Life is Fabulous

I Like Beer.

2012-01-22T19:00:00.001-06:00

The fact that I work for a winery comes with a fallacy that I only enjoy wine. I am here to tell you that beer, good beer, is also fun! Beer. It makes me a jolly good fellow.

For some reason the past three weekends have found me enjoying the suds. Here is a recap:

On a chilly and 'blah' Saturday I awoke to the a case of the hum drums. Hans was working on destroying the monstrosity that was our living room ceiling fan and I was looking to stay out of his way. The outcome? A visit to the Wisconsin border to buy some delicious cheese at Mars Cheese Caslte and check off something on my bucket list... a train ride of the Jelly Belly factory!

Vicki and her new BFF

Me and Vicki

While Vicki and I were playing in Wisconsin, Hans worked on tearing out the fan and adding our new ceiling lights in the living room. The next day he went to the gun range with my Uncle Bill and the following Tuesday I painted the ceiling and the hallway. . . by the way, I have decided, if there is a hell they make you paint ceilings all day!

The next weekend Hans and I celebrated the ceiling/hallway renovation with a visit to Ram Brewery in Schaumburg. The best? Running into my dear friend Bubba (you better call him Tom), the Brewmaster at Ram Brewery, and enjoying some of his favorites beers!

Bubba! YOU better call him Tom.

This past weekend: After a hard wine week in the world of Christina, and Hans trying to come home from Iowa in a snowstorm, we totally deserved a fun day of beer tasting. We went downtown to the elusive and amusing Brew Ho Ho with our friends Vicki, Pete, Jon, Sue, Bob and Deb.

Hans, Jon & Pete

The Motley Crew

Me and Chuck, the beer sensei, and also the editor of The Chicagoist

I ran in to Ronnie, whom I've known for 10 years, an awesome wine club member at Lynfred!

Pete ripped his pants.

Hans and Pete couldn't wait for dinner.

We finished off the night with my homemade Potato Corn Chowder.

Okay. That's enough beer. Bring on the vino!

Sometimes You Just Have To Fry Some $#*%

2012-01-05T20:46:00.002-06:00

Hello, my name is Christina and I don't like fried food. Yes, I admit it, I am a southerner who loathes all things fried. Baked? I love it. Sauteed? Yes, please. Roasted? Mmm, hmm. Fried? Ick. Call me a hypocrite, but when it comes to fried chicken, I am a convert! Okay, let me be honest, I am a convert unless it is made in my house; I cannot stand the smell of fried crap in my house. But, when my cute, and very persistent, husband begs for fried chicken for five days in a row... well, I can take a hint.

If you're going to stink up your house with oil and fried $#*% you might as well use a kick a$$ recipe like my 'It's So Worth The Grease Smell Because They Are Delicious, Chicken Thighs':

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon dried mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

3 large eggs

2 cups buttermilk seasoned with salt and pepper

12 skinless boneless chicken thighs (about 2 2/3 pounds)

Vegetable or Olive oil for frying

Day Before:

Soak chicken thighs in buttermilk (if you don’t havebuttermilk use 2 cups milk and 2 tablespoons vinegar), salt and pepper. Soakovernight (for 8-18 hours). This is a very important (i.e. VITAL) tip to follow because it tenderizes the chicken.

Day of cooking:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix flour, salt, black pepper, chilipowder, paprika, dried mustard and dried thyme in large ziplock bag to blend. Whiskeggs in another medium bowl to blend. Shake chicken thighs in flour mixture,coat with egg, then shake again in flour mixture. Transfer chicken to bakingsheet.

Add enough olive oil to heavy large skillet to come 1/4 inchup sides of pan. Heat oil over medium-high heat until very hot; Working inbatches, fry chicken thighs until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Returnchicken to baking sheet. Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes.Make sure chicken registers to 165 degrees. Serve with love. Oh, and then open awindow and wash your clothes to get rid of that fried smell that I loathe.**

**Again, so worth the smell because this fried chickenrecipe kicks @$$.

You're welcome (because Hans will be singing my praises), Christina

A White Christmas in Texas, Y'all

2011-12-31T09:05:00.000-06:00

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas.... and we got it... in west Texas!

With Hans' family on the east coast, and mine in the south, every year we alternate our Christmas destination; this year found us flying into Midland for the surprise of white stuff in the otherwise arid west Texas.

We celebrated with the traditional Swedish smorgasbord on Christmas Eve followed by a lavish evening of cocktails and fabulous presents (thanks, Mom and Dad)!

Christmas Day we cooked up a beautiful prime rib and my beautiful sister-in-law, Somany, came out to visit. Unfortunately Erik and Sophanarit were working the drill rig in New Mexico but at least we were able to chat on the phone all weekend.

Somany!

Christmas night we played a mean game of Farkle. I think Hans makes up the rules as he goes...

The day after Christmas my mom and I were up at the crack of dawn to get in line at Miss Cayce's Christmas store for their after-Christmas sale! We spent the day shopping and got to visit Erik & Somany's new home (they just moved in last weekend)! We even found time to include a stop to Aldredge Gardens. We shopped while Hans and dad went to the shooting range (of course, what trip to Texas is complete without guns?).

Erik and Somany's new house! Now they just need grass! lol

Poinsettias at Aldredge Gardens

I must re-create this!

Orchids!

After an exhilarating day of shopping me, mom and Somany headed out for a girl's night out at the ballet! We started with some vino and appetizers and then went to see the Moscow Ballet perform the Nutcracker. FABULOUS!

After a blissful and relaxing weekend Hans and I headed home to Chicago. I hope your holiday was as wonderful as ours was! Merry Christmas, Y'all!

You may view all the pictures from our merry Texas trip HERE

Merry Christmas from the Notorious Heller Gang

2011-12-22T20:24:00.002-06:00

'Sly Gino' Wheezer

'Four Legs' Corbets

Hans 'The Grinch'

Christina 'The Fabuloso'

Here's hoping your holiday is so fun it should be illegal!

A fabulous new look

2011-12-13T12:35:00.000-06:00

We're baaaaaccckkk! After a 9 month hiatus I have decided it was time to redesign our blog with a new streamlined look and bring fabulous back! This serves as your warning...

I'm Going To Oprah's Final Taping!

2011-05-16T19:00:00.008-05:00

For those of you who have not heard (trust me, if you’ve been within 500 feet of me in the past week, you know…) I am going to Oprah’s final tapings tomorrow (Tuesday evening)!

What might be the most sought after tickets in human history (seriously), I have them in my greedy little paws (okay, really my BFF Vicki has them, because she’s the one who got them). Anyhoo, I am going to Oprah’s final taping at the United Center with 19,999 of my new best friends.

Whether you love or hate Oprah you have to be excited for me; I grew up with Oprah. Oprah first aired when I was 12 years old. My mom watched her. My grandma worshipped her. I listened to her. When I told my Mom I was going she said “You know who would be so excited? My Mom.” My grandma, the hard working German that she was, only relaxed one hour a day; when Oprah was on. So you know what? I’m going to pretend that I’m sneaking Grandma in to the show in my purse (God knows there is plenty of room there) and I’m going to scream like one of those crazy people on the ‘Favorite Things’ shows… you watch me – seriously – watch me – the two shows that we’re taping air May 23 & 24. Stay tuned for updates after the taping!

Oh, what am I wearing? This:

Oprah or Bust, baby!

The Queen of FUN

2011-04-06T20:33:00.011-05:00

Since the inception of my blog I have never neglected my ‘baby’ for so long. Here is my apology: Dear Fabdarling Blog, I have missed you dearly but I must admit I have been having a ton of fun during our separation. I promise to love you in the coming months (my goodness, I have so many fun things coming up) and I hope you will forgive me with this posting of pictures and links to some fabulous experiences. We spent Christmas at a shooting range, New Years on a gangster tour of Chicago, cheered my cousin at a Special Olympics fashion show, enjoyed a girlfriend getaway in Wisconsin, visited friends and wineries in Paso Robles, California and entertained friends... life is always fun in the Heller abode! Wanna come play? XOXO, The Queen of Fun, Christina

Christmas 2010 - Hans' Parents Visit

New Year's Eve 2010 - Best College Friend Visit

Mom's Visit Feb '11- Special Olympics Fashion Show

California Visit - March '11 Paso Robles Wineries & Cochran Fam

Coming soon: Cape Hatteras, baby!

