A review of two Italian wines from the Veneto region of Italy.
What’s New
Top 10 Favorite Things about Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort
We stayed at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, and it became one of my all-time favorite hotel stays. Here are the top 10 reasons why I loved this fabulous retro-themed resort.
Celebrity Photo Op Ideas: How to Prep and Pose for the Perfect Shot
Everything you ever needed to know about preparing for a celebrity photo op.
The Cookbook
Fixin’ to Eat: Southern Cooking for the Southern at Heart
Add love to your Southern cooking, and you’ll be Fixin’ to Eat! New cookbook Fixin’ to Eat: Southern Cooking for the Southern at Heart is now available.
Gardening
Epidendrum Radicans: The Easiest Orchid You’ve Never Heard Of
Epidendrum radicans, also known as reed-stem epidendrum or fire star orchid, is a beautiful, easy care orchid suitable for the ground or in a pot.
Travel
Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure with Kids
We went to Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure with our children, ages 6 and 9, and had a great time. Here are my tips for a successful trip with kids.
Wine
Mohua Sauvignon Blanc 2016 Wine Review
A review of Mohua Sauvignon Blanc 2016, a white wine from Marlborough, New Zealand with a bright, tropical, and lightly vegetal flavor. Find out why I liked it, plus recommended food pairings.
Looking Good
Put Some Color On: Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Curviest Caramel
Check out a swatch and a review of one of my favorite products, Clinique Chubby Stick Intense, in Curviest Caramel. It’s a gorgeous nude with just the right amount of color.
Favorite Recipes
Zabaglione Gelato for #SundaySupper
Outside is green lushness with a patch of white. The view from where I’m sitting is filled with trees. One of them is a dogwood in full bloom. Thunderstorms rolled through last night and washed away much of the pollen. It made all the green leaves so bright and vivid. There are warm days ahead […]
Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce
It all started with the pasta. Unusual shaped pasta caught my attention during a recent shopping trip. Any unique shape or color does it for me. This time it was long fusilli. I’ve only seen short ones until that moment. The bag went into my shopping cart in a split second. Then it sat in […]
Blueberry Oatmeal Crumb Bars
Blueberry bars and California wine country. The two will forever be joined in my mind. I cannot think of one without the other. Then I think of all the other memories from this one particular trip to Napa/Sonoma/San Francisco and it makes me smile. It all started with a raffle ticket. One little raffle ticket, […]
Chocolate Potato Bundt Cake with Strawberry Glaze for #BundtBakers
Two answers to start with: Yes, there is potato in the cake. No, I’m not crazy. I’ve done this before. I swear. I admit it sounds strange. It’s okay. I remember back decades ago when yogurt in a cake sounded that way too. Now there are thousands of yogurt cake recipes. So trust me. Bake […]