Stir ingredients together slowly and simmer throughout the day.

Serves: 1-however many you may be sharing your snowy day with.

My kids are still pretty little so when a snowy day arrives, I don’t have to scramble for fun and creative indoor crafts. We’re good just singing, playing and reading. So for now, I enjoy a good book during their naps, a nice smelling clean scent in the air, warm and comfy clothes, comfort food and vino once the bebes have been put to bed and old school game with the hubby. This makes for a pretty spectacular day. Let’s break it down.

1. Candles: as long as they smell delicious and burn clean, we’re good. If you read my blog, you know I’m a huge fan of the Tisane candles. This one smells of “a stone cottage in the Welsh countryside; rain drops and moss. Walk down country lanes in a landscape where magic fills the air.” Ok, works for me. These little candles really are magic.

2. Jardin des Orangers cashmere pullover. It ain’t cheap, but you’ll have it forever- provided you don’t have moths.

3. Tevana Blueberry Bliss Rooibos Tea. Just delicious.

4. The best hot chocolate on earth. Ok, I didn’t have this today because I’m not in Paris. But soon Angelina Paris’ world famous hot chocolate will be available online. Yippee Kay Yay!

5. What can I say- I love Terry Gross. I’ve loved her for years and she never disappoints. I usually just catch Fresh Air in the car but snowy days are a great excuse to search the archives. She’s on a Supreme Court roll this week. Her interview with Sandra Day O’Connor is quite something- now that’s a lady that doesn’t give anything away- tough crowd. An uncomfortably fascinating listen.

6. Books! Yay for books- the old fashioned kind. I dug out my hardcover copy of Reflections Of A Wine Merchant. My husband gave this to me just after we were married and it is what got me into the wine business. A romantic and nostalgic look at wine merchant and importer Neal Rosenthal’s life, he tells tales of tasting with Italian winemakers in cellars that their great grandfathers tasted in, spitting vino on the proper angle into the corner of said cellars, hiking up sheep filled hillsides to meet with vintners and the hits just keep on coming. Such a fun read if you’re into that stuff. And we broke out Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day. Can I just say Wow! The story is so endearing and illustrations- Fabulous. My favorite is that of the bathroom floor- see above. I think the kiddos liked it too.

7. Backgammon- because who doesn’t like a good old fashioned game of backgammon. In our next house, I am designating a corner for a game table. I think it’s important to devote time and space to game playing in one’s life. Games are the best- an afternoon playing games is one you will remember. And what’s life about other than making memories, right? Vintage seafoam green backgammon set on etsy.

8. And last but not least- comfort food. This kind of seals the deal on a cold wintery day. You just sort of have to indulge- it’s the rules, isn’t it? My comfort food of choice- an authentic margherita pizza and a Sagrantino wine. Paolo Bea is my first choice. If I could afford it, I’d go for the straight up sagrantino- 100% sagrantino grape but alas, it’s not a $60 bottle night. I’m going for the San Valentino blend instead. Anything from Bea is pretty killer and at half the price, this will do.

What are your ingredients for the perfect snow day?

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I’m on a quest to create 5 Meals a la Mom (me) that my kids will grow up with, (hopefully) love and want to pass on to their littles. I’ve got my (or the Barefoot Contessa’s slightly revised) Chicken Picatta in the bag and this is my official 2nd recipe. Tried and true, I’ve been making this one for a few years now. I hadn’t had it in over year since I was off the shellfish while prego and nursing- so happy to be back in clams. This recipe is super easy and molto delicioso! Courtesy of the 2 Frankies from Frankies Spuntino in Brooklyn, if you enjoy pasta and clams, you’ll love this one. I amended it a bit here and there and add a splash of white wine in the pan while steaming the clams. The most fun part is seeing the little clams open up. It always looks like they’re flashing you a big grin- this is the part I think the kiddos will love.

How You Make It:

1.  Cook the tagliatelle until al dente in a large pot of boiling and generously salted water. Drain well.

2.  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large and deep skillet. Add the chopped garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook over medium to high heat while stirring until the garlic is lightly browned- 1 to 2 minutes. Add the clams, water and wine. Cover and simmer until the clams open and are just cooked through- 5 to 8 minutes. Discard any clams that don’t open.

