Wine Tasting with a Cold in Sonoma

April 3, 2012April 6, 2012 ~ Girlmom ~ 1 Comment

We are back from our weekend trip in Sonoma,well Kaili and I are back and Shane is in Ventura. It was a fun time but a few things were stacked against us. I caught Kaili’s cold a few days before we left and I just felt worse and worse each day. I really didn’t take any pictures or blog at all the whole time we were there, I just wasn’t feeling well enough to do anything that took much thought or energy. Secondly, the weather was cold, rainy and gloomy. Good ol’ northern Cali weather. As beautiful as it is up there I could never live there again, and the wind..man it’s cold!

We stayed at a great little B&B called Cinnamon Bear Creekside Inn. Everyone there was super sweet, the breakfasts were yummy and they gave us a wine tasting card that allowed for free tasting at certain wineries, you can’t beat that.

Kaili did awesome the whole entire trip. She just went with the flow happy about everything. She ate what we ate, didn’t complain about the long car ride, and enjoyed meeting new people and playing on the tasting room floors.

IMG_20120329_144243 — Rapazzini winery in Gilroy

IMG_20120330_155125 — Getting some outside time before the rain

IMG_20120329_112341 — crawling around the winery

Once I am feeling a little better I will get her 11 month pictures uploaded. Can you believe that Kaili will be 1 in a few short weeks? I can’t wrap my head around it.

{Faux} Shepard’s Pie

March 16, 2012April 6, 2012 ~ Girlmom ~ Leave a comment

In lieu of St. Patrick’s day I thought I would make a Shepard’s pie. But if I am being honest, I am not Irish, my husband is not Irish and this recipe is not Irish. See this is a faux Shepard’s Pie.

The term Shepard’s pie should only be used when the dish is made with lamb or mutton. If it is made with any other meat it is known as cottage pie. I went back and forth on what meat to use and ultimately ended up going with beef { the husband is not a huge lamb fan}. I also forgo the potatoes and used mashed cauliflower as the topping, it was so good.

So if you want to try something different for St. Patrick’s day { because corned beef and cabbage in not Ireland’s national dish, just saying } I suggest trying your hand at a Shepard’s pie. Oh and don’t forget the pint of Guiness!

The meat part of this recipe is from Epicurious and the cauliflower topping is just thrown together but it’s easy.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

1 pound ground lamb or beef

1 cup beef or chicken broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon chopped fresh or dry rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

1 cup frozen peas

1 head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets

2 Tbs. Butter

1/2 cup Milk ( any fat contents

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil, then add the onion, carrot, and meat. Cook until browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

Drain the fat and add the broth, tomato paste, and herbs. Simmer until the juices thicken, about 10 minutes, then add the peas.

Pour the mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish; set aside.

Meanwhile, bring the cauliflower florets s to a boil in salted water. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes; drain.

Mash the Cauliflower with the butter and milk. I like to use my food processor to “mash” them, it makes them super creamy.

Spread them over the meat mixture, then crosshatch the top with a fork.

Bake until golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

Family Photo Cards

February 29, 2012 ~ Girlmom ~ 1 Comment

Our trip to Europe is approaching faster than any trips in the past ever have. I believe it’s because this time, not only am I super excited for our getaway, I am also going to miss my daughter terribly. Shane and I went into marriage knowing we wanted to continue “our” lives together after we had children and I know that I have two roles, a mother and a wife. To keep our marriage healthy, getting away alone is important and I can’t think of a better way to spend our 6 year anniversary than traveling Europe sans child. We can stay out as late as we want, eat whenever we want and we wont have to plan our day around naps. With that said, I know there will be the days when I wake up sad that I can’t kiss my daughter good morning and I am sure I will be {secretly} counting down the days until we are reunited for a fun Paralympic vacation in London.

Shane and I are so thankful for our parents and my Aunt for their generosity. They will be watching Kaili while we are gone and taking her to London without us. I am a little worried about how the transitions will go from one caretaker to the next. Kaili doesn’t get to see Shane’s folks often and that could make for a little separation anxiety on her part. I decided to make some family photo cards to help her learn who is in our family. I figure if I start showing them to her now, it will be a lot easier when the time comes.{fingers crossed}

To make the cards, all I did was print out pictures of family members, glue them on an index card and then label them with the name of who is in the picture. I took them down to Lakeshore Learning to get them laminated. After I trimmed off the extra lamination I hole punched them and put them on a book ring, Voila!