Grilled Peach + Corn Salad

October 4, 2016

While we’ve had a few chilly days so far this fall in wine country, the vast majority of our weather is still 75+ and even up into the 90’s. With temps that high, heavier fall flavors and hot dishes simply haven’t sounded all that enticing thus far so I’ve been trying to embrace easy summer recipes for as long as possible. After a long hiatus from corn (definitely had way too much of it growing up in the midwest), Jake reintroduced it to me earlier this year when we got our new grill in May. On a recent trip to Whole Foods, I picked up the last of the corn I could find for the season, as well as some juicy peaches that I could practically smell from an aisle away. I did some poking around online for inspiration and found this late summer salad which sounded perfectly simple and yet packed with flavor. Since I didn’t have everything on hand, I made some tweaks along the way and it was absolutely delicious. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 ears corn, shucked
4 peaches, cut into wedges
Salt and pepper, freshly ground
2 tablespoons red wine vengar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup crumbled feta
4 cups baby arugula
1/2 jalapeno pepper, halved, seeded thinly sliced *optional

Suggested Wine Pairing: ONEHOPE Riesling leads with aromas of honeysuckle flower and peach blossom on the nose. With a fruity flavor profile of white peach, mango and pear, it’s the perfect compliment to the grilled peach, corn and feta in this delicious salad.

DIRECTIONS

Heat grill to medium/high heat.
Lightly drizzle some olive oil on the corn and peaches and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place corn on bottom rack of grill and turn periodically until grill and char marks develop (10-15 minutes).
After corn has been grilling for 5 minutes, place peaches on the top rack of grill and turn periodically until grill and char marks develop (5-8 minutes).
Remove corn and peaches from grill, allowing them cool slightly.
Whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt, pepper and jalapeno (optional).
When the corn is cool enough to handle, cut remove kernels from cob. Add corn, sliced peaches, almonds and feta to to your bowl with the dressing and toss to coat.
Add arugula to salad bowls and top with peach and corn salad.
Serve with a chilled glass of ONEHOPE Riesling. Cheers!

Recipe adapted from here.

Update / My Grandpa

October 3, 2016

Hey there! It’s been a little while and with life passing by faster than ever, I simply haven’t had the time to dedicate to writing recently. At the tail end of August, right after our Sauvignon Blanc harvest, I received word that my grandpa wasn’t doing well. Honestly, he hadn’t been doing well for almost 20 years when he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, but this time it was different. He was diagnosed with an aggressive form of skin cancer earlier this year and with an already weak heart, the additional illness was just too much for his body to bear any longer. He passed away in the loving arms of family on August 27th at 88 years old.

No matter how mentally prepared you are for someone to transition to the other side, you’re never fully ready for the heartbreak. The helplessness, the worry about those he left behind (my grandma, my aunts, my younger cousin who was there in those final moments), and the grieving of a better life when everyone was young, healthy and together were almost too much to bear in those first few weeks. My grandpa had the kindest soul, a jokester spirit and the most contagious laugh. He fiercely loved his 4 girls, sailing, and the next project around the house or yard. My grandma was the love of his life and their stories of him chasing her in their earlier years will live on forever in my heart. I will never stop missing him.

After a couple of weeks in a funk, I’m feeling almost back to normal, but I’m missing my family more than ever. This is our first fall in Napa and the temperature change and fall colors make me nostalgic for home in the midwest. I’m looking forward to returning later on this month for my grandpa’s service and being able to hold my grandma once again.

With love,

Meg

Have a great weekend!

August 26, 2016

Fall harvest officially started on Tuesday of this week and I’m so honored that I had the opportunity to capture it on behalf of ONEHOPE. I had no idea what to expect, but I certainly did not expect what I ended up experiencing: the shocking, gritty, exhausting, exhilarating pace of the process and people working harder than I’ve ever witnessed in my life. I talked a little bit more about it here.

My grandmother’s side of the family was made up of primarily migrant workers that moved from state to state to find work, so in my heart I have a real connection and love for agriculture and all her family endured working in the fields to survive. There is something about Northern California that has always felt like home to me, particularly when I’m out in the “country”, and since she was born in Salinas, maybe it’s just something that’s in my soul. Because of that, I felt like it was really important to experience our first NorCal harvest in person, not just on a professional level, but on a spiritual level too.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the team that harvested our Sauvignon Blanc all week. To be honest, it felt so petty and insignificant going back to designing this huge home right smack-dab in the middle of the vineyard. What has kept me going, however, is the mission behind this property… that this structure will incubate and house change on a global level, that it will bring together leaders in all different industries to experience what I just witnessed and more. And if people can leave here with even a sliver of the inspiration that I have felt this week to do good, to be a better person, and to enact change, then we will have succeeded.

