Johnnie Walker Gold Label

Photo courtesy L.A.Splash

I have sooo many things to blog about. I need to finish up [yellow tail] posts but have decided they might get put on hold until I am at home where I left all the exact responses and stuff. But I need to get this one done before I forget. Last Friday, the Friday before the wine party, I tried a sip of Johnnie Walker Gold Label courtesy my male roommate. I am NOT a scotch drinker, but this bottle costs in the $80-90 range and there is no way I would ever buy it so try when you can ya know?

My take? Oh. My. Gosh. I. Am. Dying. How did the real scotch drinkers in the room feel? Elated. So I would go more with their opinion. Whenever I drink scotch I just feel like I'm pouring fire and death down my throat. It's not something I want to work on acquiring a taste for, like my wine love, but I know there are die hard fans out there and if you are one of them I think you will enjoy this.

According to the Johnnie Walker website:

"A glass of Johnnie Walker Gold Label is pure indulgence. A skillful blend of rare aged malts creates the rich, creamy, and honeyed flavors of Gold Label. Inspired by the notes of Sir Alexander Walker, who created the original blend in 1920 to mark the birthday of his grandfather John Walker, this is a whisky made for celebration."

From L.A. Splash, who recommend it for Father's Day:

Description: Gold Label is an unusually special whisky, as few can retain their flavor when served chilled. A blend of 15 different whiskies, each aged at least 18 years, Johnnie Walker Gold Label is best served frozen for 24 hours to release its light fruity flavors and true honey sweetness. Johnnie Walker was created in 1920 to mark the 100th anniversary of Johnnie Walker and Sons, but not available in the U.S. until 1995

Price: $80.00

Really fascinating stuff, much more interesting than the history and information behind a lot of products, too bad I'm just not a very good scotch drinker.

For more information I suggest visiting their website although it is one of the most confusing alcohol websites I have visited, and I have visited a lot. I bet my roommate and many others would be interested in hearing that you can have bottles engraved with messages. Image receiving a bottle of Blue Label, considered an extremely delicious and pricey investment, telling you congratulations you are amazing. Very fun indeed.

Enjoy!

Absente Tried!

The boyfriend and I stopped by to get some beer on the way home yesterday. We figured might as well while we were in the area. I was busy browsing some wine and had a raspberry variety in my hand, when the boyfriend noticed that the store sold Absente...or the American version of Absinthe. You shouldn't have hallucinations off of it. We were both psyched. I've been wanting to try Absinthe/Absente for forever and here it was staring at me. Luckily the boyfriend was excited enough to buy it. The bottle was somewhere in the $40 ballpark, but we figured it was worth it. The social fun of having it when friends come buy is reason enough.

Here is the bottle next to the box. The artist for the box is Ron English. Obama fans have probably seen some of his work.

Here is the spoon. Apparently there is a particular way to drink it.

Here is the way. Pour 2 ounces Absente, place sugar cube on spoon, pour 3 ounces cold water over sugar cube, and mix.

Prior to sugar or water

Here we go...

Ah! Honestly, it tasted like Nyquil to me. But maybe my nose just wouldn't let my taste buds truly enjoy it. I'm glad I tried it though. It was quite interesting and a good experience. I wasn't able to drink my 5 ounce concoction, but the boyfriend got his down. No hallucinations, but a completely different kind of buzz were the results.

Enjoy!

Cute Recycling Bin

This recycling bin was passed by the boyfriend and I on the way to the grocery store yesterday. This is by far the cutest recycling bin I have seen in quite some time.

Props to you large city.

Enjoy!

Muffin Reusable Muffin Papers

This photo is of a lemon poppy seed muffin and a baked potato. And maybe that seems like an odd food combo to you. Although then again maybe not, people eat a lot of weird things. Anyways...yesterday was a day of travel. A fairly long day. Arriving at my airport at 2 arriving at the boyfriend's apartment at 9:30. And I didn't want to spend much money. So I bought two muffins from home, two free bags of chips from work, and then allowed myself $5 max at the airport to stay full.

And it worked really well.

