Dangerous

I discovered these at the

grocery store the other day...

Black Raspberry Chip

Ice Cream sandwiches.

Oh my...they are sooo good!

Who knew...

we have wineries in Arizona..?

First stop on our trip, Page Springs Vineyard.

Located in Cornville which is

about an 1 1/2 hr. drive north of the Valley.

It's tucked away along a little creek.

We didn't even know this place was here

until recently - thanks Cath.

o

The beautiful grounds & picnic area.

Pathway to the creek.

Cheese plate & champagne before dinner.

Dinner at Fork in the Road Bistro

in Sedona.

0

0

Delicious Salmon dish that we shared.

Yum!

View from our condo.

On our way back home, we made another stop

at Alcantara Winery. The owner Barbara was

so warm & friendly, we immediately felt welcome

and like we were long time friends. So passionate

about her vineyards and what they are doing there.

Another hidden jewel.

We will definitely be back to both

wineries again - and soon!

0

It was a great weekend - it went way to fast,

but we made the most of it.

Weekend away

Packing up a few goodies for

our weekend. Looking forward to a

much needed, fun & romantic getaway.

Happy Friday!

Pumpkins

Look at these adorable white pumpkins I

found at Fry's this morning. I haven't decided

if I will keep them all together in a big

bowl or basket, or place them around

the house - either way, they will look

spooktacular!

Anniversary

Happy Anniversary Honey!

o

19 years of marital bliss - right?

o

We are heading up to Sedona for

o

the weekend to celebrate.

o

Looking forward to a much needed

o

getaway. I think a little

0
cake and some bubbly are in order.

0

Love you!

o

o

A little romance

I watched one of my

favorite movies over the weekend,

"A Good Year"

It's about embracing the simple

pleasures in life.

The story takes place at a vineyard

in Provence, France and the scenery is gorgeous.

I just love the flashbacks that

Max (Russell Crowe) has of his

Uncle Henry - very sweet.

Of course there's a little romance too.

I always want to enjoy a glass

of red wine while watching

this one - and I did.

Afternoon project

I needed for a little

afternoon project therapy.

(or perhaps work avoiding project....?)

I bought the little jars at Cost Plus,

and added some scrapbook paper under the lids.

Then just mixed up kosher salt with some

lemon zest. Super easy, inexpensive and

they turned out really cute.

What grilled fish, steak, or

chicken wouldn't taste better with a

little Lemon Salt sprinkled on it?!

Can't wait to use it.

Off to dreamland...

Someone has had a long day...

I guess I let him stay up a bit

too late, he fell fast asleep right

on the couch - still in his picture day clothes.

It must be exhausting to be five.

I think I will head to bed too.

o

Goodnight!

0

Best Night out

k

Today I am day dreaming about one of my all time favorite places to eat, Pizzeria Bianco.

We start the evening off in the little

wine bar next door, Bar Bianco, with a glass of wine or a cold Peroni. The wait is usually at least 1 hour, but we don't mind, the atmosphere

is cozy and candle lit.

Once in the dining room we always order the

Antipasti plate - wood roasted vegetables and

a bit of cheese - always different and

always delicious!

My favorite 8pizza is the Bianco Verde - fresh mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan and arugula -

it makes my mouth water just thinking about it!
D gets the classic Margharita,

equally as delicious!
Mmmm...I wish we were there now...

Good Morning

Breakfast this morning.

Mountain High lowfat vanilla yogurt

with fresh Raspberries and a

drizzle of honey.

Sweet & simple.

o

Adventure

We needed a family fun day,

away from the heat and all the stress.

We packed a picnic and headed up

to Payson and the Tonto Creek.

The weather was beautiful,

and Cool!

We had a great adventure.

A fuzzy caterpillar by the creek.

We found fresh mint,

and Blackberries.

We ate all the ripe ones...

o

We had a great day!

Note to self - must do this more often!

o

=

In Memory of..

9/11 Memorial

at Tempe Beach Park.

A flag and card in honor of each person

that lost their life on that day.

The park is located near Sky Harbor

Airport, so as we walked

through the field of waving flags,

we could hear the roar of

planes flying over head.

It was very moving.

*

We will never forget.

8

Fresh Basil

My Basil is growing really well

right now.

Today I will make some Pesto.

I pretty much use the Barefoot Contessa's

recipe, but she puts in more garlic.

00

Pesto

(makes approx. 4 cups)

4 cups fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup pignolis, toasted

2 garlic cloves, diced

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1 cup olive oil

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

0

Place pignolis and garlic in food processor,

process for 30 seconds. Add basil, salt & pepper.

With processor running, slowly pour the olive oil

into the bowl through the feed tube and process

until the pesto is finely pureed. Add parmesan

and puree for another min.

Store in fridge or freezer.

0

Rain!

We so enjoyed the rain yesterday.

It cooled things down all day.

*

It's hot again today...

Easy Pizza

Flat Bread Pizzas

were on the menu last night.

The flat breads were from Trader Joe's,

I heated them on my big grill pan,

brushed with a bit of olive oil, cooked

till crispy and topped with caramelized

onions, baby bella mushrooms, & Borsin Cheese,

then topped with Arugula tossed in a bit

of olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper

and finally a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Weekend

Happy Friday.

Daydreaming...

About this same time last year,

Kim & I were here at the

Kenwood Inn up in the Sonoma Valley.

(One of my favorite places to be)

Wonderful cool weather,

gorgeous surroundings,

wine, food, relaxing, spa treatments,

more wine... and plenty of laughs,

what's not to love?!

Today I will just dream about it...

Delicious snack

This is what greeted the kids when

they got home from school today.

Slather a bit of Nutella on a

strawberry, and pop it in your mouth.

Yumm!