Happy Friday, everyone!
I’m comin’ at ya’ from Napa, California – yeah! A couple girlfriends and I have been talking about taking a girl’s trip for-ev-er, so we finally decided to stop talking about it, cash in our collective hotel points and frequent flyer miles, and actually do it! :)
We arrived yesterday afternoon and, after getting settled into our hotel, headed to a winery I’ve been dying to visit for oh, about 8 years – Cakebread Cellars.
The first “business trip” I ever took right out of college was with my then boss to Toronto (which is an amazing city, btw. The shopping!) While we there we ate at this adorable shabby-chic, hole in the wall Italian restaurant with an incredible wine menu. At the time I knew nothing about wine and picked a glass of “Cakebread wine” to have with dinner thinking it would taste like, well – cake. Ha. Haha. HAHAHAHA!
I know.
The glass of wine didn’t taste like cake, rather it was from the Cakebread Cellars in Napa, and was absolutely unforgettable. A luscious Cabernet that was neither too harsh nor too sweet. It was, in a word, perfect.
Ever since then I’ve been on a Cakebread hunt. I’ve found bottles sold locally, but for $90+, and have never found it on a wine menu no matter where I go. Anyways, imagine my delight when I passed by THE Cakebread Cellars during my Hilton HHonors Napa trip last month on the way to another stop. I knew if/when I returned it would be one of the first wineries I’d visit, and yesterday, we made it so.
Whee!
The girls and I toured the family owned and operated cellars, sampling 6 different wines with our tour guide Nash, and several other visitors.
It was a beautiful afternoon and a perfect way to kick off our weekend of wine tasting.
And guess what? The wine was AMAZING!!! I could not have been more excited to sip, savor, and sip some more.
We’ve got two more full days of wine tasting in the area, so wish us luck! :)
In the meantime, I hope you have an awesome weekend planned out, and please enjoy my favorite finds from around the web and beyond, in this week’s Friday Favorites!
Favorite indulge: 7 Layer Cookies a la Mode. Are you KIDDING me! I think one bite of this luscious, indulgent dessert would send me straight into a blissful sugar coma!
Favorite read: 15 Ways to Stay Married for 15 Years. No gimmicky “Cosmo” advice here – just real, practical ideas for keeping your marriage strong from a couple that just celebrated 15 years together.
Favorite breakfast: Sausage & Cheese Muffins. I had the BEST breakfast casserole at a baby shower a few months ago that had biscuit mix in the casserole. Like, not on the bottom nor top, but laced throughout the entire thing. I haven’t been able to find a recipe even resembling it until I found these muffins. Can’t wait to try ’em!
Favorite DIY: Homemade Pumpkin Coffee Creamer. I long for the pumpkin spice creamer at the grocery store every fall, but never want to pour the chemical-laced stuff into my coffee. This homemade, organic version sounds delicious!!
Favorite freebie: 7 Ingredient or Less E-Cookbook. My friend Dana at the Minimalist Baker just came out with her first e-cookbook with 10 yummy recipes that have 7 ingredients or less. Trust me, each one looks just as delicious as these Strawberry Ombre Pancakes, which are included in the book!
Favorite fashion: Gap’s Boyfriend Jeans. Ok I’m having a dilemma. I am obsessed with the idea of Gap’s boyfriend jeans, which are super slouchy and loose fitting (I hate wearing tight clothes.) Only problem is I would wear these with flip flops or flats, not heels. Would that look dumb?! I can’t tell!
Favorite meal: Chinese Spicy Chicken. Ohhhh yes – crunchy, battery Chinese food that isn’t deep fried! Doesn’t this look delectable?!
Favorite redo: NEW Sock Bun! So I shared a way to make a sock bun a few months ago in a Friday Favorites post, but last weekend my friend and I found a NEW and MUCH better way to do it – just look at the bun I was able to achieve in like, 30 seconds! We were giggling like school girls when we figured it out! What is it about buns that just make me insanely happy? (Click on the link above to see the tutorial we followed!)
Favorite game day dish: Jerk Port Nachos. I MEAN REALLY.
Favorite find (maybe ever): Pinstrosity. I have been in the weirdest mood this week – laughing like an insane person at things I would normally just maybe chuckle at (case in point – I laughed ’til I cried at like, 4 episodes of the Big Bang Theory this week.) Anyways, that said, I laughed at this website, where people submit failed attempts at projects or recipes found on Pinterest, until I could no longer breathe. Maybe it’s really not that funny, but I think it is. Wait ’til you get to the stacked children photo attempt. JUST WAIT.
Favorite fitness: Fat Blaster Workout. I love workouts like this to bust out after running. It’s straightforward, doesn’t require any equipment and, most importantly, WORKS!
Favorite sweet: Chocolate Dipped Salted Nut Rolls. Homemade salted nut rolls dipped in chocolate – ‘nuf said!
Favorite funny. See above re: weird mood. I just thought this was absolutely hilarious. Rebel baby polar bear – whee!
Favorite bite: Spanakoptita Bites. Mmmmmm luscious cheese and spinach in crunchy cups. Super cute appetizer.
Favorite dream: Burberry Military Coat. Beautiful shape and tailoring. Now to scrounge up the $1K to buy it…drat!
Favorite dip: Warm Black Bean Dip. Creamy, cheesy, dippy – perfect for watching my…
Favorite WINNERS: IOWA HAWKEYES! The University of Iowa’s football team plays Iowa State University in “Iowa’s Superbowl” (although I kind of wish they would stop calling it that…) this weekend. Anyways, it’s the biggest rivalry in the state, and I am totally team Hawkeyes! WHEE!
