A Wine Country Bridal Shower

   

My Mother In Law and I had the pleasure of hosting a lovely bridal shower for my beautiful new cousin Kierstin.

The Beautiful Bride

The afternoon was spent noshing on desserts, spoiling the bride to be and catching up with friend and family I had not seen since... well, my wedding!   

We made all the treats from pinterest, of course.  Oreo and cheesecake truffles, raspberry shortcakes, and the amazing trout cookies made by a local woman here in the Tri Cities!  With the couples passion for fishing (Bo is a guide), the trout were the perfect Country Chic touch!

Kierstin, Grandma Arlene and Myself

Do you have any go to shower recipes?  

      

.::2013::. Garden in Review

It is that time of the year in Wasington wine country. Harvest is coming to an end.  There is a chill to the air.  The first frost has made the vineyards and orchards start to drop their leaves. And that same first frost has made it quite apparent that it is time to take down the garden and make plans for next year

 It is a time to review the past year.  What was a success?  What has the opportunity to improve?  Each year around this time I clean up the garden, remove the annuals, and review the bounty 2013 has given us.

Cherry Tomatoes soon to be pico de gallo

Year 1 in the Holly House. We got married. We honeymooned in Maui. I started a new job.

The garden is definitely in need of some TLC.

Spicy garden haul

This year was the first I started all our plants from seeds.  I had high hopes with many starts going...then we were gone for 2 weeks of wedding/honeymoon madness and the poor little plants did not take well to being cared for by my mother-in-law.  We ended up having roma and cherry tomatoes, along with  many (ok 12...seriously we had them coming out of our ears) jalapeño peppers.

We had one lonely bell pepper plant that Louie ripped out. Bummer.

Garlic pickled jalapeno rings

With the huge amount of jalapeños, we decided to pickle some.

Best. Decision. Ever.

I got to break out the mandalin we got as a wedding gift, and after 6 weeks of waiting we have been loving our little pickled rings.  Nachos are on a whole new level in this household!

I am designing some improvements, are you?

What is your favorite garden veggie?

Mark my words, by 2014 I will have grown my own cucumbers and not have to buy from the store to make pickles!

Feature: Nordstrom Wedding Blog

I am so excited to announce The Nordstrom Wedding Blog has featured Our(!!!) wedding! 

Photography by Sara Welch Photography

I loved my experience at the Nordstrom Wedding Suite at the Flagship store. 

My stylist Chelsea was amazing.

My dress fit like a glove,

It was perfect.

Photography by Sara Welch Photography

And so were my bridesmaids dresses.

Donna Morgan also from Nordstrom!

http://blogs.nordstrom.com/weddings/category/real-weddings/
Check it out!  

Weekend Happenings

The Husband and I spent this past weekend having loads of fun with friends and family.

Some good friends from our college days back at WSU came into town & we headed out wine tasting!

There is nothing better than sipping some new vino, talking about what is going on in each others lives and reconnecting.

Tasting at Bookwalter Winery, Richland WA

We were short on time and decided to taste around the Queensgate wineries in Richland.  The area has three wineries all within walking distance, Bookwalter, Barnard Griffon, and Tagaris.

We enjoyed the reserve list at Barnard Griffon and took home some Reserve Chardonnay and some Syrah Port style wine for the holidays.  At Bookwalter, we enjoyed the red wine list.  We finished the day with some killer pizza from Brickhouse in West Richland.  Seriously what is better than pizza after tasting?!  SO good.  

That evening we attended Chad's cousin Bo's wedding to the beautiful Kierstin!  Being a guest at a wedding is so relaxing!  To think that 6 months earlier I Chad and I were the ones walking down the isle... Time flies!  It was great to celebrate the Lybecks and see family that had traveled from all around.  Plus I got a chance to wear this fun gown from Nordstrom and dance the night away!

How was your weekend?

Lunch fit for a King

...Or 50 Cellar rats working 12 hour shifts, 7 days a week!

Each week a member of Wahluke Wine Company makes lunch for the whole crew, cellar workers, the maintanace crew, Bottle line, office and viticulture staff and any roaming winemakers.

Lunch for 50, no easy task! And boy can these guys and gals eat!

I chose to prepare America's Test Kitchen Baked Ziti.

Thick noodles, White and red sauce, cheese on top of cheese. I knew they would LOVE this dish.

Cheesy, cheesy goodness. 

6 Trays of Baked Ziti, 4 loafs of garlic bread, 6 bags of salad

4 Hours of preparing

3 Hours of cooking 

30 Minutes of Silence at lunch... Priceless

This was actually my first time preparing Ziti on my own, although I have had this recipe at my parents house many times.  Some may call me crazy, but I like to think I am ambitious.  I followed my father lead and added a little extra Mozzarella, a little more cheese never hurt anyone.  Post Ziti kitchen looks like a red bomb went off but this is totally worth all the dishes!  The Ziti comes together easily.

I like to get as much as I can out of a dish like! When making Baked Ziti for just C and myself, I use two 8 inch square pans and am able to have not only dinner and left overs, but a whole pan in the freezer for unexpected guests or when I don't what to cook!  What is better than that???  

What are your favorite recipies to cook for a crowd?

Have any that were great on a small scale but was an epic fail when done for many mouths?

October in Wine Country

October

The month harvest is in full swing here in the Columbia Valley.

Apples are being plucked from their trees,

Grapes are being transported to the winey, 

There is a feeling of accomplishment in the air as the fruits of this years labor are off to market.

Fall colors on the Wahluke Slope are in full force.  Trees are dropping their leaves.  The vineyards are turning golden and orange with some red sprinkled throughout the long rows.

What signifies fall for you?  

For myself, fall begins in late summer when a certain virus in wine grapes turns the leaves from healthy and thriving green to the beautiful but problematic red.  It sure is beautiful, isn't it?

Tutorial: Grapevine Wreath

Once the grapes are harvested, I love to find uses for the lovely shoots.

This fall wreath was quick to put together, looks great and adds a touch of fall.

Plus I know I can adjust the decor for seasons to come! Score!

What You Need-

• Grapevine
• Pruning Shears
• Hot Glue Gun
• Decor of your choice!

To Make Wreath-

1. Cut shoots post harvest. leave pleanty of buds for next year and remove only from vigorus areas
2.  Remove any leaves and stems from the shoot
3.  Twist shoots together, Working to tuck the ends into the loops of the other shoots
4.  Continue to work shoot, twisting them into the wreath.  Add until desired thickness.

The green shoots are more malleable, they will become brown as they dry out.

I added some burlap and linen rosettes.

I found the tutorial from Pinterest

Secure with a hot glue gun, add cloth for a bow and hang!