Me. On TV.

2011-02-23T15:25:00.005-06:00

Remember the morning it was -9 degrees outside (before the wind chill) in Chicago? I remember it quite well; it was Thursday, February 10. That morning I was up before the birds (like they’d be up in that weather) and was headed to the winery for an early morning, live-taping of the WGN TV’s Around Town segment!

Ana Belaval from WGN TV

WGN’s Ana Belaval and her fabulous crew arrived around 6 am to set up and a select group of volunteers (from our Facebook page) arrived around 6:30. We were promoting our first-ever Weddings at the Winery with Whole Foods Market in Schaumburg and we decided to throw a mini-wedding at 7 am!

The morning truly was a blast and the two longer segments can be viewed here:

Part 1

Part 2

Gia - my awesome assistant! I had her marry this bottle of wine on-air.

All the pictures from the WGN filming can be viewed on my winery Flickr page.

Snowmageddon 2011

2011-02-02T09:15:00.007-06:00

Snowmageddon. Snowpocolypes. Snownami. SnowMG, Snowtorious B.I.G. Chizzard. Whatever you want to call it, we got ALOT of snow.

Um Corbets, the snow is taller than you. You can't go out the front door.

I was able to get the front door open 'this' much.

So I Dragged Hans to a French Restaurant

2011-01-08T07:20:00.006-06:00

During our Christmas vacation Hans and I made a trip out to Woodstock, Illinois. Woodstock is where the movie Groundhog Day was filmed and is just cute as a button. While there we had lunch at the cutest little French restaurant, La Petite Creperie. Below is the review I wrote for Yelp, but I thought I’d share with all of you, too:

On a blustery winter day I awoke with a craving for French food (here is where I might add that this happens on a pretty regular basis). My husband and I were both on Christmas vacation so with a promise to stop at Cabella's for him, I was able to coerce him to join me on a trip to Woodstock for lunch at La Petite Creperie.

Located on the darling Woodstock square, La Petite stands as a welcoming beacon of comfy, cozy French food. The second we walked in I felt like I was given a hug of friendliness; the staff was smiling and welcoming and within five minutes my husband had a delicious hot toddy in hand and me, a French Viognier.

Yes, I realize it was only lunch, but because we had never been to La Petite before we wanted to experience the menu so we ordered everything from appetizers to dessert. We had both the pâté plate as well as the mussels - both were delicious! My husband and I were fighting over the pâté; and for a man who hates olives, he did not leave me much of their homemade olive bread! Oh, I dipped that olive bread in the mussel's broth and it was heaven! Our main courses we had to go with the savory crepes. He had the beef bourguignon with pearl onions and I had the shrimp Creole; both were scrumptious! We also decided to have dessert and were very thankful we did; crème brulee and a noel log cake... YUM!

I will definitely make the trip back to Woodstock to visit Le Creperie again - possibly in summer to experience the square's farmer's markets I've heard so much about!

La Petite Creperie in Woodstock? Il est magnifique!

Merry Christmas From The Crazy Heller Family

2010-12-24T07:18:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas!!! Love, Hans, Christina, Corbets & Wheezer

Christmas Decorating at the Heller's - South Pole Style

2010-12-11T19:33:00.007-06:00

When the 'Crazy Target Lady' commercials surfaced this year Hans laughed for about three days. Yep, she pretty much sums me up.

This year will be our first year at home for Christmas in five years; we usually travel to Texas or New York to visit our families for the holidays but are entertaining at home this year! This year Hans’ parents, George and Marilyn, are driving in from New York to spend the holiday with us, only to be followed up by a visit from by fabulous college friends, JJ and Cyndi, for New Year’s Eve! I only decorated three Christmas trees this year but focused more on ‘fresh’ since we’d be home to enjoy it. You’ll also see some sights of my fabulous Mark Robert’s fairies…

My 'heritage' tree with family ornaments and those that Hans and I made as kids. Yep- that picture ornament is me in kindergarten in Kansas.

The bar area decorations are all my passed-down Swedish and German things from my family.

I did all white poinsettias all over the house this year -except for red ones in the guest bedroom.

Our bedroom. Hans thought I might have gone too far doing the bedroom, too but I told him you can't just stop at the hallway. He just shook his head and accepted defeat. Boys, don't worry, he used it as an excuse to go to Lunar Brewery while I was decorating.

My spruce tips on the front porch. My first attempt this year and I think they turned out pretty cute!

Today I went downtown with my BFF, Vicki, to visit the Christkindl Mart. I can't wait to share those pics! Until then... Love, love, love...

A Vegas Wedding

2010-11-22T18:21:00.015-06:00

One week and one day ago my little brother Erik married his beautiful fiancé, Somany, in a fabulous Vegas wedding! There were only 15 of us at the wedding; Erik, Somany, my parents, Somany’s parents, her brother and her three sisters, plus one boyfriend, Jon and Christy (my parent’s BFFs from Texas) and Hans and I, and we had a BLAST! Our whole group camped out at Paris and we were quite a sight; the Swedes and the Cambodians!

Saturday night my parents took Hans and me to the exquisite, Eiffel Tower Restaurant, with a window view of the Bellagio fountains. Afterwards we walked the strip with delicious margaritas from Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville and did some damage on the Black Jack tables.

Sunday morning we all walked more of the strip (I like daytime Vegas much better than night-time Vegas, by the way) and then saddled up for the best wedding I have ever attended. We saw five other couples get married (including a bride in all black and one pregnant lady) and took a copious amount of hilarious photos.

The ceremony was by far the funniest and sweet wedding I have heard. Because there were only 15 of us we heckled and joked and were told we were the best wedding of the day. Yeah, that’s how we roll...

After the ceremony we headed back to Paris for cocktails in the casino and then a lavish dinner at Les Artistes. The cake? Just another reason I love my brother and Somany; red velvet (my favorite)!

After the ceremony we did some serious gambling and this is where I will also say ‘What happens in Vegas…’.

The next morning I got up early (hey, who needs sleep?) and met my parents across the street at the Bellagio. The Bellagio is by far, my favorite for gawking. The atrium and the Orchid House are eye candy but the best is the largest chocolate fountain in the world!

After we said goodbye to everyone Hans and I still had the whole day in Vegas so we took a cab to visit the Gold and Silver Pawn shop. The Gold and Silver Pawn is from our favorite TV show, Pawn Stars, on the History Channel. After the Pawn Shop we had a boozy lunch and then visited the world’s largest antique car show at the (dumpy) Imperial Palace. The cars were pretty cool but I was totally stoked that they had a Zoltar fortune machine (remember from the movie ‘Big’?)! Hans LOVED it.

We got home around midnight on Monday and because the airplane is a virus incubator, I caught the flu and was downright ILL for a week, but it was TOTALLY worth it!

I just want to THANK my parents for an amazing Vegas get-a-away (they footed the bill – including that awesome dinner at the Eiffel Tower). I want to say WELCOME to my new and fabulous family, and another THANK you to Sophanarit (Somany’s brother but I call him my ‘brother from another mother’ who walked an hour to get me a Diet Coke). Most of all I want to CONGRATULATE my awesome brother Erik, and my beautiful sister-in-law, Somany! SKOL!

All of the wedding pictures can be viewed HERE

All of the other Vegas pictures can be viewed HERE

Love, love, love.

Celebrating Veteran's Day

2010-11-10T20:16:00.006-06:00

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you. ~Author unknown, sometimes attributed to M. Grundler

This blog is a replica from today's post on my winery blog (another blog I write) but because of its personal connection to my Grandpa Kerbel I thought I would share it with you.

My Grandpa Kerbel (Earl) has always been what I would define as 'cold' or 'cut off' emotionally to me and my brother. I don't hold it against him personally; he had a hard row to hoe (and I mean that literally, as in a 'hard row to hoe' beets... he hoed beets as a child). He was hard and sometimes cold to my mom and her sisters, but he was DAD, and we always love our dad, just like I always love my Grandpa.

