Yeah that's right... National Cheese Day is June 4th.  A whole entire day with a great excuse to celebrate our best addiction - CHEESE!! I swear I could eat cheese everyday and never get sick of it.  I've been known to eat cheese straight out of the bag when it's shredded and I could easily destroy a block of cheese by myself.  Don't Judge Me!!!




So to celebrate National Cheese Day I wanted to make a quick tutorial on how to make an adorable cheese board for the next time you're entertaining.  Some cheese boards have other stuff on them like dried fruits or mustards but I like mine with strictly cheese and some meat since that's what everyone tends to devour most. 

 
Step 1: Get a Wooden Cutting Board
They have cute shapes and sizes of boards.  I have little mini cutting boards that I use strictly for occasions like this. The best part is you can do your cutting right on the board and use it as the display.  


Step 2: Purchase
Choose several different varieties of cheese.  I like to get at least one that doesn't have a super strong flavor, 2 with strong flavors, and 1 or 2 spicy flavors.  This gives everyone options and the different cheese taste different with certain wines and other meats and fruits. 

Step 3: Cut it
The key to an appealing cheeseboard is if you plan to keep the main block of cheese on there, you don't cut the entire thing at once.  Cut several slices and let them just fall forward which creates an awesome display.  Once the sliced pieces get consumed, you can either cut some more or allow guests to cut slices themselves. With the meats I usually slice them on a separate cutting board and put only the sliced or cubed pieces out on the cheese board.  







Step 4: Arrange
This is the fun part but also it's pretty easy.  Just display everything so it looks pretty on the board.  It doesn't have to be perfect at all.  No one will sit there and be like "Oh, wow this cheese board is very unorganized."





Step 4: Serve
Enjoy your art and the delicious taste of cheese!! Cheese boards are perfect for any occasion.   And they're great inside or outside.  People even arrange cheese boards on the go when they are visiting a vineyard or having a picnic. 


What foods do you put on your boards?

Facebook | Twitter | Bloglovin' | Pinterest | Instagram

Another Blogger Bestie Meet Up // Pinnacle Ridge Winery

 

 

If you haven't read my blogger bestie Monica's recap of our blogger meetup go do so now!

Every two months me and Monica meet up half way between our two cities.  It usually ends up being near Kutztown, PA.

 

This time it was at a winery where I had to hold up a shed...JK!   But it was at Pinnacle Ridge Winery.  We paid $5 to sample 6 different wines and YES I left with 2 bottles!

See how gorgeous it was? The red barn was perfect for photos. 

We took lots of photos inside including some of each other taking photos of each other, ha!

 

There were beautiful flowers planted all around the property. They were perfect for photos!

There was also a friendly cat that wouldn't go away and it was perfect for photo bombing us!

One thing that was said to us by the woman inside pouring our wine was that we should always cherish our girlfriends and our girl time.  When we told her how we meet up every two months she told us to ALWAYS continue to do that.  We definitely will! Even if we both end up across the country from each other, once a year I will go to Monica and hopefully she can come to me.

 

 

Of course we took a photo of our cars together...Cuppy and Lonestar! This was outside of the restaurant we ate at... DeMarco's.  It was delicious and we got pizza and drinks.

 

I'm really glad we decided to do a wine tasting.  It was really fun and there was a great selection of wine.  The staff were very friendly too! They allowed us to take photos both inside and out.

Love this cute shed!

 

 

I really do cherish my girl time with my bestie.  It's nice to get away and not talk about anything besides what we are doing at the moment.  Talk about living in the now. No wonder I feel so refreshed after our meets!

 

 

 

And of course we like to let loose and be goofy.

 

I can't wait to show you the gifts she got me too! That will be in another post!!!! 

Do you have a blogger bestie and do you guys meet up on a regular basis?

Be sure to follow Ask Away on Facebook, Twitter, Bloglovin', Pinterest, and Instagram!

Turkey Hill All Natural Ice Cream Taste Test Event #TRKAmbassador

My table set up and my first group of taste testers!

I recently became 1 of 20 people chosen nationwide to be a Turkey Hill Ambassador for the next 6 months. I'm super stoked because I love ice cream (who doesn't?) plus I love local companies and Turkey Hill is based out of Lancaster.

So when I received my first mission as an ambassador I wanted to make the most of it.   This mission was to hold a taste test of some Turkey Hill All Natural Ice Cream flavors and see what people had to say.  