3.  Add the drained tagliatelle and parsley to the clams in the skillet. Generously season with pepper. Toss over medium to high heat just until the spaghetti absorbs the juices- 1 minute.

4.  Serve pasta with clams in bowls right away.

5.  Voila and Cin Cin!

We drank an Alsatian white with this dish mostly because it was staring at me and I couldn’t wait any longer to try it. Not the best pairing- too steely for the clams. I recommend pairing with something a bit heavier, like a Sicilian white. Planeta’s La Segreta Bianco 2011 IGT pairs perfectly with this dish. Always a crowd pleaser and at a great price (around 12 bucks), this is one of my go to wines.

For a perfect pairing:

Smiley, Happy Clams! This is my favorite part:

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A few favorite looks from Christian Siriano’s fall collection. I’m in luck- I’m attending a Siriano fashion show this weekend. Ok, so it’s in Baltimore and not New York, but hey, I’ll take it.

The bebes turn 9 months tomorrow- whoa- and my father in law is paying us a visit. I’m going to make this and drink this (a full report with tasting note to follow), we’ll hang with the bebes and head out to the Baltimore School of the Arts gala. My hubby has choreographed a piece for the school that debuts tomorrow night with the fashion show to follow. An alumni of the school, Siriano will be chairing the gala and bringing his looks from the NYC runway to Bmore. Woohoo! As a loyal Project Runway fan, I love me some Siriano. Sunday, I hop a train to NY to co-host a baby shower for my dear friend, Katy Robbins- Volatizing’s resident style maven extraordinaire. Things are usually pretty low key around here but this weekend looks to be kind of stellar. How about you- what are you up to this weekend?

{Images: fashionista.com}

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Ok, it’s official. The New England Journal of Medicine states its latest findings in the quest for a long and healthy life and concludes that the Meditteranean diet is the way to go ya’ll. What you say is in this magical diet? Why, tree nuts, veggies, lean meats, olives- the usual suspects. But wait, what’s that- the Meditteranean diet suggests at least one glass of wine a day? Hey, you just made my year. Thank you and Good Night!

Read The Atlantic article here.

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A very contemplative Faye Dunaway the morning after she won the Oscar for Network. Could this be Jessica Chastain come Monday morning? Perhaps but I’m going with Jennifer Lawrence.

I love Oscar night. Growing up, I used to watch it every year with my parents. I remember the highlights and even more fondly, the lowlights. I’ll never forget a singing Rob Lowe and Snow White circa 1989. A serious WTF. Even as an 8th grader, I knew this was probably a junk food-fueled late night brainstorm in the writers’ room gone bad. Memorable though. Go Rob for sticking your neck out there. Hey, Aaron Sorkin didn’t hold it against him. It so awesomely terrible, I would actually pay to see this.

Read Snow White’s account here as the actress who played the fairy tale princess breaks her silence about the now infamous”Snow White Incident”. Seriously unbelievable with tales of poolside auditions led by Allan Carr in a robe, Bob Mackie wondering aloud why in God’s name he was making a bedazzled Snow White costume, etc. You can’t make this stuff up.

I was lucky enough to be a part of Oscar legend. I always dreamed of dancing on the Oscars and I realized that dream when I found myself onstage at the Shrine Auditorium in a kickline with Robin Williams. We were the Royal Canadian Mounties/Rockettes and he sang the South Park tune, Blame Canada. Pure awesomeness. I remember saying to a friend that I was nervous because it was live and there were like a million viewers. He responded, “mmm… more like a billion, but you’ll be fine.” Gulp.

At least 1/2 of me made the photo.

I like to place my bets and play along with the broadcast. I’m rooting for Argo and would root for Ben Affleck if he’d been nominated- tsk tsk, Academy. Shoo-ins in the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress have to be Daniel Day-Lewis and Anne Hathaway and Amour for best foreign film. I’m no pro but I have won my fair share of Oscar office pools. To play along, print out your own Oscar Ballot here.

My picks:
(Like I said, I’m pretty good at this but don’t bet the farm. It’s always anyone’s night.)

