance and the prop in many photo shoots



 



the wine shop



 

Ruby Blues wine and the community they built quickly became one of our favourites and a must-see every time we were at the cabin.  I was lucky enough to become friends Prudence, an amazing woman who I have always regarded as a mentor… I am barely breaking the surface but she was a Swiss Body Building Champion for 15 years, has her commercial pilot’s license, sold her original Naramata winery, Red Rooster, for a nice chunk of change to Peller Estates and then started doing it all over again with Ruby Blues.  I should also mention the amazing husband that supports her in everything she does, Beat, the kindest man you will ever meet.  Here is a link to some info on this dynamic duo.

We were lucky enough to have Ruby blues as our wedding wines and Prudence and Beat as guests.



You can't see the label but that is a bottle of Red Stiletto on our Chardonnay Table



And I am now lucky enough to represent Ruby Blues in B.C.’s Lower Mainland.  The wine isn’t carried in a lot of stores here so it’s my job to get it in the wine stores and get more exposure.  And also let the people who visit the wine shop while on holidays know that they can get it closer to home now.  So if anyone has any pointers on how to accomplish this, please please please share.  (pretty please).

I have never worked in sales before but after getting over the cold-calling nerves, actually selling the wine is pretty easy because I genuinely love it.  It’s delicious and because I have a sentimental stake in the wine it’s easy for me to try and get other people to love it just as much.



we always have Ruby Blues at home!



 

Over the next couple weeks I will introduce you to the Ruby Blues wines I love and sell: the Commune Pinot Gris, White Stiletto and Red Stiletto.  You will love the story, you will love the labels and maybe together we will learn a little something about wine.  I am not a wine expert – I just know what I like by taste.  And seriously, I am open to any and all suggestions because I want to rock this and make Prudence proud.

Wish me luck!

Oh and before you go, another super cool chick – who just gave birth 5 days ago to the cutest little nugget – has lovely little me not only for a Q&A on her blog, but I am also giving away $25 in PayPal cash!

Head over to Karli’s blog to enter!!

 

Alcohol, Food, Spa = Best Book Club Ever!

You know those super fun girls weekends where you laugh non-stop, eat delicious food and drink copious amounts of wine (and mimosas and baileys) and they are always over way too quick? I love those weekends!  FYI I am in the best book club ever (BBCE).

BBCE members from left: CoCo, Slim, Me, Tpain, KMo

We all ditched out of work a teeny bit early and headed out of town. Upon arrival at Slim's (we obvi have BBCE nicknames) place, we quickly popped the cork on a bottle of wine and settled in to discuss our latest book, Gone Girl.  Then we scrambled to get ready and make our dinner reservation.  We went to this amazing Italian restaurant and even though they were out of angel hair pasta (that was a tense moment) we had the BEST tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad - the mozzarella literally melted in your mouth and we inhaled it so fast I forgot to take pictures! - followed by yummy pasta entrees.

Yummy wine and yummy pasta

We got back to the condo just after 11pm, changed into pjs, poured some wine and cuddled under the bountiful stock of comfy blankets to chat some more.  This is actually where we laughed our assess off because we were treated to the latest round of 'kid stories'.  Kids are hilarious and this is one of my favorite things about book club because Slim has a daughter and CoCo has two step kids.  Oh the things kiddies do...

The next morning we feasted on lemon poppyseed muffins, sausages, scrambled eggs and bacon.  I supplied the baileys and mimosas.  Breakfast + booze = perfect Saturday morning. But it got even better.  

Morning booze :)

At 10am we arrived at the Scandinavian spa for our massages and walked into paradise.  We checked in, got our robes and towels and were giddy with excitement.  Oh little did I know...

I love massages.  Like I LOVE massages and my masseuse did actually give me a damn good massage.  But during my massage her phone dinged twice, like two text messages coming in, and then at the end she walked over to the sink to wash her hands, came back to dismiss me and left to wait outside.  As she walked out of the room an overwhelming stench filled my nostrils.  MY MASSEUSE FARTED!! IN THE ROOM!!  

I'm still wrapping my head around it but I did complain at the front desk and I will be filing a formal complaint.  Everyone else had a great experience. 

This spa is actually famous for its silent Scandinavian baths. The idea is to alternate between warmth (hot tub, sauna, steam room), cold baths (cold as in 60 degrees) and relaxation... this is supposed to be therapeutic.  Oh and you're not supposed to talk, just imagine how well that went over with 5 girls.

This was our bath routine:

     Hot tub 15 min
     Cold shower 15sec
     Hot tub 15 min
     Cold pool 15 sec
     Sauna 10 min
     Indoor Relaxation area 15 min (we read magazines on thick padded benches)
     Cold pool 15 sec
     Hot tub 10 min
     Cold pool 15 sec
     Hot tub 10 min
     Relax by firepit 15 min (more magazine reading)
     Hot tub 10 min

I didn't have a camera with me but here is a picture from the website:

The Scandinavian baths

I imagined not even being able to get into the cold pools but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was, until the last time, but I did it.  It was a fun experience and I want to do it again but I'm not really expecting any actual therapeutic outcomes.  And I would get another massage there but I would make damn sure it wasn't the same person!

