Don't forget! Order now through December 10, 2014 and get 20% off at
when you use promo code CHEERSTO2015
If there is anything that has ever seemed sillier to me than decanting and aerating wine, I'm not sure what it could be. I pay a lot of money for the nice bottle of wine. Why on earth am I going to pour the wine OUT of the fancy bottle? Then no one can appreciate the label and revel in my genius of buying such a swanky bottle of wine.
But then I was introduced to a new fancy aerator and I decided it was time to grow up and figure out what the hub bub was all about. I texted with my friend the wine maker, researched online, and taste tested {it was hard work and it was all for you}.
Here's what I learned. Always decant a nice bottle of wine. If it's old, there could be sediment in the bottom and that's yucky. If it's not old, it brings out the aromas by being exposed to air. If you bought a cheap bottle of wine, decant or aerate that thing so it isn't so "biting." So basically, always decant.
Aerating is a quick and dirty way of skipping the decanter and leaving the wine in the bottle {hooray! see my fancy label!}
::
::
::
By the time Thanksgiving is here my family is going to be so tired of turkey. And stuffing. And everything else. Luckily, no one tires of a cocktail.
To celebrate all things Thanksgiving, I put together a tiny little video to get you excited for the easiest side dishes ever - Weeknight Party Girl style.
Last week I got to host the coolest party with Tree Top - an apple party! We celebrated National Apple Month by pressing fresh apple cider, making apple crafts, and eating apple-tizers. It was a blast!
Apple Cinnamon Popcorn
There are a zillion more photos and cool things after the jump!
To decorate for the party - and celebrate all things apples - we built a giant plywood screen across the back of the truck bay and I painted giant apple slices on them. I cut honeycomb balls into apple shapes inspired by these honeycomb fruit over on Studio DIY. Before the party started we gathered all of the children who are members of "my team" and got a picture of the gang with our favorite brand logo!
One of the crafts we made were apple bird feeders. These are so simple to make. It's great for using apples that are a little bit older - and creating a little fun fall craft with your kids. Also, the birds will eat the seed as well as the apples.
Washington Sliders {made with apple sauce, Beecher's cheese, bacon, and locally grown mustard}
The most exciting part of the party was pressing fresh apple cider. I picked up more than 140 pounds of Washington State apples from the local farmers stand to turn into juice. It's amazing how captivated a group of children can be when there is apple grinding happening.
The children all took turns throwing apples into the grinder and got to try their hand at turning the grinding wheel. When it was time to press the apples, the children also got to press the apples but it gets hard after a few minutes so Mr. Hedin took over that job and the children used small milk bottles to collect the juice as it poured out.
Not everyone cared if they drank the cider fresh off the press. I mean, why would you when there was a cooler full of juice boxes in the kitchen?
I also discovered recently that if you mix Tree Top Three Apple Blend with ginger ale {equal parts} you get a deliciously spicy and sparkly apple mock-tail.
The Three Apple Blend is also amazing mulled!
My children's favorite craft was turning juice boxes into mummies! We used electrical tape and skinny duct tape from the hardware store to turn juice boxes into fabby little monsters.
SWAG! No one left the party empty handed! We filled bags with copies of my book, apple juice bottles, and apple sauce squeezers. Perfect sizes for lunch or for toting around in your bag to keep the kids happy.
I am a huge fan of the Tree Top company. Their juice has always been my first choice because it's based in Washington State. When they approached me to work with them I was ecstatic. I love when I get to promote companies that I already support.
Tree Top is a grower owned co-op that supports more than 1,000 growers in the Pacific Northwest. That means the apples in the juice are locally grown and 100% of the apples are grown in the USA. Tree Top supports local farmers and local families. I'm a huge fan.
This party and post were sponsored by Tree Top
My children were completely creeped out by these rats. Once they realized they all hated them, it became a game to see who could be around it the longest. I think Pearl won. As candle holders, they are perfect for Halloween - and they literally could not be simpler. Make your own and share them with #weeknightpartygirl. I can't wait to see your Weeknight Halloween.
More Halloween Ideas
It's time for Halloween and time for another video! Halloween is a super fun time of the year for a little quirkiness and turning the ordinary fabulous! I made a jello shot cocktail, a creepy crawly candleholder and all of it in no time at all.
Click through to watch the video and stay tuned all week for step by steps and recipes!
Tune into Q13 FOX News this morning at 8:20am and we'll celebrate Dia de los Muertes together!
Dia de los Muertes is most identified by elaborate skull face painting and masks made to resemble the dead. What better way to celebrate than by creating your own mask? Also - turns out the are unbelievably simple to create. All you need is a little doodling with a black sharpie.
I searched online for inspiration then just started doodling on the masks. You can decorate the top with faux flowers, tissue paper flowers, or giant colorful puff balls. Ole!
You can have your own Dia de los Muertes adventure inspired by the new movie
!
Visit
www.worldmarketsweepstakes.com
to enter the sweepstakes through October 24th, 2014. The Grand Prize is 5 days {6 nights} in Mexico at Grand Velas Riviera Maya, free movies for a year, $1,000 World Market Gift Card, and awesome Book of Life Merchandise from Cost Plus World Market!
Over the weekend we pressed apples with the family to make fresh apple cider. We had planned this before I knew it was National Apple Month - but it worked out perfectly! Since so many of you asked about pressing apples on our vintage apple press, I thought I'd share a bunch of our photos here {below the jump}.
We used a mix of Jonagold apples and Granny Smith apples. Some times we gather apples from a friend's orchard that they couldn't sell at market - this time my parents picked them up from the local fruit stand.
The apples go into the top of the press where there is a grinder with sort of vicious metal teeth. Mr. Hedin used an old axe handle to move the apples around so they don't get stuck in the teeth.
The children get to throw the apples in, but we are nervous that their fingers will get in there somehow. Lars had probably just gotten in trouble for getting too close to the teeth as they were turning. Thus, the charming expression.
Once the apples are ground up they drop into a slatted barrel that we line with cheese cloth.
After the slatted barrel is full the cheese cloth gets folded over the top of the apples and a large piece of wood is placed on top so the press can squeeze down evenly.
Juice then pours out the spout on the bottom of the press.
You can drink it right away. And we do. Some people pasteurize it but I've found it takes the "fresh" flavor out of the juice. So we just drink it fast or freeze it. We tried to make hard cider one year and it was an epic fail. Epic. I'll stick to buying it.
No birthday is complete without a cake. And when you ask Amy Christie to make the cake - she brings it! Amy made a Champagne Cake with fancy frosting and edible gold leaf. It's even cooler because she started with a boxed cake mix! Easy! Fancy! Totally Weeknight Party Girl!
Click here for the recipe + Amy's coolness in general
.
Did you miss any part of my birthday!? {Shame on you, it's rude to be late to a party} But you can catch up here. And hopefully you brought a good gift to make up for it.
Smooches!
Dance on the tables with a HAWT playlist from Classic Play
::
Dine on Caramelized Pear and Brie Crostini from Lulu the Baker
::
Sip a phenomenal Black Cherry Punch
::
Set the table with MJ's sparkling place cards
Have a great weekend! See you Monday.