How I met Beau!

As we are getting ready for our engagement party this weekend, a friend of mine asked that we write the story about how we met. Felt like it was something to share! 

Here it is:

I first began to talk to Beau towards the end of 2010. We connected through  my sister and the topic of bad bands on Twitter. Yes...TWITTER! That night my sister and I were on our laptops, geeking out on twitter and laughing up a storm over comments being made. At that time I was in another relationship and really had no interest in Beau. Yes...I am guilty of thinking he was cute, but the relationship was harmless. I took a break from Twitter for about three months and then got active on it again in March. I was newly single and began to chat with Beau again. We got flirty and I realized I was falling for a guy I had never met who lived in Southern California. Part of me thought I was crazy but part of me really wanted to meet this guy! He booked a ticket up here in May of 2011 so we could meet. Spent the whole weekend together and have been together since! Whats even better? I was able to convince him to move to Oregon, and even better.....to a small town! That is success in itself! Now we are set to get married in August of 2013 at my family's vineyard. 

Yup....met the guy I love and will marry through the wine industry on Twitter! 


Do you have a fun story about how you met your special half? Please share! 

Cheers~

Becky 

Peruvian Shrimp Ceviche

In my goal to add some fun and new small plates to my menu at Urban Decanter, I have been experimenting with some recipes! My guests may, or may not know that they are part of my experiment! *evil laugh*

Actually its really not evil, but it has been a lot of fun! One of the recipes I am currently testing out is a Peruvian Shrimp Ceviche. This small plate is SO DAMN EASY that I hope those who are intimated to cook get their butt in the kitchen and try their hand at preparing this dish.

Here it goes!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of FRESH lime juice

4 cloves of garlic

1 lb cooked, peeled and de-veined shrimp

1 red jalapeno or red chili pepper cut into long strips

1/2 red onion, sliced

1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions- 

Place the lime juice and garlic into a blender. Blend until the garlic is minced. Pour lime juice mixture over the shrimp. Add the sliced pepper, red onion, and cilantro. Mix it all up, then add the salt and pepper to taste! Wa-lah! That is it!

This Peruvian Shrimp Ceviche is so simple but yet a beautiful dish. When I serve this plate I place the ceviche on a romaine lettuce leaf and line the plate with sliced cucumbers. Simple. Beautiful. Fresh. Tasty!

For a wine pairing, I suggest a crisp and high acid white. Pinot Blanc and Gruner Veltliner are two varietals that come to mind for me! 

What are your experiences with ceviche? Please share!

Cheers!

Becky