Linking up with Showered With Design and Dateless in Dallas for Weekend Recap.

Also linking up with Alyssa!

From Riesling to Boxed....

My Pinterest addiction is one of the only things that comes close to comparing with my wine addiction, so I am always happy when I can incorporate the two!

I came across this gem the other day and I love it.  I am trying to decide how I can add one of my favourites, Gewürztraminer which I think it gets "forgotten" a lot because no one can spell it or pronounce it correctly... I cut and pasted from Google and I avoid saying anything but “gertz”!  Once I figure out how to add it I either want this to be our Christmas card or I need some sort of giant business card.  Everyone will get one just because I love this.

source

I would love to see different versions – have you see any??

Happy Hump Day!

Sxxo.

Purple Pot Cooking Cheesy Goodness

You may recall that I recently got a purple pot (one of those heavy duty cast iron ones) and last weekend I wanted to christen it with a tasty Sunday dinner… but I was clueless as to what to make.  I did some Pinterest searching on Friday night and decided I wanted to make beef stroganoff and planned to visit the butcher on Saturday.

And then wine happened.

So there I was on Sunday afternoon, almost recovered but in no mood to go anywhere and hubby asked – what are you cooking in your purple pot?!  Back to Pinterest I went...

[caption id="attachment_120" align="alignnone" width="225"] My purple pot :)[/caption]

I can across this Cheesy Bacon Chicken Casserole recipe and worked for two reasons: 1) it was quick and easy, and 2) we had all 7 ingredients in the house (or at least ones I could substitute).  I did cut the recipe in half because there are only two of us.

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size chunks


• 4 strips of bacon


• 1 can cream of mushroom soup (original recipe called for cream of chicken but we didn’t have any)


• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (original recipe called for Monterey jack cheese and I’m sure it would have been yummy)


• 1 tbsp garlic poweder


• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°

Start making pasta according to directions – I made the pasta in my purple pot  :)

Cook bacon and then set aside

Cook chicken IN BACON PAN – so delicious, use those drippings!

[caption id="attachment_187" align="alignnone" width="225"] Chicken in bacon drippings!![/caption]

Once chicken is cooked, add garlic powder and then salt and pepper to taste

Drain pasta and return to (purple) pot

Add chicken, cream of mushroom soup and ½ cup of cheese – mix well*

Crumble bacon and put on top

Add remaining cheese

[caption id="attachment_188" align="alignnone" width="300"] Ready for the oven...[/caption]

Bake for approximately 20 minutes until cheese is melted and browning on top

[caption id="attachment_189" align="alignnone" width="256"] Cheesy, bacon chicken goodness![/caption]

*The other recipe tells you to spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray and then pour the pasta and chicken mixture into the dish, but I wanted to use my purple pot so I just left it in there.

This cheesy casserole was perfect for a lazy Sunday night dinner and we even had leftovers.  I love mushrooms and next time might consider actually adding a few, but I will also try it with the cream of chicken soup.  I think this is the kind of cheesy goodness that you can mix up a few ways and enjoy!

Any other suggestions for purple pot cooking?

Sxxo.

On Friday mornings I always treat myself to a tasty coffee and maybe a breakfast treat... I rarely go to Starbucks because at 7:30am I much prefer a drive thru and the one closest to my house doesn't have one.  Plus I don't really love their breakfasts choices and my coffee house of choice has amazing sausage breakfast sandwiches and to do for french vanilla cappuccinos.

But a few days ago a colleague gave me a coupon for a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte.  I have never had a pumpkin spice latte but every social feed I have has been blowing up since the "PSL" came back in September, and I know people LOVE these things.  Now I'm not a huge pumpkin fan... I don't have pumpkin spice candles (I don't really have any candles, I buy them occasionally and then put them away until I buy another one a go to put it away and find the other candles I bought a year earlier), I have maybe a sliver of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving but it's covered in whip cream (one of those 'would you like some pie with your whip cream?' scenarios) and it's ok but I really just eat it because I feel like I'm supposed to.  I am however the type of person that doesn't want to be left out of something amazing so I was like, I have to try this pumpkin spice latte and with this coupon to get it for $2 I felt like a force bigger than me was urging me to get one this morning.

So I did.



Not a fan.

And before any PSL lovers out there attack me, let me just point out that now there is more PSL for you to enjoy!  What really sealed the deal for me was when I took my lid off about half way through (because of course I finished it, it's my Friday treat) and the coffee was orange!  ORANGE!  And it wasn't orange whip cream they were putting on it... so I think I will stick with my white chocolate mochas next time I hit up a Starbucks.

