Gin Gin Gin

Thursday, June 12, 2014

When summer rolls around I’ll enjoy a cocktail here and there with dinner vs. my usual vino. Recently my cocktail taste buds have led me to GIN. I feel a bit old staying that “I drink gin,” but trust me - some gin cocktails are rather tasty! 



One of my favorite gin’s right now is the Organic Ginever from a local distillery Wigle. You can purchase a bottle from the Wigle distillery and it’s found in many cocktails around Pittsburgh. Soon (if not now) you will be able to purchase it at local liquor stores too!

I suggest purchasing some gin because June 14th is World Gin Day. Celebration with the world!

I wanted to do a little research on the history of gin, so I consulted my good friends over at Wikipedia for some information. Here are some fun facts about the history of gin!

Gin’s flavor comes from juniper berries.

It dates back to the middle ages when it was used as a herbal medicine. It then became rather popular in Great Britain when William of Orange occupied the thrown.

In the 18th century there was a Gin Craze in Great Britain. Many people were indulging a bit too much in gin and the city of London had a huge drinking problem.

Dutch or Belgian gin is known as jenever or genever because it’s made from malt wine spirits.


Gin is a poplar base for drinks such as martinis.   
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Meat Free May Recap

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Remember when I went alcohol free in January? Or shall I say, do you remember when I tried to go alcohol free in January or as I called it, No Drinkuary? Well I really liked the idea of using a month to set a small goal for myself. I went (mostly) Meat Free for May.

Can you tell I love clever names for these goals?




Now that May is over I must admit that I really like my meat-free self. I wasn’t bored with meals and I tried some new veggie dishes that I now crave. I also found it super easy to dine out as most restaurants now offer meat-free options.

Some of the things that I ate during May (and continue to eat!):

·         Beyond Meat – This faux chicken is so delicious – you can’t don’t even know that you aren’t eating chicken!

·          Quinoa with veggies

·         Happy Hippie Quesadilla from Mad Mex

·         Portobello or eggplant pizza’s (both topped with tomatoes and cheese)  

·         Veggie Burgers

·         Squash Spaghetti

Note that I did “cheat” about three or four times during the month. Once is when I ate buffalo chicken dip…forgetting about that chicken part (cut me a break, I was hungover). The rest of the cheat time was while we were in Boston/Maine. I couldn’t resist some Maine lobster!


If you have any good meat free recipes, share them with me! 
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BYOB DIY - Winey Women Aprons!

Monday, June 09, 2014

Remember a few months ago when I professed my love for the Circut Iron On glitter paper?

Well I put our relationship to the test last week when I did a little craft for Shot of Mom on behalf of wine club.

Shot of Mom hosted an old-fashioned BBQ-themed Wine Club and wanted to gift club members with customized Winey Women aprons. Shot of Mom wanted a typical iron on, but I loved how the Circut project turned out a few months ago, so I went for that.

The beauty of the Circut paper is that you don’t have to cut things out backwards. So I printed the words “Winey Women” and a wine glass and…



Ta da!

About six hours and 14 aprons later, above is the finished project! I taped the words to the glitter paper and just cut along the black line.

I will tell you though – to make 14 aprons, it took about 3 rolls of glitter paper, which retail for $16 (I bought two of them for $9 with the 40% off Michael’s coupon). Um, it appears that the Circuit website sells the paper for $14.99!


Anyways, I totally recommend this stuff. It’s easy, looks rad and the glitter doesn't shed! 
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