Category: Wine

Weekending: Relaxing, Spontaneous Girls Night, Sunday Dinner

5 Comments

I wasn’t sure what my weekend was going to entail going into it, which is very unlike me! For once, I went entirely with the flow and sans plans. It was quite nice, might I add!

Friday was weird since I went into the office. Luckily, we can wear jeans on Friday’s now. Since I was dressed and had my hair done, I had wanted to get drinks after work, but no one was around and by the time I got home, the last thing I wanted to do was go back out in the cold so I just stayed in.

IMG_6492

Saturday morning I took a class at Recycle studio with my friend Lindsay which was the best way to start my day!

IMG_6498

We grabbed coffee (tea for me) at Starbucks after class and it was really interesting to hear how she got into teaching at Recycle. It makes me want to do it, but it was a huge time investment and I don’t know if my schedule allows for that right now. By the time I got home, I was starvinggggg, so I quickly whipped up this delicious quesadilla.

IMG_6507

Ground turkey, mushrooms, kale and cheese. It.was.perfect.

I was able to spend the rest of the afternoon catching up on a LOT of blogging. I don’t often have a solid chunk of time to do that, but I wish I did because I was so productive.

I met my sister and Amy at Stoddard’s in Downtown Crossing for a drink before our dinner reservations at 49 Social. It worked out perfectly because they are literally across the street from each other. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you probably remember that the “Shapleigh” girls like to get together for girls nights. Rachel was out of town, so it was just the 3 of us this time.

49 Social was really, really good! I didn’t take any pictures of the food, but we got hummus, a Duck Confit Quesadilla, a burger and some asparagus and everything was absolutely delicious. We always like to get things from the bar menu or appetizer section since we all like to share, so it was perfect. Danielle and I shared a bottle of this sauvignon blanc which was quite tasty.

IMG_6510

For once, I didn’t want to go home after dinner. We were having so much fun that we decided to keep it going and have “one more” at Gem as it was nearby. Well, “one more” ended up being “three more” without even really realizing it! I absolutely love nights that turn out like this. We were all just living in the moment and enjoying being out together, so we kept it going.

IMG_6532 IMG_6531

We met the young man in the photo above when Danielle was showing off her stellar dance moves. He was visiting from Australia and I’m not sure he really knew how to handle us. It was hilarious.

Anyway! Sunday was productive, but also flew by. I went grocery shopping and then next thing I knew, it was time to head into the city for a class at Exhale Spa. When I got home, I got cookin’ in the kitchen. I made garlic and cheese mashed cauliflower, roasted veggies and marinated chicken. It was simple, but healthy and really good. The flavors were spot on.

IMG_6537roasted veggies IMG_6541 dinner

Fantastic way to end my weekend!

Questions for you: When’s the last time you were spontaneous? What was your best meal over the weekend? What was the best part of your weekend?

My Kind of “Boxed” Wine…

10 Comments

I don’t think I’m surprising anyone when I say I love wine, right? Nope. Definitely not. Well, with that said, it’s safe to say that giving me a present that includes wine is never a bad idea. And when it involves multiple- 6, to be exact- bottles it’s a very good idea! Imagine my face when I opened the box and saw these beauties!

IMG_6398

I don’t know where this was bought, but what I love about it is that there was a sheet of paper with each type of wine’s flavors and good food pairings.

IMG_6397

IMG_6401

Although I drink a lot of wine and have been to a number of wine seminars, I really don’t know that much about different varietals, food pairings, aging, etc. My fellow blogger “friend” (is it appropriate to call someone a friend if you’ve only corresponded via social media? I’m going to make it appropriate.) blogs over at The Slant where he talks about the perfect pairing of wine and running… Burpees to Bubbly, Running and Wine… I couldn’t agree more with his outlook on the two! Anyway! He writes hilariously witty posts and I’ve learned so much about wine from his blog. I’m hoping to get him to guest post for me when I’m in Dallas in a few months (hint, hint…).

So, what I’m trying to say, is I can’t provide any in depth analysis of the wines, but I can tell you that if they all taste as good as the Rafale French Merlot, I’m in for a treat!

IMG_6396

I like heavier/thicker red wines and this one was definitely that. It was very flavorful and was perfect for a casual Friday night.

The box came with 4 reds and 2 whites and I think I’ll try one of the whites next.

IMG_6400

I feel like I’ve heard of Terranoble and since I’m a Chardonnay lover (and love Chilean wines), I’m sure it will pass my taste-test approval (but, let’s be honest, what doesn’t? Well, Franzia boxed wine. Sorry mom- I just can’t do it!).