Last year my grandfather was offered to be an attendee of an Honor Flight to Washington DC to visit the war memorials. He is an incredibly ‘hard’ man’; I mean that emotionally he has never shown any tears to our family, and especially ignored the topic of his war-time experiences. It wasn’t until he and I watched the re-cap tape of his Honor Flight experience that I saw the raw emotion and pain that surfaced from an emotional recluse. Upon watching the video he was instantly open to sharing more history of his South-Pacific experience than I ever knew. It opened my eyes to what ‘Veteran’s Day’ truly means.

In honor of Veterans Day, all service men & women, veterans and active duty, receive a complimentary wine tasting on Thursday, November 11th at Lynfred Winery in Roselle and Wheeling, Illinois.

Would you like to thank a troop or veteran today? We personally love the ‘Let Say Thanks’ page to send a free note to our active troops: http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1280.html

Another way to send a thank you to our veterans is through the American Legion: http://www.legion.org/posts

Lynfred Winery (and me, myself and I) would like to personally thank each and every American soldier for their sacrifice. We raise our glasses to you. Cheers!

October Recap: A Photo Blog

2010-11-07T17:21:00.012-06:00

October flew right past us but never fear, my camera was there! Because we covered a lot of ground I decided to do my annual 'October Photo Blog' rather than try to recapture everything in words. We kicked off October with a trip to Schnitzel Platz in Glendale Heights for their annual Oktoberfest. All I can say is ‘das boot’.

My cousin Wendy was in town from Georgia and took the train from Union Station to visit me at the winery!

The grape harvest was extremely late this year and we received over 300 tons of grapes at the winery in October alone!

I hosted some French chefs at the winery for a cooking class. They brought a truffle the size of a baseball that was worth $1000! For an afternoon snack they buttered a piece of baguette, added salt, and shaved truffle on it for me.

Vicki and I made our annual pumpkin-picking trip to Goebbert’s Pumpkin Farm. This year I had 16 pumpkins in my yard. I found one I loved so much I gave it a smooch.

Hans made a trip to North Carolina and stopped to see his cousin Jen, and her husband Shawn, before heading to Hatteras Island for a weekend of kiteboarding.

Hans painted the exterior of the house! Here you can see the project ‘in progress’ - it turned out really great:

We hosted a Halloween open house and the 'belle of the ball' was our cat, Wheezer. He was sleeping in the leaves by the door step all afternoon – the neighborhood kids loved him –they thought he was fake!

The entire month of October the house was very quiet… that’s because Hans spent almost the entire month working in the man cave on the Chevelle. He’s done a bang up job on the interior!

Finally, I kicked off November with a visit to Indiana to meet my cousin Mary’s new baby, Sophie. She’s just precious!

What’s next in the Heller household? Vegas, baby! This coming weekend we’ll be heading the Little White Wedding Chapel on the Vegas strip to celebrate my little brother’s wedding! Stay tuned – that blog is sure to be a doozy!

Bostonians, A Birthday and a Bash

2010-10-06T18:46:00.014-05:00

If you know me you know I celebrate a little something I like to call ‘birth month’ and this year was no different than any other. We started our celebrations with the arrival of the Bostonians: Jon & Cassie.

The Friday night they arrived we took the train downtown to have dinner at The Publican. The restaurant is a creative addition to the amazing resume of Chef Paul Kahn and our dinner did not disappoint! Here’s what we had:

We decided to order items like tapas. We kicked it off with the chef’s choice of oysters (that evening was east coast vs. west coast – we all love east coast) and an order of their signature spicy pork rinds (that melted in your mouth).

Next we ordered up the Chareuterie plate - pork pie, por-foie gras terrine, liverwurst, coffee cured pancetta, toulouse sausage, pickles and mustard.

Then the Bouchot mussels from Maine - gueuze, bay, celery, butter and garlic and the squash from Kankakee, IL with mushrooms, celery, mint and pecorino romano.

The main course? The ‘Ham in Hay’. We saw this dish on the Food Network and HAD to order it. Ham in Hay with peaches, farmers cheese, saba and basil. DELISH!~

After dinner we grabbed a cocktail at Carnivale and caught the late train home. I was the only one still awake when we arrived home.

We had a fabulous weekend hanging with Jon and Cassie and the ping pong championships are to be continued...

The night before my birthday Vicki and I headed down to Wicker Park for dinner at Spring. Spring is a James Beard award-winning restaurant and is housed in an old Turkish & Russian bath house. Our first course was a treat from the chef – an amuse of Potato and Leek cold soup with saffron. After that taste I knew it was going to be an awesome dinner.

The sommelier just happened to be our server and shared a 2004 Capeanes 'Pansal de Calas' from Montsant, Spain. Holy Mary, Mother of God, It Was Good.

The following evening Hans threw me a birthday bash at our house with some of our neighborhood friends. Our friend Ray made his famous fajitas and Vicki made homemade rice and beans as well as my favorite lemon buttercream cupcakes.

It was an amazing birthday! Thanks to all my fabulous friends and family

Love, love, love,

Christina

P.S. Happy Wedding to Miranda & Michael and Anita & Jeremy!

Guest Blogger for Garrett's Popcorn

2010-09-22T09:50:00.004-05:00

I was recently asked to be a guest blogger for Garrett's Popcorn and the post is now up on their website!

Check it out by visiting the Garrett's Popcorn Website HERE

Here's a teaser:

Before I begin my guest blogging about the most awesome popcorn in the world, Garrett’s, I would like to ask a question:

How many of you have rented a movie, popped yourself some popcorn and enjoyed it with a glass of wine?

Don’t be shy; you’re in good company here. I will gladly admit that one of my favorite indulgences on a Friday night is a good movie, popcorn and a glass of wine. Wine and popcorn, you ask (you should know by now that Garrett’s Popcorn is not just popcorn it is a little taste of heaven)? Oh yes, and I would like to take you on a happy journey to popcorn and wine nirvana. Follow me. … Continue Reading

Labor Day: Beach Blanket Bingo

2010-09-15T03:53:00.010-05:00

Holiday weekends rock! Hans and I took Labor Day weekend to do a quick day-road-trip to Saugatuck, Michigan. We were to meet up with a fellow kite boarding (OBX) friend, Rich, and his family for a day of beach fun but the weather deterred us to downtown Saugatuck (much to Christina’s happiness).

The rain finally made an exit and we were able to enjoy a beach day. Unfortunately the wind did not cooperate for Hans and Rich for kite boarding.

Hans was surprisingly calm about not being able to kiteboard but I soon found out why he did not mind… he fully planned to come back the following day when the wind was good.

I apologize it has taken me almost two weeks to share these pictures but last weekend I was sharing the joys of Lynfred wine with attendees of the Windy City Wine Festival at Buckingham Fountain. . .

This weekend we are hosting our friends Jon and Cassie from Boston. The plans include dinner at The Publican, ping pong championships and a trip to Goebbert’s Pumpkin Farm. Many pictures to come – Cheerio!

Good Morning, Fabulous!

2010-09-09T15:13:00.002-05:00

Yesterday morning I had several friends tell me about a about a contest being hosted by Good Morning America and that I should enter it. Here’s what it states on their website:

Tell Us Why a Member of the GMA Family Should Visit You at Work!

Do you love your job? Do you have a tough job, a dream job or a never-before-seen job to share with the world? Do you want to show the "GMA" team what makes it great, special or unique? Send us a description of yourself, your job or workplace, and why we should visit you -- in 250 words or fewer -- and if you're chosen, a member of the "GMA" family will stop by and work with you!

Well, you can only imagine my excitement and I was soon after submitting this to ABC:

“A newspaper article about me once read, 'Marketing Director Intoxicated By Job'. I moved to Chicago to work for Lynfred Winery ten years ago and my life is a dream on a daily basis. It is at Lynfred that I found my true calling. I am a foodie and wineaux (fancy for wino) at heart and the wine and food culture that surrounds me is like a warm hug every day.

Lynfred Winery is the oldest and largest, continually-operating winery in Illinois and my job is to share the joy of local wine with everyone I meet. Every day is a new experience, but one thing is sure; I will be Tweeting and Facebooking through every single minute (I have a pretty humorous and fun social media platform). What might I do in a day you ask? Typical days include: pouring wine tastings, teaching classes such as popcorn and wine pairing, attending a local farm-to-table wine dinner, pouring wine at the local Yappy Hour, co-hosting a cooking class with the winery chefs or doing a wine-opening photo shoot with Hammacher Schlemmer. I would love to add ‘playing with the GMA hosts’ to the list!

