I found this dress to be perfect for wine tasting, casually cool with a pop of color. Plus the cutouts on the neckline of this dress really stands out.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
What I Wore: Lynmar Estate
Touring through wine country is a casual affair, but not too casual. With the heat spike that we recently went through, the weather was screaming SHIFT DRESS, WEAR A SHIFT DRESS! So naturally, I did.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Review: Lynmar Estate
This past weekend I landed myself at Lynmar Estate with one of my close friends. It was a scorching hot day out, but man, did the air conditioning feel good when we walked through those doors! It was a perfect day for a tasting - especially one that started off with a a nice chilled Rose. I would also suggest that you try the truffle oil popcorn, so good that we inhaled it before I remembered to take a picture.
Not only were the wines really good, but the ambiance was also perfect for a relaxing day. The vineyard is open for exploring, and just a few steps away from the patio. It looked like they had pinot and chardonnay (I think) growing. Their vineyards are actually maintained pretty well to facilitate walking, most vineyards I've seen are usually a tad bit overgrown, meaning walking around in flip flops is a no-no. Here however, I had no problem exploring.
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| Awesome Wine Refrigerator In The Tasting Room |
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| Patio Off Of The Tasting Room - Very Pretty (Note The Mountain) |
Not only were the wines really good, but the ambiance was also perfect for a relaxing day. The vineyard is open for exploring, and just a few steps away from the patio. It looked like they had pinot and chardonnay (I think) growing. Their vineyards are actually maintained pretty well to facilitate walking, most vineyards I've seen are usually a tad bit overgrown, meaning walking around in flip flops is a no-no. Here however, I had no problem exploring.
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| Pinots (I Think) |
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| Chardonnay (I Think) |
Once you are done exploring the vineyards, you can start to relax on the patio which has a gorgeous vista of the mountains and vineyards.
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| Pretty Idilic View |
Lynmar also has a fruit and vegetable garden out back where they invite visitors to pick produce to bring home. If you ask, they will even provide you with a bag to carry your loot home!
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| Tomato Plants And Flora |
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| Pumpkin! (No, I Did Not Take This Home - Thought About It Though) |
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| My Loot (Strawberries & Tomatoes) |
My loot actually made my lunch today *very* tasty!
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| Spinach, Steak, Tomatoes, Strawberries, Parmesan, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar |
Overall I really enjoyed Lynmar. I will definitely be back! Plus, who couldn't love a winery that has an awesome cork chair in the lobby?!?
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| Cork Chair! |
Friday, August 23, 2013
Review: Merry Edwards Winery
As you can probably tell by now, I really love wine tasting. Let me reiterate, REALLY LOVE wine tasting ;). I just find that it is a perfect weekend activity. It gets you out of the Bay Area, ie. out of the cold and into the warm, and it is super fun to go with different groups of friends. Beyond that though, if you never wanted to hit the same vineyards twice, you wouldn't have to! There's Russian River, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Coast, Napa Valley and even Livermore now. All in a very short radius of the Bay Area. My poison of choice is of course the Sonoma/Napa/Russian River area. They are all so close to one another, that you could really have a go at it!
However, the latest vineyard that I went to was Merry Edwards Winery which is known for Pinot Noirs and their Sauvignon Blancs. It had a pretty peaceful atmosphere, but it was also very cosy. The feeling though was very much, go in, taste, buy wine, onto the next winery. There wasn't a lot of space to just lounge around, and the cashiers at the counter in the lobby definitely did not make it very welcoming.
They do their tastings in groups and generally four pours. A great perk: FREE tastings! The downside? Miniature pours, not that I am complaining. After having a bottle of the 2010 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, I was really expecting a lot of very blended and balanced wines. I was a little surprised that the reds that they served were so tannic. However, they seemed like they just needed a little more time in the bottle to age to get the mature rounded taste. I ended up walking away with a bottle of the Sauvignon Blanc, a very well balanced and fruity white. I'm sure that the chilled factor also played a factor in me wanting that bottle! I'll let you know when I try it!
