Christmas is here.. and I'm almost ready

I'd like to start by apologizing it's been so long since I've posted anything. Life tends to get in the way. :) My sister, Krissy, got married over the weekend to my husband's best friend. Saturday that cold front moved into South Florida and it rained most of the day until 3:30. The weather cleared up just in time for the ceremony. YAY, perfect timing! :) Their wedding turned out absolutely beautiful. (Stay tuned for pictures and details.) Finally, I have time to write some new posts.

As many of you know, I have been making jam and other goodies all year. My jams and sauces are all labeled and ready for gifting. Some of my techniques and recipes come from the amazing advice of Marisa over at http://www.foodinjars.com/. On her facebook page, she reviewed a jam jar tutorial at http://localkitchenblog.com/2010/10/14/labels-a-tutorial/. This is the template I used for my jam labels. Check out the fruits of my labor--

Our Nations Capital

Wow, it's been forever since I've posted. We travel often during the summer months. Justin and I were in Washington D.C. last week visiting family. I was thankful that it was overcast most of the time. It helped cool off the streets of D.C. We had a great time. My sister-in-law, Brittany, took us to some delicious restaurant's like Matchbox, Sonoma, and Zaytinya. We checked out the Holocaust museum (which is depressing), Air and Space, and the Natural History. My dad and his wife came to visit and we wondered around the National Mall.

We knew Virginia has wineries??? And they have an Annual Virginia Wine Festival. I never knew. We drove out of the city one day and checked out Pearmund Cellars. We tried some great wines and sat on the back deck and drank a bottle. I personally enjoyed the Cabernet and the Riesling. Check them out at /www.pearmundcellars.com

Back to Reality

We are back from my birthday vacation. We had such a great time. Lots and Lots of wine tastings and exploration the finger lakes region of New York. If you haven't been to this area of New York, you should definitely check it out. It's beautiful and the people are very friendly. Special Thanks to my New York family for the hospitality and our boston friends for coming to spend the weekend with us.

On my birthday night, Justin took me to this little gourmet cafe at Red Newt Vineyards. It was the perfect setting for a quiet, romantic dinner. The food was excellent. For dessert, I had a slice of blueberry lemon cheesecake. It was heavenly.

We bought a bottle of Hermann J. Weimer 2005 Pinot Noir. It had flavors of bing cherry, touches of vanilla and earthy notes with a smooth, long finish. Very yummy. Unfortunately, we did not make it to Hermann J. Weimer's Vineyard.

Off to wine, dine, and birthday time

Bright and Early, Wednesday morning, Justin and I are flying out to the Finger Lakes in New York. We are headed out to see our New York family, attend the finger lakes wine festival, hang with our very good friends from Boston, and R.E.L.A.X. I am so excited I'm having trouble sleeping. LOL.. I love vacation time. Check out some pictures from our last trip to New York.

This is where we are staying... Jen and David's cabin

Gorgeous views from the cabin on Seneca Lake

Hiking at Watkins Glen

















We will be attending the Finger Lakes Wine Festival. Here's the link to check it out: http://www.flwinefest.com/. We are going to bring back lots of wine. =) Back in a few days. Ciao!

Getting Crafty - Part Three

A couple weeks ago, Jen and I had another half day of crafting. We didn't make as much as usual but had some fun and checked some projects off the crafting project list. That week we made another round of Homemade ketchup (yum), homemade mozzarella cheese, chai tea, preserved lemons, and hazelnut chocolate sauce for ice cream. Also, we made some new body products to try including: eggyolk hair conditioner, coffee body scrub and soy milk face cleanser. (Sorry about the poor picture above, it's the only one I have from that day)

Delicious Summer Salad

My sister, Krissy, and I made the most delicious summer salad. We took most the veggies from my fridge and created this colorful and vibrant salad. I love to make salads like this. Usually I call them my "vegetable drawer" or "kitchen sink" salads because I literally put everything I have in refrigerator in the salad bowl. The salads always come out delicious. This particular salad has fresh spinach, baby greens, vine-ripe tomatoes, sliced ripe avocados, boiled eggs, and walnuts. We dressed the salad with Annie's Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing.

May 11th Share

Our first share in May was full of colorful and delicious organic fruits and vegetables.  The share included cauliflower, bi-color Florida corn, baby artichokes, spring mix lettuce, cucumbers, eggplant, peaches, cantaloupe, brocolini, yellow squash, mango, strawberries, and bananas. Also, we did the $10 add-on for Heirloom Tomatoes. Yum.. They were sweet and perfectly ripe. I just love heirloom tomatoes.