fitbloggin' 2010

I attended the Fitbloggin’ 2010 conference this year, even though I didn’t get into Baltimore until mid-morning Saturday – I had an amazing time!

Bryan was so sweet and drove me all the way to baltimore from VA early Saturday morning. Lilly and Charlie also came for the ride.

We actually slept in a bit later than we wanted to, so I wasn’t able to make it there until about 11:30 – I was still able to catch the end of one session where they talked about pitching yourself to the media.

The first people I ran into were Allison and Quinn – it was so great to see some familiar faces and reunite with them again.

The fitbloggin‘ staff planned a great lunch with tons of healthy yet tasty options, I ended up with a roasted veggie panini, mushroom (?) soup, roasted veggies, and some spinach salad – it was all delicious. I actually didn’t have any room for the soup since I had such a late breakfast.

there was also a cute dessert table with raspberry jello shooter – loved it!

This is when I started meeting so many other bloggers – it was great to meet new people, I am always interested in learning & reading other blogs. A couple of the people I met during lunch were Beth from Dining and Dishing and Tess from Wellness Daily.

I also got lots of neat things in my gift bag – my favorite was this cool little device called Gruve. I already love this thing so much, I think I might write an entire separate post on it.

After the event, I met a bunch of other bloggers at McCormick & Schmick’s by the water. Aime, me, Jacquie, and Quinn…

I didn’t have any wine or appetizers, but I did order the best sparkling water I have ever tired…

A bunch of us worked up a pretty big appetite for SUSHI! This was such an amazing group of girls – I haven’t met so many great people in ages, if ever! here we have Cara, Amie, Allison, Heather, me, Quinn, Meg, Brittany, and Stephanie, and Katie.

I loved this sushi restaurant, the sushi, wine, and these hot warm towels we are given upon arriving…

I had ordered three rolls, and devoured them all =) I have no idea what they were specifically, but all that matters is that they were delish!

I felt like such an occasion called for wine…

other girls thought so too =) I loved this

Afterwards we found a place to relax, If you are a regular reader of my blog you know I don’t drink – but this is once in a while so I dont feel bad having some fun =)

Allison and I decided it was a great idea to do a shot, it was a fabulous idea!

There was some rock band at Quinn’s house that followed,

I had such an amazing time – I WILL be signing up again next year for fitbloggin 2010! thank you so much girls for a great night =)

[Via http://sweetandfit.wordpress.com]

Surfing the Russian River in East Dallas at VERITAS Wine Room!

Thinking about adding wireless capabilities to your home or business? Wireless networking, also called WiFi or 802.11 networking, has a lot of advantages, is easy and inexpensive to set up. Recently, we added a Linksys WAP54G Wireless G Access Point at VERITAS Wine Room on Henderson Ave. To access the Wi-Fi services you’ll need a Wi-Fi enabled device, such as a laptop or PDA and you’ll need to get the WEP key from Brooks, Bradley, Eddie or Fernando. Enjoy VERITAS’ old world, rustic decor while sitting by the fire enjoying a nice glass of Pinot and surfing the web. 2006 Anthill Farms Tina Marie Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Stephen Tanzer’s:“92 Points. Bright red. Vibrant, highly expressive nose offers spicy strawberry, raspberry and baking spices. Zesty and sharply focused, with medium weight and intense, pure red fruit flavors. Fine-grained tannins provide shape and extend through the long, sappy finish. An impressively fresh, elegant pinot with admirable balance and purity.”

[Via http://markcharlesgroup.wordpress.com]

How do you pronounce that?... Wine 101 Social

We will be tasting a Grüner Veltliner,  Vinho Verde, Gewurztraminer, Crémant de Loire, a Texan Carignan Mourvédre Blend as well as a Tokaji. We will be talking about the grapes, the land and the tastes of all the wines, as well as providing you with Tapas pairing options. The event costs $25 and all bottles are available at retail. We will discount all case orders. See you there!

Cheers!