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| Outside Patio |
However, the latest vineyard that I went to was Merry Edwards Winery which is known for Pinot Noirs and their Sauvignon Blancs. It had a pretty peaceful atmosphere, but it was also very cosy. The feeling though was very much, go in, taste, buy wine, onto the next winery. There wasn't a lot of space to just lounge around, and the cashiers at the counter in the lobby definitely did not make it very welcoming.
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| Tasting Room |
They do their tastings in groups and generally four pours. A great perk: FREE tastings! The downside? Miniature pours, not that I am complaining. After having a bottle of the 2010 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, I was really expecting a lot of very blended and balanced wines. I was a little surprised that the reds that they served were so tannic. However, they seemed like they just needed a little more time in the bottle to age to get the mature rounded taste. I ended up walking away with a bottle of the Sauvignon Blanc, a very well balanced and fruity white. I'm sure that the chilled factor also played a factor in me wanting that bottle! I'll let you know when I try it!
Monday, August 19, 2013
Review: Lagunitas Brewing Company Tour
Over the weekend I dropped by Lagunitas Brewing Company with a few friends up in Petaluma and went on one of their tours. Unfortunately because it was the weekend, they did not have a tasting tour. It was *very* hot this weekend (around 90 degrees Fahrenheit) up in Petaluma, so we baked the entire tour. I would strongly suggest checking the weather before going up. However, that Pale Ale was the most refreshing beer I might have ever had.
Since one of my friends and I ended up showing up early, we grabbed a quick beer (super cheap at $4.50!) and hung out on the patio, which was just buzzing with activity. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we thought that we couldn't bring the beer with us, so we downed it pretty fast. Needless to say, while on the tour, we realized that you could bring your beer with you, if you decanted it into a plastic cup first.
Random fact: did you know that craft breweries create loads of jobs? In 2011, on the heels of the "Great Recession" craft breweries in California alone created 22k jobs. [source]
Even though these look large, they are building an even larger brewery in Chicago. Not sure about how I feel about this, cause I don't like to share my California goodies! (ie. Pete's, Philz, etc.)
Quick fact: Did you know that Lagunitas goes through over 50k lbs of grain a day? That's A LOT! Don't worry, there is no waste, the parts of the grain that they don't use goes to local farmers to feed cattle.
Quick fact: Did you know that the ads for "triple hopped" are kinda just dumb? Lagunitas hops at least six times, if not more!
Of course we couldn't leave without popping into the little shop - although, come to find out everything is also available on their online store, duh. You can shop their goods here.
All in all, it was a pretty fun trip. I would definitely go again when it was cooler, and maybe at night when the patio lights are all up. Since there looks like there would be good food, I would suggest going after a day of wine tasting.
Since one of my friends and I ended up showing up early, we grabbed a quick beer (super cheap at $4.50!) and hung out on the patio, which was just buzzing with activity. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we thought that we couldn't bring the beer with us, so we downed it pretty fast. Needless to say, while on the tour, we realized that you could bring your beer with you, if you decanted it into a plastic cup first.
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| Signs Displayed Going Into The Tap Room |
The tour was short, maybe 20 minutes in all, but there were a lot of funny stories and some (emphasis on some) detail on how they actually made the beer. It was really more around how their facilities has grown and moved over the last 20 years.
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| Here Is Our Tour Guide - I Think That He Looks Like He Works At A Brewery |
Random fact: did you know that craft breweries create loads of jobs? In 2011, on the heels of the "Great Recession" craft breweries in California alone created 22k jobs. [source]
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| Some Of The Fermenting Vessels They Have Onsite |
Even though these look large, they are building an even larger brewery in Chicago. Not sure about how I feel about this, cause I don't like to share my California goodies! (ie. Pete's, Philz, etc.)
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| Sacks Of Grain |
Quick fact: Did you know that Lagunitas goes through over 50k lbs of grain a day? That's A LOT! Don't worry, there is no waste, the parts of the grain that they don't use goes to local farmers to feed cattle.