Picture: Argo
Director: Steven Spielberg
Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis
Actress: Jennifer Lawrence
Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones
Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway
Cinematography: Claudio Miranda for Life of Pi
Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio for Argo
Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained
Animated Feature Film: Wreck-It Ralph
Documentary: Searching for Sugar Man
Editing: Argo
Foreign Language Film: Amour
Makeup and Hairstyling: Les Misérables
Costume Design: Anna Karenina
Original Score: Argo
Production Design: Les Misérables
Orignal Song: Adele’s Skyfall
Sound Editing: Skyfall
Sound Mixing: Les Misérables
Visual Effects: Life of Pi

Ok, the former picks are somewhat educated. The picks below I am literally pulling out of my you know what. These are always anybody’s guess. Outside of Academy members who receive screeners in order to vote, has anyone really seen the Live Action Short nominees… that’s what I thought.

Documentary Short: Openheart
Animated Short: Paperman
Live Action Short: Curfew

What I’ll be drinking:
You guessed it- Champers. Come on, it’s the Oscars. We’ll be toasting the stars with some delicious grower Champagne by Eric Rodez.

We went to an excellent Champagne tasting last weekend at Grape + Bean. Led by Olivier Daubresse (former somm at NYC’s Daniel), we tasted through some Eric Rodez, Billecart-Salmon and Krug selections. Talk about yum. The Krug Grande Cuvée was exquisitely complex- full of delicious yeasty and mineral notes with even a hint of smoky bacon. You read that right- bacon. But the surprise of the night was Eric Rodez’s finessed winemaking. Rodez apprenticed at Krug and aims to produce a similar refined complexity. In my opinion, he does. We bought a bottle of the the Cuvée des Crayeres for ourselves and a bottle of the more complex Cuvée des Grands Vintages for a gift. I think the Grands Vintages is an excellent value at around $69.

So Cin Cin Hollywood! If I had my druthers, I’d be celebrating at Swifty Lazar’s annual Oscar party at the original Spago but alas, neither he nor the restaurant still exists. Oh well. My couch, a glass of great champagne, the hubby and my ballot will do just fine. How will you celebrate?

{Image Credit: The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows, The Hollywood Reporter}

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Ok, I’ll bite. Let’s face it, most celebrity wine is pretty much schlock and more importantly, a bad idea. Everyone and their dog has jumped onboard the vanity wine train from the likes of Ramona Singer of the Real Housewives franchise to Jason Priestley and Mike Ditka. Hell, even Nancy Pelosi owns a couple of vineyards. But some of the stuff is actually quite good. I’m a fan of Dave Matthews’ Blenheim Vineyards out of Charlottesville, VA., some of Coppola’s stuff and I’ll always have a soft spot for Fess Parker’s wines as it was one of the first wineries I visited as a wee wine drinker. I’m kind of curious about Sam Neill’s Central Otago wines as well, although probably mostly because I love me some Jurassic Park and Dead Calm. Sam Neill is a cool dude- he’s got to make cool wine.

But let’s get back to the bottle at hand. We’re talking about Brangelina here and let’s face it, these guys are not only Hollywood gold, but philanthropic globetrotting design Gods to us mere mortals. Too much? Maybe but Troy,  Alexander and smooching your sibling at the Oscars aside, these guys make some pretty good choices. Case in point, they are pairing up with the esteemed Perrin family of Chateauneuf-du-Pape’s Chateau Beaucastel. Kind of hard to beat that pairing.

Marc Perrin met with the couple in June of 2012 and after tasting through the Perrin family wines, tasted through a number of Provence rosés made by their neighbors to decide on style. The focus will be on showing terroir through organic farming. Sounds pretty good to me. I’m a sucker for a good Provençale rosé and if it’s a Jolie-Pitt/Perrin pairing- well, bring it on. I’m curious to taste this little beauty.

Pitt and Jolie will be making their new rosé- with whites and reds in the works- from grapes grown on their organic estate in Corres, France. You may have seen Chateau Miraval’s Pink Floyd rosé on the market in the past. Pink Floyd recorded The Wall at the estate in the 70s. Not necessarily a redux, as there are new winemakers involved. The grapes are the same but the hands- very different.