I believe in sharing the word of local wine and food with all that I encounter and I hope to share it with your viewers!

Twitter: @lynfredwinery – That’s me! Have a grape day!”

So friends and family; keep your fingers crossed and you might hear me saying ‘Good Morning, Fabulous’!

Road Trip, New York!

2010-08-24T16:24:00.016-05:00

What do you get when you add 1676 miles, 2 awesome people and 1 crazy dog? A road trip weekend! Hans and I have been traveling so much lately that we couldn’t dare leave our dog, Corbets, for one more weekend alone. After an amazing winemaker dinner at Shaw’s Crab House, Hans and I left Illinois about 11 pm on Thursday and arrived in Athens, New York at 2:14 pm on Friday. I’ve had quite a few people ask me how our dog did on the trip. Needless to say, this picture sums it up, he loves road trips…

Friday evening had us heading out to Saratoga Springs for horse racing, dinner and the wedding rehearsal dinner for Hans’ cousin Jen and her fiancé, Shawn. Jen looked smashing in her outfit and totally fit in at the racetrack. It was awesome to hang with the fam and all of Jen and Shawn’s friends. The best part; me and my mother-in-law, Marilyn, kicked ass betting on the ponies!

Speaking of vacation, Corbets loved his time away from home. Hans' parents live on Sleepy Hollow Lake and Corbets spent as much time as possible, in his new favorite pool. In fact, we could hardly keep him out of the lake the entire weekend.

Saturday morning Marilyn took me into the historic town of Catskill to see the ‘Cats of Catskill’, as well as visit the local farmer’s market, to grab a loaf of fresh bread for our lasagna lunch. We even picked up some homemade treats for Corby while we were there, as well as some local, New York wine!

Saturday evening we headed back to Saratoga Springs to celebrate the wedding of Jen and Shawn. I can’t even begin to explain how incredibly beautiful the flowers and especially the bride were. Jennifer is so much fun and the awesome picture of her dancing sums it all up. We danced all night long! I am so lucky to be part of such a fun and amazing family!

Yeah, we paid Gary $10 each to eat a bowl of butter...

Sunday morning we drove into the Adirondack Mountains to do some ‘camping’. Okay, if you know me, truly, truly know Christina, camping isn’t exactly ‘my thing’… unless it’s camping ‘Gretchen and Steve Style’, which rocks!!! The ‘camp’ was like a party oasis of an RV with running water, air conditioning and a bathroom. I think I can learn to like camping… We had an amazing time celebrating Tyler’s birthday and my nephews are so cute I could eat them up with a spoon! Sunday night we played the infamous game of Farkel, via campfire light, and laughed until camp rules told us we had to be quiet.

Monday held 838 miles in our future and Hans and I are very, very lucky we like each other. Corbets? Oh, Corbets enjoyed the ride just fine…

Want to view all the pictures from this fabulous weekend? Here they are!

Connecticut, A Christening, Clams & the City

2010-08-12T15:53:00.013-05:00

We recently headed out east for an exciting weekend in Connecticut with Hans’ cousin Kevin and his wife Justina. The first matter of business? To meet the newest addition to the family, the adorable, and incredibly cute, Nadia Justina, to whom Hans is now the proud godfather!

Because Justina knows me oh, so well, we spent our first day in Connecticut taking in some local wine at Gouveia Vineyards. Kevin, Hans and I enjoyed a wine tasting and Justina packed us a beautiful picnic lunch to nosh on. I think Nadia truly enjoyed her first winery visit!

Friday night Kevin and Justina made us a delicious steak dinner and we enjoyed some Lynfred wine with cupcakes.

Saturday we headed into NYC for Nadia’s christening. Everything about the christening was beautiful; the church, the service and especially the food (Justina’s dad is a chef and he cooked the whole thing). By three in the afternoon we were drinking wine and dancing to a Slovakian band. It was awesome.

That night our friends Jon and Cassie drove in from Boston to hang out! The next day Justina took me to my new favorite grocery store, Stew Leonard’s, where we picked up some clams and ribs and brought them home for the boys to grill up before we all had to head home. It was a fabulous day that ended with an easy breezy flight home. A truly awesome trip. You can view all the pictures from the trip HERE

Well, we’re off again… tonight I have a winemaker dinner at Shaw’s Crab House and as soon as it’s done Hans and I are driving to New York for his cousin Jennifer’s wedding in Saratoga Springs!

'Sudsy' Sibling Shenanigans

2010-08-10T18:44:00.007-05:00

A sibling outing to Odell Brewery in Fort Collins. The perpetrators: Me and Hans, his sister Lauren, my brother Erik and my future sister-in-law, Somany. Shenanigans. That's all I can say. Shenanigans. The following is a photo journal of 'said shenanigans':

Beauty, Beer & the Beast

The scoundrel went that way.

Beer brothers from another mother.

The photo that really shows I am my mother's daughter.

In Memory of Grandma

2010-08-08T21:40:00.008-05:00

Mary Elizabeth Kerbel died on July 16, 2010 at the age of 82. Mary was born in Fort Collins, on June 17, 1928. After graduating from Fort Collins High School in 1946, Mary worked at the Bell Telephone Company as a telephone operator. On November 23, 1948 Mary married Earl C. Kerbel, also of Fort Collins. Mary owned and operated Mary Kerbel Draperies and helped decorate hundreds of homes in the Fort Collins area, Mary was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and Soroptimist Club. She was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church, where she taught 4th grade Sunday School for many years.

Mary is survived by her husband, Earl C. Kerbel of Wellington, Colo.; Patricia K. (Lawrence) Marsh of Cranbury Township, Pa.; Victoria L. (Burton) Anderson of Midland, Texas; Constance K. (Richard) White of Excelsior, Minn.; two grandchildren, Christina Anderson Heller of Wooddale, Ill. and Erik Wayne Anderson of Midland, Texas; siblings, Harold Craw of Fulton, Mo., Meredith Bollman of New Delhi, India; Nancy Ashford of LaJolla, Calif.; many nieces and nephews and her faithful companion, Molly the Schnauzer.

All of these photos represent things that always remind me of my grandma; whether it be her copper pots, her endless fabric books, her workroom, putting clothes she made on the Barbie’s, or her thimbles, these are things that are left for me to remember.

Why is it that only during weddings and funerals do families all get together. Even in death we found a way to celebrate Grandma, and we often laughed until we cried. I promised to share the photos with all the family, so here are links to the photos I took that week, separated into different categories:

Memories of Grandma

The Convergance of the Kerbels

Pictures of the Farm

Sibling Outings

Today at the Farmer's Market

2010-08-07T17:22:00.005-05:00

I have so many photos to post from the past month, but for a quick blog, I wanted to share the fabulous photos I took this morning at the Arlington Heights Farmer’s Market. I love Saturday mornings at the Farmer's Market! Today's trip was lovely; the market had a live band, lots of samples and I saw about six winery customers during my visit. I can't wait to make my blackberry ice cream tonight! I’m also making roasted Brussels sprouts with the most darling little Brussels you’ve ever seen!

Just for fun, here’s my recipe (okay, it’s really Ina Garten’s from Food Network) for Roasted Brussels Sprouts:

Ingredients

nocoupons

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts

3 tablespoons good olive oil

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt (I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately. Serve with a glass (or three) of Sauvignon Blanc. Cheers!

Hans' Kiteboarding Video (OBX Style)

2010-07-27T15:48:00.002-05:00

Here's a fun little video of Hans kiteboarding in Cape Hatteras, NC. You might want to go over to the music player and turn off the music since Hans added his own for the video. Hang ten, dude (or whatever kiteboarding husbands say).

Bastille Day Birthdays

2010-07-13T19:53:00.009-05:00

Two of my favorite people, on the planet, share the birth date of July 14 (also known as Bastille Day -click HERE to see how I celebrated last year’s Bastille Day); my awesome Dad and one of my best friends, ever, JJ.

My dad… if you knew me growing up, you LOVED my dad and if you know him now… you LOVE my dad. My dad is one of the kindest souls on this planet. My dad is the one portrayed in really good movies; the one that remembers his past and tries to make you a better person by sharing it with you.

