Food & Wine Archives - Page 2 of 11

How to Celebrate National Picnic Day with Flair

April 22, 2017 by Alisha Leave a Comment

National Picnic Day falls on the 23rd day of April each year. Who knew there was day for this, but I’m not one to turn down an opportunity to hang with my girls and enjoy some grown up drinks and appetizers! Picnic comes from the French word piquenique which means a meal eaten outdoors. I’m typically anti-nature but the weather has been amazing so I couldn’t pass that up!

This year I had the pleasure of enjoying an afternoon picnic with 4 other amazing women: Malia of Lia Went Where, , Melissa of Fab Glance, Kay of I Am Kay Elle and Tomiko of Passports & Grubs.

No picnic would be complete without a nice spread! You can either go all out or you can keep it simple. If you’re going to get together with a group you can have everyone bring a dish to keep it easier. We had a nice mix of meats, cheeses, crackers, dessert, dips, fruit, cocktails and dessert! Basically all of the major food groups! LOL [Read more…]

Mull Over the Holidays with the Perfect Drink – Mulled Sweet Wine with Cognac

November 21, 2016 by Alisha 4 Comments

I don’t know about you but this time of year always seems to creep up so dang quick! A few days ago it was almost 80 degrees in Nashville and now its in the lower 50s. Mother Nature can’t seem to get her life together and let folks deal with temperature changes gradually. She likes to just toy with our emotions and drop the temp 30 degrees overnight.

The good part of this sudden arctic blast of air is that now I can actually get myself into the holiday season. The bad part is that even the cold weather isn’t getting rid of my Grinch mood. If it wasn’t for being a parent I would probably just throw a Christmas wreath on the front door and call it a day. I’m determined to wait until Thanksgiving before we put the tree up and I’ve got the perfect drink to get me in the mood.

Last year I shared a mulled wine recipe and it was a big hit. This year we are kicking it up a notch by adding cognac. If you’re planning to host parties this year, this drink will be sure to get everyone in the holiday spirit! And the best part about making this drink is that you don’t need any fancy ingredients that can only be found at that one store 20 miles away and cost a small fortune.

Ingredients:

2 cups good red wine
1/2 cup cognac
1/4 rosemary honey
2 1/2 cups honey crisp apple cider
2 cinnamon sticks
orange slices
6 whole cloves

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Enjoy Cinco de Mayo with Spodee Wine!

May 2, 2016 by Alisha 4 Comments

Spodee-Wine-Cinco-de-mayo-margarita-popsicles-recipe-2a

What better way to kick off Cinco de Mayo than with a Spodee White Margarita Popsicle! Last year I did a wine slushy post and it was a big hit with my fellow wine lovers! And this recipe is sure to please you even more. It includes wine and fresh fruit which totally makes it healthy, right?!?! And because of their cute, small size they are perfect for cookouts and parties. I know you’re just dying to know how to make one so I’m including the recipe for this adult treat!

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Purple Toad Winery

April 27, 2016 by Alisha 10 Comments

Happy Wine Wednesday! 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…]