Bring it on Pitt-Jolie. They can totally pull off that French aloof thing. Just look at the above photo. What do you think? Would you drink their wine?

{Image Credit: hollywire.com and Miraval Estate}

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I always wanted a winter wedding. I actually got married during a downpour in the middle of August- it. was. awesome.- and I wouldn’t change a thing, but there’s something about a winter white wedding that is so fresh and fabulous.

I love this look for a winter wedding. It’s very Carrie Bradshaw Goes to the Rockies. If I were getting married in the winter, I might have to wear this.

My friend Molly eloped this weekend to Aspen with her soon to be hubby and twin boys. It’s going to be a beautiful private and small ceremony in an historic church in Aspen followed by S’Mores and Champagne at the chic and landmarked Hotel Jerome. I picked out the Bollinger NV Special Cuvée for the newlyweds. Tempted by the Chartogne-Taillet, I opted for the more traditional Bollinger as her hubby is kind of old school. Hopefully-if she doesn’t read this blog today- it will be a surprise from our gang of girlfriends. Later they will hold court in the Rock Star booth for sushi at Kenichi. They are going to have a blast.

There is a tight group of us from college that couldn’t bear to miss her wedding (even though we weren’t technically invited as it is an elopement after all), so we all sent our crafty friend Natalia a few photos. She photoshopped them together and made them into a poster so that we can hang out in one of the pews in the church and be present for her wedding. Clearly, we just couldn’t stand not to be there.

Missing a wedding is always such a bummer. I love the idea that if you can’t make it to a friend’s wedding, you can do something creative in your absence like sending a video or a life-sized cutout to take your physical place. My friend Amy sent along a life-sized cutout for my wedding when she and her hubby couldn’t make it. She was 8 months pregnant and living in Hong Kong so she had a good excuse. Still, one of my favorite memories from my wedding is those two hanging out at our reception. A fun idea and a great memory maker.

Almost Real Stand Ups‘ etsy shop will do a 6 foot cut out for $90. Not bad considering you won’t be paying plane fare, accommodations, etc.

Below is Molly’s big surprise at finding us waiting for her in her condo. Very Real Housewives of Ann Arbor. We all went to school together at the University of Michigan so for those of you fellow Wolverines familiar with Chipatis at Pizza Bob’s and Pizza House (I am Team Pizza Bob’s by the way, except for the breadsticks at Pizza House of course- oh college!), my friend Steph came up with a great tagline for our sassy intro: “I know a good Chipati when I see it and I’m not afraid to eat it!”.

The note that accompanied us:

My friend Amy, her hubby and soon to-be-born little one (or rather, their cutout) at my wedding:

Cin Cin and Congrats Molly!

{Image Credit: Carly Mitchell Photography, Molly Griffin and Twin Lens Images}

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A fun idea for Valentines Day. You can either make this sparkling tasting a small intimate affair for yourself and your partner, a fun cocktail party tasting for a few friends, or a couples tasting with 2 or 3 other couples.

Bubbly is always a good idea. Period. Double Period. But there is something about this time of year with the holidays and Valentines Day that really sweetens the deal.

I set up a blind champagne tasting, cocktail style, for my family on Christmas Eve. It was such a fun way to kick off the festivities and really got everyone involved, happy and loosened up for a killer game of charades.

You could always do a more formal sit down tasting where you supply everyone with pre-poured glasses laid out in a row but I think this is more fun for a casual-style gathering.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Start out by selecting at least 4 different bottles of sparkling wine.
If you have 6 or more people, you may want to make it 5 or 6 bottles. Make sure you show a nice variation in wines.
Pick up:

-a grower champagne like this NV Guy Charlemagne Blanc du Blancs
(Other grower champagnes to look for: Egly-Ouriet, Vilmart & Cie, Chartogne-Taillet, or just ask your trusted wine shop what they recommend)

-a traditional house champagne like this NV Taittinger Brut La Francaise
(Others to look for: Moet & Chandon, Laurent-Perrier, Piper-Heidsieck)

-a cava like this NV Oriol Rossell Brut Nature 
(others to try: NV Segura Viudas Brut Reserva and the NV González Byass Vilarnau Brut)

