Saturday, October 23, 2010

M: Let's "Wine Down", Shall We?

So there is this place that my husband and I go to every once in a while...Let's be honest...It's a little more than once in a while.We go there to do fun things - drink wine, drink some beer, eat some appetizers, talk to some really cool people. I mean, who doesn't enjoy that?

Have you ever discovered a local place that you loved SO much, you never wanted to tell anyone about it? Oh, I've had a couple of those. One being Charleston's Cafe, that Erica blogs about quite often, which, I obviously let the cat out of the bag on that one =) The second being this crazy awesome place called Wine A While. I'm going to break down and tell people, I must do it. I've decided to stop being selfish.

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Wine A While has everything you want to wind down at the end of a long day at work, or for a quick glass of wine and draft beer on a Saturday afternoon, or just to stop by and say hi to Anthony, the owner and all around super cool guy! It also has one of these bad boys - a winestation:

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This is what got me from the very beginning! I love good wine, and being able to come here and have a taste whenever I want of any of 20 different kinds of wine, was pretty much awesome. These little spouts do the magic - you push a button, you get a taste, a half glass, or a full glass..and bada-bing! You're done! Not only that, but recently added was a growler station with multiple draft beers, where you can get a taste, a 1/2 pint, a pint, or a full growler:

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Please allow me to also say that the wine and beer that Anthony does put in his shop are all fantastic! He also has his right-hand man, his beer guru, Paul, who definitely knows his stuff! They both have great taste, and with Anthony's great taste, he introduced me to my now favorite wine on the earth, Kung Fu Girl Riesling from Charles Smith Winery in Washington State:

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A pic of Paul, the Beer Man!

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Wine A While also hosts special wine and beer tastings each month as well as brings in a live band every Friday for "Wine Down Fridays". Normally I'm there for the wine, but the beer tastings are a lot of fun and I usually like to partake in those =) This time around, Bryan and I went to their "Beer Wars" tasting - comparing two different beers of similar style and deciding which one won! This event was so much fun - Bryan and I with our tasting glasses and our beer sheets with our winners of each style circled (we obviously didn't agree on all of them!):

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Wine A While also has a menu of appetizers and also hosts Sushi Tuesdays, where Anthony brings in a local sushi chef to make sushi to order! Let me say, all of the food that is served is super tasty and the sushi is some of the best I've had in the area! So, I will leave you with a couple pics of the wine selection and beer selection, and be sure to visit the website! There are so many more fun things Wine A While has in store for everyone that I just don't have the time (or the space!) to write about!

A last but certainly not least sidenote, don't forget to enter our Fresh Express and Itzy baked goods giveaway! Just leave a comment for Erica in her previous post!

Cheers!
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Friday, October 22, 2010

E: Jessica’s (Not) Red Velvet Cookies & A Giveaway

Happy Friday! Although this was a short work week for me (due to our unexpected travel), I am still JUST as excited for the weekend. On Saturday night, Josh and I are attending a party. I am in charge of one of the desserts and decided to bring a plate full of different cookies. When I saw Jessica make these red velvet cookies, I knew they would be included!

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I wanted to make a tester batch…ya know, for quality control purposes. I made them up without the dye.

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They are AMAZING! They smell like smores cooking up in the oven and taste like heaven. 

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Thanks Jessica!

Recently, I received a few coupons for Fresh Express salad blends. I used the first bag I purchased to make a Fall Slaw.  Now you have the opportunity to win a stack of your own coupons…

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and I am going to throw in a batch of baked goods straight from Itzy’s Kitchen! Your choice: cookies, granola bread or bars. I will also make them gluten free or vegan. What do you have to do to enter? Leave a comment below telling me the following (each counts as an entry- you must leave a separate comment for each entry- open to residents of the US and Canada only):

1. Which Fresh Express salad blend do you want to try and why?

2. What is your favorite cookie recipe (must include a link to the recipe!)

The contest is open until Monday, October 25 at noon. Good luck!

Weekend plans? I am hoping for a relaxing Friday night with Josh & Frank. I am teaching Saturday morning and then going to brunch with Lindsay and to visit Mandi at her Daisy’s Place fundraiser.  Party Saturday night and to the Tosh tour on Sunday with Josh, Mandi & Bryan!!!

And I leave you with a little Frank action:

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