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Jen A. Miller Consulting

Tag: Wine

  • Secrets of a Sommelier| Wine Pairing Tips from Napa

    Pick the perfect wines for your Thanksgiving with these 5 tips from a Napa Valley Master Sommelier

    napa
    This past weekend my boyfriend I had the pleasure of attending Flavor! Napa Valley  an event which celebrates two of my favorite things in life, top notch wines and amazing food. We were accompanied by a few great friends and some amazing hosts, one of whom was master sommelier Andrea Robinson. As one of only 18 female master sommeliers in the world, Andrea is among the most knowledgable people when it comes to wine. Needless to say, we were thrilled to have the chance to share the weekend with her.

    While we dined our way through some amazing meals we had the pleasure of picking Andrea’s brain about the wines which were chosen to go with each dish. With her signature down-to-earth nature, she brought her expertise to us in a way which we could actually understand.

    With Thanksgiving just a few days away,  our time with Andrea couldn’t have been more perfectly timed. This year we’ve decided to open the doors to our new house and host a big Friendsgiving feast. We’ll be prepping the turkey and have asked each of our guest to bring along their favorite sides dishes. With an invite list of nearly 50, our meal is certain to have a lot of variety.

    If you’ve ever been in a similar situation, you know that figuring out what drinks to serve to match your exhaustive menu can be quite the challenge. Luckily, Andrea’s expertise has prepped me with some easy to follow tips for pulling together the perfect wine pairings. If you’re looking for a simple guide to get your wine right, these points should suit you perfectly.

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  • Single Girl Dinner Parties | Simple Italian

    Single Girl Dinner Parties | Simple Italian

    7 Dishes for an easy-to-make Italian themed dinner party

    italian dinner party

    Potlucks are a single girl’s best friend. For less than $20 a person, you can have a multi-dish meal and really enjoy each others’ company (and by that I mean open more than one bottle of wine without paying an arm and a leg). My sister hosted a group of us for a cozy dinner party at her place. Their friends met through a series of MeetUp events when they were all somewhat new to San Francisco a few years ago. Who says you can’t meet new friends online?

    What was on the menu for our Italian dinner party? Caprese skewers, cheese and crackers, bruschetta, prosciutto-wrapped melons, arugula ravioli, and salmon with asparagus… with a little vino and a delightful bundt cake. It’s a delicious night in for up to 10 friends, or pick and choose a few dishes for a party of two. Best part about this menu? You can pick up all the ingredients from Trader Joe’s. Read on for ingredients and recipes.

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  • Sun, Swimsuits, and Surf | Single Girl Summer Favorites

    Sun, Swimsuits, and Surf | Single Girl Summer Favorites

    A Roundup of Our Favorite things About Summer

    Tomorrow is the first day of summer and we couldn’t be more excited. Though we’ve been unofficially celebrating the season since Memorial Day, tomorrow’s Summer solstice  seals the deal. To help us all get into the swing of the season, we’ve rounded up 9 of our summer favorites– from swimsuits to sundresses. Check out our list and then let us know what you’d add to yours!

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  • Single Girl Budget Wines

    Sarah Walsh reveals six fabulous summer wines under $20

    PHOTO: Catherine Abalos.
    PHOTO: Catherine Abalos.

    When you grow up 20 minutes south of wine country, developing an early taste for grapes is expected. With my father as my guide, I learned that wine taste is very personal and something worth discovering for yourself. After lots of trial and error and finally narrowing down what my palette enjoys, I also discovered the thrill of finding the perfect budget wine. Good wine isn’t necessarily expensive, and inexpensive wine isn’t necessarily bad.

    I’ve compiled a list of very budget-friendly and summer-ready white and rosé wines for you. Everything here is delicious, perfect for parties and gifts, or a solo night in. Best of all, none of the bottles is over $20!

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  • What They Want For Christmas

    Colleen Viana shares three superbly single Characters that deserve holiday presents
    PHOTO: Foo&Faff, HIMYMFans, Screened.
    PHOTO: Foo&Faff, HIMYMFans, Screened.

    TV is a big part of my life and always has been. Now this isn’t something one should ever really admit to—you know, being “lowbrow” and all—but growing up an only child, my weeknights would normally consist of me in front of the set watching anything and everything. I loved being able to grow up with certain characters and pretend like they were my friends in real life (I’m still mad at Kelly for what she did to Brenda). But really, I’d get so invested in their fictional lives. And I still do. Lots of life lessons I’ve learned vicariously through watching a ridiculous amount of television; in honor of that, I had to make this list of Christmas gifts each of my favorite, inspirational single girl characters deserve.

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