Pinterest: I Have an Addiction

The first step is admitting you have a problem...

I have an addiction to Pinterest. And I don't feel bad about it.

For those of you who are not familiar with Pinterest, it is an amazing website that allows you to make virtual pin boards of all of the beautiful, interesting, inspiring or tasty things you find on the internet and  to see all the things other members have found- organized by category, of course. This translates into crack for anyone who is remotely interested in art, design, fashion, crafts, weddings or cooking.

Simply add the "Pin It" button to your toolbar and click it whenever you find something you love or want to try. Chose the board for it to be pinned to and enter a description and you will not only have a great reference for inspiration but the photos also link back to the original article. It's great for all of those crafting projects I want to try!

To join, you can either request an invitation (which has a waiting list) or be invited by a friend (e-mail me!). But I'm warning you now- it is highly addictive. Some day I will actually stop pinning and start using all of the cool things I've found! 

Click here to follow my boards on Pinterest! 

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Summerside Vineyards' Harvest Party

I'm back! I wont bore you with excuses of my absence- I just hope you'll keep reading! Forgive me, pretty please.

This past weekend we celebrated my lovely mother's birthday:

(She'll kill me if she sees this!)

It just so happened that Summerside Vineyards' 10th annual harvest party fell on the same weekend offering the perfect opportunity to celebrate with family and enjoy some of my mother's favorite things: wine, jazz, and the outdoors.

Summerside is about an hour northeast of Tulsa on Historic Route 66 and, with over two dozen types of wine, mead and juice it was quite the popular place to be, even early on a Saturday. We were greeted with live music, breakfast treats and a delicious glass fo grape juice before learning more about the winemaking process. For instance, only red wines are fermented with the skins left in the juice, port will be the only thing you find in the winery's oak barrels and all the wines get filtered through increasingly fine filters until even bacteria cannot pass through. And thanks to my mother's battery of questions, we learned a lot more! I'm not convinced she's not going to start a botteling operation in the basement.

Next it was time for grape picking- my favorite part of the day. All 60+ guests caravanned to a small vineyard minutes from the winery and in the beautiful 80 degree weather we began the hunt for The Big Kahuna- the largest bunch of grapes.

Even though the crop was down this year by 75%, it was still beautiful and serene and there were plenty of bunches to keep me entertained. You just had to peek your head up under the vines and there you'd find gorgeous clusters begging to be picked.

At one point, my aunt and I were tied for the lead for The Big Kahuna. We managed to find a six ounce cluster each but were beat by a six-to-seven-ouncer. So close! Even though we didn't walk away with the title we did taste the freshest grapes of our lives and gather a fair amount of fruit. There's always next year...

Aren't they gorgeous? They're like jewels!

The fun didn't stop there! Next it was time to get dirty and do something we had only seen in the movies- stomp grapes!

Even though it was just a few stomps, it felt satisfying to see the rich, purple juice stain your feet. And as a cute memento, we got to leave our footprints on a souvenir T-shirt- clever!

Over a tasty brunch, we were serenaded by Tulsa's own Rebecca Ungerman with sultry jazz tunes and entertained with her witty banter- what a darling woman! And the cherry on top that made my mom's birthday perfect- my cousin, a former student of Rebecca, got to sing a number.

Be sure to look for Summerside's wine the next time you're out or if your looking for a close getaway, dine at their bistro and do some wine tasting- the blackberry wine in beyond amazing! Also delicious that I sampled: raspberry wine, hard apple cider, Beautiful, and their pinot grigio.

Summerside Vineyards

Address: 441251 E. Historic Route 66
                Vinita, Oklahoma 74301
Phone:     888-508-9463

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VeeV Acai Spirit: 3 Delicious Cocktails

Here is a spirit with an exotic appeal- Veev Acai spirit made with antioxidant-rich acai berries straight from the Brazilian rainforest. Blended with acerola cherry and prickly pear, the nutrients in this liqueur are 100% natural. And it tastes great!

Though it's not for sale in the Green Country yet, I was able to try a sample. I opened the bottle and bravely took a whiff, expecting an unpleasant burning sensation- but to my surprise it didn't smell like alcohol at all. It had a fragrant, tropical aroma with out being sweet and tasted unlike anything I have experienced before.