I looked forward to every Saturday morning as a child; at that time we lived in Kansas and I remember my dad taking me to the hardware store. Dad would pick up whatever it was he needed, but along the way he told me what he needed to buy, and why. He taught me how to change a tire, he taught me how to shoot a gun (and, in the future, how to beat my husband at shooting clay), he taught me to be kind, and he taught me to be a good person.

During my teenage years I gave my dad, well, let’s just say I gave my dad some gray hair…. But along the way he gave me sage advice. One time, while traveling with my Dad, he told me how he would sometimes want to hit the roof thinking about stupid things he did when he was young, but instead he vowed to make up for them by being a better person. That was the most profound thing he ever said to me. To this day I believe that’s it is not what happens to you in life, but what you do about it. I can thank my Dad for that positive attitude. I love you, Dad. I think you are amazing, and I love every single thing about you, and who you are.

JJ- oh, dear, Jennifer Jean; I think you are amazing. JJ and I could go for months without talking, maybe even years, and she will forever be one of my favorite people on this planet (and it doesn’t hurt that she thinks my dad is awesome, too).

JJ and I met in our freshmen year at college and I remember thinking she was one of the most intelligent people I had ever met (read HERE about our first encounter). There is no one else on this planet that can boost my self-confidence life Jennifer Jean Goodman (and did I mention we share the same middle name?). There are too many memories for me to even begin our story (and more than I should share), so I will just leave it at, JJ is AWESOME. I love you, J.

Happy Birthday Dad and JJ! I love you!

New Arrivals

2010-07-06T18:28:00.005-05:00

There are so many new arrivals in our life this summer and they are all babies! There is nothing sweeter than the pitter patter of baby feet and we’re delighted to share the announcements with you!

Our first arrival comes from Hans’ cousin Kevin, and his wife Justina, with the proud arrival of their first baby, Nadia! We are also excited to announce that Hans has been asked to be the godfather (don’t worry I’ll be coaching him on the etiquette) and we’ll be attending the christening in NYC at the end of the month!

Our second arrival comes from our fabulous friends, Dan and Kelly, with the sweet arrival of their third baby, Penelope, who they’ll call Penny. We can’t wait to meet her!

Our third arrival announcement involves another ‘Penny’ with baby paws instead of baby feet… my parents just received a new little golden lab named ‘Copper Penny Lane’ whom they’ll be calling Penny (or ‘Naughty Girl’ from what I’ve been told of her chewing habits; demonstrated in the following pictures)!

For our final pronouncement, Hans would proudly like to declare the arrival of ‘Cheryl’. No, we did not have a baby, or get a new puppy. Hans has brought home a 40-year old ‘baby’; a 1970 Chevelle with a 454 under the hood. He is a very proud daddy.

I would also like to make a future announcement of the diamond ‘babies’ I will be wearing on my ears… just kidding. Kind of.

For inquiries into the details of Cheryl, please refer to Hans. Thank you.

Texas. Always My Home.

2010-06-17T19:22:00.011-05:00

There's nothing like a visit to see the fam in West Texas, and there's nothing quite like West Texas. Unless you've been here there's no way to describe it, except for maybe sand, oil, trucks, wind, boots, chivalry, chicken fried steak, and my heart.

Because I'm trying to play catch up on my blog I have decided to share my trip home in a series of photos. During my trip we drank wine, cooked, shopped, drank wine, took my future sister-in-law wedding dress shopping, drank wine, had a picnic lunch with my dad while listening to a concert, went wine shopping, had a roll baking class, made a shrimp and crawfish boil, shopped, experienced a West Texas sand storm, drank some wine and enjoyed each other's company. Enjoy the pictures!

My mom is an amazing cook! We made bracciole while I was home:

Erik & Sophanarit asking when dinner will be ready:

The wine we enjoyed:

My mom, dad, Erik and my brother from another mother, Sophanarit:

My mom's crazy cat, Honey:

The view from across the street from my mom and dad's house:

We enjoyed listening to The Texas Brass play at Clay Desta Center while we enjoyed a picnic lunch:

We stopped at Erik & Somany's house to pick up Somany for a day of wedding dress shopping. Erik & Somany are getting married on 10.10.10 in Vegas, baby!:

Mom showed me her roll making technique:

We had a shrimp and crawfish boil with Mom, Dad, Erik, Somany & Sophanarit:

Ruh roh... that sky looks might scary...

Here comes the sand!:

My dad took a cat nap during the storm, he's so used to it:

Rainbows are kind of like bitchy girls who apologize after wreaking some havoc (lol):

It was another amazing visit home and another reminder of why I will always have Texas in my heart.

Off To Texas, Y'all

2010-05-17T17:57:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I am WAY behind on my blog but sometimes it is just more fun to live life then to blog it. Hans and I have been pretty busy and I keep thinking what a great blog each day would be but by the end of the day I’m just tired. I am leaving tomorrow for a week with the fam in Texas and I have decided I will start back with blogging when I get back!

FYI, Hans sold his ’72 Chevy truck the other day and is currently on the quest for a ’70-’72 Chevelle. I have a feeling I will come home to a new toy in the garage; don’t worry, you’ll be the first to know as soon as I do!

Double FYI, my brother and Somany finally picked a wedding date… 10-10-10 in Vegas, baby!!!

So, bon voyage to me, and I’ll be back with pictures and news from Texas! Blog y’all later!

If You Want Me To Ship You Wine

2010-04-21T14:15:00.002-05:00

My dear wine loving friends and family... I need your help to fight a wine bill (HR 5034) that has been submitted to congress. The national bill would stop all alcohol shipments from wineries, breweries, distilleries and manufacturers. If passed, it would lead to severe limitation on wine shipping and severely hurt the small artisan wineries and progressive wine retailers that rely on direct wine shipping. If you want to receive any wine shipments in the future, from yours truly, you must read on!

H.R. 5034 is the brainchild of the National Beer Wholesalers Association and is strongly supported by the Wine & Spirit Wholesalers Association along with most alcohol supporters across the nation.

The bill would forever prevent court challenges of laws that discriminate against out-of-state wine shippers. It was these sort of court challenges by wineries, retailers and consumers that led to the groundbreaking 2005 Granholm v. Heald Supreme Court decision that led to the creation of the direct to consumer wine sales channel.

If H.R. 5034 is passed, it will lead to the immediate introduction of discriminatory, anti-wine shipping bills in a number of states.

The Sponsors of H.R. 5034 are:

Rep. Bill Delehunt (D) MA

Rep. Howard Coble (R) NC

Rep. Mike Quigley (D) IL

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R) UT

Co-Sponsors of the bill are listed HERE.

*** Here’s what we need you to do: Go to THIS PAGE and fill in your info – it will put you in direct contact with your Congressman. Choose the subject matter ‘Tax and Trade’ and urge them to Vote NO on HR 5034.

There is also a fabulous facebook page with a plethora of information – STOPHR5034 on Facebook

Please pass this on to your wine loving friends!

Fashion Headlines: Corby Does It Again!

2010-04-19T19:16:00.004-05:00

For those of you who know our dog, Corbets, you know that he likes to chew. He chews anything; shoes, toilet paper rolls, door frames, door handles and socks… lots and lots of socks. Corbets likes socks so much we decided about a year ago that he needs his own line of designer socks – Holy Socks – for the Pope. Today’s text from Hans reveals Corbets’ newest 2010 summer line of socks. . .

Summer breeze edition by designer Corbets Heller. Orders being accepted May 1.

Shark Bait

2010-04-11T17:25:00.007-05:00

Last week Hans made the annual trek to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a week of kiteboarding debauchery. Unfortunately I was not able to go this year but good thing, because there would have been no room for me or my bags in the car!

Hans got home yesterday morning and waited until his return to tell me about his run in with five, yes five, tiger sharks. From here on out I will be calling him ‘chum’ and be suggesting that he avoid Oceanside.

Hans took my camera but I am not kidding you when I share that he only took five pictures and two videos (last year I took almost 300 photos and 10 videos)! So, without further adieu, here are the few pictures (and I am not even going to begin commenting on the quality.. ahem...)… For those of our friends that have not heard the story of last year's OBX trip: if you ever want to hear it, might I suggest you open your ears, and a bottle of wine... it's a doozy...