-a cremant like this NV Tissot Cremant du Jura Brut
(A few other top value and tasty cremants to try: NV Jaillance Crémant de Bourgogne Brut and NV Paul Ginglinger Cremant d’Alsace Brut)

-a new world sparkler like this 2006 Iron Horse Classic Vintage Brut or this 2007 Lenz Sparkling Cuvée from Long Island’s North Fork.
(Other great New World Sparklers: 2009 Schramsberg North Coast Blanc de Blancs Brut and NV Sharffenberger Mendocino County Excellence Brut)

-and maybe throw in a prosecco like this NV Desiderio Jeio Prosecco Brut
(The NV Mionetto Brut Prosecco Veneto is also excellent)

This way you can really taste through and note the differences between a non vintage branded champagne like a Taittinger- made to taste the same no matter the vintage- a smaller production grower champagne, a Spanish cava, an Italian prosecco and sparkling wines made in both the traditional Champagne method and otherwise.

For your next party, you can get a little more detailed. Maybe do all Blanc de Blancs, all rosé sparklers, all grower champagnes, or New World vs. Old World sparklers, etc.

2. Set up your champagne station somewhere that you would like your guests to gather and taste.
Line up your champagne glasses behind each bottle. If there are 4 people tasting, line up 4 glasses behind each bottle and so on.

*If I’d had my druthers, I would have used all glass champagne flutes but we only had a few and needed 16 so we subbed in some regular wine glasses. I though it actually looked kind of beautiful to mix them up. Next time I put together a sparkling tasting, I will pick up a few packs of these Govino champagne flutes. They are inexpensive, fabulously chic and shatterproof.

3. Cut up tiny squares of Post-It notes (make sure it has a sticky part on the back) and write the initials of each wine to stick on each glass. Stick your mini post-it to the bottom of the appropriate wine glass in each row.

*Warning: as the night progresses, these do tend to get a bit soggy but that just adds to the charm of it all, I think.

4. Pour the wine into the glasses per row. Give a generous pour as you will be going back to each wine to discuss numerous times.

5. Remove the bottles from the rows after you have poured and labeled each glass and stick in the fridge or on ice. One of these vintage ice buckets is always fun to break out at a party like this. I just got one for Christmas from my stylish mama.

6. Have your guests come gather around your champagne station. Each guest can pick up a glass from the 1st row.

7. Taste together and talk shop. What do you think? What does it taste like? Any guesses as to if this is a big Champagne house, a smaller production label, a New World sparkler, etc.

8. Continue tasting each wine together from each row. Encourage your guest to try and keep the wines in order as they taste so that you can all refer back to each wine together.

9. Take a vote as to which wine each guest likes and then drum roll… the big reveal.

10. Bring out the bottles so everyone can match up the wines from the labels on the bottom to the bottles and see what their tastebuds chose.

Enjoy and Cin Cin!

A fun addition: Pull up my Champagne & Sparkling Wine Cheat Sheet below, on your iPad or laptop for the tasting. My Cheat Sheets show typical notes found both on the nose and palate when tasting champagne and sparklers, to give your guests a reference guide.
For me this always makes wine tasting more fun and accessible so that you don’t just have that one oenophile busting out the “biscuity, toasted almond and Mandarin orange flavor profiles”. That gets annoying. We all want to play.

*A little sparkler tip to make your wallet happy: Cremants are always on my shopping list. Most cremants are a bit less fizzy than traditional champagne, yet still made in the traditional style of champagne, but at a much cheaper price. While still French they are made outside the Champagne region itself where the real estate tends to be cheaper, hence a cheaper bottle of wine. I have rarely had one that disappoints. In fact, the verdict on our little blind tasting party was that the $23 cremant reigned supreme over a $60 bottle of grower champagne. Go freakin’ figure.

Here is a little guide for your tasting pleasure. Of course it is impossible to list all the notes that may be found in sparklers, especially the more complex champagnes. The blend factor of multiple grapes in a wine makes it all the more complex, but this is a good starting point.

