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Concannon Crimson & Clover Wine #Review

January 5, 2012 By 2 Comments
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reviewI was recently sent Concannon’s Crimson & Clover Wine to review. I remember when I first tried red wines and couldn’t stand them. They are really starting to become my favorites. My husband, on the other hand, still only likes sweet wines. Our favorite is ice wine. This year I plan to find a wine tasting to go to. I’d love to get a clue as to what I’m supposed to be tasting as I try these wines. Right now it’s just about whether or not I like the taste overall. I’d love to learn to appreciate all the flavors of the wines. Anyway, back to the Concannon Red Table Wine.

Vineyard Notes:

Our Conservancy wines help protect precious California vineyard land from urban development, as all Conservancy winegrowers have placed their land into a legal trust that protects against development forever. The Conservancy wines preserve not only the land but a simpler way of life for future generations.

Winemaker Notes:

Crimson and Clover, ReviewThe 2009 Crimson & Clover, Conservancy is a velvety blend of signature Livermore varietals. Aromas of currant, clove, and vanilla lead into bright, fruit flavors of blackberry on the palate. The spicy finish is soft and long with hints of leather and tobacco. A tribute to the “Father of America’s First Petite Sirah,” Jim Concannon, from his son John, this wine epitomizes the innovative, steadfast spirit of Jim. Bold and lusciously fruity, the backbone of Petite Sirah gives this blend fantastic depth and structure.

Food Pairing:

Black pepper-crusted Filet Mignon with goat cheese or grilled artichoke with tarragon aioli.

We had the wine with my mother’s-in-law famous angel hair pasta recipe. I really enjoyed the wine. It was very strong and made me feel the effects after half a glass, but I liked it. My husband wasn’t a fan at all. My roommate tried a few sips and said it was ok, but he’s not a wine drinker himself.  I also really liked the bottle with the raised gate on it. I think it’s very pretty. If you like red wines, I think you’ll enjoy this wine. You can purchase it for $18 a bottle from the Concannon site.

Connect with Concannon:  

Website

Concannon Facebook

Concannon Twitter

Note: I received a bottle of Concannon Crimson & Clover of my own to review in exchange for my honest opinions. All opinions are my own. 

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Thirsty Thursday: Flip Flop Wines Review

March 10, 2011 By 3 Comments
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drinks, wine, non-alcoholic, liquorThis week I got the chance to review Flip Flop Wines:

flipflop wines: to each, their own

With flipflop wines, we have embraced the movement toward individualistic expression, instead of manufacturing wines into some cookie-cutter style that’s all the rage.  Our goal is to craft expressive, well-balanced wines that evoke just what the grapes inside intended, without being over-wrought or over-explained, and that can be enjoyed at any occasion.

wine

I really enjoyed doing this review. I love to have a glass of wine with a homemade dinner or at the end of a hard day. My favorites are whites but the more I try reds, the more I like them. My absolute favorite is Ice Wine and Moscato and I wish I could have tried theirs! I got to try Pinot Grigio, Pino Noir and Riesling.

Flip Flop Wines

Riesling

 

Appellation
Washington
Tastes like
Medium-bodied, Riesling with peach, apricot and melon which lead to a satisfying, smooth finish.
It is full of
Tropical notes and sweet aromas.
Eat with
Tofu stir-fry, shredded pork tacos and sake sashimi
Serve
Chilled
Store
Away from direct sunlight

This was my favorite wine. I tend to lean towards the sweet wines. (That’s probably why I LOVE ice wines!) We had this wine with broiled steak, twice baked potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Flip Flop WinesPinot Grigio

 

Appellation
California
Tastes like
Light-bodied, refreshing Pinot Grigio with tropical citrus, ripe pear and a zesty, clean finish
It is full of
Balanced crisp acidity
Eat with
Bruschetta, spaghetti carbonara or eggplant parmesan
Serve
Chilled
Store
Away from direct sunlight

We had ours with crockpot chicken, green beans and roasted red potatoes. I really enjoyed this wine. I could have gone for a second glass while I was drinking it but I’m finding I’m a real lightweight lately and I’m on Weight Watchers so I don’t want to use the points.