I’m thrilled that tomorrow we’ll be at STOMP to help raise money for the Mexican American farmworkers in our community. While we’ve attended in the past, it will most certainly have an even bigger meaning to us this year. I can’t wait to share more next week.

Have a great weekend!

-Meg

Harvest 2016

August 22, 2016

It’s official! Tomorrow marks the beginning of our 2016 harvest at the ONEHOPE vineyard! It’s the first time I’ve ever witnessed a harvest in person, and I’ve been getting butterflies with excitement since finding out last week. It seems so silly… grapes are just fruit and I’m not sure that any other fruits or vegetables get so much attention when they’re harvested, but there’s something so symbolic and historic about a great growing season coming to a close and the mystery of wondering how this final wine is going to taste when we get barrel samples next year.

Additionally, things on the construction site at the vineyard are really starting to take shape! Framing is almost complete for the two guest wings (4 bathrooms on either side) and has started to go up on the center of the house (the great room, kitchen, man cave, laundry and car barn). Our HUGE great room and car barn trusses are being delivered next week and we’ll have plumbers on site in the coming two weeks to rough in plumbing. It’s getting REALLY exciting to see, spaces are finally making sense and it’s also made me incredibly busy on the design side that I’ve been sharing a few sneak peeks of on my Instagram story. Selecting tile and finishes for 11 bathrooms has proven to be WAY harder than I anticipated, but I’m loving ~~almost~~ every minute of the ride. I promise to share some content on the interior design side soon! In the meantime, be sure to tune in to Instagram tomorrow morning (@onehope and @megrobins) for a few exciting peeks 🙂

Wine Wednesday / Tasting in the Vines

August 10, 2016

Happy Wine Wednesday! This summer has flown by crazy fast and while the official start of fall isn’t until September 22nd, Labor Day (in just three short weeks!) really marks the end-of-summer for most. With this being the first summer in our house, I had such grandiose plans for our yard and get-togethers that were probably unrealistic for the number of work priorities, weddings and travel planned, so I’m definitely feeling like there’s still so much to squeeze in before September rolls around. It’s no secret that I LOVE fall, but I’m trying to keep that nostalgia at bay by doing at least one summery thing a day, whether that’s sipping on a glass of Rosé or picking berries at the property.

One thing that we’ve had no shortage of this year are wine tastings at the vineyard! With so many partners excited about the progress of construction, we’ve blocked out days and weekends for property tours and tastings for people to attend if they’re in town. Last weekend was a bit of a treat when some friends joined us for a casual wine tasting in the vines with their family. Our site is definitely a construction zone so it’s rough, dusty and hot, but we’ve made do with a makeshift barrel bar and a few umbrellas for shade. While I would have loved to have spruced this little section of the vineyard up a bit more, it’s made for an authentic, rustic Napa experience for our guests and it’s always a treat to see peoples’ excitement when they see our property for the first time and taste barrel samples of our estate cabernet. Here are a few shots from this past weekend.

Life Lately / Summer in Napa

July 25, 2016

Life has been seriously chaotic this year so I’m trying to make a concentrated effort to spend every moment outside of work to soaking up my first summer in Napa. I trekked around the vineyard last week to check out our construction status and I wound up covered in scratches, pickers, and blackberry juice when I discovered heaps of ripe berry bushes along our creek bed. Nature is surprising me around almost every corner here and continually makes me fall harder for this new place we call home. Here are a few snaps of my favorite summer surprises.

Hope you’re having a great week!

Living Small in Stockholm

July 14, 2016

I have such an affinity for small spaces! Having lived in what can be considered a small space since my dorm room in college, I love the idea of a well designed small space, free of clutter and chaos. When we were house hunting, the idea of anything over 1,500 square feet really freaked me out. As the primary caretaker of any home we’ve ever lived in together, how the heck was I going to take care of that much space on my own, coming from a 600 square foot apartment? Our little 950-ish square foot bungalow that we now call home, while small, is just the right, cozy size for us and I love ~~almost~~ every little inch of it.