The red that I’m most looking forward to try is the Pallas, simply because I think the label is really cool (yes, I judge wine by the label).

IMG_6399

So, pour yourself a glass of wine and let’s chat!

Red or white? It depends for me! I really enjoy both, but tend to order white when I’m out at a bar since it doesn’t do as much damage if I get bumped and spill. Weather also plays a huge role in terms of whether I’ll drink white or red. Hot, summer day/night? Definitely an ice cold class of white wine, please. Snowy, cold, winter evening? Big ol’ glass of red always does the trick!

What type of red or white do you enjoy the most? Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc for whites and Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot for red. Lately, though, I’ve really been enjoying a good Malbec!

What’s your “go-to” wine when you’re at a busy bar and need to just order something quickly? Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc

Do you judge a wine by the label? Yes! How can you not? Unless I’m craving something in particular (usually J. Lohr or La Crema), I’ll pick something out with a neat label.

Your turn! Let me know your favorites 🙂

Being snowed in, afternoon cocktails and Cards Against Humanity (aka, best game ever)

6 Comments

Did the cold weather and snow ruin anyone’s plans on Friday night? I kind of liked being snowed in and was fully prepared to drink wine by myself until my upstairs neighbor ended up being around and joining me. I have no problem drinking some wine by myself, but it’s always nice to have someone to drink it with, too 😉

IMG_6373

Especially when she comes with cookies in hand 🙂

IMG_6355

Don’t worry, before I enjoyed one of them I had some homemade pizza. I used whole wheat dough, which I don’t always do, and it wasn’t bad!

IMG_6354

Saturday started off with a super sweaty kickboxing class and then I met up with a friend for afternoon cocktails at The Kinsale in Boston. I had never been there before, but I’ve been to the Asgard, which is their sister restaurant. It was a nice way to spend a cold Saturday afternoon!

IMG_6359

I went over to my sister and Amy’s apartment after and got to snuggle my little Zeke, who is not so little anymore. I can’t get enough of his cuteness!

IMG_6361

Cards Against Humanity

Ok, so have any of you played this game? I first heard of it when I went to Chicago and JP had us play, but now it seems as though everyone is equally as obsessed with it. If you’ve played, then you know why. It’s very similar to Apples to Apples, but I like it better because it’s a little edgier and just has funnier cards. I’m not a very funny person, but somehow I came in second place- a total shocker!

IMG_6365

I want to buy this game because it’s literally the best game to play with a crowd of people. You get to know everyone pretty well after a few rounds 😉

After a number of rounds of CAH, I went to The Playwrite Bar in Southie with my sister and some of her St. Michael’s friends. I stayed for a few drinks and called it a night before I got to the point where I’d have a hangover on Sunday 😉

IMG_6367 (2)

On Sunday, I started out my day with some serious puttering. I cleaned, did laundry, changed my sheets and took down all my Christmas decorations- womp, womp 😦 Does anyone else ever feel a little sad/depressed when it’s time to take down Christmas decorations? I wasn’t ready to do it, but as it was already January 5th, it was time.

I also went grocery shopping (drove to Market Basket and immediately turned around and left. It wasn’t worth facing the masses of people to save a few bucks.), worked out and made a delicious dinner! Remember that Spaghetti Squash Casserole I made a while back? I made another one, but this time with different (colorful!) veggies and chicken sausage. The verdict? Amazing. I love eating a super healthy meal on Sunday nights because it sets me on the right path for the rest of the week. My goal is to also cut back on week night drinking again. It seems I’ve had at least a glass of wine probably 5 out of the 7 days in a week lately, which is fine, but I’m ready to cut back!

IMG_6382 IMG_6383

I hope you all had a great weekend, too! Here’s to a new week- what are you doing to make it great? Have you ever played Cards Against Humanity? When do you take down your Christmas decorations?

P.S.- Get excited- I’ve got a new, little January fitness challenge going up on the blog tomorrow!! Hint: it involves burpees 😉

P.P.S.- Do you Uber? If not, it’s the best way to get around the city. They’re running a promotion right now, and if you use this code as a first time user, you’ll get a $20 credit after your first ride. That’s a great deal!! Code: zjbnz

Chicken Divan {A Healthified Version}

Leave a comment

I’m a big fan of making casserole-type dishes on Sunday night because they are easy to reheat and eat throughout the week (not to mention I think they reheat really well!). Even though I’ve had a fairly quiet start to my week (I seriously don’t know what to do with myself when I don’t have plans after work and am resting from the gym!), I was so tired on Sunday night and just wanted a warm, one-dish meal.

