Summer Festivals and Events Flourish In Monterey County
Summer Festivals and Events Flourish in Monterey County. Monterey – This world-class central coast destination offers summer-ready reasons to visit soon!. Monterey Summer Festivals! Monterey County has opened its doors up to visitors eager to attend the many festivals and events that were on hold for a few years. It is such an exciting time and summer activities are on the horizon. With the world opening back up in full regalia, regional travel is exploding and the summer festivals and events are popping up in abundance.
Read full storyWine Readers' Choice Awards - USA Today 10Best
It's Back! The Readers' Choice Awards from USA Today 10Best competition in the wine category! Vote from the top twenty in each category - you get the chance to choose your very favorite from a selection of 20 nominees - Best Tasting Room, Best Wine Tour Company, Best Wine Regions, Best Wine Festival, Best Wine Club, Best Winery Restaurant, Best Wine Country Hotel, Best Winery Tour!
Read full storyHiking and Rafting Adventures in the Grand Canyon, Arizona and Moab, Utah
Rafting and Hiking Adventures in the Grand Canyon, Arizona and Moab, Utah. Western River Expeditions - Summer has arrived and it is hiking season. Time to get out the hiking poles, the binoculars, the camera, and a yummy selection of day trip hiking munchies and set out to explore some of the most beautiful terrain in the west. The whitewaters are just waiting for adventure seekers to explore the rapids around the Grand Canyon, Arizona and Moab, Utah. What a great combination to take off river rafting and then explore some of the most remote hiking trails in Arizona and Utah.
Read full storyWhat's New In Healdsburg Summer 2021
A world-class culinary destination ripe with new summer experiences and activities, Healdsburg invites travelers to explore the sights, sounds and flavors of Sonoma County wine country with new seasonal tours, music and food and wine experiences.
Read full storyWhat's New in the Sonoma Valley this Summer
Summer is here; California is opening up and the Sonoma Valley is the best place to tiptoe back into travel. The 17-mile-long valley encompasses the city of Sonoma and the villages of Carneros, The Springs, Glen Ellen, and Kenwood. Sonoma Wine Country is buzzing with fresh wine and food experiences, hotel news and the return of live theater. Plus, NASCAR is back in Sonoma!
Read full storyPlanning a Wedding in the Napa Valley
Wine County Weddings in Napa Valley have grown into a booming industry over the last 20 years. The wine country region exudes romance with its Tuscan painted hills, miles and miles of rolling lush vineyards, charming boutique hotels and 5-star restaurants. Who wouldn’t want to get married in wine country? What a truly magical place to tie the knot. Lovebirds flock here in droves to find the perfect venue to celebrate their nuptials and create memories to last a lifetime.
Read full storyCelebrate Valentine’s Day Until Spring at these Romantic Northern California Destinations
Celebrate Valentine’s Day Until Spring at these Romantic Northern California Destinations. It’s time to get away for a mini-vacation in Northern California. After several months of shelter-in-place rules throughout California, these restrictions have recently been lifted. Now hotels, restaurants, and wineries are again welcoming guests. So many are anxious to start getting out exploring get-a-ways that are just a short drive away.
Read full storyMy Favorite Road Trip from Miami to the Middle Florida Keys
My Favorite Road Trip from Miami to the Middle Florida Keys. At least once a year, when I visit my family in Miami, we try to organize one of our favorite pilgrimages down to Islamorada and Marathon in the Florida Keys. We were unable to make our planned road trip this year as the Keys have been closed or partially closed to visitors since early March 2020. They are slowing putting out their welcome mats to visitors. These laid-back tropical islands off of the southern tip of Florida are ready to welcome you back as they are re-opening up their doors again. Time to start planning our next road trip there.
Read full storyTasty Eye-Catching Super Bowl Snack Recipes for Super Bowl Sunday
Tasty Eye-Catching Super Bowl Snack Recipes for Super Bowl Sunday. If you are like most of us, we are always looking for a bit of something different to bring as your contribution to the table at your Super Bowl Party. Every year it seems I tend to bring the same thing, Queso Dip, Spicy Chicken Wings, Chips and Salsa with Guacamole. Last year we did Lobster Roll Sliders, which was a real winner (recipe to follow later).
