Today’s Friday Photo is a shot from the Big Dog Winery. Great view, wine, and company (both the people pouring and the guests).
Posts Tagged ‘wine’
Big Dog Winery View
Posted by terrepruitt on January 24, 2020
Posted in Friday Photo | Tagged: Big Dog Winery, Friday Photo, Milpitas Hills, wine | 4 Comments »
Easy Gifts To Give And Receive
Posted by terrepruitt on December 10, 2018
As we get older it seems like we end up with a lot of stuff. And we come to a point where we want to limit the amount of stuff we get as we try to thin out some of the stuff we have. I have found that many of the people on my gift list don’t want any more stuff. The super cute affordable stuff that really doesn’t have a use or a purpose. There are always things people need and want, but I am talking about the stuff that is fun to buy, fun to give, and even fun to receive, but doesn’t really have a use. I still give those types of gifts when I see something and it just SCREAMS a person’s name. Ya know, sometimes things just belong with a person, but I try not to go out and seek that stuff. For many people I try to give them consumable stuff. Things that are great because they are a tangible gift, but also great because they go away soon and don’t end up taking up room for too long. And somethings are so easy to give because everyone uses them and some are easy to give because almost everyone likes them.
Here are a few things that can be considered nice gifts but don’t hang around for a long time:
-Fancy olive oils and vinegars
We just recently bought some very yummy olive oil and vinegars. I even posted about it because it was so good. And I loved it so much I did buy a bottle for our neighbors! There are so many flavors of flavored olive oil I bet you could find a perfect one for everyone on your list. And that is not even considering the vinegar. We bought some that is so tasty I want to drink it.
-Soap
You may know from past posts that I think fancy soap is a great idea as a gift. And I think that started after I received a nice bar as a gift or it could have started when I had discovered some delicious soap I used to buy, either way, if you like some fancy soap that is not something made commercially I bet someone on your list would enjoy it too.
-Candles
Do I really even need to say anything about candles? No, but I will. There are so many types of candles and most of them can be burned and they disappear. I did recently post about the electronic kind. While they are an awesome gift they don’t belong in the consumable category.
-Homemade cookies, toffee, fudge and things of that nature
One year I made cookies for people and I was so surprised at their reaction. They were so grateful to have received homemade goodies. Each recipient commented on the time spend to make them and they were so very grateful. And, unfortunately, I don’t think I have done it since because – yeah, it does take a lot of time. I have made nuts and toffee before. I posted the recipe for the nuts here and here. I got the original nut recipe from my same friend that gave me soap one year. I have also posted about the easy to make toffee.
-Note cards
Ok, this one is for a specific person obviously. Not everyone writes notes, most people don’t even send cards any more so a box of note cards will not be a good gift for most people, but you might have at least one person on your list that writes and sends mail.
-Lotions
Most lotion users can always need more lotion. And often times, even though they have their favorite they are excited to try something new and different. So help them get a new favorite by buying them some lotion!
-Coffees and Teas
Coffee is expensive so who, among coffee drinkers, wouldn’t love to receive a pound of something yummy. And tea . . . again, just like the lotion users, they probably have their favorite, but there are so many out there you can help them experience something new. Just try really, really, really hard to NOT buy a mug to go with the coffee or tea. You know mugs, there are so many great ones out there and they are so easy to buy . . . we probably all have more than can fit in our cupboards!
-Wine and spirits
If you have a person on your list that drinks either or both, then it is always nice to give them a bottle of their favorite something. Or, again, just like the lotion users and the tea drinkers, they probably have their favorites but they might be excited to try one of YOUR favorites.
None of these things are new, but if you are like me, sometimes you need reminding that there are some easy gifts to give that are pretty much always well received AND you will be helping people NOT clutter up their space.
So, do you have any people are your list that would enjoy any of these consumables?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: candles, Coffee, consumables, Fancy olive oils, fancy soap, flavored vinegars, gift idea, homemade cookies, lotoins, tea, wine | 13 Comments »
Who Gave Me That?
Posted by terrepruitt on September 24, 2018
I recently received a lot of wine and/or champagne, as it was my birthday. I have a birthday every year (funny how that is, huh?) but I don’t normally let everyone know about it, however this year it was a significant birthday so I insisted on a bit of hoopla. Usually I will get a bottle of wine or two so I have no problem remembering who gave me what. But this year I received quite a few bottles. I think wine is a great gift to receive. I have a problem giving it as I am not a fancy wine buyer/drinker so I never know what to give. But that makes me a great wine receiver as anything that tastes good works for me regardless. Well, while writing all my thank you notes I realized I would not be able to remember who gave me what and down the line while my hubby and I are enjoying the wine I would like to know who gave me what. There are a lot of ways to label a bottle and at first I just wrote on the label, but some labels are black so a blue pen would not show up, plus writing on the label mars the label. So I decided to use that roll on white out tape.