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| Can You See The Grains Going Through The Pipe? |
Quick fact: Did you know that the ads for "triple hopped" are kinda just dumb? Lagunitas hops at least six times, if not more!
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| Lots Of Magic Happening Here |
Of course we couldn't leave without popping into the little shop - although, come to find out everything is also available on their online store, duh. You can shop their goods here.
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| Awesome Seat/Bench In Front Of The Store |
All in all, it was a pretty fun trip. I would definitely go again when it was cooler, and maybe at night when the patio lights are all up. Since there looks like there would be good food, I would suggest going after a day of wine tasting.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
The Grand Canadian Sport - Curling
Okay, okay, I know that curling isn't exactly a Canadian sport, but it basically is. Just like how hockey isn't a Canadian sport, but is just so popular there, it basically is. For those who don't know what curling is, it is almost like bocce ball, but on ice, except you don't throw the massively heavy granite rock, you slide it on the ice. You can learn more here. (Yes, you can burn me for linking you to a Wikipedia page..)
So a bit of a breakdown: there are eight heavy stones on each side (42 lbs each!), a stabilizer, broom, hack (the thing that your foot pushes off of) and for those without curling shoes (so everyone in our group, excluding the instructor) a piece of material that is *very* slippery.
The hardest thing to do for me was learning how to push off in the correct stance. Once I started to semi-equate the proper stance into what is the "Knight" pose in yoga, I got a lot better at it. You also have to be quite limber for this sport, if not, you can really knot up, or will feel the stretch in your thighs. Since I've been doing lots of yoga lately, I didn't find this to be a problem.
So a lot of technique also goes into sweeping which can help direct which way the rock goes and even help it go farther. Usually two people sweep at a time.
Over all it was actually really fun. I would totally consider taking it up, buttt the only two ice rinks around that play the sport are in Oakland (SCARY!) and San Jose - both of which are pretty far from me. If you have the chance to try out the sport, I would highly recommend it!
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| Curling Court - Need To Get The Rocks Into The Circles Photo Credit: Wikipedia |
So a bit of a breakdown: there are eight heavy stones on each side (42 lbs each!), a stabilizer, broom, hack (the thing that your foot pushes off of) and for those without curling shoes (so everyone in our group, excluding the instructor) a piece of material that is *very* slippery.
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| All The Equipment Needed To Curl |
The hardest thing to do for me was learning how to push off in the correct stance. Once I started to semi-equate the proper stance into what is the "Knight" pose in yoga, I got a lot better at it. You also have to be quite limber for this sport, if not, you can really knot up, or will feel the stretch in your thighs. Since I've been doing lots of yoga lately, I didn't find this to be a problem.
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| Here You Can See Someone Getting Into Position To Throw The Rock |
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| The Rock Was Just Thrown In This Picture |
So a lot of technique also goes into sweeping which can help direct which way the rock goes and even help it go farther. Usually two people sweep at a time.
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| Waiting For Instructions |
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| In Position, Ready To Sweep |
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| Apparently We Needed A Little Help - Our Instructor Jumped In |
Over all it was actually really fun. I would totally consider taking it up, buttt the only two ice rinks around that play the sport are in Oakland (SCARY!) and San Jose - both of which are pretty far from me. If you have the chance to try out the sport, I would highly recommend it!
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Cooking Dinner For Ten, I Mean Two
This past week one of my friends came over after work and we did something that we've never done before - we decided to be Asian. What does this entail? Actually going to the Chinese market, getting raw ingredients and making dinner. What do I usually eat for dinner? Something embarrassing to admit - it usually comes out of a box... Meaning: instant foods/dinner "helpers" or take out. Well to be fair, sometimes it comes out of the freezer too. Haha, you get my point - it's usually a *very* lazy dinner.
First stop of the night was the market where we packed our cart full of random things - including a few mystery (to us) items. It was a huge experiment and I am so happy that we had something not only edible but also super tasty at the end!
