Hostess Gift

The first one in NC was a genuine success. Of course, we missed the fam and normal 80 degree temperatures in SD, but it was special nonetheless. Thanksgiving has come and gone along with Black Friday. Now as I wait for Cyber Monday, I'm putting away all things fall and hopefully by Monday the house will look like...as cousin Ian says, "Santa threw up in it." Thanksgiving was a great success and just in case I lose my directions for my superbly moist turkey that was perfectly cooked in my counter top roaster, I'm including a link here. That, my friends, is the solution to only having one oven when you are hosting the Thanksgiving dinner. BTW, the way you get dinner on the table at 4:58 when dinner is scheduled at 5:00, is to have a list...and follow it!

Segura Viudas Reserva Heredad

I also wanted to share with you the most wonderful hostess gift. It's so good in fact, you'll need to buy two. One for her and one for you. No one brought me this gift, but I did serve it yesterday. I found it on my own many years ago. However, I haven't had much luck seeing it around until now. It's Champagne...well not really. It's Cava. Cava is the term for sparkling wine in Spain. We can technically only call Champagne, Champagne. Champagne is the region in France that it comes from. It also refers to the method that is used to make it, méthode champenoise. In this method, the best method, the wine is fermented in the bottle,  the actual bottle that you purchase it in. Now, back to Cava and what makes this Cava so special is that it is made using the Champagne method. So you will get this beautiful bottle of sparkling wine that tastes great and is a great value. Your hostess will think you spent a fortune, and she will have the beautiful bottle to keep long after the wine is gone. She can use it for olive oil or dish soap if she gets one of those little pourer thingies, or she can make a bottle lamp like I did, if she's crafty.

Segura Viudas Reserva Heredad is a sparkling wine that always gets rave reviews. It is one of my personal favorites. Especially the price point. I got mine at Lowe's Foods for $21. Once upon a time they sold it at Trader Joe's. I would highly suggest putting in the effort to find some, you won't be dissapointed. Imagine what a great Christmas gift it would make!

How to Make a Wine Bottle Lamp-Photo Tutorial

Okay, so I've showed you all how to reuse your wine corks to make adorable ornaments, now I want to share how to put that bottle to further use. This is a fairly easy project and shouldn't take more than an hour. You can pick up a bottle lamp kit from Home Depot along with a glass drill bit if you don't already have one. Yes, you'll be drilling into the glass. Don't be scared, if I can do it you can too! Also, make sure to get a lamp shade that is designed like the one in the picture. You can find them at Walmart or Ross. Finally, if you want to decorate the shade, you can get some decorative fabric tasseled ribbon. I got mine from the fabric department at Walmart.

Safety First!!

Some safety rules before you start. Wear goggles, and good thick gloves while drilling. Cool your drill bit by dipping the tip into cool water every minute or so. Finally, when working on the electrical part of the lamp, always make sure it is unplugged! Place your bottle on a thick towel and gently but firmly hold the bottle steady and apply slight pressure when drilling. You must apply some pressure.

 

Clean dust and glass from bottle. This next photo is a series of four pictures showing how to put the pieces of the kit together. This is just quick sequence info, scroll down for the detailed instructions.

Detailed photo tutorial begins here:

Now we are back to this photo, as a recap:

Now put your lightbulb in to test. Plug in the lamp and turn it on. If it doesn't work, unplug and then go back and make sure your wires are securely fastened to the screws and the screws are tight.

Now, you can decorate your lampshade at this point if you want. Simply measure, cut, and hot glue your tassel ribbon.

Good luck and feel free to contact me should you have any questions. And yes, you will have some pieces left over from your kit.



Thanksgiving Wine Suggestions

We're Outta Here!

We are getting ready to head out for the holiday. It seems that no matter how well I plan and no matter how early I start preparations, I'm still running around frantically before it's time to go. I'm so looking forward to this trip to Coeur d'Alene. We are also hoping to make a day trip west to Seattle since none of us have been there. We'll see if that works out. I booked a photographer, so we are going to get professional photos done while on vacation. Hopefully we will be able to do an outdoor shoot if the weather permits. Since I'm not cooking for Thanksgiving this year, I won't be posting my fab appetizer recipes. (Maybe next year!)

But, I did want to give some wine suggestions. I happen to know a little about wine, maybe even a lot compared to some. I studied wine over the course of three years. I've worked in all aspects of the wine industry. I have worked as a sommelier in a fine restaurant, I have sold wine as a distributor to stores and restaurants, and I have worked selling wine directly to the customers either in a store or by leading private wine class parties.

But I digress, my point is that you can trust my advice in regards to this subject! Thanksgiving wine selection is pretty easy and straightforward. For a typical traditional Thanksgiving dinner my selection for red is Pinot Noir, something from the Oregon, perhaps, and a for white, a Riesling. Now with Riesling you can go a couple of different routes. I would suggest a dry or semi-sweet. Germany and Alsace are good bets. I also like one they have at Costco, from the Coppola Collection (California produced). It is called Sofia (after his movie-producing daughter). It comes in a fun, lovely bottle. My guests always seem to enjoy every last drop of it!

Just spend what you can afford. There are great wines in a variety of price points. I think a good starting point is $11-13 a bottle. Of course you can always go up from there, but you don't want to go through all of the trouble of cooking a great meal only to pair it with crappy wine. And if you're buying for a hostess gift, spend at least $20. Either buy one nice bottle or get two, a red and white. Definitely ask a sales person to help steer you in the right direction. That's why they're there. Use them to your benefit!

These two wines are perfect because there are so many different flavors going on, and these will compliment while not overpowering them. I'm sorry I don't have more time to explain but the kids keep talking to me and I'm supposed to be packing!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving All!