Hi, from Napa Valley ! I flew into San Francisco last night and then headed to the Vino Bello Resort, where I am going to spend the next two (much-needed) days drinking all the wine and eating all the delicious food I can get my hands on. I am planning to have many conversations with real adults and change zero poopy diapers. And most importantly, I am not going worry (at all) about Sebastian and his new found toddling/walking skills, or his poor little front tooth that he chipped falling off a basket face first into the floor, the night before I left.
I've been to Napa only once before when I tagged along one of Brent's work trips. I loved it so much, I told myself that I was going to try and make as many trips as possible in the near future - seeing as it's only a two-hour plane ride away. That was 3 years ago, and I have been approximately zero times since. Life gets busy, and certain little people take priority, but nevertheless, here I am back in the land of sunshine and wine.
Just in time for this trip, Brent surprised me with a new camera, after I accidentally dropped mine down the two concrete flights of stairs in front of our house. It slipped right out of the bottom of the stroller while I was carrying it down the stairs. I heard a clunk, then a crack, and then in slow motion I saw it bounce from one step to another until finally, it rolled onto the lawn. I don't understand how, but miraculously it only suffered minor injuries - a cracked LCD panel, a few dents on the outer body, and a smashed lens filter, which actually saved the lens. Funny, or not so funny, a few weeks earlier Brent accidentally dropped it at the State Fair
- again it bounced right out of the stroller (I guess we don't learn from our mistakes). Despite all of our near misses, I think Brent took these incidences as a sign that my camera probably has only three lives, and that the next accidental fall is probably going to be fatal (also, my camera is really old and on its last legs), so..... he bought me this brand spanking new camera that has only been on the market for like 5 weeks!!!!! It has so many features and is so amazing and I feel like I have a new baby. In celebration, I am going to break it in (not break it) on this trip and take as many photos of wine as I possibly can. I'll report back next week with my findings. It's actually been a terrible few months for technology disasters in our home, starting first with me running over my iPhone. Luckily, it suffered only minimal damage - a cracked camera lens - but then I confidently decided to fix the lens myself. I bought a repair kit online, opened up my phone and then promptly destroyed it. It's now dead forever. A week earlier the hard drive on my iMac died. From my experience, bad luck runs in three, so this means I am safe now?
On a more positive note, let's talk about babies and breakfast skillets! Sonja and Gena have organized this wonderful virtual baby shower for my blog friend Ashley. Her little baby girl is due at the end of December and I couldn't be happier for her. Ashley is such a warm and kind-hearted person and I know she is going to make the best mother. Her little girl is going to be so spoiled with all of that Colorado scenery and all of Ashley's amazingly healthy and tasty recipe creations. The theme of the #ediblebabybash is breakfast, which is probably one of my favorite meals. I wanted to create something wholesome and healthy for Ashley, and breakfast skillets are a great way to incorporate lots of delicious things into one meal. This winter vegetable skillet has potatoes, Brussel sprouts, mushrooms, orange peppers, eggs, cheese, and avocado. It is so easy to prepare, and is so insanely delicious! Here are some of the other mouth-watering recipes that others have made.
Cornbread Waffles with Maple Mascarpone Schmear | A Couple Cooks
Homestyle Vegan Grits with Tempeh Sausage & Brussels Sprouts | The Full Helping
Pear and Almond Butter Baked Oatmeal | Eating Made Easy
Eggs Florentine | Brooklyn Supper
Fried Chicken & Waffles with Apple Butter & Kale Slaw | Climbing Grier Mountain
Homemade Nutella Toasts | The Fauxmartha
Fancy Avocado Toast | A Beautiful Plate
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Waffles | Making Thyme for Health
WINTER VEGETABLE BREAKFAST SKILLET
serves 4
prep time: 15 minutes
cooking time: 25 minutes
2 tbsp butter
2 cups baby potatoes, halved
2 cups brussel sprouts, halved
1 cup chopped kale
1/2 orange pepper, chopped
4 large mushrooms, sliced
5 large eggs
2 tbsp milk
1 cup shredded cheddar
salt and pepper
1 avocado, quartered
fresh thyme
Add the butter to a large frying pan and set on medium heat.
Add the potatoes and Brussel sprouts and fry until crispy and tender, tossing occasionally so they don't burn.
Add the kale, peppers, and mushrooms and fry until soft.
In a bowl, scramble the eggs with milk.
Reduce the heat to low and let the pan cool. Push the veggies to one side of the pan and add the eggs to the other. Scramble.
Once the eggs are cooked, add the cheese and mix everything together. Cook until the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with avocado and fresh thyme.
