How to Host a Wine-Tasting Party

A few months ago we decided to have a party to celebrate two of our favorite things: wine and cheese! We invited a couple friends over, asked them to contribute the the spread, and set up several different pairings. Not only was it a great excuse to gather friends, it was a fun way to hone our wine-tasting skills and learn more about our preferences! (Spoiler alert: We loved everything!)

Here is our guide to host the perfect wine-tasting party (and eat your weight in delicious cheese): 

1. Invite over a group of wine-loving friends (a smaller group of four to eight people works best).

2. Ask each person/couple to bring one bottle of wine and one cheese. (We chose to sample reds and set a price limit of $10 per bottle to keep things simple.)

3. Set out a few other snacks to go with the pairings, like fruit, crackers, nuts or cured meats for guests to nibble on in between tastings. 

4. Kick off the party by serving each guest a glass of wine from a mystery bottle when they first arrive. Ask them to try to figure out the varietal while they wait for the pairings to begin. 

5.  Once everyone has arrived, pour guests a sample of each wine (we had three wine tastings each).

6.  Pass one cheese around at a time to sample with each of the wine tastings. 

7. Vote on your favorite pairing and discuss with the group. Continue until you have finished all the pairings. 

8.  Once you’ve sampled all of the wines and cheeses, pour each guest a glass of their favorite wine from the night and enjoy the food and great company.

We set the table with black paper place mats and wrote each guests name in a silver ink.

We served crackers, cured meats, fruit, baguette and fig jam with the pairings.

Here are the winners of our pairings:

Goat cheese + Barbera

Manchego + Pinot Noir

Asiago + Pinot & Barbera (tie)

Brie + Barbera (we thought all paired well)

Beer Cheese + Bordeaux

Our mystery wine, Trader Joe’s Coastal Zinfandel, was one of everyone's favorites and it turned out to be one of the least expensive bottles. Score!  We also found a new favorite, Trader Joe's Petite Reserve Barbera, which is currently in stock at most Trader Joe’s. Go grab a bottle immediately!

Let us know if you have hosted a wine tasting party or if you host one based on this post! We’d love to hear about your favorites as well! 

- Vicki & Julia 

Happy Eats: Raisin Rosemary Crisps Recipe

Hey, Happy Lady! 

If you recall, we recently shared a post about our undying love for crackers, particularly Trader Joe's Rosemary Raisin Crisps.

Although we are HUGE fans, the cost (around $4 a box) was starting to eat into our happy hour budget. (We're sure our fellow cracker lovers can relate to this predicament). 

Well, we have good news! After some late-night googling, we stumbled upon a wonderful recipe inspired by these crackers on the blog Dinner with Julie. 

We made a few changes, like using almond milk and lemon juice instead of buttermilk (they are now vegan-friendly!), added extra rosemary (can you ever have enough?), used pistachios instead of pecans, and included dried cranberries as well as raisins.  

We are so excited to share our version of the recipe... but first... some cracker eye candy.  

Photos by Tony Scheeler.

How cute are these mini loaf tins??

We were quite pleased with our vegan-friendly buttermilk substitute.

Chopping rosemary is serious business.

It's time to bake!

YUM.

DOUBLE YUM.

Slice 'em up!

Get your crisp on.

The finished product. TO DIE FOR.

Rosemary Raisin Crisps with Pistachios
Adapted from Dinner with Julie

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups unsweetened almond milk, plus 2 tbs lemon juice (let sit for 5 minutes before using)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup flaxseed, ground (We used Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Meal)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the almond milk and lemon juice mixture, brown sugar and honey. Stir to combine. Add the raisins, dried cranberries, pistachios, sesame seeds, flaxseed, and rosemary. Stir to combine.

Spray six mini loaf tins with non-stick cooking spray. (We used this awesome Wilton Mini Loaf Pan that we purchased from Amazon especially for this recipe.) You may also use two 8”x4” loaf pans. Pour batter evenly into tins. Bake for about 30 minutes (35 if using 8" x 4" loaf pans), until the tops of each loaf is golden brown and springs back to the touch. Remove loaves from the pans and cool on a wire rack.

Once cooled to the touch, place loaves in the freezer for 15 minutes (the colder the loaves, the easier to slice). Preheat the oven (or reduce if still on) to 300° F. Slice the loaves about an 1/8" thick (or as thin as possible) and place the slices in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn them over and bake for another 10 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Keep in mind that crackers will continue to crisp as they cool. 

Store in open container (do not put in plastic bag, as moisture will un-crisp the cracker). If crackers lose some of their crunch overnight, you may re-crisp them by broiling in the oven for a few minutes.

Enjoy!!

- Vicki & Julia

happy eats: gazpacho!

Get out your aprons, Happy Ladies! It’s cooking time!

