Weekend Update

Thursday and Friday kicked off quite a weekend.

Friday after work, Lauren and I headed to the mountains for the weekend to relax and hang out with my rents. We made a quick stop at the grocery store when we got into town, picked up "Safe Haven" at Redbox, and had a little mexican fiesta on the porch before dinner at Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company.

After sleeping a glorious 9 hours, we headed to the pool early for some sunshine!

My mom made reservations for us at a dinner at Canyon Kitchen with a special tasting/appearance from Davis Family Vineyards.

I mean it when I say it's nearly impossible to compete with the gorgeous view.

And it's not every day that you share dinner at a picnic table with a winemaker.

The food, wine, and ohmygosh the desserts were phenomenal. I'd say it was quite a successful weekend! Does it have to be Monday already??

Napa Valley

I know I promised to pick up my trip recap with San Francisco, but that post is going to be a doozy to write with all the pictures I took, so I decided to skip ahead to our day trip to Napa instead! Go ahead and pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy!

Even though this was my fourth time visiting Northern California, I had never been to Napa Valley (gasp)! I've made up for it though with 3 visits to Sonoma. I will preface this recap by saying that while I loved all the vineyards in Napa that we visited, I still think I prefer Sonoma. I love the cute little restaurants and shops on the square in downtown Sonoma, and the vineyards are smaller and there's a lot more interaction with the staff during the tastings. But if you're ever in the area and have to decide on where to go for a day, you really can't go wrong with either!

My mom, dad, and I headed out of the city in the morning, and since wine tasting at 11 am might seem a little alcoholic early, we did what all normal people would do and stopped for champagne first!

We stopped at Domaine Carneros, and holy cow, this vineyard was gorgeous.

Domaine Carneros is famous for its sparkling wines, but they also had a delicious selection of Pinot Noir. We soaked up the sun on the front porch and enjoyed a cheese plate and multiple glasses of bubbly goodness.

Next stop: Cakebread Cellars

I had heard about Cakebread before, but the wine is always so expensive when I find it on restaurant menus! You have to make a reservation to visit the vineyard for a tasting, but we called the morning of and they didn't have a problem squeezing us in. I really liked the grounds and the tastings are set up at stations throughout the property so you can walk around and sip your wine instead of standing at a bar while people pour you wine. The wines at Cakebread tend to be a little drier (Mom wasn't a fan), but I enjoyed our laid-back tour!

We had to get back to San Francisco since it was getting late in the afternoon, but not before we made a stop at Sterling Vineyards. This stop was my dad's choice, and it has the best views of Napa. Upon arriving, you hop in a tram that takes you up a hill so you have a view of the whole town. The tasting was a bit underwhelming, but the view more than made up for it. 

I think I'd be in serious trouble if I lived within driving distance of views like this. I believe I'd find it hard to ever go to work :)

Lauren's 24th Birthday Surprise!

This week has been so busy (...I feel like I'm saying that a lot lately)! I went to Clemson Monday to have dinner with a friend who is heading to Air Force training to be a fighter pilot (yea, he's a badass).

There was a Clemson/Greenville Young Alumni kickoff party at the Thomas Creek Brewery on Tuesday, with free local beer and BBQ. It was a good thing we were inside, because it started pouring almost immediately after I got there. Check out the scary sky on my drive over:

On Wednesday, we celebrated Lauren's birthday!! I had planned a surprise to take her to one of those painting classes that are all the rage these days. I invited two of her old roommates as a surprise also. I finally had to tell her where we were going when she asked me what she should wear!

We had appetizers at Lazy Goat, but we had a drink at the house beforehand. Lauren's boyfriend Tyler once called her "short stack," which Ryan translated to "pancake." Maybe he enjoys calling her that so she'll also have a nickname relating to food. I found out about this wine first from Christina at Hungry Meets Healthy from Trader Joe's. I knew it would be perfect for Lauren for her birthday, and she could take it to Design with Wine! (It tastes pretty darn good, too, for only $5)!

The last picture was a delicious champagne cocktail with strawberry limeade and mint. I'll post the recipe soon!

We had so much fun painting, even though being artistic is certainly not our forte. We had three accountants! Meg might be the closest in creativity - she works in PR!

Pawley's Island Pier Sunrise - think I'll hang it in the beach house!

Lauren, Meg, me, and Sarah with our final products!

We had so much fun painting, drinking wine, and laughing! I highly recommend y'all try this with a group of girlfriends!

I'm off to Arizona tomorrow -- my bags are all packed! I can't wait for a vacation! Sun, relaxing by the pool, a massage, and some hiking/sight-seeing along the way!

I'll leave you with this fun painting that I'm dying to paint next! It's the Liberty Bridge in Greenville at night!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!! 

{Recipe} ~ Steak Dinner

Sunday night, I made an indulgent steak dinner. I hated I couldn't grill the steak, but cooking it on the stove did just fine. I whipped up some amazing potatoes, asparagus, and herb butter to serve with the steak. These potatoes were unbelievably good and easy. It took me awhile to get the potatoes to soften, almost 30 minutes in boiling water. Mine also didn't come out as clean - when I mashed them, they stuck to the masher and didn't stay put. It was still delicious and is a great alternative to baked potatoes. The herb butter was also really easy, and something different to serve with the meal! I used chives for both the herb butter and the potatoes, but you can use whatever herbs you have on hand (rosemary, thyme, and parsley are good choices)!

Crash Hot Potatoes
from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• Black Pepper To Taste
• Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Herb Butter

One stick unsalted butter, softened

1/2 tsp Garlic salt

Herbs of your choice

Soften the butter at room temperature. Combine ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix well. Spoon the herb butter onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Roll the butter into a log shape, securing the ends. Place in the freezer for an hour to harden the butter. Serve with steak, veggies, or rolls!

Steak dinners are one of my favorites! This made Sunday night dinner feel extra special, with a glass of this red wine:

Enjoy!