Have a GREAT weekend, everyone! (And seriously, GO HAWKS!) ;)
AbbieD 09.11.2012
I have the boyfriend jeans too and LOVE them. I’ve worn them with flats, flip flops, wedges, and…drumroll…TENNIES! Not like running shoes, but little white Skecher tennies that aren’t too bulky.
Just get some, I promise you won’t regret it!
Cindy Hayden 09.11.2012
Speaking of The Gap…. one of my favorite amazing singers, Nicki Bluhm, is one of the stars of the new Gap campaign. Also The Avett Brothers (my daughter’s favorites) and Kaki King, among others. I have been enjoying your blog from the Sierra Gold Country of Northern California for quite some time now, but I am still an Iowa Girl at Heart! In July my family & I spent a week in a cabin on the shores of Lake Okoboji where I grew up. So good for the soul…. Keep up the good work!! Glad you enjoyed Napa! Maybe El Dorado County wineries next time?
Girlfriend Getaway in Napa Valley (Plus the time I met Morimoto and cried) | Iowa Girl Eats 09.10.2012
[…] visiting Cakebread Cellars on Thursday afternoon, we kicked the weekend off around 10:30 Friday morning at Mumm Napa. A […]
Noelle 09.10.2012
Little late to the party on this, but Kristin, definitely buy the boyfriend jeans. I have a pair from Gap, and they are so incredibly comfortable. Soft and slouchy. And I wear them with flats, flip flops, or my beloved Converse. Never heels. Maybe if I was 5’10 and looked like Heidi Klum…but…no haha. Hope you had fun in Napa. So jealous that you’ve been there multiple times!
Melissa 09.10.2012
Hi! This has NOTHING to do with this post, but I wanted to say that I really like your photography. Would you be willing to put together a post (or a series of posts — even better!) on how *you* take pics? I really like your style! thanks!
Jessica Williams 09.10.2012
Kristin – regarding the jeans – I wear boyfriend jeans with flats/flippy floppys. I think that heels look “out of proportion”…or something. It just doesn’t look right to me. So obviously I say GO FOR IT.
I am so jealous of your wine country trip!! Me and BF went last year to visit some friends who live in Oakland, and it was AH-MAH-ZING.
Let’s go halfsies on the Burberry coat ;)
Hawkeyes lost…not a happy camper.
Kristen 09.10.2012
Go CYCLONES!!! :)
Bek @ Crave 09.10.2012
AHHH you seriously do terrible things posting all those delicious sweets ;) now I want them! haha. Have fun on your girls weekend! Looks like it’ll be a hoot ;)
Lauren 09.09.2012
went to Snooze today and got the Caprese eggs benedict…delish! also, we got engaged this summer in Napa so I am loving your pics – fun to relive such a gorgeous city! Safe travels.
Leesh 09.09.2012
That is the only way I knew how to do a sock bun when I had my long hair. I saw people doing it the other way (sock starting from the bottom) and it looked too difficult. Now that my long hair has been chopped, I will miss throwing my hair into a sock bun.
Carey 09.09.2012
The sock bun link still isn’t working. =(. Funny that you put this isln your favs. Over the summer I googled how to make a perfect bun and found the sock bun. I absolutely love it. I just have to buy hair pins as the boby pins stretch out when I use them for this.
Jenny 09.10.2012
For those of you still having problems with the sock bun link, I also couldn’t get it to work on my iPad….but when I hopped onto my desktop computer, it worked just fine. Might be an issue of compatibility with that channel on YouTube and mobile devices?? Not sure why that would be, but that was the situation for me.
lisa 09.09.2012
On your next trip out to Napa, get reservations at Schramsburg. They make top quality sparkling wine, and the tour takes you through the caves under the hills and teaches you how to riddle the bottles. Totally cool.
Hopefully you missed the game…both sides played ridiculously badly. Painful to watch. Would have much rather been in Napa!
Tiffany 09.08.2012
Cakebread is so yummy! Sounds like you’re having a fantastic trip.
shandy (@webgals) 09.08.2012
I am late to getting to my RSS feed this week…but Go Cyclones. :)
Michelle 09.08.2012
Sounds like you are having a great time in Napa! You are hitting some of our favorite spots like Cakebread and Redd. If you have time, stop by Frog’s Leap (love!), Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and the Oakville Grocery Co. You won’t be disappointed!
Megan 09.08.2012
We tried Cakebread on our honeymoon in Hawaii through the advice of our waiter (I had never heard of it before then). It was the beeeest! Now we get a special bottle every year on our anniversary because it’s very pricey!
Meghan @ After the Ivy League 09.08.2012
Homemade pumpkin coffee creamer sounds amazing…and I need to check out that pintrosity website! I have a weird sense of humor too, can’t blame you for laughing to tears at big bang theory!
Kim 09.08.2012
I see that you fixed the sock bun link but I still can’t get it to work. I would love to see the video if you have time to point me in the right direction to find it. Thx! LOVE your Friday favs!
Karen 09.08.2012
Next time you come back – branch out a bit from Napa and try Cline in Sonoma and J in Healdsburg. Both AWESOME! (You can get Cline wines easily at Trader Joes and Bevmo, etc.) Have fun!
Tom 09.08.2012
Kristin, if you all are still in the Valley Sunday, stop by Hagafen Cellars, I will be working. Always love to have the Iowa peeps in town. Watching th Iowa – Iowa St game in SF today with the Hawkeye crowd
Iowa Girl Eats 09.08.2012
Dang! We’re leaving Sunday morning. I definitely want to bring Ben back someday, so I’ll put Hagafen on the schedule. :)
Tom 09.08.2012
sorry we’ll miss you this go around. If you have time today, stop in and ask for Aine, we’re also “picnic friendly” and she can set you up. Have a blast, looks like great day around the Bay and the Valley!