Minimalist, Scandinavian design is my ultimate favorite so when we had a 4 hour layover in Copenhagen last year on our way back home to the states, I was crushed that we weren’t staying in Denmark for at least a few days. I’ve been dying to get back to Scandinavia since so when I came across this tiny Swedish abode online, it solidified my need to get back there AND my love for small spaces. How darling is this one room apartment, flooded with light, a neutral palette and pretty finishes? Steel doors and windows get me every time and this space is proof that splurging on a few key design elements will always pay off in the long run. Take a look at some of my favorite images below.

All images via HusmanHagberg.

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Fig Season! / 5 Minute Cheese Board

July 7, 2016

It’s fig season in California (woohoo!) and I’ve got a slight obsession with them (see last year’s flatbread pizza and fig cocktail recipes here) so I scooped up a basket of brown turkey figs while prepping for our 4th of July celebrations last weekend. We were keeping things easy for the holiday this year so instead of creating some full-blown concoction, I decided to use them for the base of a casual cheese board since I was still in need of a quick appetizer.

I’m kind of in love with cheese and charcuterie boards and create them all of the time for work and almost anytime we host or need to bring a dish to pass. There is nothing more “wine country” to me than a well curated board so they’re one of my favorite low-stress options for guests or just a casual night at home in Napa with the two of us. That being said, there are a few rules of thumb when it comes to crafting a cheese board that I always follow no matter how many people I’m prepping for. Here is what you’ll need:

Something sweet // honey for drizzling or a great jam meant to be paired with cheese
Something salty // nuts – I like Whole Foods’ truffled Marcona almonds with sea salt
Something briny // Castelvetrano olives or pickles
Something seasonal // Figs! Artichokes are also a favorite
At least one type of cracker or bread // use whatever you have on hand, but try to go for something plain that won’t interfere with other flavors on your board
A hard cheese and a soft cheese // Vermont aged white cheddar and a goat cheese or fresh burrata are always great options

Lastly, you’ll need a cheese board and some ramekins or small bowls for olives, olive pits, pickles, etc. I used a vintage cheese board I picked up at the flea market this time around, but a few of my favorite store-bought options are below. I also broke my own rule #6 for this one because I knew we’d all be drinking whites or light reds and was really feeling two particular cheeses that I had in my cart at the time (a creamy herbed goat cheese and Cypress Grove’s Humboldt Fog), but I generally try to stick to the above. Here is what I used:

Something sweet // honey for drizzling // honey packaging is usually a little unsightly so I transferred a bit of honey to a small pinch bowl and served with a honey dipper (both below)
Something salty // Whole Foods’ truffled Marcona almonds with sea salt // you can find these by their artisanal cheese selection where there are a huge variety of fresh olives available.
Something briny // Castelvetranno olives // my favorite olives in the world (see #2 for where to buy)
Something seasonal // Figs!
At least one type of cracker or bread // sea salt flatbread crackers
A hard cheese and a soft cheese // I used an herbed goat cheese and Humboldt Fog

Do you have any favorite must-have additions to your cheese boards? I’d love to hear!

Hello July! // Life Update

July 5, 2016

Hello, July! Summer is in full swing! The days in Napa are incredibly hot, the nights are cold (still getting used to these 40 degree daily temperature swings!) and I’ve been totally under water trying to keep up with preparations for our big holiday 2016 push at ONEHOPE. Since October-December are our biggest months, the bulk of our holiday prep happens in June and July. Being that we’re coming out with so many new products this year, our holiday catalog shoot took a few weeks of preparation, one full day of setting up and three, head-spinning 12-14 hour days of shooting. Last week I was in LA handling that (Monday-Friday) and I feel like I’m still recovering from being on my feet for so long moving backdrops, flower market runs, styling, shooting, adjusting, restyling, etc.

My parents flew into town on Saturday to visit us for a few days before we head back down to LA for a big conference we’re hosting in Manhattan Beach. Things have been so stressful for the past few weeks, that there was honestly nothing better than being able to give them a big hug when they pulled up. Family just makes everything better – am I right? Jake and I were planning on possibly hosting some friends in Napa for the 4th, but being that I was still exhausted from travel and he was wiped out having just returned from being on the road for 10 days, we decided to keep it low key with just our parents for the day. It was truly a different vibe than our typical Sangria Flip Cup championships we’ve hosted for the last three years while living in Hermosa. Yes… SANGRIA flip cup. Maybe next year? Or maybe we just finally grew up…Yikes.

As different as this year was, we still had a blast. Jake’s mom brought over a few delicious dishes and my parents helped us whip up some great barbecue. We did a ton of yard work this weekend, thanks to my dad figuring out a plan using what we had in materials (so much rock in our area!) and we got to work sprucing things up. Our plan is to add on to our garage and house, but that can’t happen for at least a year, so it’ll be nice to have things looking a little more polished for the time being. Here are a few snapshots from the past week!