Flip Flop Wines Pinot Noir

 

Appellation

California
Tastes like
Medium-bodied, structured Pinot Noir with bright cherry, sweet spice and a supple, velvety finish
It is full of
Cola aromas and hints of vanilla
Eat with
Grilled mahi mahi, baconwrapped shrimp or chocolate chip cookies
Serve
Room temperature
Store
Away from direct sunlight
We had a piano moving party and had this wine with pizza. While everyone else had Lou Malnati’s, I made my low point pizza recipe. Like I said earlier, I’m really starting to like reds more. This was a very good wine. I also used this wine to make my husband some mushrooms for his steak one night. I took a package of mushrooms, some butter and wine and simmered them until the mushrooms soak up the liquid.
Not only do Flip Flop Wines have good wines, they also do good! For every bottle of flipflop wine purchased, Soles4Souls will distribute a pair of shoes to someone in need.
Flip Flop Wines

Soles4Souls has a simple concept: we procure shoes and get them to those in need.

In the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami that hit Southeast Asia, Wayne Elsey, the Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls® Inc., felt compelled to do something. Like many of us, he did not know what to do. He was at home one night, watching TV and he saw a picture of a single shoe washing up on the beach. That triggered a few calls to some other executives in the footwear industry and the subsequent donation of a quarter of a million shoes to victims in the devastated countries.

A year later when Katrina hit, Wayne called the same group of friends, and they sent over a million pairs of shoes down to the gulf coast communities affected by the hurricane. In all honesty, he admits that he did not expect such an immediate and successful turnout. This left him wondering, why not start a non-profit and do this all the time? One year later, Soles4Souls was formally created.

It has been that simple: changing the world one pair at a time.

Soles4Souls receives large donations from footwear companies, retailers, churches, nonprofit ministries, civic groups, schools, and individuals and saw that this could become a full time organization. That’s why Soles4Souls was created – to facilitate the donations from these groups to the people who desperately need footwear.

Buy It:

You can visit Flip Flop Wines and purchase any of their wines for $7 a bottle.

Connect:

Flip Flop Wines Facebook

Flip Flip Wines Twitter

 

 

 

Souls4Souls Facebook

Souls4Souls Twitter

 

I was given this wine for review in exchange for my opinions. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Flip Flop Wines for allowing this review. Photo credit to Rob Krueger Photography.

Other Reviews:

Mommy Factor

Examiner

Pretty Sandy Feet

Just Short of Crazy

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Thirsty Thursday: Cupid’s Punch

February 24, 2011 By 11 Comments
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drinks, wine, non-alcoholic, liquorOk, it’s back! I’m going to start featuring drinks on Thursday’s again. Some may be alcoholic and some may not. This week’s is not. This is a great kid-friendly drink that is good for parties or Valentine’s Day.

Cupid’s Punch

Ingredients:

  • 12-ounce can pink lemonade concentrate (or powdered mix if you can’t find the frozen, like me)
  • 1/2 pint raspberry sherbet
  • 2-12-ounce cans of lemon/lime soda

Directions:

  1. In a large punch bowl, mix the lemonade concentrate with the recommended amount of water.
  2. Add the soda.
  3. Add Sherbet in scoops, stir, and serve.

Lemonade, lemon-lime, sprite, 7-up, sherbet

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Thirsty Thursday – Creamsicle

August 12, 2010 By 1 Comment
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This is a very easy drink to drink. You can’t taste the alcohol. My kind of drink! :)

Creamsicle

Ingredients
1 1/2 oz Vanilla Liqueur
3 oz Orange Juice
1 1/2 oz Milk

Pour all ingredients into shaker with ice and shake. Pour into glass and enjoy.

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Thirsty Thursday- Ice Cream Genius

March 4, 2010 By 2 Comments
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Ice Cream Genius

We are running low on alcohol (time to feature another kid friendly drink!!) My husband suggested I make something with ice cream. In my freezer I had Edy’s Fat Free Vanilla Yogurt Blend, Neapolitan or Pralines ice cream. I figured I’d scoop the vanilla out of the neapolitan for the guys and use the FF Yogurt for mine. There’s may have gotten a bit of strawberry ice cream in it. Oh well!
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2 oz amaretto almond liqueur
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream

Put all items in a blender and blend until smooth. It turned out pretty good. I also ran out of Amaretto while making the drinks. I had to use 1 oz Amaretto and 1 oz Bailey’s in mine. (I told you we were running low on alcohol!) It definitely didn’t taste like an alcoholic drink. That can be very bad :)

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Please don’t forget to enter my $20 Target Gift Card Giveaway

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Thirsty Thursday – Berry Blue Milk

January 28, 2010 By 11 Comments
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My kids love chocolate milk but I’m out of all things chocolate. No Ovaltine or Hershey’s syrup. I came across this recipe and thought I’d give them one glass of flavored milk today. Just one, this stuff is SWEET!