So why the picture? This was my "dinner" during my layover. Chips were for on the plane, I still have the other muffin. And I sent this photo on to my boyfriend because it is funny and not typical airport food. But I want to share it with you because notice what the muffin was baked in. That is one of my reusable muffin papers. They are one of my the best kitchen products I own. First of all, the environment is in mind. Second, in my opinion, they work better than regular papers. Come off much cleaner. Third, they are beautiful. The Le Creuset look a lot like the ones I use.

For lots more links check out:

Baking Delights
kaboodle
Kitchen Contraptions

Enjoy!

Hello Kitty Looks Sick

Image courtesy Kristin via Debbie Does Cakes and Serious Eats

I made it to the boyfriend's safe and sound. Which I really had no doubts about...but...

And so a quick post before we are off to do food related activities which I will later post about....

From Robyn Lee on Serious Eats we have a Hello Kitty Zombie Birthday cake which I thought was too cute and which the boyfriend giggled enormously at.

Some more information.

Enjoy!

Fun Food Accessories

It's no secret I'm a fan of iliketotallyloveit, and here are some more reasons why:

A Shark in My Soup Bowl....Image and purchasing courtesy industreal

Image and purchasing courtesy cool material

Chalkboard mug....too cute....in theory you could leave your loved one a note every morning, although I can see where that could turn sour...

Enjoy!

How to Tell If Your Wine has Gone Bad

Yumsugar had an article this week that I thought would be very helpful and appropriate for all the wine business going on lately. Check it for info on how to tell if you wine has gone bad. Avoiding a heavy raisin smell and inspecting the color were my favorite tips.

Enjoy!

Caffeinated Cities and the Joys of Dance

I am too tired and stressed to be up much longer. Our [yellow tail] series will continue tomorrow. Until then, let's hit the caffeine.

A few days ago I read about Tampa being the most caffeinated city in the US. This is followed by Seattle, Chicago, New York, and L.A. I find these kinds of facts interesting. The boyfriend was raised in one of the unhealthiest states in the country, went to college in a city with one of the worst air qualities in the country, and now resides in one of the healthiest places to get your fill of living.

All very amusing.

Even more amusing? This Target commercial. Which I am obsessed with, and I would be hopped up on caffeine all the time if it made me dance like these girls can.

Well I already am a little hopped up all the time, and I still can't dance like that, so soon...soon...yes soon, I will work more seriously on kicking my habit in the butt a little bit. It's costly.

Enjoy!

Bananas Can Shine Shoes

Thanks to GB Mark, the Consumerist, and Huffington Post (original content), I am now aware that bananas can be used to shine shoes.

And the picture? It's a banana hanger. One of my friends in high school had one at his house, and when I found out that this object's sole purpose was to hold bananas I about died laughing.

I don't know why I find banana hangers so funny, but I do.

Enjoy!

Cream Cheese & Chives

Since I did such an unapologetic Thumbs Down Baby involving Lance earlier in the week, I figured I'd try to redeem them a bit post a product I love...the Cream Cheese & Chives crackers. They make days easier and more pleasant. They are inexpensive. And if I wasn't against individual packaging because of the plastic and environmental consequences, they would be absolutely perfect.

MMMMmmm.....

And so I found myself staring at them in the store. I knew I was going to buy them, but should I buy the old wrapper or the new? I've been contemplating Pepsi's new packaging at work lately and deciding weather I like it or not, and I can't tell with Lance either. I like both packages, but do I like one better than the other? I bought both. It's a long day. I can probably budget calories to inhale them all at once.

New or old? It's hard to tell.

But go try the crackers anyways. They sell them in the variety packs or 8 to a box.

Enjoy!

Ann Toebbe Kitchen Scene

Drying Our Boots by the Stove

A while back I featured a kitchen scene by Ann Toebbe. I was busy missing my Mom's house, my Mom, younger sister, and the Christmas tree and the scene made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Well as I prepare to head north to the boyfriend where it is cold and snowy, this kitchen scene gives me the exact same feeling. There's something very warm and friendly about most kitchens, or so I feel, and pictures of them make me happy.

