Wine-o: The Usual Suspect Cabernet Sauvignon

The Usual Suspect (Big House Wine) Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010 Ripon, CA
Alcohol: 13.0%

If you're going to need a lot of wine, this is what you want!  This Three Liter boxed-wine was served at the Downtown Bentonville, Inc. First Friday Greenroom in March and it was great!  Not only was it packaged in a playful manner, the price was right, AND the flavor was right.  It's a great Cabernet Sauvignon, not overly juicy but bright with fruit flavors and a quick finish.

What is this Greenroom you ask?  As a thank you for supporting the Downtown Bentonville mission, DBI members (at $150 and above) receive a membership card that gets them into the First Fridays Greenroom.  Themed, food, wine, beer, Hostess snack cakes, and other specialties (such as clean real bathrooms!) are available!  April's event will be themed International Festival, so look for some fun stuff!

The box:

Psst wise guy! Don't let the name fool you, this ain't your typical yappin-his-mouth Cab.  It's saucy with a beezer of black currants and mocha that lead to dark berries and fresh plums, a true bomba de fruta.  It would be a crime to mistake this wine for its Bordelaise kin; he is much more volatile, which is shy he's so good with food.  Eh, he's especially fond of burgers or ribs.

Better yet, the wine was still decent tasting 10 days after the event when refrigerated!

Freya's Score: 7 A fun tasty wine, fun artistry, and fun size!

Cost: ~ $17 in Southern Missouri, bought from the Macadoodle's location in Pineville, MO.  This is a great deal if you purchase it with the fantastic Macadoodle's case of wine deal.  Try out the Macadoodle's new e-commerce store to have wine and other goodies delivered to you.  

Superbowl XLVI Menu

The Superbowl is here!  While I continue to have difficulty understand the rules and strategies of American football, I perfectly understand that this game = party.  As any host knows, planning a menu is important.  Some girlfriends and I concocted this one up.

Menu



Ranch Dip
Hummus
Salsa
with...  Carrots, Cucumbers, Tortilla Chips

Taquitos & Burritos a la El Monterrey

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Fudgey Brownies

Red Wine Spritzer
BEER - The BF requested Bud Light as apparently the superbowl commercials are hilarious and include a dog.

My theory is, that by blending frozen snacks and preparing some healthy alternatives any host can survive the party without an anxiety attack or too much prep work.  Couple that with paper plates and beer cans; simple cleanup!  Happy gametime!

The Holiday Party with Glogg

The foundation of our holiday party every year is Glogg.  This Scandinavian holiday mulled wine is delicious and is spiced with cloves, cinnamon, raisins, almonds, and more.  I was thrilled to run by Macadoodle's to pick up a jug of Carlo Rossi red wine, port, and brandy to make this recipe.  To keep our guests bellies happy and keep the cooking pressure low I served a variety of hors d'oeuvres and holiday treats.

To spruce up the house I used these fun (and free) printables created by Chickabug.  It added some festivity with a banner on the mantle piece and bright holiday cards interspersed with the food display to create a more dynamic tablescape.

The Menu

Glogg - Warms you inside and out!  Maybe arrange for a taxi or designated driver...

Grapes - fresh fruits and vegetables offer a healthy option and provide color for your food display

Baked Brie with Handmade Plum Jam

Wasabi Peas - I did not make these, they are from Trader Joe's and are amazing

Dutch Spritz butter cookies - my Opa's recipe does not call for eggs and replaces water with milk, they turned out great!
Icebox Cookies - these cookies can be made in advance and kept in the freezer.  All you have to do the day of is slice and bake!

Note: due to an unfortunate incident involving the glass port bottle colliding with the cement driveway Noilly Rouge vermouth was substituted with wonderful results.

Looking for a Glogg alternative?  Try one of these holiday cocktails.