Real World Soiree {Date Night at Home}

I talked briefly last week about our at home date night when I shared the recipe for my Zucchini Parmesan Stacks. Today, I wanted to share a little bit more about it and give you my tips on creating your own date night at home.

It all starts with one crucial step, unplugging. Turn off the tv, put away the computers, phones, and iPads and just be together. From there, it's all easy. While you can customize date night to your interest, here's a look into what we did. The afternoon of fun started with opening a bottle of wine. From there we pulled out the board games and played a few rounds of Jenga and Checkers. After that we cooked dinner and ended it all with chocolate espresso pie for dessert. Hands down it was one of our best date nights to date. We weren't fighting over those around us to carry on a conversation and we got to maximize our time together. It was a perfect way to celebrate the end of the week and I would seriously recommend at home date night to all!

What would you do if you stayed date night?

Party DIY {Housewarming Basket}

It's that time of year again...moving season. Maybe it's because we are still living in a college town, but July and August come around ad it seems as if almost everyone is moving. That means house warming parties galore are on the horizon. But, by this time in outlives, people ave just about all the necessary items they need to make their house a home. So, what do you bring as a gift? While a nice bottle of wine is always appropriate, I've put together a basket full of little treats with a nice meaning. It's easy to put together, appropriate for all, and incredibly thoughtful. Here's what to include and the meaning behind each item. 

1. Candles: So your home may always have light

2. Wine: So you may always be in a good cheer

3. Bread: So you may never be hungry

4. Salt: So your life may always have flavor

5. Dishtowels: So you may wipe away bad luck

Have a meaningful Tuesday!

Destination Dream {Italian Vineyard}

This past weekend we were home in Jacksonville for a family gathering. Like most families, gatherings tend to spark conversation of memories and fun times. One of our favorite family memories was a trip we took to Italy about six years ago. The whole family, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents included, stayed in the most amazing old farm house located on this working vineyard. The views were to die for and we had the most spectacular time. Little did I know, another adventure to Italy is already in the works. With excitement taking over, I have spent nothing but the last two days Googling all to do in Italy. Even though this will be my fourth trip, I'm a bit older now and wanting more than ever to explore what the region has to offer. So, as I bask in the excitement of our impending trip, I thought I would share with you some images of the most amazing vineyard weddings from Italy. Just a little something to make you wish you were in a far away land today sipping on a glass of wine and noshing on cheese and homemade breads.

Have an adventurous Tuesday!

A Trip to Sweet Grass

This past weekend we ventured up to Thomasville, Georgia. It's a small town in south Georgia filled with southern charm and quaint shops. We walked the streets for a bit stumbling across the cutest shops and eventually ended up at the one and only Sweet Grass Dairy Cheeseshop. It's absolutely the most delicious and fabulous place I've been to in a while. Filled with craft beer, amazing wine, and over the top good cheeses. We really enjoyed the experience and I highly recommend it if you are ever in the area. I'm doing a feature on Sweet Grass in the next issue of LPF Mag so be sure to check for Issue #4 and more about the dairy and cheese shop!

Perfect Pairings {Wine & Cheese}

Happy Friday Dolls! I hope everyone had a very nice, relaxing Valentine's Day yesterday. I spent the evening indulging in a few of my favorite things, good red wine, smelly cheeses and thin sliced prosciutto. In my opinion, it's probably the best dinner ever. Sitting around noshing and drinking wine, how can you go wrong? Last night's dinner left me feeling more than full though. It left me curious and eager to learn about the perfect wine and cheese pairings. After a bit of research I learned that champagne pairs best with creamy, decadent cheeses while merlot is best with stiff, sharp, salty cheeses. The research really peaked an interest and has me wanting to explore different pairing options for wine, beer, and liquors to share with you. In the mean time, enjoy this chart for perfect wine and cheese pairings.

Have a great weekend!

Essentially {Picnicking}

With blue skies above, I dreaming of hosting an al fresco picnic. Perched in the park on a vibrant blanket, sipping wine, munching on French baguettes, grapes, and cheeses sounds like the perfect Saturday afternoon. I can imagine relaxing and just enjoying good friends and good times. Here are my picnic essentials...

1. French Baguette: Fresh from the bakery, bread is my favorite treat, especially dipped in exotic oils. 

2. Blanket: Grass is itchy and no fun to sit on. Add some flair to your picnic with a bright, patterned blanket like this Mexican inspired one from Amazon.

3. Grapes: Perfect for popping in your mouth. Try freezing them before you leave to keep them nice and cold all through the day. 

4. Picnic Basket: An obvious essential. This one is great because of the straps that will keep your plates and silverware in place while strolling to the perfect location. Even better, it has a spot for your wine glasses! 

