Food & Wine Archives - Page 2 of 11

Purple Toad Winery

February 15, 2019 by Alisha 10 Comments

Spring time will be here before we know it and one of my favorite things to do is go on road trips and visit wineries that are along the way. It’s a great way to check out new wines and I’m not one to turn down a chance to support small businesses either. You know just doing my part to help the economy…LOL. Here’s a trip a took a few years back that I’m hoping to visit again this year.

I had the pleasure of visiting the Purple Toad Winery in Paducah, Kentucky. Any time we take a road trip, one of the first things I do is to check and see which wineries we will pass on the way there or back home. Several came up, but the Name “Purple Toad” just sounded like it would be a cool place to visit and the reviews on Yelp were pretty good.

Purple Toad Winery is located on the edge of Paducah, Kentucky. The name “Purple Toad Winery” originated from the color of your toes when grapes were pressed the old-fashioned way. They combine modern wine making techniques with old world knowledge to produce award-winning wines. The winery is quaint and just off the beaten path. Once we arrived we were greeted by Shadow, a black labrador, who quickly made his way onto the sun porch since it was so darn hot and humid! Inside the shop there were several gifts and wine related items available for purchase. Ian, our server, was so nice and handed me a listing of all of their wines. Since I would be driving home I decided I’d limit my tastings (which are free) to just four. 😉 [Read more…]

JoyJolt Gifts for the Wine & Coffee Lover in Your Life!

November 30, 2018 by Alisha 3 Comments

“This post contains affiliate links. I was also provided with products for review. All opinions are my own.”

If you’re not a wine drinker (or have little knowledge about it) trying to find the perfect gift for the wine lover in your life can be intimidating! Should I get stemless, ones for red or white wine and what the heck does a decanter do and why does anyone need it?!?! These are all things that would leave me confused too when I started to introduce myself into the world of wine.

And on the flip side there are a million and one different ways that one can enjoy their favorite coffee or espresso. When I’m working from home I typically like to use one of my cups with a lid because I swear the phone rings as SOON as I take one sip. But on the days when I can enjoy it in piece, I like to sip leisurely using my “fancy glasses”.

JoyJolt has some amazing items for giving gifts or treating yourself! I had a chance to try out the decanter, stemless wine glasses and insulated espresso mugs.

My favorite item was the Cigno Red Wine Decanter. This decanter has a wide 50oz base which helps optimize aeration for the wines it holds. Now you may be sitting there thinking other than looking pretty, what the heck does a decanter do?!?! Decanting is when you basically pour from one bottle to another (in this case the decanter). When you do this it helps to separate the sediment that has settled in the bottle. Another reason a decanter is important is that young wines can give off an unpleasant taste and aeration helps with this. Now if you’ve got (and can afford) a 50 year old bottle of wine, other than being a pretty centerpiece you can probably skip using a decanter LOL.

[Read more…]

Kick Off Summer with Oliver Winery’s Cherry Cobbler Wine

June 5, 2018 by Alisha 2 Comments

The beginning of each summer brings so many new changes. It means that my girls are done with school and moving on to the next grade. This year is no exception. My oldest daughter turned 16 yesterday and became a licensed driver today! To say that I’m bombarded with a range emotions is an understatement. And not only will she be driving on her own but she starts a new job next week…lawd!

Since I work from home I decided that we would just fly by the seat of our pants and not really have any set summer plans. We plan to do a lot of day and weekend trips. Tennessee has so many amazing things to do and since we’re centrally located in Middle Tennessee it less than a 3 hour drive to either hit Memphis, Chattanooga or Knoxville! Heck Atlanta is less than 4 hours too! [Read more…]

Happy National Margarita Day!

February 22, 2018 by Alisha Leave a Comment

Known to be the most common tequila-based cocktail served in the United States, the margarita is a cocktail that typically consists of tequila, triple sec and lime or lemon juice. A margarita on the rocks can pack anywhere from 450 to 800 calories, but Sparkling Ice makes it easy to make great-tasting margarita with only a fraction of the calories. That way you have more room to indulge in more cocktails or eat more food. The choice is yours…LOL!

On this fun day I’m sharing some great recipes that will take your margarita drinks to the next level and the hit of the party. My favorite is the Spicy Sparkling Margarita! Yummmmmmmm 😛

Spicy Sparkling Margarita

INGREDIENTS

2 parts Blanco Tequila

½ part Cointreau

3 slices of Jalapeño pepper

Juice of 1/8 lime

1 ½ parts Sparkling Ice Lemon Lime

DIRECTIONS

Shake Tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and peppers with ice. Pour into rocks glass with salted rim and lime wedge. Top with Sparkling Ice Lemon Lime. [Read more…]