A Lavender and Rosemary-Tinged Rosé Pop to enjoy at whatever-o-clock during these dwindling dog days? It is nearing the end of our dear summer afterall and what better than a little pink booze to go with your herb infused popsicle? I mean really. I have been intrigued by the array of boozy pops out there so I decided to make some of my own. Of course my first batch had to be rosé- it’s always rosé in this house, come rain or come shine so why not in a sunshiney ice pop? It’s pretty dope, I must say. A little[…]

  

Rehearsal for the 2000 Academy Awards with the great Robin Williams and my pal Dani Parish Rubin As the news of Robin Williams’ devastating passing continues to flood our social media feeds and international news outlets, I can’t help but think it seems silly to post a popsicle recipe when all I really want to do is be sad and think on this. Hands down, one of the best, most joyous and gleeful days of my life was the day I spent in rehearsal with him for the 2000 Academy Awards. That look on my face above- I pretty much[…]

  

Happy Weekend dear readers. I love this shot of Stella Maria Baer’s work in progress above. The paint and colors are so chomp-worthy, I seriously just want to eat that entire composition. She’s a Southwest artist living in the Northeast and her work is genius (and P.S., her instagram feed is moody and dreamily delicious, I look forward to her gorgeous posts every day). But back to that work in progress thing- it’s sort of what life’s all about isn’t it. Some food (or paint) for thought. Well folks, it’s been a hectic week over here in good ole VA., the[…]

  

This time of year brings lots of travel (yay!) and sometimes a night or two or three at a pal’s place. I like to come bearing gifts for my Host with the Most, especially those I wouldn’t buy for myself- tiny cake stands anyone?   A Perfect Picnic Basket- come on, who wouldn’t want one of these? Especially one this cute- from tastemaker and blogger extraordinaire Sarah Sherman Samuel, comes her new line of artisanal entertaining goodness. Everything is deliciously lovely and I am always partial to a picnic basket. Some Coastal Coasters- bold and graphic, these hand-painted, non-toxic ceramic[…]

  

Blue skies, weathered and wine-stained barrels, ripening vines- there’s nothing sweeter than the sight (and smell) of an impending wine harvest. A good old-fashioned, down-and-dirty-fingers-in-the-vines-harvest is something every budding somm should experience. It’s important to get out of the cellar and into the vineyard- Wine Appreciation 101. I worked my first harvest in Virginia at Paradise Springs vineyard. Well, sort of. The harvest took all of a grueling hour, not exactly the grapes of wrath, but this East Coast vineyard is young and hopeful, boasting a small but bountiful little plot of vines. There were enough of us working the[…]

  

Happiness is: Another birthday and a glass in the hand. Throw in some loved ones and call is perfetto. Three Cheers for the weekend and… it’s my birthday ya’ll, so I’m raising a glass to another year. We’re keeping it low key this year. Actually, I’ve kept my birthday pretty low key since I turned 30, I guess it’s just one of those decades. I’m thinking that next year I might want to blow it out a bit more, but for now, I’m pretty psyched just to go out to dinner in DC with the hubs (which is a big[…]

  

  We are in it kids- deep in the thick of hot fun in the summertime. A few of my favorite things to do during these dog days: 1. Toast: Everyday. Because why not? Every day is a gift especially these lazy and fun summer days. I’m currently digging my pink Txakolina direct from Spain’s Basque Country. A sip of this stuff is like a run through the summertime sprinklers- just fun, zippy, fruit-filled, and effervescent goodness. It’s hard to find and may be worth ordering online. I think it’s fun to serve this as a cocktail or an aperitif[…]

  

Bookstores and Coffee and Vino- Oh My! I am in Smoky Mountain Town Bliss. Above, one of my favorite spots from the sweet town of Sylva. A top notch local bookstore chock full of excellent staff picks (love that!) with a great little coffee and wine bar to boot- Ahhhhhhhhh (please read in Soprano). Happy Weekend dear readers. We are still on the road so to speak, doing this summer up Americana-style. We’re parked just outside of Asheville, NC for now and working with our talented family members (namely Charlotte d’Amboise and Terry Mann) choreographing and teaching some youngsters the[…]

  

It’s that time of year my friends- ice cream cones, stripey beach umbrellas, sand in your toes, Otis Redding (or DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince’s “Summertime” for my fellow Gen X’ers- p.s.: whatever happened to that jazziest of Jeffs?) in the background- the whole lot of summertime fun. I count myself lucky to get to the beach at least once during summer now that I’m a bit inland. We just finished our beach week in the Outer Banks. I made sure to book our vacation early in the summer to avoid any hurricane shenanigans and what do you[…]

  

Fresh off of a super fun tasting last night at Waterfront Market, I was inspired to write this tasting note. We hosted our first official wine tasting offering up a small plates wine pairing dinner featuring dishes from the market and some of our favorite food and summer friendly wines- a crisp mountain Italian white, a German off-dry Riesling, a New Mexican sparkling, an Italian bubbly dessert wine and a delicious Spanish rosé of which I shall speak. I’m so proud of our selection (and prices- hello NoVa residents, I’m talking to you- this is the best deal going!) that[…]