We recently posted a picture of our post-workout recovery meal on Instagram and received lots of requests for the Gazpacho recipe. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Gazpacho, it’s a cold, tomato-based soup that is made almost entirely of raw vegetables. Truth be told, we were just recently turned onto Gazpacho by one of Vicki’s friends, and this was her first time making it. Lucky for us, it turned out great!!

Gazpacho

Ingredients:

1 large cucumber, peeled and chopped

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3 gloves of garlic, minced

46 oz of canned tomatoes (I chose cans that were half diced tomatoes and half tomato puree)

1 Jalapeño, seeds removed and chopped

Salt to taste

Fresh Parsley

Optional Toppings:

Cooked meat (shrimp, chicken, etc.)

Avocado

Cheese

Crostini

Directions:

Puree the tomatoes in a blender or food processor (or Vitamix if you are lucky enough to have one).  Then, chop the jalapeno (seeds removed) and add to the tomato base. Pulse again. You should end up with a thick soup base. Add a little water or lime juice if you want a thinner consistency.

Chop the cucumber, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic. Add to your tomato base. At this point, feel free to add any fresh herbs or seasonings. I used sea salt and parsley. Chill in the fridge for at least one hour.

Serve cold with cooked meat (chicken, shrimp, etc). Have fun experimenting with toppings, such as goat cheese or avocado.  It also pairs well with crostini or any type of toasted bread.

Wine pairing: We like to enjoy this soup with our current favorite, Trader Joe’s Coastal Zinfandel.

Image by Tony Scheeler

Let us know if you try the recipe by posting a pic with #youhadmeathappyhour on Instagram. 

Enjoy!

Vicki & Julia

mastering the happy meal (no, not the mcdonald's kind!)

Recently, we realized that our talent for multitasking had started to cramp our eating style. We found ourselves munching away while talking on the phone, watching TV and checking our emails. Although we love our electronics (what would we do if we couldn’t Google the nearest happy hour?), it was compromising the experience of eating. We made a few tweaks, and noticed a huge change in our eating habits and attitude towards meals and cooking. We would love for you to try it as well, and let us know your results! 

We challenge you to put down your iPhone, iPad, laptop and Kindle, turn off the TV, and tune in to eating. Choose one meal this week to sit down and enjoy the sheer pleasure of eating without electronic distractions. Dine alone or with family and friends. Concentrate on the food and conversation… not work email, TMZ or the latest episode of House of Cards. (But then definitely check out House of Cards… can we talk about how amazing that show is???)

In addition to temporarily parting with your electronics, we have a few tips to master the happy meal:

1.      Try a new recipe

A good way to engage your senses and be truly present while eating is to try a new recipe. Many times, we keep about three to five of the same dishes in our meal rotation. While it’s great to have a handful of tried and true dishes, it’s important to keep your taste buds guessing! Pick out a recipe this week that you’ve never tried. When you sit down (yes, sit down!) to taste your meal, take the time to try to identify each of the ingredients. Evaluate what you like about it and what you might change next time. Enjoy the process of cooking, not just the result!

2.      Embrace the art of food presentation

Presentation is one of the most underrated elements when it comes to meals at home. We'll put on a good show for our guests, but tend to fall down on the job for ourselves. Yes, we know it's easier to plop the food on the plate or just pull out a fork and eat straight from the pan (don’t act like you’ve never done it), but you will be amazed how your mind responds to the extra effort. Try to add in a couple happy touches to your next meal, like serving it on nice dishes and using cloth napkins. Add in candles, music and a little mood lighting (all hail the dimmer switch!) Bottom line: Give your food the respect it deserves. 

Here we are giving our tostada the respect it deserves.

3.      Choose quality over quantity

If you seek quality as opposed to quantity, you will end up enjoying foods more and needing less to feel content. This is a plus on many levels, whether it be maintaining your happy weight or reducing your carbon footprint. We enjoy picking up fresh fruits and veggies from our local farmers' markets. An advantage of buying from a farmers' market is that you’re getting foods that are in season. Get this, Happy Ladies… they have strawberries that actually SMELL like strawberries. And tomatoes that TASTE like tomatoes. We know, mind blowing, right? These intense aromas and flavors are absolutely necessary in order to feel satisfied. Note: Don’t be fooled Happy Ladies. High prices do not reflect quality. We have found some of our favorite wines at Trader Joe’s for under $10 and mouthwatering produce at the farmer’s market for less than you would pay at a discount grocery store. Also, remember to always read the ingredients on packages to ensure that the high “quality” or "all natural" labeling is not marketing fluff.

Favorites from our local farmers' market stand.

These are just suggestions to help you think about eating in a more positive, healthy way. There may be some things that don’t work for you… that’s ok! Play around with it until you find what’s right for you. The most important thing is to find balance, not overwhelm yourself with rules.

We want to hear from you! Leave your favorite "happy meal" tips in the comments section below.

And when you sit down for your next Happy Meal be sure to take a picture of your table before you sit down to eat, post it on Instagram, and tag it #youhadmeathappymeal !