Their All Natural line flavors include:
Chocolate
Vanilla Bean
Cherry Vanilla
Coffee
Mint Chocolate Chip
Salted Caramel
Vanilla Bean & Chocolate

Me and Merlot Mike from The Vineyard at Hershey handing out samples and explaining the pairings.

The event was a taste testing AND competition with the Vineyard & Brewery at Hershey.  We wanted to see which drink (wine vs. beer) went best with 3 different flavors of ice cream!  

The pairings were:

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Twisted Kiss Wine

vs.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Sap Sucker - Maple Porter Beer

 

Chocolate Ice Cream with Cocoa di Vezzetti Wine

vs.
Chocolate Ice Cream with MILF Chocolate Brown Ale Beer

 

Salted Caramel Ice Cream with the DeCider Wine

vs.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream with Mean Cup of Stout Beer

To promote the event I set up a Facebook event and spread the word on Twitter and Instagram!

After participants tried all 3 pairings I asked them to vote on a ballot sheet I had made up.  During the sampling I paid attention to everyone's input about each flavor.  So many people were pleased to learn that the samples were from Turkey Hill's All Natural Line because they were health conscious and very strict with the types of food they put in their bodies.

 

Counting the ballot sheets was quite a task!

Such a fun and busy day.  There were at least 115 participants over a 5 hour period!

 

Ice Cream in the cooler!

People are so used to eating ice cream by itself but after the DeCider and Salted Caramel ice cream and the Vanilla and Maple Porter pairings, people were saying what a great idea it would be to make a float out of the two! This would be a fun idea for a get together with friends, especially when it's warm out!

It was amazing to see how many people thought that the taste of the ice cream WITH the drinks made it so much different than just wine alone, beer alone, or ice cream alone.  In fact, most participants agreed that the combinations made them enjoy the ice cream even more because it spiced things up!

When it came to the most raved about pairing, the Salted Caramel Ice Cream with The DeCider was in the lead.  The DeCider is a peanut butter caramel apple cider.  It's delicious on it's own and they use REAL PEANUT BUTTER to make it!

 

Everyone was in such a great mood for the taste test and they were even more excited when they received $1.00 off coupons for the Turkey Hill All Natural Line!  The event even reminded some of them that they still need to check out the Turkey Hill Experience!

When it was all said and done the flavor of ice cream that taste testers loved the most was Salted Caramel.  

They also enjoyed the pairing of Salted Caramel Ice Cream with The DeCider.  In fact it was the overall winner of all the pairings! A large amount of participants even said that they would love to have The DeCider be an ice cream flavor.   I couldn't believe how delicious the pairing was when I tried it myself!

As for the Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, it went best with the Sap Sucker Maple Porter.  It had a nice breakfast taste!

The Chocolate Ice Cream went best with the Cocoa di Vezzetti Wine.  Someone said they wanted to make a shake out of it!

So it's 2 to 1. The Vineyard won against the Brewery with pairings!

And if you didn't get a chance to make it to this fun event, don't worry because I'll be holding at least 2 other Turkey Hill Ice Cream events over the next few months! 

Thanks to all who came out!

A Splash of Art: Wine and Paint Event at The Vineyard at Hershey

Who knew that wine and painting could be so fun.  Maybe because it's relaxing, or maybe even because the wine gives you courage when you start doubting your artistic abilities.  Whatever it is, I had a blast at The Vineyard at Hershey when they hosted a wine and painting event with A Splash of Art. 

Wineing and Painting!

Me and Daniela with our matching BFF necklaces!

Me and my best friend Daniela arrived at the event and got to try several different wines!  I had to let her sample my favorites so she could fall in love with them as much as I did! Shortly after, it was time to head upstairs and choose a seat.  Our easels, canvas, paint, brushes, and apron were already sitting out for us.  We listened to the instructions that the artist gave and followed along with her. 

Painting was so much easier than I thought it would be because we had step by step guidance along the way and since the painting was broken down into steps and sections.

I was so proud of my completed painting and was super excited to see what everyone else's looked like!

It was a great atmosphere and I had such a fabulous time.  I can't wait to attend another session.  If you want to attend a painting event, be sure to check out the schedule of events on the website for A Splash of Art so you can register!

*Giveaway* Win 2 Tickets to ValenWine's Day in Wine Country at The Vineyard at Hershey

Do you have plans for Valentine's Day yet?   Good!  Because on Saturday and Sunday, February 9 and 10, 2012, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Hershey Harrisburg Wine Country's 15 wineries are participating in ValenWine's Day!   Both days, you can visit your choice of wineries (whether it's 1 or 15) of the 15 participating ones.    Not only will you get to enjoy hand-crafted wines paired with chocolates from around the world but you will also get 10% off wine purchases and receive a complimentary souvenir glass.   