Read full storySlow Cooker Beef Stew - Super Bowl Food Recipe
Cook Time: 8 hours or as long as you want depending on the setting on your slow cooker. This is the perfect dish to make ahead of time so you won’t miss a second of the Super Bowl, the pre-game festivities and of course the soon to be infamous Super Bowl commercials. You can easily prepare this on Super Bowl eve and put it on slow cook in your slow cooker crock pot. It will be ready to take with you the next day and ready to serve at your Super Bowl Party!
Read full storyDowntown Eateries of Calistoga Where you Can Take-Out and Go!
Downtown Eateries of Calistoga Where you Can Take-Out and Go!. Where to get Take-Out from your Favorite Downtown Calistoga Restaurants. For many, it has been almost a year since we have gone out to eat at our favorite Napa Valley Eateries. Downtown Calistoga offers a wonderful selection of places to drink and dine, however, most all of them still remain closed to “Dine-In” dining. The wonderful news is that many of yours and my favorites offer Take-out and some even offer local delivery around Calistoga.
Read full storyLinguine with Shrimp, Peas and Pesto Recipe
What to Cook Tonight – It must Be Pasta Night!!!. Tonight is the night to prepare a delicious and lovely pasta dish. So linguine with Shrimp and Peas in a Pesto Sauce was the dinner ticket! We have been eating meat pretty much every night whether it is burger, tri-tip, chicken or BBQ Ribs. It is time to mix it up a little bit with a refreshing but easy to prepare pasta dish. Our course I rely on what I happen to have fresh in the fridge, frozen in the freezer and what’s available in our stocked pantry.
Read full storyCast Iron Skillet Kalamata Olive Bread – No-Knead Recipe
With so much more time at home these days and the desire for comfort food, there is nothing better than the smell of baking bread in the house. When I went searching for an easy bread recipe, I found many that can be made in a cast iron skillet that requires no kneading and only a few hours rise time. There are others that I have made that are also no knead but do require an overnight rise and can be cooked in a cast iron Dutch Oven.
Read full storyNational Margarita Day - My Favorite Margarita Recipes
Whether it is National Margarita Day, Cinco de Mayo, National Tequila Day, National Cocktail Day, Your Birthday or Someone else’s Birthday, just about any day is a good day for a Margarita. Here are a few Margarita Recipes to get your spirit moving!
Read full storyJulia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon from “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”
Article by Dynie Sanderson from NapaFoodGalTravels. Movies and cooking! I decided to prepare the famed recipe Boeuf Bourguignon from the movie Julie and Julia, inspired by Julia Child’s iconic cookbook – “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. It seems like every time I watch a foodie movie I get motivated to cook one of the dishes prepared in whatever feature foodie film I am watching. This time was not much different. Last week, I was doing a food movie binge watch and one of the films that I indulged in was Julie and Julia which was released in 2009. It is still a foodie movie classic and always one of my favorites.
Read full storyVGS Chateau Potelle - A Boutique St. Helena Winery
Visiting Napa Valley wineries has been traditionally all about sampling the wineries various varietals along with an occasional bread stick or cracker during brief stops at busy tasting rooms along the wine country corridor. The tasting experience has evolved to a new echelon. The Chateau Potelle Food and Wine Experience takes you on a relaxed personalized sensory and flavor excursion with a selection of food and wine pairings at the Tasting House and Gardens at their Saint Helena location just off Hwy 29.
Read full storyYountville Luxury Getaways
Luxury along Yountville's Miracle Mile - Napa Valley. Once upon a time, in the heart of Napa Valley, there once was a small unknown village slightly off the beaten path called Yountville, long before Michelin Star restaurants, luxury hotels, charming little shops, and boutique winery tasting rooms. The town actually began when a small 11,887-acre parcel owned by the Mexican government awarded a land grant to George C. Yount in 1836. Yount was the first Euro-American to settle in these parts and was a true pioneer in planting vineyards in the Napa Valley. In the early days, part of Yountville was actually named Sebastopol, though after George Yount's death in 1867, Sebastopol united with Yountville in honor of Yount's life and the two communities became one in Napa County.
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