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Going on a fabulous holiday in the Greek Isles? No? Well, just do as the Romans do (or in this case, Italians in general), and make it up. Apparently over 3 million Italians have been found to fib about a phantom holiday. Embarrased, ashamed- whatever, Italians feel pressure to lie about their vacations, or lack thereof, to keep up appearances. If you can’t afford to take one, just make one up. Fake it ’til you make it? Hmmm. I came across this while reading Joanna Goddard’s Cup of Jo. The Guardian article is from 2003, I can’t imagine much has changed. Read the article here.

Better yet. Who needs a swim in Santorini? Well, ok- who doesn’t, but as a very wallet friendly alternative, just plan a mini stay-cay with all things Greek.

Pick up a bottle of a Santorini white (Sigalas is my personal favorite but just look for the Assyrtiko grape) to start your holiday. I am loving the volcano these days. The mineral notes from the volcanic isle of Santorini along with hints of fresh lemon peel and sea salt may just make you want to jump up and do the Tsamikos. Prepare yourself a lovely feta, watermelon and mint salad and you’re good to go. Joy the Baker’s recipe here includes sesame seeds, a nice addition. Lay on the moussaka if that doesn’t satisfy, it is February after all and you may need a more stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal. Netflix yourself some Summer Lovers-a hilariously cheese-filled romp through the Greek Isles starring a very young Peter Gallagher and Daryl Hannah- or better yet the Harry Hamlin Clash of the Titans which never disappoints if you are into cheesy 80s special effects and Burgess Meredith. I must have seen Clash of the Titans at least 100 times. Growing up, it was a favorite in our household. I later did Chicago with Lisa Rinna and had Harry sign a vintage Titans poster for my little bro. Maybe the best present ever. I mean really, who wouldn’t want Perseus’ John Hancock? But, I digress… Would you, or have you ever faked a vacay?

Ok, I know we’d all rather be frolicking at the Acropolis- especially alongside Jackie O.- but this is not a half bad alternative for a random Tuesday night in February.

{Image Credit: Infinity pool shots in Santorini, Perivolas Resort; Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad by Joy Wilson, Jackie O. at the Acropolis from Russ Considine‘s private collection. }

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It’s Super Bowl weekend again. I’m not the most devoted NFL fan but I do love a good game, let’s bring it Raven and 49ers. I’ve always liked the 49ers but now that I live in the DC area, I kind of have to go for the Ravens so… Go Ravens!

Even more fun than the game (for me at least) is the food, drinks and sometimes the halftime show. Beyoncé will be bringing it as she always does- lip-syncing or not (she is one of the few living performers who can totally pull off shades in rehearsal- see above) and I’ve decided I’m all about dips this year. I will be making this white queso dip from the Brokeass Gourmet, this buffalo shrimp dip from Skinny Taste (I’m usually not much one for low cal recipes, but hey- something’s gotta give somewhere in this menu) and serving The Sauce Queens‘ delicious salsa- totally obsessed. I cannot get enough of this stuff. They don’t have major distribution yet but if you happen to live in the DC area, you can find their salsa at Whole Foods. We think they should go on Shark Tank- another obsession. I just finished listening to Barbara Corcoran’s memoir/business guide, Shark Tales. She is a girl with gusto and her book is a funny and endearing peek into her ambition filled career with sweet anecdotes from her childhood and life lessons from her badass mother. Barbara is one of 10 children, if that tells you anything. A fun listen.

For drinks, I think it’s gotta be DC Brau from the can because, come on- it’s the Super Bowl and a rosé cava. Bubbly is always a good choice with chips but salsa and spicy dips can prove to be tough pairings. The bubbly and the fruit from the rosé should be a good match for the super bowl spice. A good cava also keeps it simple.

For those of you completely uninterested in the game, i.e. those of you who will be tuning into Downton Abbey as opposed to those of us who will be DVRing it and then probably watching post-game, check out this hilarious Downton Abbey Bingo. Last week’s episode was a doozy, bingo will bring a bit of a pick-me-up to this week’s watching.

{Image Credits: Beyoncé photo from her tumblr page, hot and spicy buffalo shrimp dip from SkinnyTaste, Downton Abbey bingo cards from Paste Mag)

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