What we ended up making was: dumpling soup, inarizushi and gyozas:
I wish that I could say that I helped with the soup, but well, I didn't. I did absolutely nothing for that dish sooo I'll just show you a picture of the finished product. It was a dumpling and mushroom soup (with other ingredients that I can't remember..):
I spearheaded making the Inarizushis though so, here was the process:
1. Ingredients needed: rice, sushi rice powder stuff, wrappers
2. Make short grain white rice (thank god I have a rice cooker which is pulled out twice a year
3. Fold the sushi rice powder into rice in a separate bowl
4. Fill Inarizushi wrappers
First stop of the night was the market where we packed our cart full of random things - including a few mystery (to us) items. It was a huge experiment and I am so happy that we had something not only edible but also super tasty at the end!
What we ended up making was: dumpling soup, inarizushi and gyozas:
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| Dinner Is Served |
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| Dumpling Soup |
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| Making Inarizushi, Completed Ones In The Back |
2. Make short grain white rice (thank god I have a rice cooker which is pulled out twice a year
3. Fold the sushi rice powder into rice in a separate bowl
4. Fill Inarizushi wrappers
The last portion of our meal was something that we made together - gyoza/potstickers totally from scratch! We opted for a pork, green onion and garlic gyoza/potsticker. These were easy to make - time consuming, yes, but actually making them? Easy peasy. Here's how to make them:
1. Ingredients needed: ground meat, garlic, green onion, gyoza/dumpling wrappers (can also be found at Safeway), one egg
2. Mix the meat, garlic and green onions into a bowl
3. Beat one egg into a small bowl
4. Lay out wrappers onto a cutting board, or other non-stick surface
5. Slater egg mixture onto the edges of the wrappers (I just used my finger cause I'm fancy like that)
6. Fill with small portions of the meat mixture (remember that you need to close these pretty tightly so it doesn't seep out!)
7. Fry in a pan - this is a multi-step process. First add oil to the pan, once it gets hot, place gyozas into the pan, after you let it sear for about 30 seconds, add water into the pan, cover the pan, turn heat on low, wait around 5-8 minutes, take lid off, let sit until the bottoms are golden brown
It was definitely a fun time, but let me tell you, my eyes are MUCH bigger than my stomach! It's been a few days now, and even with eating leftovers for lunch AND dinner, I still have a lot left... Just goes to show, really, do NOT go to the grocery store when hungry. Oy.
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| Garlic, Pork & Green Onion Gyoza's |
2. Mix the meat, garlic and green onions into a bowl
3. Beat one egg into a small bowl
4. Lay out wrappers onto a cutting board, or other non-stick surface
5. Slater egg mixture onto the edges of the wrappers (I just used my finger cause I'm fancy like that)
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| Fancy Pants Technique Right There ;) |
6. Fill with small portions of the meat mixture (remember that you need to close these pretty tightly so it doesn't seep out!)
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| No Magic Needed, Just Press To Seal |
7. Fry in a pan - this is a multi-step process. First add oil to the pan, once it gets hot, place gyozas into the pan, after you let it sear for about 30 seconds, add water into the pan, cover the pan, turn heat on low, wait around 5-8 minutes, take lid off, let sit until the bottoms are golden brown
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| Yummmm, Fried Food |
It was definitely a fun time, but let me tell you, my eyes are MUCH bigger than my stomach! It's been a few days now, and even with eating leftovers for lunch AND dinner, I still have a lot left... Just goes to show, really, do NOT go to the grocery store when hungry. Oy.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
What I Wore: Napa Valley, August 2013
For this trip to Napa, I knew that I would be attending a nicer restaurant so I decided on something simple, but somewhat elegant. As this was a *very* last minute trip thrown together, I actually ended up buying my outfit day of.
Express Skater Dress (on sale!, same dress different color) | Chanel Sunglasses (old, similar here)
ALDO necklace | ALDO earrings (old, similar here) |
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Here's a better view of my bag.
I decided to pull my hair into a bun all day, which left me with these great curls at the end of the day, which I was quite pleased with.
Not a great photo of me, but a great shot of the necklace and some of my hair.
Silly pic driving home. You can see my earrings a bit better in this photo.
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