Skip on over to my new blog: Sorella Style for all sorts of fun and inspiring ideas!!!
Friday, November 2, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
New Website - Sorella Style!!!
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| Sorella Style |
I know I've been MIA for awhile...but I have a reason for it :>) I've started a new blog!!!!
My sisters and I recently started a new lifestyle website called Sorella Style. I'm so excited about this - it's a labor of love that I'm creating and working on with my best friends and some of the most talented women I know. Please click on over and follow us on our adventures in living life fully...and in style!
You'll see great articles on home decor, recipes, overcoming obstacles, style and fashion, and more:
Say hello when you stop by - can't wait to see you over at Sorella Style!!
xo,
Kate
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Farmer's Market Feast - Insalata Mista
Honestly, is there any better meal than one straight from the garden? Until my parents vegetable garden becomes fruitful, we'll rely on the farmers market. Plus, it's such a great way to spend a lazy Saturday morning! We met my sister and her husband at the Cherry Creek Farmers Market last Saturday to stock up on delicious veggies for our dinner that night.
The recipe was inspired by an Insalata Mista recipe we saw in Wine Spectator. On the list:
Arugula,
artichokes,
tomatoes,
oyster or trumpet mushrooms,
leafy greens,
asparagus,
fresh Parmesan,
lemons,
and organic chicken breasts.
We steamed a couple of artichokes to munch on before dinner. Then melt a little butter with some Italian herbs and mix up some mayo with Italian salad dressing for 2 different and tasty dips. I saved the hearts to put in the salad.
Insalata Mista means mixed salad in Italian. You can use whatever veggies you want. The key is to use the freshest ingredients possible. Wash them early so they have time to dry off, and don't put them in the refrigerator (until after you've used what you need for the meal.)
Insalata Mista
Mix together the arugula, leafy greens, sliced mushrooms and asparagus (I roasted the asparagus - drizzled with olive oil and salt - in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes). Toss in the sliced artichoke hearts. Shave fresh Parmesan on top. Dish out salad equally among plates. Place sliced tomatoes along the edge of the plate.
Grilled Chicken Breasts
I grabbed some rosemary from our rosemary bush out back and infused extra virgin olive oil with it for a few hours. I brushed the rosemary/oil over the chicken breasts and seasoned them with a little salt and pepper. Then we grilled them up on the outside grill. Slice up the meat, and divide among salads.
Dressing
Mix up extra virgin olive oil with fresh squeezed lemon juice (For 4 salads, I used 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup lemon juice). Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle dressing all over salad and tomatoes.
We added some fresh baked bread from the Italian restaurant down the street (ZaZa's Pizzeria) It's brushed with olive oil, garlic, and herbs de provence.
This meal pairs perfectly with a crisp, white wine - Roero Arneis is a great choice. Dinner was al fresco - it was a perfect Colorado evening. The heat had given way to a fresh, summer breeze.
We just had to top off the night with espressos on the porch...
xo,
K
Monday, June 11, 2012
Napa Valley - A Day Of Tasting
Farmstead Restaurant in St. Helena, California
Going to Napa for a relaxing couple days of great wine, great food, and great company is one of my favorite vacations. With all the trips to San Fran I've been making the past 5 months, Napa was definitely on the list of must-do's. While we have our favorite wineries that we tend to visit more often than not (Fantesca, ZD, Round Pond, Frank Family to name a few) - we decided to throw in a few new ones that we'd heard about but never been to. I didn't bring my big camera on the trip and instead continued my obsession with Instagram...if you're not on the bandwagon, do yourself a favor and get on it! (Follow me on instagram! My username is katedreamtolife).
I highly recommend the restaurant we ate lunch at - Farmstead. It's right of Highway 29. The restaurant features a "farm to table menu highlighting local, sustainable and organic ingredients at their peak freshness" - Farmstead Restaurant I sipped on a crisp, fresh Rose while Billy tried their seasonal margarita with fresh crushed strawberries. Both our meals were fantastic - Risotto with asparagus, wild mushrooms, green garlic and fresh Parmesan with a fresh farm egg on top and a Pulled Pork sandwich with a cabbage and blue cheese slaw. Oh, and we also had to have the famous Mac and Cheese.
The ambiance of the restaurant is fabulous, too. It's rustic and comfortable, with gorgeous fresh flowers and a lovely patio (where we sat) with views of their gardens and olive oil tasting house.
After lunch we headed up the Silverado Trail to Duckhorn Vineyards. Randomly enough I ran into some friends from Nashville there - crazy how you can go all the way across the country to see people from home! Duckhorn is nice if you want to chat with the group you are visiting with - it's not as interactive with the pourers as some tasting rooms. I can appreciate both settings, but sometimes I love to chat with the people who know and love the wines. I learn so much that way.
