The majority of visitors heading to the great state of Colorado come in winter for ski season. Two of my sisters are heading there soon, which made me think about our family trip to Vail last September. It should be noted that Gary and I have gone on these family ski trips before, we just do not like the bitter cold and the layers upon layers of clothes it takes to make it warm enough to survive. When I was younger, I used to love skiing. But now I am over cold weather. The Rocky Mountains, however, are stunning, as…
3 CommentsCategory: Joie de Vivre
Joie de vivre translated is “the joy of living.” There is so much that brings joy into my life.
Before we get to the recipe for the Ecuadorian Seafood Ceviche, I wanted to share an image from several weeks ago when I had leftovers of the Hasselback Potatoes. After a quick reheat in the microwave, I fried an egg and some bacon, and this made an incredible brunch meal — definitely a do-over. Ecuadorian Seafood Ceviche – The Recipe I had this Ecuadorian Seafood Ceviche at a party last summer and was immediately obsessed with how delicious it was. It is fresh, mildly acidic, and full of flavors. Each bite brings something new. I asked if I could…
Leave a Comment
There has been a whole lot of living, loving, and wine-ing lately. Perhaps the featured image gives you a clue as to how I am spending my time. No, they aren’t all ours. Only one has joined our family. She is the big-headed pup on the far left that I am holding. Her name is Aspen. And she is a handful and a half. But more on her in a bit. Let’s take a look at a couple of restaurant visits, a new line of throw pillows, and some wine we have samples recently. First up: Living A living room…
Leave a Comment
My life recently has been flying by at the speed of light and it is all a blur. Perhaps because there is a new 10-week old “family dog” that I help raise, and that takes a lot of time and energy. There have also been pop-up wine tastings at restaurants and wine bars, meals with friends, happy hours, out of town guests, and of course, planning my next Signature Tasting. So in the spirit of life in a blurred state, here is a random mix of what is happening recently. Let’s get started. Life Recently – A Puppy In my…
1 Comment
After much encouragement from friends and family, I have put considerable effort into creating new tasting opportunities. The wine tasting expansion is in full swing, and I hope that I will see my local readers sometime soon at one of my events. Wine Tasting Expansion via Signature Tasters Continues After three successful Invitation-only Signature Tasters parties, I am moving forward with the concept and recruiting other DTC (direct to consumer) only wineries to present their wines. While these wineries do not have local distribution, they are licensed to ship directly to the consumer. So the only way to taste these…
Leave a Comment
I know this is a wine, food, and “love of life” blog. But I thought a first-hand account of the hurricane was a great way to get back in the swing. When dealing with a hurricane, unlike any other catastrophic storm, it is a hurry up then “wait” situation. The path of uncertainty, coupled with the constant barrage from the local news makes us wary and unconcerned. So we wait. The state is always in a hurry to call for an evacuation. This year was no different calling it on Sunday with the storm “arriving” until Thursday. So we wait.…
2 Comments
Wine bars have exploded all over Charleston. For the longest time, the best that I could tell, there were just two, Bin 152 on lower King St. and Avondale Wine and Cheese in West Ashley. Then the trend hit Charleston, and there seemed to be a new one opening every few months, as well as pre-existing bars tweaking their offerings to become a wine bar. My unofficial count at this point is fourteen. Some might argue that there are more, but I am happy with my count. But there was one I kept coming up in conversation, Wine & Company,…
Leave a Comment
This past weekend, Gary and I had a house guest. Katia, who was my classmate in D.C. when I was taking the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 Certification. We hit it off and became study partners and subsequently friends. She reached out looking for hotel and restaurant recommendations for a weekend trip to Charleston. I recommended the “Hotel de Dean-Link,” which is the same location as our Church of the Screened in Porch. She loved that idea and chose to stay with us. She toured Charleston on her own Friday and Sunday but on Saturday we all…
2 Comments