This scene is on sale at 20x200.

From Ann herself: "They publish 8.5 x 11inch editions of 200 that sell for only $20 each. They also have a lot of other artists who have done cool editions!"

I'm also a fan of Nymphenburg by Gregory Krum.

Enjoy!

Customize Your Sweethearts

Mound of Sweethearts courtesy Necco

I love M&Ms not only because the peanut ones are delicious, the plain ones are okay in cookies, but also because they are a stellar example of foods that are fun. Cute/adorable/fun/happy foods are...amazing. The M&M store in Time Square blows me away every time I've gone, and I love their website where you can basically go all out and really personalize the M&M.

Another fun food I love? Necco sweethearts. Momma P actually brought them to the wine party just because. Over the years the sweethearts have evolved to reflect our times, and at times they themselves have gotten a bit sassy, but I guess it has now come to light that you can personalize the hearts much like the M&Ms. Only catch? You have to order at least 3,500 pounds worth.

I don't think even I love them that much.

Interesting idea though. I love the comments on Serious Eats about this being the perfect way to break up with someone. So true. So classy.

Check out The District Domestic for more details.

Enjoy!

[yellow tail] Wine Tasting Part Two (Tear Down Tuesday)

Okay, so I shared with you how my wine tasting came to be. Now the set up. Then we will move onto cheese, food, and results.


This was my first step in a cute, yet blind, taste test. I rolled each of the wine bottles up in beautiful tissue paper, put a water proof bag over the tissue paper, and voila! Perhaps a trained eye could tell what from what, but my friends knew better than tot try to sleuth and figure things out and ruin the blindness, and really only the sparkling white was a dead give away.

I received six whites and nine reds, so we decided to include all six whites and six of the reds in our taste test, hence why the boyfriend and I have bottles left to try and for me to blog about at my leisure.

I pulled my blind down getting that natural light for this photo so I hope everyone enjoys it.

This is some more of the blindness. [yellow tail] sent me printed out pages with the wine descriptions and I hung them on the wall, but covered them until we were done with the tasting. I unveiled them when the results were announced. They were a very informative and fun addition to our little gathering....


Almost as fun as this! That's right, a cube LITE-BRITE! No one could possibly convince my sister, Momma P, and I that the more decor doesn't mean the better. My dear friend Mark Squared, not his real name but it would be if I had any say in the matter, got the ladies of my house this for Christmas. Probably more so he could play with it, but we broke it in for the wine party. I made the beautiful wine glass up top. My sister, on the other hand, made the monstrous Margarita looking thing below.

I can always count on my family members to be extreme.

I love us.

And before I am bombarded with chastising comments and emails, no I do not smoke. And I do lecture those that do. (You know who you are stress smoker...)

Oh, and yes, [yellow tail] wines are going to be my subject for Tear Down Tuesday this week. Two reasons. One, I will be doing so many posts on them, I am basically Tearing them Down so to speak. Two, I didn't do enough caffeine last week and I want to post more on that subject as well. I'm not ready to move on!

Enjoy!

Free Bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper

Image courtesy of Dr. Pepper

I'm thinking today must be GB Mark day. Or it is just all the blogs GB Mark reads have cool stuff day. Either way. But here, courtesy of GB Mark and the Bargainist is a free 20 oz or two liter of Diet Dr. Pepper.

I just went and got mine. So if they are out of stock...I am sorry.

Enjoy!

Approved Food

Image courtesy Approved Food

I believe is was GB Mark who sent me a link from the Consumerist about Approved Food. The British site sells expired, yet edible, food for up to half off.

Apparently it's gotten quite a bump in traffic these last few months. I'm always using things a little past the date, ever since I learned in food science that those dates don't mean much as far as safety goes, it's just pointless to be throwing away food (i.e. money) right now. And I guess a lot of other people feel the same way.

Check out the article over on barfblog for more musings and information.

Enjoy!

