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My Wine and Chocolate Tasting Experience

May 29, 2018 by Jessica 16 Comments

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“I hate to see an empty glass.” Make that my new life motto!

Last weekend, my sister, her fiance, our mom, and I (AKA the wine lovers in the family) attended a wine and chocolate pairing class. My sister had purchased a Groupon for the four of us to attend the class. It was a new experience for all of us! We didn’t know what to expect except that, obviously, there would be wine, there would be chocolate, and we would be enjoying both of them together.

The class was being offered at Bar Academy 101 in Montclair, New Jersey. It was a small place with a bar and some tables set up with glasses and a plate of chocolates or cheeses (depending on what class you signed up for). It was a fun atmosphere with a laid back bartender/instructor hosting the event.

The first thing I noticed was the crazy amount of posters on the wall! While we waited for the class to begin, we pointed out our favorites (including Prince, George Michael, and a Sex and the City poster I spotted in the corner of the room). My mom and sister are Red Sox fans and appreciated all of the Boston paraphernalia hung around the room. The owner was happy to hear that and, for that, offered us an extra bit of wine in our glasses.

Next to our wine glasses and plate of chocolates on the table was a breakdown of all of the wine and chocolate pairings we would be trying. The way it worked was that first we would take a sip of wine. Then, we would eat the chocolate. After enjoying the chocolate, we would taste the wine again to see if it changed the flavor of the wine. The results were pretty surprising!

Our Wine and Chocolate Pairing List

Black Opal Unoaked Chardonnay & Ritter Brand Vegan Chocolate
Twisted Brand Pino Grigio & MilkBoy Swiss Alpine Milk Chocolate with Refreshing Lemon & Ginger
Deloach Pino Noir & Ritter Brand Hazelnut Chocolate
Blackhawk Winery Merlot (replaced with a Blackstone Merlot) & Ritter Brand Chocolate with Raisins and Almonds
Blackcabra Malbec & El Reys Dark Chocolate
Black Opal Shiraz-Cabernet Blend & Ritter Brand 80% Dark Chocolate

All of the wine varieties we tried were on the drier side, which we all prefer! The sweetness of the chocolate brought out some of the fruitier notes in some of the wines. In certain pairings, we actually found the opposite result – that the wine brought out some of the flavors in the chocolate! It was actually kind of crazy to taste the flavors in the wine change almost immediately after eating the chocolate!

For instance, the Pino Noir had an aroma of strawberries and a dry finish. After eating the chocolate, the wine itself got a lot fruitier and smoother. But on the reverse side, I found that the flavors in the Lemon & Ginger chocolate got stronger after drinking the Pinot Grigio. It’s interesting stuff! And now, I might pay a little more attention to how the flavors in my wine change with certain foods.

That afternoon spent sipping wine, eating chocolate, learning about flavor pairings, and the proper way to aerate wine (without any fancy gadgets) was an enjoyable experience! The small, intimate atmosphere and pretty chill instructor definitely added to the fun!

Thank you again to my sister, Kaylyn, for treating us to this experience (and for taking some photos, too). Would I say it was worth it for the price? Probably not. The chocolates are available in most grocery stores and the bottles of wine used in this tasting weren’t over $10. I mean, I suppose you really can’t crack open a few nice bottles of wine for a small class like this. On the plus side, I was introduced to some budget-friendly wines that I’ve never had before!

All in all, it was a positive experience. Would I do it again? I think it might be fun to DIY our own tasting now that we know how it works. I would like to have our own wine and cheese tasting and paint wine glasses! That might be something to work on for the summer!

Have you ever gone to a wine and chocolate tasting?

I Will Persevere

January 2, 2018 by Jessica 10 Comments

Life certainly comes with its share of twists and turns. When I thought about my word for 2018, I thought about how I’ve gotten SO much better with stressful issues that come my way. Usually, I find myself completely losing it and barreling towards a mental breakdown. But like Vanilla Ice said, “If you got a problem, yo, I’ll solve it.” So this year, I’m going to persevere. I’m going to push through every ounce of bullshit that comes my way and know that I’ll be better for it in the end. Of course, I’m slightly lacking hope in my “go-getter” attitude at the moment. I failed miserably with my word for 2017, balance.

I had such high hopes to maintain balance in my life. But in the end, I realized that trying to find “balance” was actually dragging me down. In my quest for balance – between spending so much time working on my blog and trying to spend a lot of quality time with loved ones – I was also holding onto that “I’ve got to please everyone” mentality. And, no. No, I don’t. I don’t have to please everyone all the time. So I started to waver a bit and found myself “off-balance.” But in a good way.