Tonight is a different story, my wine o'clock treat is one of my favourite Gewürztraminers from my favourite winery:

 

Cheers and Happy Friday All!

Sxxo.

Hump Day Happiness

[caption id="attachment_164" align="alignnone" width="300"] Happy Hump Day![/caption]

It's Wednesday, my fourth favourite day!  My favourite days are as follows:

#1 Saturday - because I get to sleep in, do nothing whatever I want all day, have drinks that afternoon night and still look forward to another day off the next day!  Approximately 10am on Saturday morning is probably my favourite time.  (Does anyone else have a single favourite TIME of the week or am I a little weird?)

#2 Sunday - second sleep in and recovery day off!  And there is always the possibility of a little Sunday Funday!

#3 Friday - I still have to wake up and go to work but I have so much to look forward to starting with wine at wine o'clock (about 7pm to be exact because hubby always makes me drive on our Friday night outings... he drives when we go away and to family dinners and events so I suck it up because I am so not a fan of long distance driving and staying sober at family dinners!).

#4 Thursday - the day before Friday and The Big Bang Theory is on, it runs a close second to Friday for the #3 spot because I love me some TBBT!

#5 Wednesday Hump Day - because when I kiss hubby goodbye in the morning he reminds me that when I get home that night we are more than halfway to the weekend.

And that's about it because Monday and Tuesday really don't even register on my radar and I just focus on getting through them!

It is my night to cook dinner and I usually stress about it (baking I love, cooking I find stressful) but hubby let me take out the last shepherds pie freezer dinner I made in the summer, so into the oven and throw together a salad, easy!

How is your hump day going?

Sxxo.

 

Weekend Recap

Hubby and I had an awesome weekend!  But before I get into I just want to tell you that I tried to upload a post on Friday night but was having connection issues so will have to save that one for another time.

So here is a brief recap of our weekend happenings:

Friday

We woke up to pouring rain but it was Friday so it really didn't matter.  And because it was Friday, I miraculously got myself out of bed at 6:20am and got to work early which meant I got to leave early :-)

Normally hubby and I head out after work on Fridays but  I didn't feel like dealing with the rain or grocery shopping, and I really just wanted to get home and put on something comfy and relax.

So that's what we did, I came home and we decided on dinner (pasta, delivery) then I threw on some comfy clothes and took Milo for a quick walk during a break in the rain.  We got home just in time for me to pour wine and get settled before dinner arrived.  It was a lovely evening at home.

Friday's sipping pleasure was actually a rose called Hush from the Dirty Laundry Vineyard, a great vineyard to visit for the legend behind the name, the gift ship and of course the wine tastings - we got to taste 9 wines!!!  That never happens!

 

I also did some laundry and was going to fold it but someone made it his very comfy bed... so thankful he doesn't really shed!



Saturday

I woke up Saturday morning to more rain but all was made better by a Baileys Carolan’s coffee, and then hubby left me on my own for a couple hours so I lounged in bed with the dog and cat watching the PVR.

I had a Costco tripped planned with my SIL (I know, we’re crazy to step foot in there on a Saturday!!) and we ended up driving to the one 45 minutes away so we could look for shoes in a store right beside it… no shoes but my SIL ended up getting two coats at awesome prices.  Costco was a nuthouse and I managed to restrain myself really well but I did buy 4 types of cheese?!?!

After I finally got home (downpour still happening) and carried the Costco goodies into the house I planned to do the second round of grocery shopping for the usual everyday stuff we needed… but the rain was a bit off-putting.  Then to my wonderful surprise, hubby said he would go with me in a couple hours and suggested I relax with a glass of wine.  No arm twisting needed here!  We went grocery shopping and then hubby spoiled me with two pairs of jeans and a cast iron pot – it’s purple and I LOVE it!  Now I need to figure out what the heck I am going to cook in it… ideas anyone??



My purple pot :-)

Saturday night I got my bake on!  I poured some (more) wine and made coconut macaroons (recipe and instructions coming):



Coconut macaroons drizzled with milk chocolate - recipe coming!

Hubby loved them!!

Sunday

Another great day… I helped watched hubby do an oil change on my car and then cooked us a big tasty breakfast.  After that I tried out a recipe I found on another blog I love, Megan at Hello Newlywed Life, for frozen breakfast burritos.  She included super simple step-by-step instructions and they were so easy to make!  I had one today and they were delish.  I will post a link to her recipe and then show you my pictures in an upcoming post (I hope mine look as good as hers!).

We had a big family dinner last night to celebrate hubby’s grandparents’ 70^th wedding anniversary.  There were about 20 of us and it was the first time we had been together since the wedding.  Hubby’s grandparents are an amazing couple with so much love for each other and I only hope we are as lucky.



Love <3

Well, I'm off to get through the rest of this Monday!  How was your weekend, what did you get up to?

Sxxo.