Moosejaw and Free Chinese Food

Image courtesy Moosejaw

Earlier this year the boyfriend ordered a jacket from Moosejaw, and I guess he has found himself on their mailing list. Yesterday he forwarded the above announcement to me with the subject line "this made me laugh" which made me question the validity of it even more.

But apparently this is a real campaign. In the boyfriend's words, "Moosejaw sometimes does this kind of thing"....in case you can't read the above words, the deal is you buy from Moosejaw, take 25% of the purchase amount, order Chinese food totaling less than or up to the amount of 25% of your order, email your Moosejaw order number and a photo of your Chinese food receipt to the above address, and Moosejaw will give you an e-Gift Certificate to cover you food.

So buy $100 worth of Moosejaw stuff, order up to $25 of Chinese food, and Moosejaw sends you an e-Gift Certificate for whatever amount the Chinese was up to the $25 limit. So if your food is only $15 only expect the $15 certificate, but you can get up to $25.

Not bad. And very interesting.

Enjoy!

[yellow tail] Wine Tasting Part One

Image courtesy [yellow tail]

So I had a [yellow tail] wine extravaganza and I enlisted the help of you, my readers, to email me and leave me comments with suggestions on how exactly to carry out the whole thing. And this past Saturday it all went off without a hitch. And so, this is the first post in a multi part blogging event on the wonderfulness that is [yellow tail].

I was pleasantly surprised to be contacted by [yellow tail]. I had enjoyed their Riesling a few weeks ago and blogged about it, and as sometimes happens the company took notice. Usually I just get a thanks for the shout out, but [yellow tail] informed me that their red wines were all vegan.

Really?!? My interest was piqued.

And so they offered me some samples. I was soooo excited. So was my sister. Her first response was, "Ew! Why isn't all wine vegan?!?" I know, it's gross to think about. According to [yellow tail] the white wines use gelatin to fine them. A small amount, but it's still there. Insert the chill bumps. My omnivorous sister agreed.

And so I jumped at the chance to sample the vegan red wines. I have quite a few things to post about vegan wines/wines in general in the future, and I figured this would be a good way to get going on that.

So imagine my surprise when I came home to this:



So excited. I'm always thankful for free samples from companies, ways to expand my foodie repertoire while on a tight budget, and this is by far the best experience yet. This is the first time as a foodie I have really had the resources to draw in outside people and my passion into more of a reality. Act on my foodiness if you will.

(Also please note I am a fabulous interior decorator and hand picked the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" futon cover myself.)

I digress.

So yes, I was beyond giddy. If my boyfriend didn't live far away and I wasn't always trying to find ways to get to him (i.e. asking for plane tickets for all my presents), and if I had thought of something as great as this earlier, asking for supplies to host my first wine gathering would have been the ultimate Christmas/Birthday/I'm a wonderful child present. (Hey Mom!)

So now we all know where I'm coming from. And my adventures into the world of become a legitimate oenophile and foodie are taking great form.

In the days to follow I will describe to you how our wine tasting was set up, the results, the food, and reveal the three vegan red wines I still have yet to sample and that will get their own spotlights whenever I can drink them with the boyfriend.

Enjoy!

Blue Cheese Anchovie Disastor

Okay, not to become like a Negative Nancy or Debbie Downer, sorry Nanceys and Debbies, but today I had another food run in that makes me want to do a big Thumbs Down at it and step on the offending food.

I was eating at work and I don't know what possessed me, maybe my vegetarian soul, but I was like hmmm....and looked at the dressing packet ingredients. And there, one of the very last ingredients so barely there, but still there, was listed the word anchovies.

Oh. My. Gosh.

Luckily I hate throwing up, otherwise I would have had to stay at work even longer cleaning.

This really makes me want to go vegan. Maybe I should read EVERY ingredient list and ask servers about absolutely EVERYTHING on the menu, but ugggghhhh....and I know being vegan would require checking even more things, but these incidences remind me how disgusted I am by animal products and encourage me to rid them completely from my diet.

I know this is a very dramatic post, and omnivores probably do not understand (i.e. the boyfriend), but I was distressed.

Below is the offending product, courtesy Packit Gourmet

Blah.