I started saying “no” more often. And liked it.

I not only liked it, but felt less and less guilty every time I said it.

So while I learned the power of “no,” I also learned the power of saying “yes” to myself. I’ll always be grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had in life. Even the ones that haven’t come completely full circle. After all, everything in life is a learning experience. That said, this past holiday season, I received a pretty decent offer from a local event coordinator.

And I turned it down.

Midway through negotiations, I decided it wasn’t the right fit for me and my blog. Most of all, I started to feel like I wasn’t valued as a person willing to do the work I was about to do. So I walked away and learned that you absolutely have to go with your gut. At the start of the partnership, I wasn’t 100 percent sure it was something I wanted to take on. Especially during such a busy time of year. In the end, I made the right decision. I said “yes” to myself and “no” to a company that didn’t even have the decency to respond to my last e-mail.

At times, it seemed like I lost a lot this past year and was still fighting past demons toying with my self-esteem in just about every aspect of my life. But you know what? I’m starting the year feeling like I’ve won for once. All in all, 2017 wasn’t such a bad year. It’s had its share of moments I wish had never happened, but I’m coming out of it on top. I still have a few kinks to work out from my lack of balance last year, but I’ve got a whole, new year in front of me.

I’m definitely starting this year a better person than I was last year. And about those struggles 2018 is bound to throw at me – I’ll persevere.

Word to your mother.

What’s your word for 2018?

2017 Year in Review

December 29, 2017 by Jessica Leave a Comment

It wouldn’t be the end of the year in blog land without a year in review. Of course, when I sat down to think about my year, nothing too exciting came to mind. I guess that’s a good thing! I started off this year, like most years, embracing the clean slate. I chose the word “balance” as my word of the year, hoping to finally find some work/life balance as a full-time blogger. It took me 12 months to find it, but I think I’m finally getting the hang of it! So let’s break down 2017. Shall we?

January

We welcomed Cooper into the family! My sister brought a pudgy, little Golden Retriever home from an Amish farm in Pennsylvania. It’s hard to believe that almost a year later, this gigantic, lovable dog was once so small. He’s a lot of puppy in a big package, but he’s a good dog who loves everyone he meets!

February

In other dog news, Hunter had been battling a pretty gross bacterial infection. He apparently picked it up in the park through his itchy, dry skin. It was horrible! Since then – knock on wood – Hunter’s skin has been pretty clear. We’ve added supplements to his diet that have definitely improved his skin. I also make sure that all of his homemade treats have beneficial ingredients, like these Mermaid Tail Dog Treats I made for him.

March

At the beginning of the year, I made a promise to myself to get healthier. Let’s just say that I’ll be making that same promise again in January. Oops! But I did share some healthy recipes on the blog like these breakfast bars and lemon-rosemary lamb chops.

April

I was hanging with my Peeps in April and shared some sweet Peeps recipes for Easter. We also had a joint birthday party for my older brother and my parents who all celebrate birthdays pretty much back-to-back. That celebration was half-work/half-party, which ended up being really fun because my dad and my sister helped me with my spring birthday bash post! It was great getting them involved!

May

May was all about creating new partnerships! I started working with Demeter Fragrance Library, which is one of my all time favorite fragrance brands. I also started working with FruitBouquets.com around Mother’s Day and shared a Mother’s Day fruit and cheese board made with edible flowers to pair with one of their gorgeous fruit bouquets!

June

I worked on my first SoFab Food contributor post and shared a recipe for Very Berry Wine Slushies. They were inspired by walks to the convenient store as a kid to get a slushie. Of course, I put a tasty adult spin on them! We celebrated dad with a Father’s Day DIY Fishing Kit. Then, my husband turned a year older and I made him golf cupcakes to celebrate.

July

July’s a big month! It’s my birthday, Hunter’s birthday, and my wedding anniversary. I also decided to remake some of my former Darby Smart projects, starting with these DIY Gilded Seashell Candles. My husband and I celebrated five years of marriage, so we made a DIY Wood Anniversary Stenciled Planter together. I always love when I can work with my hubby on a project!

August

My birthday celebration continued in August. My siblings treated me to a fun day out at a peach festival. We picked peaches, got up close with some farm animals, and enjoyed a wine tasting. I definitely had a great birthday this year! Later in the month, we were all hyped up for the solar eclipse! I took a quick glance through my phone in selfie mode. Did you safely get to see it?