I will be heading to an annual wine conference in Ohio on Monday. The seminar kicks off Tuesday morning at 10 am with Riedel wine tasting! I will be blogging about it so stay tuned!

Renovations and Relationships

2010-03-26T22:14:00.013-05:00

Wheezer enjyoying the new kitchen bar seats - which he considers to be his...

During a recent winemaker dinner I told my boss (Fred, the owner of Lynfred Winery) about me and Hans’ recent home renovations. His wife, Val, asked me how things were going and I giggled. It was then that Fred said, ‘Certain home projects can test a relationship’. What I liked about Fred’s answer was that he never said ‘break’, as in ‘home renovations can ‘break’ a relationship’. He knew that we found a way to deal with it and still have respect for our partner (even though the lack of a bathroom sink can cause some friction). So…. Without further adieu I would like to share our recent renovations:

As many of you know, we started our home renovations over five years ago when we moved into our house; we tore out the obnoxious (and I mean 'obnoxious' in an 'orange-plush-please-don't-ever-recreate-me') carpet to expose original wood floors (to which we lovingly restored), painted walls and renovated the kitchen and re-created the basement to an fun entertaining area. As you probably understand, renovations on a home are never-ending, and this time we decided to tackle the bathroom!

Yes, Hans tore out the 'God-fore-saken-it-was-hideous' linoleum floor and laid the new tile.

Over five years ago we took a 1970’s bathroom and replaced a few fixtures to aesthetically please me (Christina) knowing that future work needed to be done. After much research and work, Hans has installed our new tiles in the bathroom and new doors on the entire first floor are being installed this weekend!

Talking about doors… Hans and I added a garage to the house this year, and will be painting the house this spring, as well as installing this new front door we picked out the other day:

I have to say that I am so very, very lucky to be married to a handy man like Hans; being with him is like a dream; he makes me feel safe, loved and full of laughter… that is all I ask for in life. Yes, I know this may seem cheesy and sentimental, but isn’t it all we ever ask for in life? I am lucky to have love from my family, my friends, and my husband; in fact, it makes me feel happy in my heart and that is something I cherish every day of my life. It doesn't matter what renovations you do in your house, if you don't have a great foundation of a relationship to start with, it's really not worth it.

I'm loving everything Hans and I have done to the house, but it is really Hans and his hard work, that have helped it all come together! Good job, hon!

What We've Been Up To Update

2010-03-07T17:55:00.008-06:00

I realize my blogs have been incredibly few and far between so to catch up I am going to combine three fabulous experiences in one blog… they do say great things come in threes.

I recently took a trip to meet up with my mom at her parent’s house (my grandparents) in Fort Collins, Colorado. My grandma is suffering from bone cancer and my mom and I went to pamper her and my grandpa for a few days. During our visit we made my grandma a lemon meringue pie (her favorite) and, more fun than anything, I took my grandpa to visit the Budweiser and New Belgium breweries (there's nothing like being able to say you visited breweries with your Grandpa!). Grandpa even took me to see where he grew up as a young boy (one of the highlights of my trip) and my sister-in-law, Lauren, came to visit (and we had a ton of laughs). You can view all the photos HERE

On Saturday’s my friend Vicki and I like to discover new things; one particular weekend we discovered Oak Park! I had just come back from Colorado and my grandma had a cabinet full of Penzey’s Spices, whom I had never heard of, and Vicki said there was a Penzey’s in Oak Park. We headed to Harlem Avenue and visited Penzey’s and then walked over to Marion Street Cheese Market and Café for a brunch of cheese and champagne.

After lunch Vicki and I met our new favorite cheese monger, Julie, who introduced us to cheese from guess where... Fort Collins, Colorado! If you are ever in Chicagoland I HIGHLY recommend visiting Marion Street Market – I can’t even begin to tell you how much we loved EVERYTHING about the place (especially the staff). If you come to visit me and want me to take you, just tell me, I’ll happily go there anytime!

After lunch we wandered over to Bleeding Heart Bakery. I do Twitter for the winery (I am @lynfredwinery) and @Bleeding_Heart and I are frequent chatters on the site. They are famous for their red velvet cupcakes, my favorite, but when Vicki and I saw the Vanilla Caramel Sea Salt cupcakes we nearly fell over in diabetic excitement. I brought mine home to share with the boys and they LOVED them. You can view all the pictures HERE

The same weekend of my Oak Park adventure I was lucky enough to attend my cousin Billy’s Special Olympics Fashion Show. This was the show’s 25th anniversary and it was all started by my Aunt Lori in a gymnasium on its first year. My cousin Billy has modeled in every show since the beginning and this year they had over 700 attendees!! With my aunt as emcee and my cousin as a model the show was a knock out (speaking of 'knock out' - did I mention my Aunt Lori looked AMAZING?!)! Billy truly stole the show when he kissed his girlfriend Allison on the catwalk!

I can’t even begin to tell you how much fun the Special Olympics Fashion Show was! If you are looking for a fabulous afternoon of cocktails, fashion and laughter I sincerely suggest you attend next year’s fashion show. You can view all the pictures HERE

Hans and I are currently in the midst of updating our bathroom (yes, the one and only bathroom) and the project has not gone as we planned. Today the water valve broke but hopefully my next post will feature a fabulous new bathroom!

Love, love, love,

Christina

Hans: Man Cave Designer

2010-02-22T20:47:00.006-06:00

De·sign·er –noun
1. A person who devises or executes designs, esp. one who creates forms, structures, and patterns, as for works of art or machines.
2. A schemer, intriguer, or plotter.

Man Cave
1. A room, space, corner or area of a dwelling that is specifically reserved for a male person to be in a solitary condition, away from the rest of the household in order to work, play, involve himself in certain hobbies, activities without interruption. This area is usually decorated by the male that uses it without interference from any female influence. (urbandictionary.com)

Many of you might remember that Hans and I had a garage built last summer. Hang on, let me re-phrase that… HANS had a garage built last summer. Since its inception the garage has been deemed ‘The Man Cave’ and therefore is only for all things manly including Hans’ truck and motorcycle, Hans’ friends and Hans’ beer. What I find the most amusing is the camaraderie of the men in ‘decorating’ (yes, I am using that term VERY loosely) Hans’ new man cave.

It might be freezing (literally) outside but that has not stopped the boys from bringing Hans ‘decorations’ for the man cave. ‘Said’, donated, decorations include: a refrigerator, a copious array of beer signs, a tire clock, shelves, a work bench and a television. What could be missing, you ask? Seating! Well, Hans has taken to becoming a designer of man cave furniture. Hans recently replaced the seats in his Chevy and decided to ‘recycle’ the old ones by creating his own personalized man cave chairs…

I’m sure this summer will bring many amusing man cave stories if the text Hans sent me the other day is any indicator…

Hans: Would you go push the button to the garage door?
Me: I just went and looked it’s already closed.
Hans: Good, keep it that way.

Humph! He best be nice or his beer fridge might become a wine fridge!

Christina on the Radio Chatting About Wine

2010-02-17T19:36:00.004-06:00

The Show actually starts at 13:50 - fast forward to begin the show...

A Cabin Christmas with a Donkey Named Bo

2010-01-10T17:35:00.014-06:00

This year’s Christmas was something of a fairytale; a Cabin Christmas in Ruidoso, New Mexico. This was our year to go to Texas to see my parents for Christmas and they decided to change things up a bit by renting a cabin in the ski resort town.

Hans and I, after long delays, finally arrived in El Paso, Texas at midnight, rented a car and drove to the cabin. We arrived at three in the morning and found a charming cabin tucked in the woods with a creek running behind it. Mom and Dad had packed the suburban with presents, a Christmas tree, Prime Rib, decorations and a stowaway… a donkey named Bo (well actually a piñata, but a donkey, nonetheless). Bo will make an appearance later in the blog…

Christmas Eve morning we decided to go downtown for breakfast while we were waiting on Erik, Somany and Sophanarit to arrive. During breakfast we decided ‘why not go the casino and start the day off right?’, heck, me and Dad had already had a sip of Aquavit to celebrate the day, why not add some other shenanigans with a little gambling.