Preparing this meal was certainly not a one dish event- in fact, the meal took a bit longer than I anticipated, but I had a nice bottle of J. Lohr wine that kept me company 😉

IMG_5842

I know I say this all the time, but my mom makes the best Chicken Divan, so I consulted with her on what I needed to make the dish. I also checked out a few recipes and ended up combining notes from my mom and bits and pieces from both recipes to come up with my meal… whoops 🙂

Chicken Divan- adapted from Skinny Taste and My Recipes (linked there from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

  • 1lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I chose chicken thighs since they are way more flavorful than chicken breast, especially in a casserole dish)
  • about 8 oz. frozen broccoli (enough to cover the bottom of a small casserole dish)
  • salt & pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup white wine (I used Chardonnay)
  • 1/2 can of reduced fat cream of celery soup
  • 1tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup 1% milk
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese
  • bread crumbs

IMG_5848

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Preheat a skillet and cook the chicken thighs for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until mostly cooked. Sprinkle salt & pepper on both sides.

IMG_5849

2. Place a layer of the frozen broccoli on the bottom of your casserole dish and put the chicken thighs on top. You can leave them whole or cut them up!

IMG_5850

3. Chop your onion. Heat up 1 tbsp. of butter in a skillet, add in the onions and minced garlic. Sautee until onions are translucent. Add in the chicken broth, wine, milk, and cream of celery soup. Stir everything together and bring to a boil and let boil for about 3-5 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Add in the cheeses and stir until they have melted.

IMG_5851

4. Pour the mixture over the chicken and broccoli, coat the top with bread crumbs and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the edges are bubbling.

IMG_5852 IMG_5853

IMG_5854

5. Serve yourself a nice heaping bowl of it and enjoy!

photo

This is certainly not the prettiest meal to photograph, but don’t let that fool you- it was delicious! I find myself eating it by the spoonful as I am heating my serving for dinner… anyone else do that? This meal has been wonderful to quickly reheat after work and the gym all week. I might have to freeze some later this week since I still have lots left over.

Questions for you: Do you combine multiple recipes when you’re making a meal? Do you snack on crackers/chips/anything while you’re heating your dinner? Do you like to freeze meals to eat later on?

Pizza night, Halloween party, relaxing

4 Comments

Overall, the past weekend was really quite relaxing… or at least for me. I didn’t spend a lot of time at my apartment since I screwed up and broke my heat. With the temps we had in Boston over the weekend, this wasn’t the best time to break the heat. Needless to say, I spent Friday working like this:

IMG_5542

I was so grumpy and frustrated with myself by the end of the day. There’s nothing I hate more than doing something stupid that ends up costing me money. I was tempted to just stay in and drink wine by myself, but I decided to pull myself together and take someone up on their offer to grab pizza and a drink at Santarpio’s Pizza.

IMG_5546

Totally worth it and I felt much better after! Santarpio’s has totally lived up to its name, too… loved, loved, loveddd the pizza!

Saturday started off with kickboxing and then I got to do one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen: frost cookies!! There is something so relaxing about frosting cookies… and, ok, maybe I love it so much because I get to eat frosting throughout the process. I could literally eat frosting by the spoonful. Anyone else like this?

IMG_5549

For me, holiday’s are not complete without funfetti cookies, so I make a point to bring them to every holiday party that I go to.

Rachel and her husband, Dan, had a Halloween party on Saturday night, so I headed over to my old apartment to hang out with my sister and Amy before going to the party. I reused a costume and went as a flapper.

IMG_5557

Rachel’s apartment was so festive! Everywhere I looked there was glitter and cobwebs and other “Halloween” stuff. I couldn’t help but have some of her famous sangria… my favorite part of every party she has 😉

IMG_5554IMG_5552

It was so nice to go to a house party where you can actually have conversations with people… and snuggle babies!

IMG_5561 IMG_5560

Thanks for a fun party, Rachel!

Sunday was another relaxing day… spent mostly at my old apartment. Since they had heat and I did not, it made sense to go hang out with them. My sister and I also had to plan our Chicago trip, so it made for a good afternoon to hang out there! She made us pizza for lunch… yummm.

IMG_5565

When I left the girls’ apartment, I did my weekly grocery shopping and was so excited to have time to make a real meal! It’s been far too long. I’ll share the recipe with you later this week, but it was delicious and a perfect warm, fall meal to eat.

And here we are… another week! I am happy to have heat back, that’s for darn sure!

Questions for you: What’s your favorite pizza place? Do you love frosting or are you more of a cake person? Do you have a Halloween costume? If so, what were you? What was the best part of your weekend?