Since we arrived in the mountains on Sunday we have seen nothing but rain. Today we have a 5 hour window of no rain, but then it is expected to start up again and continue for the remainder of our time here. In an effort to not have the rain affect our time in the mountains, I thought it would be a fun idea to have a wine and cheese pairing party with my brother and husband. I asked each of them to select a wine, research pairings and put together a small tasting station.

To set the stage for this wine and cheese pairing party, I provided the foundations:

Chalkboard Paper Table Runner
Chalkboard Markers (for labeling the cheeses)
Wood Leaves to frame each cheese and add a festive fall touch
Cheese Knives (Classic Soft Knife and Classic Hard Knife)
Gold Serving Papers to consolidate the accoutrements for each pairing

The results from this party were fantastic. Below is a breakdown of what each person contributed (Wine, Cheese and Accoutrements).

Napa Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon

As soon as I announced this party, my brother immediately called dibbs on Napa Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. This particular wine is full bodied and complex. It has notes of dark fruits, cinnamon and a hint of tobacco. In general, Cabernets tend to be on the heavier side, so my brother looked for more of a neutral cheese with deeper flavored pairing accoutrements. Typically you find that cabernet sauvignons pair best with flavors that match in intensity like espresso gelato, juniper berries, red meats, robust cheeses. Below is a breakdown of what my brother decided to pair with this wine.

Cheese: Cypress Grove's Midnight Moon
Accoutrements: Fresh Rosemary, Dried Dark Cherries, Sea Salted Chocolate, Rosemary 34 Degree Crisps
Additional Pairing Ideas: Blue Cheese, Camembert, Washed Rind Cheeses, Cheddar, Walnuts

Phantom by Bogle, Red Blend

My husband decided that his wine contribution would be Phantom by Bogle (a current favorite of ours). Phantom is red blend consisting primarily of Petite Sirah and Zinfandel grapes tend to be on the fruitier/full-bodied side. Petite Sirah's and Zinfandels tend to pair really well with spicy foods (ex. chili pepper, cajun seasoning). My husband elected to pair this wine with spicier accoutrements (Cajun Peanuts and Spicy Plum Chutney), which are recommended with Petite Sirah wines and a sharp cheddar (which is a recommended pairing with Zinfandel wines). Thyme and fresh apple finished off the pairing station as both items go very well with cheddar and the other accoutrements.

Cheese: Black Creek, Sharp Cheddar Aged 9 months
Accoutrements: Fresh Thyme, Fresh Sliced Granny Smith Apple, Cajun Spiced Virginia Peanuts, Natural 34 Degree Crisps and Virginia Chutney Company's Spicy Plum Chutney
Additional Pairing Ideas: Olives, Roquefort, Fresh Oregano, Anything with Heat

La Crema, Chardonnay

Since my brother and husband both chose red wines, I selected a white wine to balance out the spread. Whites are much lighter in flavor and body and tend to have higher acidity (notes of citrus), so I looked for more of a lighter cheese and accoutrements that had fresh bright flavors. This La Crema Chardonnay has a buttery clean taste with hints of peach blossom, meyer lemon, vanilla and yellow plum. The nose is a combination of both oak and citrus. Given the flavor profile of this particular wine, here is what I chose for pairings:

Cheese: Cypress Grove's Sgt. Pepper Chèvre
Accoutrements: Fresh Sage, Simple & Crisp Dried Pear Crisps, Truffle Marcona Almonds, Fresh Blackberries and Eat This Peach Habanero Preserves
Additional Pairing Ideas: Basil, Tarragon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Saffron, Citrus, Fish (ex. Smoked Salmon), Apple, Brie, Gouda and Compte.

While the pairings may have not been textbook (traditional pairing combinations), they were still delicious and I loved all of the new ideas shared on what to serve with each wine. This party ended up being a major success with my brother and husband. They both had a great time researching and sharing their various contributions with the group. As well it was also fun to get to try an assortment of wine and cheese pairings. This party idea is great idea for fall and can work both indoors or outdoors (although I would recommend outdoors if your weather permits because its always nice to have a reason to be outside…especially before winter sets in and we all go into hibernation mode).

I love birthdays. I am pretty sure that the reason why I love them so much is because of all of the special traditions my mom created for me and my siblings on our birthdays when we were younger.

Growing up, when it was your birthday, you would be greeted in the morning with the breakfast in bed tray that had been outfitted with a breakfast of your choosing, all of your birthday cards/gifts, the family birthday crown (encrusted in only the finest plastic gems) and most importantly, your birthday horoscope cut out from the morning newspaper. To this day, I still make a point of getting the birthday horoscope from the actual newspaper, since that was the original tradition. Actually come to think of it, not too much has changed with my personal birthday routine as I have gotten older (birthday crown included….yes, my husband is a saint!).

In addition to family birthday celebrations, I love hosting birthday parties for my close friends. It gives me an opportunity to celebrate my friends individually, share some of my old birthday traditions and come up with some new birthday ideas.

The main reason why I am sitting here regaling you with all of the family birthday traditions I have enjoyed since childhood, is because it was the inspiration for my first birthday party blog post.

Party Overview

This was an all girls birthday cocktail party. I kept the food pretty simple with a cheeseboard, cupcakes and a specialty cocktail. I wanted it to be relaxed and assembled all of the hors d'oeuvres on my coffee table. My thought was that it would be nice to have everything right there so I would be able to enjoy my guests and not have to get up and fuss with different entrees. It ended up being just that, which was great. Of course, the "Birthday Tradition Musts" for this party included: party favors, cupcakes, party hats, decorations and a birthday horoscope.

All desserts and birthday decor were set up on my dining table. My dining table happens to be the first thing you see when you enter my home, so focusing the decorations on the table created the immediate birthday vibe when I welcomed my guests.

Dining Table Details:

DIY Tissue Pom-Poms (Easy to make and cost approx. $2 to make as opposed to the $20 cost of buying them already made)
Paper Source Table Confetti- Classic or Trend
S'more Cupcakes
Sugar Cookies
DIY Floral Arrangement using some of my favorite Budget Friendly Florals
Mini Birthday Party Hats -Oh Joy! for Target
DIY Party Favors
- Nail Polish-Save on cost by purchasing a multipack and then parsing it out to each favor bag.
- Sofia Coppola Sparkling Wine - Champagne in a pink can complete with straw. Need I say more?
- Novelty Candy- Like these adorable Brut & Rose Gummi Bears from Sugarfina
- Kitsch Hair Ties- I found the hair-ties featured above at Home Goods for 60% off their suggested retail value
- Nail Files- Again, I was able to save on cost through buying a nail file multi pack and then parsing it out to each goody bag. These Glass Nail Files are fantastic and known to have a very long lifespan.
- Cellophane Bags with Flat Bottoms
- Ribbon (I am a huge fan of saving good ribbon and reusing it).

Birthday traditions can be fun to create, hold on to and share with your friends and family. Personally, the best part of celebrating birthdays would have to be the people. Being with family and friends can instantly turn a birthday into a memorable celebration.