Here is where I should mention that Hans and I had never gambled before. We went to the Billy the Kid Casino and within the first ten minutes Hans had won $140! We played for a little bit longer and Hans decided to play one more slot machine and guess what? Hans won another $377! The excitement of winning was so fun that we laughed about Mr. Money Bags the entire trip.

That afternoon Erik, Somany and Sophanarit arrived and we spent the evening enjoying a Swedish smorgasbord, presents and a hysterical game of Wii Dance Contest. The best was watching my Dad dance to ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’; utterly priceless. The other bit of fun was Mom letting me in on her hidden secret; the donkey named Bo.

Christmas morning, before everyone got up, my Mom got up and put Bo on the back porch looking in. As everyone woke up they would get a quick fright before realizing Bo was just a piñata.

By noon our whole motley crew was at the Inn of the Mountain Gods casino to play our luck with some casino cash Santa brought us! We weren’t so lucky except guess who? Yep, Hans.

After the casino we grabbed a cocktail and our sticks and ventured outside to break the piñata! It was pretty darn amusing if I must say so myself!

That evening we prepared a Prime Rib dinner and after dinner we warmed up some Glogg wine and walked from the cabin down the road to go on a horse-drawn carriage ride! The horses were BEAUTIFUL and even though it was cold it was really quite magical! All the cabins at night were lit up in holiday splendor and the whole experience was like something out of a Christmas post card!

The day after Christmas Hans headed up to Ski Apache, Erik and Dad drove up the mountain and Mom, Somany and I did what we do best… SHOP!!! Downtown Ruidoso is just darling and is packed with the cutest wooden bears you have ever seen!

Mom with her new Margarita glass...

It didn’t take us long into shopping to find this sign… we nearly ran over a family of four to get to the wine tasting of New Mexico wines.

After our tasting we wandered in and out of shops and stopped and had lunch at the ‘Hall of Flame’. I love to try local food and if you are in New Mexico you MUST have Hatch green chilis! I ordered up an amazing burger with grilled Hatch green chilis and the local Jack cheese. YUM!

We found a darling kitchen store that was ever-so-conveniently located next to End of the Vine, a local winery (actually the tasting room for Willmon Vineyards). We weren’t there for five minutes before we met the owner, his mother and wife. A tastefully done store featuring a humidor (I picked up a post-ski cigar for Hans), great goodies and awesome wines.

That night Somany and Erik made us some fabulous fajitas and we played some dice games, sipped on some cocktails and enjoyed each other’s company.

Unfortunately the next morning we all had to say goodbye. Hans and I drove back to El Paso for an uneventful (thank God) flight home. This Christmas was simply amazing. Mom and Dad went out of their way to make everything perfect but the best part was being together. I love you guys! Thank you for creating memories that will last a lifetime.

If you know me you know I took a plethora of photos on this trip! You may view all the pictures on our photo page HERE

Let the Festivities Begin!

2009-12-23T12:50:00.005-06:00

The bags are packed and we are just waiting to catch a cab to the airport! The sleet and ice have already delayed our plane two hours (not leaving until 7:30 now) but at least our flight isn’t canceled yet. We are now scheduled to arrive in El Paso at 10:30 and then will drive the remaining two hours to Riudoso; guess it’s going to be a long night!

Since my last post I have been spending a ton of time in the kitchen baking cookies and whipping up various goodies for God knows what. Last week Hans was out of town all week and I got a surprise phone call from my Aunt Lori and Uncle Bill; they wanted to come by because they had a special delivery… ELK! Bill had recently brought me an elk roast and I loved it so much they brought me a plethora of elk packages and even a wild game cookbook.

While Hans was out of town I did my annual ‘Wine and Cookie Neighborhood Delivery’ and those cookies must have been good (okay, maybe it was the wine) but our newest neighbors to the north snow plowed our driveway after a big snow fall! What a wonderful gesture and it totally made my day.

The night Hans got home found me cooking in the kitchen and obviously meatballs are all you need to get your husband to stay home. Before long I had a kitchen full of men hanging out waiting for my Swedish meatballs to come out of the pan. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.

Saturday night Hans and I had Vicki and Pete over for presents and cocktails. As you can see Hans just ‘delights’ in presents… At least Corbets loves them! He not only got to unwrap all of our presents, he even got his own, edible, Christmas card from his pal Oscar in Maryland!

While we are gone Pete will be watching ‘the kids’ but we have also recruited our neighborhood kids, Barbie and Joey, to come and play with Corbets. They came over today to bring him his Christmas present – a bag of tennis balls – those kids don’t know what they’re in for! ;-)

Here’s wishing each and every one of you a festive and fabulous Christmas holiday!

Love, love, love,

The Crazy Heller Clan

A Month Long Recap

2009-12-13T17:44:00.015-06:00

I know, I know, I know… I have received quite a few emails from all of you wondering why in the hell I have not blogged. It’s been a busy month; in fact today is exactly one month since my last blog… this is a record by far! Before we begin I have to share my new toy; a web cam! Here’s the first picture I took and with time I will be posting videos for you all to see:

So to get you all up to date here’s a little recap of the past month… the month of November started with the baptism of Jennifer (my cousin) and Scott’s baby Tyler. He is the cutest thing!

The same afternoon my friend Vicki and I went to the 1st anniversary wine tasting of my favorite little wine shop (besides Lynfred, of course), Wine With Me in Itasca.

The following Friday Hans, Pete and I walked two blocks from our house to find, what is quite possibly, the best fish fry in Chicagoland.

As usual we hosted Thanksgiving at our house and this year our guests were Pete, Vicki, Mark, Jill and my cousin Sam. I was so excited Sam was able to make it! Sam also brought his dog Lucy (to the delight of Corbets), Mark broke a bottle of wine within five minutes of arriving, the turkey was awesome, Tony and Drake stopped by to visit and the boys played some serious games of ping-pong. The next day Corbets was totally exhausted so he slept in...

Corbets and Lucy were going NUTS while Vicki carved the turkey!

Way to go Mark... JK.

After Thanksgiving I had some serious decorating to do; four Christmas trees again this year (much to the chagrin of Hans – he’s such a Scrooge about Christmas decorations). My mom sent me another Mark Robert’s fairy (I collect them) and this one was signed by Mark Roberts himself!

My Christmas shopping is officially done and packages are in the mail! As some ‘ata-boys’ from Hans he has made me some delicious dinners lately including a night of King crab legs and then a dinner at Shaw’s Crab House for Nantucket scallops and crème brulee. Speaking of food my aunt Lori and uncle Bill brought us an elk roast to cook and Hans is now officially hooked on game.

This past Friday night Hans, Pete, Vicki and I went out for our traditional holiday dinner at Yue-Sun Japanese restaurant for hibachi and fun!

Again, I must apologize for the lack of blogging but as you can see the holidays have kept me busy. This Christmas Hans and I will be meeting my parents, Erik, Somany and Sophanarit in Riudoso, New Mexico! We have rented a cabin in the mountains and I. Can’t. Wait!

Also a note of mention; as you can only imagine my camera died (I wonder why)… The good news is Hans gave me an early present of a brand new camera (and it’s purple)! I can’t wait to start taking new pics to share (yes, this is a warning)! Until the next blog I hope you are having a fabulous holiday season!

Love, love, love,
Christina

Dinner With The Chef

2009-11-13T17:54:00.008-06:00

Last weekend our friend Vicki invited me, Hans and Pete over for dinner. Vicki is a classically trained chef. Need I say more?

You have seen Vicki in many of our posts – she is amazing – not only in the kitchen but as a friend. Recently I had her over for dinner and the next morning I found a voicemail from her recanting the fun evening and our friendship. I love her… and if you’ve met her or had her cooking you love her too.

When Vicki asks us over for dinner I like the menu to be a surprise (except for the main dish). All day Saturday the boys kept asking what we were having at Vicki’s and I just said ‘roast’. Needless to say, the word ‘roast’ did not do this dinner justice…

The menu you ask? I’d rather show you…

Salad with mixed greens, pink grapefruit, beets, jicama, beets, pomegrate seeds and pomegranate dressing

After we got home Hans and I hung out in the garage (a.k.a. The Man Cave) and he showed off his ‘boy toys’ to me… he’s so proud. It’s quite charming.