5. Wine Glasses: Make a stylish impact by using hand painted glasses like these hibiscus ones from Lolita. The pattern is reminds me of a tropical land far away. 

6. Wine: Whether you like red, white, or champagne, no picnic is complete without a good bottle of wine. My personal preference? Anything from Cupcake Vineyards is light and pairs well.

Delightful Dining {Wine and Cheese}

It's Thursday. Have you made your New Year's plans yet? If you are planning on having people over and are so overwhelmed with everything else to plan a full meal, I have the perfect alternative for you. Wine and Cheese. It's something everybody (or most everybody hopefully) loves. Plus it's simple and less stressful for the dashing hostess. Lay out an array of cheeses, soft breads with a variety of dipping oils and spices, pieces of fruit and Italian meats for snacking. Uncork a couple bottles of wine and encourage guests to taste each one, moving outside of their wine comfort zone. All in all, it's a fun, simple way to ring in the new year with good friends and good wine! 

Delightful Dining {Wine Tasting}

There is this new little place by my parent's house. You walk in and think its just a little package store with walls filled with amazing wine, but upon closer inspection you see them serving delicious tapas and gourmet cheeses. You can order wine by the bottle or get a tasting of 4. It's absolutely amazing and has left me wanting to throw a wine tasting!

With the help of a wine expert, blindly taste wine for its distinctive flavors. Pair each wine with foods that enhance its flavor for a better experience. And with all of that wine flowing, prepare some great bits for noshing for guests. Breads for dipping, cheeses, fruits, bite sized desserts, and more. Sounds amazing if you ask me! 

All Wrapped Up {Burlap Wine Bags}

Now that Halloween has passed, it's time to finally start thinking about my favorite holiday, Christmas. I know technically the Christmas season doesn't really start till after Thanksgiving, but it's never to early to start planning. And one of the things I always start thinking about first is Christmas gifts. What do I get for my parents, my sisters, my brother, etc.? Well, for friends one of my favorite things to do is a nice bottle of wine. But, you can't just hand someone a bottle, just like every other gift, it should be wrapped! And this Christmas, I'm loving the idea of wrapping bottles in burlap sacks like these. What's great is they add a little hand made touch that shows the person you put a little effort in. Stencil them with all sorts of sayings for the season like love, joy, or peace. I think I'm going to stencil mine with "uncork". Appropriate for the type of gift and that way it can be reused all year and not just at Christmas! 

xo

All Mixed Up {Vineyard Wedding}

I'm fully aware that this is not a cocktail, but this wedding is inspired by all time favorite drink, wine! Thus, it totally fits under this category. Kinda. Anyways, like any girl, I've been planning my wedding since I was little. Clearly I don't want the same wedding I wanted when I was five. Now, I'm dreaming of a gorgeous vineyard wedding. Being surrounded by vines of ripe grapes, maybe sipping on our own special blend of grapes, what could be better? Plus, as the weather continues to improve and be less stupid hot, it would be amazingly gorgeous to spend an afternoon and evening outside enjoying friends and family at my happiest place on earth (You know after 21 the happiest place on earth changes from DisneyWorld to some place where you are surrounded by tons of adult beverages.)!

This Party Inspired By {Stock the Bar}

So have you heard about this? It's the newest thing in wedding showers. It's called a stock the bar party! I'm dying! The basic concept is guests are to bring their favorite bottle of liquor (or wine) or anything a bar could use such as a shaker, glasses, or ice bucket and your favorite drink recipe. I'm so obsessed with this party idea that I'm trying to will my friends to get married so I can throw them one. Basically, I like it so much, I'm considering throwing one for myself as my housewarming party if I didn't think it was a little rude to expect guests to bring a bottle of alcohol that I don't plan on drinking right away to my house! What do you think? Would you want a stock the bar party for your shower? 

Social Graces {The Hostess Gift}

Well frankly, it's rude to show up to any party empty handed.  Especially one where the hosts have so graciously cooked for you and supplied your alcohol for the evening.  When attending any party (yes that includes a late night beer bash extreme if you are in college) the proper thing to do is to bring a small thank you for the host or hostess. It is completely acceptable to bring a bottle (or two if you are a big drinker) of wine with you. If bringing your alcohol isn't really something you like to do, try a small token of appreciation for the hostess's kitchen or house.  A nice candle, dish towel, cookbook, or even a quirky drink carrier are all acceptable options.  Other possibilities include a nice platter or even some serving spoons.  

Note: If you are the hostess and a guest brings a bottle of wine to your house that evening, the proper thing to do is to serve that wine at some point in the evening. 

Credits: Drink Caddy- West Elm, Sugarbaby by Gesine Bullock-Prado, Owl Dishtowel- Anthropologie, Capri Blue Volcano Candle, Cupcake Red Velvet Wine