I just rolled a line of the correction tape on the bottle and wrote the name on it. Now I know who gave me what, but I can also easily remove the information if the need arises. I don’t necessarily want have the gift givers names on the bottles if I have company over and I want to share a bottle with them. With this method I don’t have bottles with notes taped to them and I don’t have names written on the labels, but the bottles ARE labeled. The white out tape can be easily scraped off. If you decided to use any tape . . . like masking or scotch tape, that would even be easier because it would just pull off – no scraping necessary! Scotch tape might be hard to read.
Might sound odd, but I thought it the correction tape was somewhat cleaver. I like to give a “cheers” to the gift giver while enjoying a glass, plus if I really enjoy it I would like to let them know. There are so many ways people gift wine. A lot of people share their favorite and they like to know if the receiver enjoyed it, too. So now I will know who gave me what when we are drinking it months later.
What do you think?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: 50th birthday, birthday hoopla, champagne, gives to remember, white-out tape, wine | 2 Comments »
Fun Wine Label
Posted by terrepruitt on July 20, 2018
I often buy wine based off of the label, especially red wine since I know practically nothing about it. I love this label. It is so fun. I love the dancing. I love the colors. Yup, I am posting a picture of a wine label for my Friday Photo today!
Posted in Friday Photo | Tagged: Dancing, She-razz, wine, wine label | Leave a Comment »
Drink Smart and in Moderation
Posted by terrepruitt on February 20, 2014
The various surprising health benefits of wine
For centuries, people have derived pleasure from drinking many different varieties of wine. Whether it’s a sensuously versatile Pinot Noir or a divine Chardonnay, drinking wine in moderate amounts has proven to be one of the more effective ways to unwind, relax and allow the stresses of the day to just slowly fade away into the ether. Various studies have emerged throughout the years espousing the health benefits of drinking a glass or two of high-quality wine.
Experts from the world-renowned Mayo Clinic have stated that there are certain substances in red wine called phytochemicals (specifically, flavonoids and resveratrol) that may help prevent heart disease and failure by performing two critical functions: increasing levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (also known as the “good” cholesterol) and protecting against artery damage. It is worth noting that both resveratrol and flavonoids are also recognized as antioxidants (not all phytochemicals are antioxidants, though).
Resveratrol, in particular, is markedly more prevalent in red wine than in white wine; after all, red wine is fermented with grape skins for a longer period of time compared to white wine. Additionally, resveratrol has gotten a lot of attention due to possibly playing an important part in maintaining healthy cardiovascular function. Some of the existing research has linked resveratrol to reduced blood vessel damage, prevention of blood clots, and a decreased amount of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol). Dr. Eric Crampton, a highly respected University of Canterbury academic, has also opined that based on his interpretation of the current studies available, moderate drinking reduces mortality risk. Furthermore, according to Paul Jaminet of the Perfect Health Diet, animal studies have shown that the harmful effects of alcohol on the liver – fatty liver disease that inevitably leads to a scarred and damaged liver (cirrhosis) – occur only when it is combined with excessive intake of polyunsaturated fats.
Clearly, judicious consumption of red wine not only calms the senses; it’s also a healthful habit in moderation.
Image courtesy of M&S
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This post is a guest post. The conclusion reached is that of the guest author. My approach would be more from a “COULD be” healthful. Many things we eat, drink, and do have the appearance of being healthful, but it always boils down to moderation AND the individual, so to me it is not so clear.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: antioxidants, cardio dance, cardiovascular function, Chardonnay, cholesterol, dance exercise, Dance Workout, Dr. Eric Crampton, exercise, fatty liver, flavonoids, guest post, HDL, health benefits, health studies, heart disease, high-density lipoprotein, high-quality wine, LDL, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, M&S Wine, Marks and Spencer, Mayo Clinic, Nia, Nia Blue Belt, Nia class, Nia Teacher, Paul Jaminet, phytochemicals, Pinot Noir, polyunsaturated fats, red wine, resversatrol, San Jose exercise classes, San Jose Nia, San Jose Nia classes, San Jose Nia Teacher, San Jose Workout, sponsored post, Terre Pruitt, the Perfect Health Diet, University of Canterbury, wine, workout, Yoga | 4 Comments »
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