You can use VeeV just like you'd use vodka- on the rocks, with soda and a twist or in your favorite cocktail. They have tons of recipes available on their site for whatever mood strikes you but I decided to be adventurous and try my hand at mixology. There were no fancy tools or glasses involved- just mix it up and pour it down the hatch! See the end of the post for the recipes.

Not experienced in this realm, I played it safe for my first try: the VeeV Bellini.

The complex flavors of the Veev were nicely complemented by the sweet, floral flavor of the peach nectar. A great way to spice up your next brunch or shower!

Getting a little more adventurous: the Veev Guava Fizz.

Exchange the peach for guava nectar and you have a refreshing cocktail that lets the VeeV shine. And it's pretty and bubbly. If you're not familiar with guava- give it a try, you'll love it!

This last cocktail was inspired by a delicious fruit drink made by Hawaiian Sun- passionfruit-orange-guava, or POG. If you haven't guessed from the name, it's not something I can get in Oklahoma so I'm always trying to find something similar. VeeV was the perfect flavor to step in for the passionfruit.

I will call it the VOG:

It was so tasty I almost lost my opportunity to snap a photo!

If you want to try this tasty beverage, visit the brand's site to see if VeeV is available in a store, bar or restaurant near you. If you're in the Tulsa area, you can try VeeV signature cocktails at Ruby Tuesday. I recommend you stop by and try it- you wont find anything else like it!

VeeV Bellini:
1 1/2 oz VeeV
1 1/2 oz peach nectar
2 oz sparkling wine, prosecco or champagne

VeeV Guava Fizz
1 1/2 oz VeeV
1 1/2 oz guava nectar (Jumex brand is inexpensive and delish)
2 oz sparkling wine, prosecco or champagne

VOG- VeeV-Orange-Guava
2 oz VeeV
2oz guava nectar
2oz orange juice

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Avocado Tree: Day 57

I have foliage! Well, it's at least going to be foliage. After two months of faithful watering, this little bugger has done as promised. And only a couple weeks off schedule.

See that little green bit poking out the top? Some day that will be a big, strong fruit-bearing tree. At least in my dreams. If I get one full leaf out of it I will count this as a success!

And check out this pig tail it's growing! It gets longer and longer ever day. I may have to get a bigger bowl.

Here are the links to my other posts with more details into growing your own avocado tree:

• (Trying to) Grow an Avocado Tree
• Avocado Tree: Day 36

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What I'm Reading: A Thousand Days in Tuscany

At times, I wish I could be transported somewhere far away. Somewhere where the simplest observances of daily life become noticeable and interesting again. Typically, this requires visiting a culture different from my own- that's where travel literature comes in to play. With in moments of opening the pages you can be picking grapes in the hills of Tuscany or climbing the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

A Thousand Days in Tuscany by Marlena De Blasi, my latest travel lit find, is one that not only satisfies my desire for travel but also my love of food. In the novel, De Blasi chronicles the seasons of her life with her Italian husband after they move from Venice to San Casciano dei Bagni, a province of Siena, Italy.

Shortly after their move, the couple meets Barlozzo, a rustic, Italian character whose daily visits give the reader a peek into the Italian mindset and way of life. The Duke, as he is referred to, also teaches the De Blasies how food is foraged for and prepared in Tuscany. He helps them build their own brick oven for baking bread, pick grapes and chestnuts and even wild greens and truffles. Things you couldn't even imagine doing in suburban America. 

What struck me most about this novel was the beautiful, vivid descriptions of the rustic food De Blasi prepares. Not only could you easily prepare the dish after reading the paragraph but you could almost hear, smell and taste it.  If you're looking for more direction, she graciously provides formal recipes between most chapters. 

By Guido Barberis

Like all good novels, A Thousand Days in Tuscany is not short on romance. You experience the ups and downs in her relationship with her husband as well as the tender love the Duke has for his long time sweetheart. The novel also provides lessons here and there in the origins of some Italian and English words- such as compagna, or companion from con, with, and pane, bread. A person with whom we break bread. It's amazing how learning something so simple can be fascinating and eye-opening.

If you loved Under the Tuscan Sun, you will love the brilliant cultural and gastronomic descriptions De Blasi pours onto every page of this book. Looking for more to read? Visit her Amazon page here for more travel writing and cookbooks. 

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