How is it already mid November?!  October seemed to go by in the blink of an eye and we’re just a few weeks away from Thanksgiving.  When I lived in NYC, I rarely went home for Thanksgiving since it was so far (from my hometown Scottsdale), so I often spent it with my closest friends in the city.  It was actually a really cozy, fun, bonding time and we would all rotate whose apartment we spent “Friendsgiving” at each year.  I think my favorite Friendsgiving was at Talun’s tiny studio apartment in Brooklyn – with 6 of us sitting on his bed and a few bar stools around a charming, distressed wood table.  We all brought 2-3 dishes (that year I made sweet potato mash – YUM) and Talun surprised us with his insane turkey cooking and carving skills.  We drank mulled wine and listened to jazz until the wee hours of the morning.  I have quite a few friends here in LA who won’t be heading home for Thanksgiving, so I thought it would be the perfect occasion to host a Friendsgiving at my place.  I couldn’t resist setting up a mini mulled wine bar with Callie Collection’s signature Fresh Red Blend. This Callie Collection wine has notes of blackberry, strawberry, vanilla and caramel.  It tastes delicious alongside a Friendsgiving feast. For the main event, I served my Callie Collection Mulled Wine recipe alongside delicious roasted rainbow carrots, gluten-free corn muffins, a kale + kabocha squash salad, and pumpkin pie to go along with it.   OK, maybe I didn’t make the pumpkin pie from scratch…I must give credit to Huckleberry in Santa Monica!!! ;) I had so much fun hosting an event with Callie Collection Wines at the new Broken Shaker rooftop in Downtown LA a few weeks ago and had the chance to teach guests how to make their own mulled wine satchels to take home and enjoy with Callie Collection’s Fresh Red Blend.  It’s such an easy and festive touch for the holidays to spice up your wine. Here’s a step by step guide on how to set up your own mulled wine bar! Mulled Wine Bar DIY: Steeping Satchels x Callie Collection Mulled Wine Materials: Muslin bags Bakers twine Cinnamon sticks Tags for Recipe Ingredients: 3-4 cinnamon sticks 30 whole cloves 20 allspice whole berries 3 whole black cardamom pods Optional: Dried orange slices Garnish: Star anise Prepare your Callie Collection Red Blend x Mulled Wine recipe cards in advance on pretty paper with a little handwritten note for a special touch. Measure out appropriate number of spices required per each bottle of Callie Collection Red Blend as it pertains to the recipe. Fill each muslin bag with appropriate amount of ingredients. Loop twine through recipe card and special note. Fasten with a tie or pretty fall colored ribbon. The perfect gift is ready to go for all your upcoming fall / winter party needs! When you’re ready to make your mulled wine – pour 1/2 cup of Callie Collection Fresh Red Blend wine, 2 tablespoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of brandy and contents of bag into a pot on the stove.  Bring to a medium-high heat for 3 minutes then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.  Enjoy!

I mentioned my lemon ginger slushy in my very first Wellness Series this summer and wanted to do a full blog post with the recipe since I’ve received so many comments and DMs about them.  They are so delicious and refreshing – AND you can even turn them into a “healthy-ish” cocktail by adding a splash of vodka! Add mint or basil to garnish it, pick up some fun straws, and you’ve got yourself the easiest drink to sip on throughout the day or serve at a party.  Something I experimented with recently is adding the entire lemon with the peel into the blender.  The peel of the lemon has the most nutrients and is incredibly alkalizing.  It also makes the drink a more vibrant shade of yellow.  If you want a sweeter slushie, add honey, coconut nectar or coconut sugar.  I personally love mine tart though!  For this week’s giveaway, I am sending one lucky reader this gorgeous bar tray (a $450 value) from one of my favorite designers; St. Frank.  I’m obsessed with their home decor pieces and have this oversized print in my entry.   The ladies at St. Frank were kind enough to connect me with Simply Framed; an online custom, mail-in framing shop.  They created this beautiful art hanging above my bar with a tunic I picked up in Mexico a few months ago.  I love looking around my home and seeing pieces from my travels in every corner!  To enter this week’s giveaway, simply sign up for my newsletter, and comment below “Signed up!” with your email.  XO Lemon Ginger Slushy 2 cups of ice 1 cup of water 1 lemon (remove seeds and rind) Thumb size piece of ginger (remove the skin) Garnish with mint or basil Blend on high! Optional: 1 shot of vodka or sweetener SaveSave