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Showing posts from June, 2013

Grilling and Wine Tasting with Fresh & Easy

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After buying and assembling my new BBQ , it was time to test it. I was invited by Fresh & Easy to participate in one of their " Taste & Tweet " events, which gave me the opportunity to spend some of their money to buy selected summer white wines and a few items to BBQ. I purchased a package of marinated chicken for my dinner, while getting a mixed grill pack to take to my parents' house for a full weekend of BBQ'ing. The chicken BBQ'd perfectly on the new grill (I wore my new Bogle Vineyards hat), and unlike my old grill, had grill marks. I invited a friend over for the wine tasting, so we enjoyed a complete dinner with vegetables, chicken and bread, plus an assortment of white wines: Unwined Pinot Grigio, Half Shell Crisp White Wine and Ora Pinot Grigio. After an evening of tasting white wines, we needed some red wine, so we quickly headed to La Provence for a glass of wine, before getting invited to Yard House . Once there we ordered from the

New BBQ for Fort Bradley

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In May 2009 I bought my house , by July my backyard was complete and I had a BBQ . The BBQ started out with a cover, which continually got blown off by the wind and ripped to shreds, needless to say I gave up the fight to keep it covered. I never really liked the design of the BBQ and rarely used it (since 2009 I have refilled the propane tank once). A few weeks ago I decided it was time for to fix the BBQ. It still worked fine, but it needed a new grill and new burner covers . I went to Home Depot and bought the parts, $80 worth. On the way home, I realized that was a lot of money for a BBQ I didn't like. I thought more and decided it was time to sell the old BBQ on Craigslist , then use that money and what I was going to spend on replacement parts to buy a new BBQ that I actually liked. Less than 24 hours after posting the BBQ, I had an offer and shortly after that I had $60 in cash and an empty spot in my backyard. I did some online research, went to Home Depot and then end

Father's Day and Horseshoes at the Bradley Lodge

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This Father's Day my family, including my nephews and niece, met at the Bradley Lodge for a relaxing weekend and to finish a project that my dad has wanted done since the lodge was purchased five years ago .... the horseshoe pit. We had done most of the design and construction on one of our last trips , but this time, we filled in the pits with wood and dirt, connected all the railroad ties with re-bar and threw the first "ringers." There was also plenty of food and wine, I brought an assortment of Krispy Kreme's after my grandma mentioned over Memorial Day Weekend that she had never had one and brownies, while others decided to bring healthier dining options (vegetables, meat, etc.). For Father's Day we headed to the Big Trees Village Rec Center for a pancake breakfast that was amazing, not just because someone else did the cooking, but because sitting in the forest is always awe-inspiring, even if you're with 80 to 100 of your closest neighbors (it al

First Blush at The Meritage Resort and Rafting with WET River Trips

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It was a busy week, followed by a very fun weekend. I did lots of work, headed up to Thunder Valley for lunch at Fat Burger and even attended a networking mixer with the staff of the Sacramento Business Journal at The Red Rabbit Kitchen & Bar . On Friday I had a cup of wine (very fancy) at a friend's office before heading to OMG Yogurt for froyo and, most importantly, its candy toppings. On Saturday I headed to Napa and The Meritage Resort and Spa for the inaugural First Blush event. With 89 California wineries submitting their best Rosé wines I was able to taste many of the best wines offered in the state. I met with reporters, guests and even some friends that made the trip from Sacramento. Along with the wine there was food from the chefs at The Meritage Resort and Silvarado Cooking School , plus cupcakes from Sift to celebrate a birthday. As I was driving home my parents decided to meet me in Roseville for dinner at El Azteca and came to my house to deliver a

Memorial Day, Food, Running, Weddings, Birthdays and Wine

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It's been a busy 10 days, which I guess isn't too much different from normal. Work at MrAndrewBradley Communications has been going well. I could always use more clients and work, but I am keeping busy with my normal retainer clients and a few projects from friends and other referrals. I spent Memorial Day Weekend at my parents house, where in a slight role reversal, I did some of the cooking, including two Papa Murhpy's pizzas (okay, that's not difficult, but I did buy them), waffles and even fended for myself one night with steak and salad. We also enjoyed dinner cooked by KFC and lots of fresh berry pie with ice cream. I did run off some of the calories while enjoying the views of the Sacramento River , a good change of pace from typical runs in my neighborhood. After a relaxing weekend it was back to the real world, but I still found time to buy new running shoes , celebrate a friend's birthday at Legends and Heroes , had a great meeting and meal at Hock