Next Home Reno WILL be a Cellar!

Pinterest is good for a lot of things...wedding planning, recipes, fashion and of course home renos!

I came across this great picture of a simple, compact, easy-to-do wine cellar.

Feel. In. Love.

Photo courtesy of homeportfolio
Our basement would be the perfect spot! I'd be intruding a little on the "man cave" but hey, it is space saving! I brought the idea up to the fiance and he was all for it.

Now, to find time and money to put this into action.

Am I crazy?

So you know by now I'm running a half marathon in June through VA wine country. My motivation to run that far is because it starts and stops at a winery. Obviously, wine is my main motivator.

However, I have signed up for yet another race THIS weekend! Spur of the moment.

I came across this great 5k through Rock Creek Park in remembrance of the Virginia Tech shooting victims. Sadly, I was there that crazy morning and remember it vividly. I will be running those 3.2 miles for the 32 victims wearing my maroon and orange proud!



I guess you can say the running bug has bit me. Wish me luck!

Picnic Basket, Wine and a Blanket

Simple, yet always fun.

Packing a picnic and bringing the dog and the boy along is one of my ideal Spring afternoons. It's something we like to do on occasion when the weather is nice. After moving out to the burbs, we had to find a new picnic location close-by. We found a great park only a few miles from our home. Although, my first choice is always visiting a local winery to picnic but we wanted to stay closer to home.

I came up with a list of things to bring:

  • Chicken salad sandwiches
  • Deviled eggs
  • Veggies and Dip
  • Cheese, crackers and fig spread
  • Knife with plenty of paper towels, including wet ones
  • WINE (duh!)

I made the salad and eggs from scratch which kept me busy most of the morning. Here's how I made the chicken salad:


2 Chicken breasts, cooked, shredded
1/2 c Mayo
2 stalks of celery, diced
1/2 Green Pepper, diced
1/4 Red Onion, diced
Salt & Pepper

Combine. Let sit covered in fridge for half hour. Assemble on your choice of bread. I used kaiser rolls. Top with fresh spinach and tomatoes. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.






We loaded up everything in the cooler, grabbed a nice bottle of French white and dare I say, plastic cups and we were headed on our way! Knowing the sun would be shining and temps would rise into the 70s, I selected a crisp white wine to enjoy with our lunch. Nothing like sippin' on something cool and refreshing when the temps rise!

Picnics are great for a date idea in the springtime. Pack some goodies, take the dog along and maybe even picnic at a local winery!

Cheers!

Around the World Wine Tasting

The plus side to living near a city like DC is that you are never short on things to do.

Another plus side, most of those things to do are offered at half off through all those deal sites.

Not usually a sucker for the deals but definitely a sucker for the wine events, I jumped on the opportunity to attend Around the World in 80 Sips. It was offered for half price on LivingSocial a few weeks ago and when I woke up to see it my inbox, I immediately sent it to a few fellow winos. Last year, I didn't jump in time and it was sold out before I could buy it.

I was lucky this time. My friends and I bought tickets and marked our calendars.

Having been to quite a few of these wine tasting events, even pouring wine at some of them myself, I pretty much knew what to expect. Way too many people crowded around one table with 15 wines and only 1 pourer. Everybody stretching their arms as far as they would reach for the chance that they may get a miniature taste. You know, the usual.


We arrived to check in and were greeted by a mob of thirsty wine lovers. We then proceeded to visit each table and taste whatever we could get our hands on. It was exactly like I expected; overcrowded, loud and way too many lines of anxious people. It's a great opportunity to meet fellow winos but if you want to go to really learn about the wines being poured, this is not that type of event. If you are lucky to be in the industry, I believe going to the trade tasting would be best. I'm sure it's more calm and one-on-one.

Regardless, we made the most of it and tried numerous wines at each table. Of course my favorites were the French wines. They were pouring great Burgundies, white and red. That toasty, oaky Chassagne-Montrachet sticks out in my mind. I'm picky about my Chardonnay and a white Burgundy is the way to go!


Conclusion: As long as you're with friends, you can have fun with just about anything!