[Via http://creativejuicesllc.wordpress.com]

Wine-o Oasis in Las Vegas

Finally, it’s our time- our very own wine-o wonderland has come to Sin City. Why did it take so long in coming to a city that thrives on drinking the morning, afternoon and nighty-nite-nite away?  I mean, after all, the oasis has already taken root in 63 stores in 11 states. 

Winning the prestigious Beverage Dynamic’s 2008 Retailer of the Year award, Total Wine & More finally trudged  into Las Vegas on March 4, bringing with them 8,000 wines, including 1,100 cabaret sauvignons, 750 chardonnays, 500 merlots, 250 zinfandels and 600 pinot noir varieties- all jam-packed all in a 27,000-square-foot store in Boca Park (730 S. Rampart Blvd.). 

There are even 2,000 kinds of the hard spirits (500 vodkas, 220 scotches and 230 rums, among others) and even 1,000 varieties of beer to take down and pass around. 

That’s enough to keep anybody warm for many a night.   Compliment the experience with one of their 200 high-end cigars and you’ll be feeling no pain. 

Not a wine connoisseur? No problemo.  They have three weekly wine tastings to get you in the groove: noon to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.

[Via http://vbablogger.com]

Dill Chicken Paillards with Tomato-Dill Relish

Chicken breasts are a terrific foundation for an easy-to-make dish that’s sweet, salty, dilly, and – is this even a word? – grilly. But, I don’t have a grill, so I baked the chicken instead. It was perfect served alongside cous cous boiled in chicken stock. To drink we had Hagafen Riesling from Napa Valley, which we got on our honeymoon. My parents recently came to visit us for the weekend and I made this for dinner one night. My daddy cleaned his plate.

Recipe for Dill Chicken Paillards with Tomato-Dill Relish

[Via http://thehappygilmores.wordpress.com]

Italian-style Shrimp with Spaghetti

This simple spaghetti dish is mouth-watering and the perfect every night meal.

Seafood Pasta with Cheese?  On a recent Chopped episode one of the contestants was scolded by the judges for adding cheese to seafood pasta.  Shortly afterwards I noted that an Iron Chef did the same thing and none of the judges commented on it.  Google it and you’ll find that it’s a hot topic amongst chefs and foodies.  It seems that traditionalists prefer to not add cheese whereas foodie progressives like me will add cheese.

The nice thing about this delicious meal is that the cheese can be passed at the table so you can have it anyway you want.  With Cheese…Without Cheese – It’s your choice.  But doesn’t it look delicious in this photo with the shaved parmesan?

Italian-style Shrimp with Spaghetti

 Inspired by Sunset Magazine, OCTOBER 2002

 

• 8 ounces dried spaghetti
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 can (14 1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes
• 2/3 of 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pound (40 to 50 per lb.) shelled deveined shrimp
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper
• Shredded and shaved parmesan cheese

1. In a 4- to 5-quart pan over high heat, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender to bite, about 10 minutes. Drain and return to pan.

2. Meanwhile, in a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over high heat, stir onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are limp, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes (with juice), tomato paste, wine, oregano, red pepper flakes and basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

3. Rinse and drain shrimp; add to sauce. Stir often just until opaque but still moist-looking in center of thickest part (cut to test), 6 to 8 minutes.

4. Stir sauce into cooked pasta. Divide mixture equally among four bowls. Sprinkle with parsley; add salt, pepper, and cheese to taste.

Yield:  Makes 4 servings

CALORIES 447 (11% from fat); FAT 5.5g (sat 0.9g); CHOLESTEROL 173mg; CARBOHYDRATE 59g; SODIUM 675mg; PROTEIN 33g; FIBER 4.3g 

[Via http://foodmuses.wordpress.com]

Vinilter carafe

The Vinilter wine breather breathes your wine in an instant, and even enables you to pour ready to drink wine directly from the bottle! Simply connect the unique wine breather and the bottle, and turn around! You can either serve the wine in the elegant carafe, or turn around once more to let the well-breathed wine run back into the original bottle.

Design by: Norm architects/Peter Ørsig
Price in retail ~ 60 EUR

[Via http://istuhl.wordpress.com]