Quick stop by the vineyard to check out our construction progress. Look at those grapes!

Summer staple: Vine ripe tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella.

Kept one 4th of July tradition: homemade triple berry cake!

Love this festive cake topper from Meri Meri so much!

Grilled Caprese Pizza with Artichoke

June 21, 2016

Without a doubt, the time seems to keep passing by faster and faster each year. I’ve arguably never felt so overwhelmed with work projects and with wedding season in full force, our travel game is real! I travel a decent amount for work and Jake travels about 4 times what I do, so with regular work travel combined with weddings (averaging at 6-12/year for the past few years), our summers seem to fly by in a blink. One thing I’ve really tried to focus on this year is to not wait for the weekend to partake in traditionally summer “weekend things” in an effort to squeeze as much of my favorite season out of this year as possible. Since to me there is almost nothing that feels more summery than barbecuing and eating dinner in our back yard, I’ve made it a priority for us to cook together/grill at least twice per week, even when it might be easier to heat up some leftovers and keep things easy.

I’ve been wanting to try grilled pizza for a while now and when one of our “weeds” in our back yard from the previous owner turned out to be an artichoke plant, I was feeling even more inspired than ever to fire up the grill. I purchased this pizza stone and pizza peel, picked up a few other ingredients from the store and we were good to go. I didn’t really put a ton of thought or time into researching a recipe for this (other than how to grill artichokes and I went by this aioli recipe) and instead just tried to keep it simple with things I knew would pair well together. This ended up being one of my favorite meals we’ve made together and we’ll definitely be making it again this week – I can’t wait!

PS: This recipe is all about timing so pour yourself a glass of wine and prep in advance if possible.

GRILLED CAPRESE PIZZA WITH ARTICHOKE

Prep: 15 minutes
Active: 45 minutes
Yield: 1 pizza (2 servings)
Wine Pairing: Napa Valley Red Blend or Edna Valley Pinot Noir

INGREDIENTS

4 medium/large artichokes
2 cups baby heirloom tomatoes
1 small bunch basil, chopped (15-20 basil leaves)
1lb. fresh pizza dough (I use Trader Joe’s fresh dough)
2 tbs. cornmeal
2 tbs. flour
8 oz. fresh burrata
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil
Freshly shaved parmesan

AIOLI INGREDIENTS

2 garlic cloves
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbs. vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

Fill a pot with 1-2″ of water and bring it to a boil while prepping your artichokes.
Prep your artichoke by cutting the sharp tips off the artichoke petals. Then trim the top of the artichoke (cut off about 3/4″-1″) and remove the smaller petals by the stem. If your artichoke has a long stem, trim it down to an inch or less.
Reduce water to a simmer, place artichokes in a steam basket and cover
Cook for 20-40 minutes until the outer petals easily pull off.
While your artichokes are steaming, knead and roll your pizza dough. Add flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to your hands and surface. Stretch your dough to desired size and shape (1lb. of dough dough should create a 10-12″ circle). Sprinkle pizza stone with cornmeal to keep your dough from sticking to the stone. Once dough is in place, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with 1/2 of your chopped basil leaves, add all of the burrata and finish with a dash of salt and pepper.
Fire barbecue to medium flame and place pizza stone on grill.
In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, the remaining basil, salt, pepper and olive oil. Stir to evenly coat tomatoes and transfer to a grill basket or foil and place on grill.
Remove artichokes from steam basket and cut in half length wise. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and place on the top rack of your grill.
Prep aioli (directions below) while monitoring grill.
Allow your tomatoes to blister and artichokes to char slightly before removing. Scoop out the heart of 2-3 artichokes.
Once dough has reached your desired texture, remove from grill and top with artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Garnish with fresh basil and shaved parmesan. Plate remaining artichokes with aioli and serve immediately.
Serve with your favorite red wine (I recommend this or this). Cheers!

AIOLI DIRECTIONS

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt using a large heavy knife. Whisk together yolk, lemon juice, and mustard in a bowl.
Combine oils and add, a few drops at a time, to yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until all oil is incorporated and mixture is emulsified. (If mixture separates, stop adding oil and continue whisking until mixture comes together, then resume adding oil.)
Whisk in garlic paste and season with salt and pepper. If aïoli is too thick, whisk in 1 or 2 drops of water. Chill, covered, until ready to use.

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