{Wine Wednesday} Becker Vineyards 2009 Claret

A couple of month’s ago I attended one of my closest friends’ bachelorette party (details coming in a later post) but part of the weekend included a tour of some of the Texas Hill Country wineries including our first (and in my opinion, the best) stop at Becker Vineyards. While there I tasted many of their wines and bought bottles of some of my favorites. Well this evening I came home and opened a bottle of their 2009 Claret and my oh my, it is so delicious! Their Claret wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (35%), Petite Verdot (24%), Cabernet Franc (23%) Merlot (13%) and Malbec (5%) and is matured in French and American oak barrels for 15 months. It has essences of raspberries, chocolate and spices and is great when paired with lamb, burgers (mmm) pheasant or quail. 

Cheers!

Cristi

Recipe: Garlic Parmesan Knots

I’m a huge fan of pinterest. I get all sorts of ideas from there and last night I finally decided to try one of the many recipes I drool over on the site. I made garlic parmesan knots and they were amazing! Here’s a step by step super easy and delicious recipe for you to try out! I paired my knots with pesto tortellini and a side salad. 

Ingredients for your knots:

• 1 tube (12 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits 
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Roll out biscuits into 12 inch ropes and tie in knots

Place knots on greased cooking sheet 2 inches apart from each other

 

Mix ingredients into a bowl 

Brush knots with the mixture

Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and viola!

Nom! Nom! Nom!

Cheers!

Cristi

Guest Bedroom Update

Well our house finally feels back to normal after some redecorating and major refinishing including new floors, wall colors, and all-over updates.  Remember how I had griped about our guest bedroom and how unwelcoming and frumpy it was?  Well, it's finally 'getting there.'  Enjoy the pictures!

Cheers!

Ana

Here are a couple of 'before' shots:

And where we are now:

A repainted dresser I found on Craigslist

Bedding: overstock. com Damask set, Horchow  ivory skirt, euro shams and throw pillows, ivory quilt and shams from HomeGoods

Finishing touches:  They are coming!

My parents bought us this print on their trip to Italy.  We'd like to have it framed and placed over the bed; side table: wisteria.com; drawer pulls for dresser: Target.com

{We're Obsessed} Oscar Fashion

Last night was the 84^th Annual Academy Awards aka the Super Bowl of fashion and the stars did not disappoint. We voted, the ballots are in and here are our picks for the looks we’re obsessed with.

The unanimous best dressed award goes to one of our favorite ladies and ultimate girl crush, Gwyneth Paltrow. She looked stunning in this Tom Ford caped gown. Truly, a vision in white!

Ana’s runner up is MIlla Jovovich. She looked stunning in Ellie Saab and brought out some of the old Hollywood classic glamour. The dress, the hair, the makeup, the jewels, the bag---it was all perfection!

Cristi’s runner up is Bridesmaids’ Rose Byrne in Vivienne Westwood. The sequined detailed gown showed off Rose’s tall and slender figure amazingly. Paired with her banged bob and flawless makeup, she looked stunning. My only critique would be her shows. Wouldn’t have gone for the platform peep toes, butttt that’s just me. Otherwise, she hit it out of the park!

P.S. Does anyone else think Rose Byrne has a striking resemblance to New York socialite Olivia Palmero? Like, they could be twins, no?

Jackie’s runner up is Oscar newcomer and another Bridesmaids costar, Kristen Wiig. This was her first time to attend the Oscars and she looked gorgeous. He nude colored J Mendel gown, beachy locks and natural makeup made her one of our picks for best dressed. The Judith Leiber clutch and Neil Lane gems didn’t hurt either. 

So what do y’all think? Who were your favorites? 

Photo: Gwyneth, Milla, Rose & Kristen

Cheers!

Ana, Jackie & Cristi

San Angelo Wrap Up

Remember how I told you I was heading out west to the San Angelo Rodeo with my girlfriends for the weekend? Well, it was an absolute blast and I wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend! We had an absolutely amazing time and definitely took San Angelo by storm. Love my friends!

Can’t wait to see what this weekend will bring! 

Cheers!

Cristi

{Thrifty Thursday} Glitter Loafers

I’ve been eyeing a pair of snazzy, fancy loafers to sport with shorts and crop pants this summer, I love the look which is similar to the oxford look I posted about last week. I absolutely love these Jimmy Choo Glitter Coated Leather Loafers, but once again—they’re out of my price range. And I have a rule of thumb that when I consider something to be trendy and not a staple of my wardrobe, I don’t like to spend more than $75. So once again I set out on the World Wide Web to find myself a more affordable option and found some almost identical loafers from Aldo and Anthropologie. Success! 

1//2//3

Cheers!

Cristi

{Wine Wednesday} The Show Cabernet Sauvignon

Remember how I told you I was going to San Angelo for the rodeo? Well while there my friend Da’s parents hosted a pre-rodeo cocktail party and they served the most delicious red wine. And shockingly, it was one I had never tasted before! The Show Cabernet Sauvignon is from the Three Thieves—three men Joel Gott, Charles Bieler and Roger Scommegna, (you know we love things that come in threes) who call themselves the Robin Hoods of wine because they’ve been “robbing” vineyards of high-end varietals and making their “steals” available to all. They’re committed to finding phenomenal wines that they can sell at absurdly low prices. And the best part? They’ve all got unique personalities that make them the perfect blend of maverick entrepreneurs. And I absolutely love their wine should be shared by all philosophy because this girl loves a good bargain. So sit back and enjoy The Show!

P.S. If you want to check out more about the Three Thieves or their other varieties of wines they have a new show on the Cooking Channel. 

Photo: The Show Cabernet Sauvignon

Cheers!

Cristi