1 cup of milk
2 Tbl of Jell-O geletin, any flavor (I used Berry Blue because I have a ton of it)

Pour milk into shaker and sprinkle Jell-O over the top. Shake very hard for at least one minute. Pour into glass and enjoy. (Or try not to have a sugar attack!) Also- Drink Fast! I have been sitting here sipping at mine while I write and upload pictures and all the Jell-O has settled to the bottom of my glass. Ick.

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If you have any drink recipes you’d like to share, please send them to me! :)

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Thirsty Thursday – Chocolate Milk

January 21, 2010 By 3 Comments
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I wanted to do a non-alcoholic drink this week. A friend of mine, Jackie, told me about a chocolate milk recipe by Ree Drummond of The Pioneer Woman. I decided to give it a try tonight. The recipe calls for 4 ounces of chocolate and I only had 3.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 8
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 4 ounces, weight Semi-sweet Chocolate Pieces (See Notes Below)
Preparation Instructions

Heat cream over medium-high heat until slightly boiling. Add chocolate pieces and turn off heat. Whisk slowly until chocolate is melted and mixture is very smooth. Pour into a container and keep in the fridge up to two weeks. Mix with cold or warm milk, depending on how frightful the weather outside is.

Notes:

Mixture, after refrigerated, will be quite thick. Just stir well in cold milk and you’ll be fine.

It has come to my attention that the quality/brand of chocolate used in this recipe can drastically affect how this mix performs in the fridge. Reports range from silky smooth to hard as a rock. The mix is still delicious—just expect varying results!

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I was originally going to use the glass jar up there in the first picture but figured it’d be easier to use a squeeze bottle to get the liquid out when it’s cold.
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Even though I only used 3 oz of chocolate it was pretty strong to me. I think I maybe put too much chocolate in the bottom of my glass. I will try it again with the kids in the morning and see how our reactions go.

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Update

Both kids took a drink of the chocolate milk, went to the cabinet and pulled out the Ovaltine. “I want regular chocolate milk!” (They did this separately.) I just made myself another cup now that it’s cold. It’s better than it was last night. Maybe it’s just growing on me.

Update #2

So now they say they like the chocolate milk. I should know better than to spring a new food or drink on them when they wake up in the morning. Live and learn…

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Thirsty Thursday – Butternut Rum Lifesaver

January 14, 2010 By 5 Comments
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I tripled this recipe since there were three of us testing it and it made WAY too much! I ended up with 13 shots worth! Whoops!

Recipe Ingredients

3/4 oz. Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream
3/4 oz. Malibu Coconut Rum
3/4 oz. Butterscotch Schnapps

Instruction

Mix ingredients Chill over ice Strain into shot glass

My brother in law said it needed more Pineapple juice to get rid of the coffee taste. I thought the pineapple was making it taste strange. Different tastes with different people! :)

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Doesn’t look so appetizing before shaking!
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Some of the ice escaped into the shot glasses. That’s what happens when you have a cheap shaker.
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Thirsty Thursday – Milky Way Galaxy

January 7, 2010 By 4 Comments
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I was having a hard time finding a drink to make for this post so I started googling (actually searching through swagbucks) all of the liquor types I had. This one seemed interesting so I gave it a try.
Ingredients:
1/2 oz. Almond Liqueur
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Cinnamon
Directions:
Combine milk, amaretto and vanilla extract in a blender for 60 seconds. Pour over ice cubes and sprinkle with cinnamon. Stir with a straw and serve.

I don’t own a blender so I had to use a Magic Bullet. I also couldn’t blend for 60 seconds because I didn’t use the correct size bullet and couldn’t stir with a straw since I don’t have straws!

The drink basically tastes like you’re drinking milk. Very deceptive!

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excuse the blur on this one. It didn’t look blurry in the camera!
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Thirsty Thursday – Buttery Nips

December 31, 2009 By 5 Comments
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Being New Years Eve I figured I’d do an alcoholic drink tonight!

1 oz of DeKuyper Buttershots (Butterscotch Schnapps)

1/2 oz of Bailey’s Irish Cream

pour in shot glass and enjoy!

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In this picture you can see the Bailey’s floating on top.
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