Summer was also a great time for features! My Frozen Coconut Oil & Blueberry Dog Treats were featured in Naturally magazine. Then, I had my second feature on Buzzfeed! They featured my DIY No Sew Hamper in a post to help you keep your laundry room organized!

September

I love September because we transition from summer to fall and I start preparing for the Halloween season! September also means the start of one of my other favorite seasons – pumpkin season! So I celebrated with recipes like Spooky Good Pumpkin Spice Fruit Dip and a Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Braid. I even took some summer trends and turned them into pumpkins like a DIY cactus pumpkin and a DIY pineapple pumpkin.

October

My little sister got engaged! That was some great family news to celebrate. With October in full swing, I definitely embraced the Halloween season. I got witchy with Witch Hat Pretzel Treats and Crispy Chicken Halloween Witch Fingers. I took some other ghoulishly good trends and made Halloween Mozzarella Zombie Eyeballs and Vampire Steak Burritos. Then, I washed them down with a Dragon Berry Dragon’s Blood Cocktail.

November

I had so much fun with Halloween this year that I was honestly a little sad to see it come to a close. But the start of November means the start of the holiday season. So it was time to move forward with our Thanksgiving plans. We had a really nice, easygoing holiday this year. If only it could be that easy every year! I’ve definitely kept busy with holiday projects and recipes like this DIY Boxwood and Succulent Holiday Wreath and these Puff Pastry Cranberry Walnut Pinwheels.

December

Here we are in December wrapping up another year. The holiday season will be coming to an official close as we ring in 2018. It’s time to start thinking about our resolutions and the great things we’re going to do and achieve during this brand new year.

2017 has had its share of love, sadness, frustrations, and happy moments. It wouldn’t be a normal year without a mix of emotions. I can’t wait to see what 2018 brings our family and, of course, the blog!

Have a happy and safe New Year! I’ll be back in 2018 to share my new word of the year!

How to Handle Adult Tantrums

September 7, 2017 by Jessica Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links. Making a purchase through one of these links helps support this blog.

Okay. I know what you’re thinking. Adults don’t have tantrums. Toddlers have tantrums. Even though we might not throw ourselves on the floor and scream, I’m pretty damn sure there have been times when we’ve all wanted to! Just this past Monday, I kind of felt myself wanting to throw a massive fit. It was Labor Day. I was not supposed to be “laboring.” I was supposed to enjoying the last hurrah of summer. Right?

Wrong.

Instead, I was getting my hustle on. My day started out great! I knew I had to get some work done. Even though it was a holiday, it was still a Monday. So I sat down and wrote out a list of goals. I was accomplishing them one-by-one and then BOOM! My game was completely thrown off! A couple of deadlines totally snuck up on me and I immediately went into over-drive.

Meanwhile, I had plans to do a couple things with my husband. The workload seemed to multiply in an instant. I even canceled plans to attend a concert this weekend. Even if I accomplished everything that I had to do, the thought of a loud social scene just seemed exhausting. Maybe I’m just getting old.

There’s nothing worse than feeling like you have things in order and then being thrown off course. I was completely overwhelmed and so close to tears! It’s times like this when you need to take a step back before an adult temper tantrum happens and you’re walking around like Godzilla throwing fire.

Walk away

I knew I had to get things done, projects to make, and photos to take. But I was reaching my breaking point. So I stepped away. My husband was handing outside with the dog. I went outside to sit on the deck with them for a little while. It helped, I got to vent a little, and it made going back to my project easier.

Sniff lavender

Calm yo self. Lavender is soothing to the senses and has a great calming effect. It’s my go-to scent of choice when anxiety starts creeping up on me. We have two lavender plants growing in the backyard. I love snipping sprigs of lavender and keeping them in a small vase. I also like to keep a bottle of lavender essential oil nearby to sniff when I need to calm down.

Write it out

One of my favorite ways to get rid of stress is to write. Whether it’s a letter, a blog post, a journal entry, or even just a to-do list, writing it out always seems to help. This week, making a list was very helpful. Nothing makes me feel more accomplished than seeing tasks being crossed out when completed.

Have a good cry

If all else fails, go somewhere quiet and cry. Sometimes a good cry is all you need to feel better. Crying doesn’t mean you’re weak. You’re human. Tears happen.

Be grateful

No matter what, always be grateful. Someone out there has it a lot worse than you. I might complain about my workload and looming deadlines, but I’m grateful for what I do. I’m grateful for my husband that works hard so I can work from home as a blogger. I’m grateful for the house we live in, the food on our table, and so much more.

Don’t beat yourself up if you scrap everything and take a mental health day to binge watch TV. You can always make tomorrow a better day.

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