Next was a stop at Rombauer Vineyards. I had visited Rombauer 2 years ago when we went wine tasting for my Dad's 60th birthday. The boys went golfing that day, so Billy had never been. We drink Rombauer chardonnay with Billy's parents quite often, and some friends of ours served it at their wedding a while back, so Billy wanted to check it out. The tasting room can be very crowded - but the gardens are lovely. I suggest getting your wine at the outside tasting bar and roaming the gardens while you sip!
We finished up the day with a classic - Frank Family Vineyards. Frank Family is owned by Rich Frank, longtime executive of Disney. Their wines are fantastic and the tasting room is laid back and beautiful - no matter how many times we taste there, it never gets old!
I highly recommend the restaurant we ate lunch at - Farmstead. It's right of Highway 29. The restaurant features a "farm to table menu highlighting local, sustainable and organic ingredients at their peak freshness" - Farmstead Restaurant I sipped on a crisp, fresh Rose while Billy tried their seasonal margarita with fresh crushed strawberries. Both our meals were fantastic - Risotto with asparagus, wild mushrooms, green garlic and fresh Parmesan with a fresh farm egg on top and a Pulled Pork sandwich with a cabbage and blue cheese slaw. Oh, and we also had to have the famous Mac and Cheese.
The ambiance of the restaurant is fabulous, too. It's rustic and comfortable, with gorgeous fresh flowers and a lovely patio (where we sat) with views of their gardens and olive oil tasting house.
After lunch we headed up the Silverado Trail to Duckhorn Vineyards. Randomly enough I ran into some friends from Nashville there - crazy how you can go all the way across the country to see people from home! Duckhorn is nice if you want to chat with the group you are visiting with - it's not as interactive with the pourers as some tasting rooms. I can appreciate both settings, but sometimes I love to chat with the people who know and love the wines. I learn so much that way.
Next was a stop at Rombauer Vineyards. I had visited Rombauer 2 years ago when we went wine tasting for my Dad's 60th birthday. The boys went golfing that day, so Billy had never been. We drink Rombauer chardonnay with Billy's parents quite often, and some friends of ours served it at their wedding a while back, so Billy wanted to check it out. The tasting room can be very crowded - but the gardens are lovely. I suggest getting your wine at the outside tasting bar and roaming the gardens while you sip!
We finished up the day with a classic - Frank Family Vineyards. Frank Family is owned by Rich Frank, longtime executive of Disney. Their wines are fantastic and the tasting room is laid back and beautiful - no matter how many times we taste there, it never gets old!
Cheers!
K
Thursday, May 31, 2012
A Week In San Francisco
(Etsy)
Ahhh San Francisco! Such a fun city. Seeing as how Billy is living there for 6 months, I've had the opportunity to visit several times over the past few months. Including a full 10 days last month - and let me tell ya, we pretty much checked off every single touristy activity possible! My trip coincided with my sister and her husband being out there for a show he was filming, so I spent a few days with them too.
Day 1: Rossi day!
The first touristy day was spent with just my brother-in-law Rossi. Billy was in training and Kacey was still performing in "Ring Of Fire" Up in Sonora, CA. After a delicious meal at The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen down by the Giants Stadium (yuuuuummmmy grilled cheese sandwiches and roasted tomato soup), we ran around Fisherman's Wharf pressing pennies and wine tasting at my favorite wharf tasting spot Wines Of California Wine Bar. We ended the day with drinks and food at Paragon, a restaurant back by the stadium that has an awesome porch, atmosphere, and American brasserie-style food.
Day 2: Alcatraz, Chinatown, Lombard St, Oh My!
When Kacey finally met us, she was ready for some serious sight seeing. None of us had ever been to Alcatraz, so we took the 10:30 am ferry over to the rock. The tour was fantastic! And the day couldn't have been prettier - gorgeous views of San Fran...
Then it was dim sum for lunch at Great Eastern Restaurant (I mean, the President has been there...you have to go.) in Chinatown. We walked off our meal by visiting some little trinket shops looking for porcelain chopsticks...surprisingly hard to find.
We finished up the day by driving down Lombard Street (really amazing to think of the people who live off of this street! Crazy!), relaxing with old fashioned drinks at The Rickhouse, and watching Kacey open her birthday present from me and Kara...
I highly recommend all the above mentioned spots - great atmospheres, great food, all over the city...you can really get a taste of San Fran!
xo,
k
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