A huge THANK YOU to Vicki for a marvelous dinner!

Love, love, love,

Christina

Boo. A Heller Halloween Photo Blog.

2009-11-05T13:33:00.007-06:00

I LOVE Halloween! Hans, well… Hans just rolls his eyes and goes with it. Enjoy the photos!

Maryland and Many Other Merry Things

2009-10-20T18:52:00.014-05:00

It has been an electrifying few weeks since my last birthday-themed blog!

Hans and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary with a trip to southern Maryland. We flew into Baltimore and drove Solomons for a fun-filled weekend of frivolity with our friends Dan, Kelly (and the kids), Jon and Cassie. The boys tore down a pool while the girls cooked, played with the kids, napped, drank wine and read trashy-news magazines. It was bliss!

Thursday night we spent our evening sipping on cocktails and hanging out while the boys put a brisket on the smoker for Friday’s dinner. Friday the boys tackled the destruction of the pool while the Kelly, Cassie, the kids and I enjoyed a picnic on the beach followed by naps.

Friday evening we had brisket and Kelly’s apple pie… MMM… and played a wicked game of Trivial Pursuit of which the boys kicked our asses. They had to redeem themselves since the girls won on the last visit.

The next morning we loaded up the whole crew and headed over the bridge into Solomons for their fall market. If I were to describe my perfect day, this day would have been it. The fest was settled in the historical foundation of Solomons on their marsh waterfront. It was a beautiful backdrop with a lighthouse, otters, crabs and sailboats. The fest featured a juried-art show of local artists, fried clams (that we had for breakfast) and of course I’d find it… wine tasting from the local wineries!!!

After the fest we wandered over to Solomons Pier for a seafood lunch of oysters and crab cakes.

Saturday evening Kelly served up her famous ribs with homemade mac n’ cheese and then we spent an evening by the bonfire in the woods of Maryland. Jon’s brother came in from Washington DC and invited a friend. We sat our relaxed butts by the fire and reveled in friendship, conversation and bliss. It truly was one of the best days ever. I have a pretty spectacular life and to say this day was in my top ten is something to believe in. It was laid back and shared with our best friends.

I came back to Illinois to celebrate the winery’s 30th anniversary. My first real day back to the winery found me celebrating with a winemaker dinner at Allgauer’s at the Hilton-Lisle. We enjoyed appetizers and then a five-course feast of the palate with our wines. You can view all the pictures HERE.

That following Friday I hosted a wine pairing with Garrett Popcorn. Garrett Popcorn is celebrating their 60th anniversary this year and their popcorn has patrons waiting in lines on Michigan Avenue. Our favorite pairing? Our Reserve Semillon with their Caramel popcorn! You can view all the pictures HERE.

The next day (Saturday) my friend Vicki and I headed out to Goebbert’s Pumpkin Farm in South Barrington to purchase our fall loot. You can view all the pictures HERE.

Saturday Hans and Pete worked on the garage. Will this project ever be done? Pete is in love with the Bobcat and Corbets tried to get in it with him. Crazy dog…

Sunday was our 30th anniversary weekend celebration at the winery and the Chicago Wine Diva and I hosted a Halloween Candy & Wine Pairing! Yes… candy corn and Ice Wine…

The grape harvest at the winery is in full swing (henceforth the lack of blogging)… we will be receiving about 400 tons of grapes to crush and press by the time the season is done. Tuesday I hosted the Food & Drinks Editor from Chicagoist magazine, Chuck Sudo, with a day at the winery.

While I was playing at the winery Hans was busy doing customer visits in Wisconsin. Oh, wait, did I mention his customer mountain bikes too? Much to Hans’ delight…

Tonight I hosted a college wine course tour at the winery and Hans is finally home. It has been another crazy few weeks, but oh, so fabulous!

Love, love, love,

Christina

What I've Been Doing

2009-10-05T17:38:00.010-05:00

Yes, it is that time of year… my blogs are few and far between due to the fact that it is harvest season at the winery. We are receiving over 400 tons of grapes and while I do not make the wine, I am promoting it… like a mad woman! Since my last blog I have ‘somewhat’ celebrated my birthday, entertained at the winery’s annual Oktoberfest, hosted a winemaker dinner, worked 2 festivals and enjoyed the company of a good friend.

My birth-week started with a bang with dinner at Fuego! Pete, Vicki, me and Hans enjoyed their delicious table-side guacamole, chorizo appetizer and array of entrees with their famous mole’ sauces; we had a fabulous time. The kicker? The sombrero I got for my birthday! Wheezer especially loved my sombrero. You can view all the photos HERE…

The following evening I hosted an ‘After Hour’ for the Roselle Chamber of Commerce. The next evening was my actual birthday so Hans made me dinner. Not only did he make me dinner he also sent me flowers to the winery and gave me a spa package (which I am using this Tuesday)!

Every year the winery throws me a birthday party; okay it’s really our annual Oktoberfest and they just celebrate it on my birthday… It’s a pig roast with grape stomping, pig roasting and wine!

After the Oktoberfest I hosted a winemaker dinner at TopGolf and that following weekend Hans did some kiteboarding over in Michigan.

Last week our friend Jon came in from Boston to have dinner with us before having to go work downtown.

Yesterday I worked an event downtown and today… today we go on vacation!!! We are going to visit Dan, Kelly, Jon and Cassie in Maryland and I hear we are going oyster diving tomorrow!!! Details to come!

LOVE, love, love,

Christina

You can see all the recent pics by visiting HERE

Better Homes & Garages

2009-09-19T22:40:00.017-05:00

I know, I know, I know… my blog has been vacant for almost three weeks and that is because I have been one incredibly busy bee! Since my last blog about my aunt Connie and her friend Kelly’s visit, I have been entertaining in many ways.

I dropped Connie and Kelly off at O’Hare on Monday, August 31 and my best friend from college, JJ, arrived at the Heller abode on Wednesday, September 2! JJ met me and the Lynfred ladies for our weekly ‘Wine Down Wednesday’ at the legion for a glass (or two) of wine. JJ lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming and was taking a road trip from Cheyenne to Virginia (to see her dad) and then to Chicago, and came with her two ‘weiner dogs’ in tow! Wheezer wasn’t sure what to think of the whole situation… (lol)!

During JJ’s visit we hung out, visited my friend Bubba (the Brewmaster at Ram Brewery and 'Tom' if you don't know him), my favorite local wine bar ‘Wine With Me’ in Itasca and spent an hilarious evening out with ‘the boys’.

The day after JJ left the foundation of Hans’ dream began… his new garage!

This is my crazy busy time of year at the winery (hence the lack of blogging) and that Friday and Saturday Lori and Vicki and I worked the Windy City Wine Festival in Grant Park in the city. This. Is. Why. I. Love. My. Job... (you can see my 'twitter' pics HERE)...

The following Monday I hosted a private party for our local library at the winery (they were celebrating ‘Banned Book Month’ and were reading The Grapes of Wrath). As many of you know my passion is reading and that night I was able to pour wine for and chat with fellow enthusiasts. In the past few weeks I have read ‘The Book Thief’, ‘Dark Places’ and ‘Where the Heart Is’ (another banned book).

Friday morning I woke up to the sounds of hammers and machinery. Hans’ dream was coming to fruition. The workers amazed me. In nine hours, four tireless workers were able to take a foundation and create a garage!

I had to leave our house on Friday to work the Naperville Wine Festival and when I came home that evening we had a garage!

Today I headed back to Naperville for the last day (thank God for my aching feet) of the Naperville Wine Festival. Vicki and I arrived back to the Heller abode about ten tonight and opened a bottle of wine just as Hans was coming home. We told stories and laughed but my favorite was when Hans started talking about the garage in ‘loving’ form and Vicki asked if he was going to let me hang curtains in his there... he rolled his eyes. Vicki called it the dream of ‘Better Homes and Garages’…. I loved it!

This week Hans has some vacation time and will be doing the electric (let’s all pray now) for the garage and next spring we will have a deck off of the garage for our fabulous parties! His priority? The beer fridge and tv hook-ups…

One last ‘shout-out’… A FABULOUS birthday to two of my favorite ladies on the planet…. My Mom and my brother’s fiance’, Somany!!!!

Love, love, love,

Christina