Its a rainy day here in Southern California and I have been dealing with an intense migraine for 4 days!...Yes, 4 days!...Crazy!  I have had a lot of time on my hands.  I thought about how much I miss wine and I couldn't wait till this migraine was gone so I could get back to drinking it!  lol I also thought about what were my favorites, so I put together a list of my favorite wines under $20 to share with all of you.  I would say I am quite the "expert" and have gone through my fair share of bad wines to finally discover what types, regions and notes I prefer. So here it is: 1.  Joel Gott - 815 - Cabernet Sauvignon Notes of: blueberry, cassis, and mocha There is nothing I like better when its cold outside, then sitting down with a glass of Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon, putting on a fire, and listening to anything from Frank Sinatra on our record player.  It warms my soul!  Also, if you ever find yourself in St.Helena, CA, you have to stop by Gotts Roadside, it is owned by Joel and Duncan Gott.  The food is amazing, and if you go please try the Ahi Poke tacos...out of this world delicious! 2.  Kim Crawford - Sauvignon Blanc Notes of: bright peach, passionfruit and citrus After trying numerous Sauvignon Blanc wines, this one is by far my favorite for the price.   It's clean, vibrant taste makes it a perfect accompaniment to a seafood dish on a summer night!  When in doubt I always go with a Sauvignon Blanc out of New Zealand, they never disappoint me! 3. Freixenet - Extra Dry Notes of: peach, melon, and candied citrus I love extra dry sparkling wines, it's just so refreshing.  Pair this with some chocolate covered anything and you have yourself a real treat for after dinner or before! 4. Smith and Hook- Cabernet Sauvignon Notes of: blackberries, cassis, black cherry, vanilla and cloves We discovered this wine at our local Italian family eatery which was carefully chosen as their long standing house wine. Pair this with your favorite bolognese and you won't be sorry. 5. Santa Margherita- Pinot Grigio Notes of: citrus fruits This wine is not too dry, not too sweet, it's just a perfect balance!  When I am looking for a wine to gift to a friend or someone hosting a dinner, this is my go to wine.  It just pairs so well with so many dishes, and usually satisfies everyones palette.   Enjoy!  You can thank me later!    

So I am pretty stoked to try these vegan, paleo chocolate bars from Hu kitchen's!... I just placed my order for the Crunchy Fig Chocolate bar, the Crunchy Banana Chocolate bar, and the Crunchy Mint Chocolate bar. I mean what is better than sitting down with a great Cabernet than simultaneously enjoying a decadent piece of Chocolate!... Ummmm not much!!!... All of Hu Kitchen's chocolate bars are free of refined sugar, gluten, dairy, emulsifiers, stabilizers, soy and GMO.... Those are the words I love to hear!... Tune in next week for my review!!!!!

I loved having grilled cheese and tomato soup when I was growing up! It was just one of those comfort foods. It always makes me think of cold winter days when you would be playing outside, and mom would call out and say "dinner is ready"! You would rush inside and wait as the tomato soup warmed you up! Ina Gartens Roasted tomato basil soup recipe is a bit more sophisticated but definitely brings me back to that nostalgic place! I always edit and kind of change things up a little bit with recipes but I definitely used her recipe as a base! We don't do any dairy in our house so I always just take out the butter and use olive oil! Also, I halved the recipe so we didn't have a ton of leftovers! So here are my amounts that I used! Recipe as follows: Ingredients: 1 lb Roma tomatoes -halved 1 handful fresh basil 3 garlic cloves 1 can diced tomatoes 1 yellow onion-diced 4 cups chicken broth 1/8 cup olive oil and 1 Tbsp A pinch of crushed red pepper Salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place halved tomatoes on baking sheet and drizzle olive oil , salt and pepper. Bake for 40 mins. 2. Meanwhile, sauté garlic, onions and red pepper flakes with a 1 tbsp olive oil until onions are browned. 3. Then combine roasted tomatoes with juice, diced tomatoes and basil into the garlic and onions mixture. Simmer for 40 minutes. 4. When finished place into blender and purée. Seriously, best tomato soup ever!!!!!!!

I sometimes miss a little warm oatmeal in the morning, so an amazing substitution is Quinoa Breakfast Cereal.  The texture and flavor is addicting and it will make you forget all about the bland oatmeal you once had. Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 2 Tbsp. dried Currants
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 1 packet of stevia or agave nectar to taste

Directions:

1. Put cooked quinoa into a bowl, pour coconut milk over quinoa.
2. Top with all other ingredients and stir.

You will love the outcome!

As a young girl growing up near Chicago, pizza was a staple in my diet. When my husband and I converted to the "clean" lifestyle, we thought for sure we would have to give up one of our favorite traditions. Well, after numerous attempts, and many cardboard-like culinary catastrophes, my husband has perfected the gluten free pizza dough crust. Ingredients: • 1 cup - brown rice flour • 1 cup - white rice flour • 1 cup - tapioca flour • 1/2 tsp - xantham gum • 1 tsp - baking powder • 1 tsp - baking soda • 1 tsp - salt • 1 Tbsp - active dry yeast • 1-1/4 cups - luke warm water • 2 Tbsp - agave nectar (or substitute 1 Tbsp sugar) • 1 Tbsp - olive oil Directions: 1. Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees. 1. Dilute the agave nectar in warm water and then stir in the yeast. Let stand 10 minutes. You should notice a frothy layer begin to form on the mix. 2. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine completely. 3. Add yeast mix and olive oil to the dry ingredients and combine with a rubber spatula. 4. Set the dough mix aside and let stand for 1 hour to rise. 5. Use additional brown rice flour to handle and roll out the dough onto a metal, non-stick pizza sheet. (We prefer the Williams Sonoma Gold Touch Pizza Pan with ceramic coating) 6. Place in the oven for 12 minutes or until golden brown. 7. Remove the pan from the oven and slide the dough onto a pizza peel or flat cookie sheet. You will need to use this to place the pizza back into the oven after topping. You are now ready to top with your favorites sauce, cheese, toppings, etc. Place the topped pizza back into the oven for an additional 12 minutes to cook toppings and crisp the dough. Enjoy! Tip: For best results, use a pizza stone to finish the crust. I typically put the stone in the oven during step 1 and let it preheat with the oven. You can then slide your pan directly onto the stone (step 6) to bake. After removing the pan and topping the pizza, return the pizza to the oven directly onto the pizza stone to finish the dough and cook the toppings.