The Vineyard at Hershey is participating and that's a great place to start your tour especially if you live in the area!! 

Participating wineries include...
Armstrong Valley Vineyard & Winery
Buddy Boy Vineyard & Winery
Cullari Vineyards & Winery
Hummingbird Ridge Winery
Hunters Valley Winery
Moon Dancer Winery
Mount Hope Winery
Nissley Vineyards (Winery Location)
Red Shale Ridge Vineyards
Tamanend Winery
The Vineyard at Grandview
The Vineyard at Hershey
West Hanover Winery


And any guests who visit 5 or more wineries that weekend will be entered into a drawing for a Wine Country excursion with Premiere One limousine!


 Tickets are $7.50 per person or $10 for a couple.  Designated Driver tickets are free of course!!


To purchase tickets visit http://hhwcvalentines.eventbrite.com/
OR
Enter to win 2 free tickets below! (It's super easy!!!)

Here's How to Enter:

1. Like The Vineyard at Hershey on Facebook here.
2. Leave a comment on this post with your name and email address.


Bonus Entry: (must complete the main entry first)
1. Follow The Vineyard at Hershey on Twitter here.
2. Leave a comment on this post with your Twitter name.

The giveaway will end on Monday, February 4th and will be chosen via Random.org.  I will announce a winner on Tuesday.

Merlot Release Party at the Vineyard at Hershey

This past weekend we attended the Merlot Release Party at the Vineyard  at Hershey.  It was going to be a splendid event and I was so excited to go!  They even posted a full schedule so we knew what time everything would be going on. 

We arrived around 3:30ish and brought our blanket and chairs and picked a spot in the huge field so we could sit and enjoy the live music and some wine as the evening went on.  Then we headed up to the tasting room to sample some wines.  I wasn’t a big wine drinker before because I never really knew what I liked.  There were sweet wines and dry wines.  I learned that I am not a big fan of dry wines.  They were good but I couldn’t drink a whole glass if it were in front of me.  The sweet wine was delicious though and I fell in love with the Pink Catawba.  Johnny fell in love with the Raspberry wine.  We each bought a bottle of our favorite..and later on I ended up buying another because I was so concerned I wouldn’t have enough for the next few weeks.   We headed back down to our seats, put our purchase at the blanket and went down to visit the vendors.

I want to point out that it was a great crowd.  Everyone was very friendly and happy and worrying about having my purse or wine stolen wasn’t even a concern.  It was so nice to be able to walk around without a care in the world.  

One of the vendors was Torchbearer Sauces  and they had some amazing flavors.  I’m not a big fan of hot sauce but their honey mustard was delicious!  You should definitely check them out!!  They were very friendly! 

Another vendor that I fell in love with was  Little Ditty Pops.  They were basically cake pops and they were so delicious! I tried dark chocolate (goes good with Merlot) and white chocolate (goes good with the Raspberry Wine) and I couldn’t get enough! 

I also found something I want to add to my Fall bucket List.  A Splash of Art  offers a painting session  where you get instruction on how to paint a picture.  Everyone paints the same picture but it’s cool to see how they all turn out slightly different.  They are holding a class at the Hershey Vineyards in November so I think I’m going to sign up.  You can bring your own wine and sip on it as you paint and they provide the supplies, you just have to supply your drink and snacks!

After we checked the vendors out we walked around the pond and took some photos.  It was so relaxing!  I even got a photo with Merlot Mike, King of the Grapes.   

And a bit later, the helicopter delivered some Merlot and the winemaker LP Vezzetti was there and he even signed the Merlot bottles!

They were even giving helicopter rides, how cool is that!!  We went back to our seats and enjoyed the live music of Ryan Jeffreys and All Jacked Up!   It was so fun and relaxing to lay on the blanket and enjoy the beautiful weather and music.

Little Ditty Pops! Yum!

We headed home at about 9 and both agreed we had the BEST time ever and I can’t believe how much I was missing out on when I said I never liked wine.  Of course I am picky so I probably will only ever drink my beloved Pink Catawba from here on out!!!  I will definitely attend a lot more events at the Hershey Vineyards.  It was great and I have no complaints.  If you are ever in the area you HAVE TO CHECK IT OUT! It’s well worth it.  And a special thank you to Jason Reimer who was very accommodating for me!  Customer Service is such a big thing for me!!!