Food & Beer Friday :: Summatime.

While I've been enjoying my summer, and mainly my books, I'm sort of taking a blog sabbatical.  And I'm ok with it.  In the meantime, I'm definitely still drinking!  I couldn't pass up sharing a beer from one of my favorite breweries.

You may not remember my affinity for Anchor Steam Beer, but it was one of the first I reviewed.  I picked up Anchor Summer Beer in haste at my bottle shop due to my love for Anchor.  After purchase, I realized it was a wheat beer.  I'm definitely not a fan of wheat beers as they tend to be a little too sweet for my taste.  Believe it or not, I was pleasantly surprised by this brew!  While it's an "unfiltered wheat beer," it only had a slight wheat flavor and was otherwise refreshing.  Anchor says the top-fermenting yeast and malted wheat help give this beer a lighter wheat flavor.  I can't say that this would be a go-to summer beer for me, but it's definitely a good transitional beer if you haven't tried many craft beers.

In my delayed summer fashion, this is the perfect fourth of July beer (along with the perfect 4th outfit).  It's only 4.5% alcohol (so low!) and easy to drink in the heat.  It's available all the way through October though, so enjoy the summer even after it's gone!

Now head on over and check out what Sarah is reviewing this week!  Cheers & here's to hoping I have another awesome beer (and more blog posts) for you next week!  What's your favorite summer beer?

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A sweet summer cocktail.

Way back when I had find a signature summer mixed drink on my summer bucket list.  It took me a couple months, but I succeeded!  I gave you a snippet, but here is the full recipe you've been waiting for!

The recipe was inspired by Eat Love Drink's blueberry French 75.  I had leftover champagne from my first birthday weekend, and we had grabbed blackberries at the farmers market, so I made my own adjustments!

To make 1 drink you'll need:

• A handful or two of blackberries
• Juice from half a lemon
• 1 oz (or a shot) of gin
• 3 oz champagne
• Ice

Obviously I'm very classy and used only the best champagne & gin.  But seriously, I'm a girl on a budget!

Muddle your berries in a pint glass (or shaker which I only realized later we had).  Muddle them just a bit to release some of the juices.  I muddled a little too much the first time, but I perfected it on my second round.  Add your gin, lemon juice, & ice.  Shake or stir gently.  Add your champagne & pour into your glass.

Super easy!  Hope you take time to make my summer cocktail before fall sneaks up on us!  Cheers!

Ocean views, the boardwalk, and a snazzy hotel.

You know the deal, we left wine country and headed back down through San Francisco to hop on the PCH and drive down the beautiful coast of California!

Obviously, I can not even begin to describe the true beauty that is the California coast line.

[And seriously, this is just the beginning when things were still foggy and before hitting SF]

D took the first leg of the driving to get us back through SF.  I had big hopes of stopping and getting some typical touristy pictures in front of the Golden Gate Bridge.

[Seemed like those touristy pics weren't meant to be]

And so we kept trucking through San Fran.  I did research while D drove.  Hopping on the Pacific Coast Highway/Hwy 1, there are just a million things to see.  

We stopped two, maybe three times along the way.  We decided to make our first stop for some food in Santa Cruz.  Since D was on a hunt for a brew pub in every city we visited, we decided on Seabright Brewery.

The beers were pretty good here.  Nothing stellar, but they do have beers that have won awards at the Great American Beer Festival.  The food was actually pretty good here!  We got the nachos (which aren't on their online menu but were really amazing) and the salmon fish and chips.

After filling our bellies, we trekked (and dealt with parking issues) over to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.  I can't remember ever going to a boardwalk before, so it was a must-see for me!

 [It was a Saturday, so it was a bit heavy with people]

 [No big deal, we rode the sky buckets]

D picked himself up some classic "fair" foods (ice cream and chocolate sauce covered waffle), and we were back on the road.  I took over driving (and of course was unluckily stuck in traffic for a while), and D took to Priceline to search for a hotel.  He hit the jackpot and got us a spa hotel in Monterey.

[Portola Hotel & Spa]

Monterey ended up being probably my favorite city of the trip (side note: while I say I want to live in a big city, my favorite cities to travel are by far the little, quaint places).  The hotel was obviously wonderful and right on the Fisherman's Wharf.  

 [View from Fisherman's Wharf]

 [Window view of seals from our dinner restaurant]

We had an amazing dinner that I honestly did not want to end even when I was stuffed to the brim: clam chowder in a bread bowl, seafood fettucini alfredo with house made sauce, steamed fish platter, local beers.  We walked and explored the wharf.  I wish we would have made it to Cannery Row.  It would have been ideal to have a second, full day in Monterey.  I'd love to go back, rent bikes to ride around town and explore the aquarium.  We left fairly early the next morning to get back on the road towards Big Sur.

It's a list.

Well it's that time.  Everyone is making lists/goals for the summer.  Work officially ended yesterday for me, so I'm feeling like I'm ready to make the commitment.  I sort of tried this last summer, dedicating myself to doing a few decorating/DIY projects.  Want to know how many of those projects I completed?  None.  I'm taking a different route this year.

I'm basing my list on my 101 in 1001 list.  My list needs some serious attention. In a sense I've started to feel a little defeated since there are certain items that just can't be accomplished.  In reality, that's no reason to give up!  I like a short list (to ensure, or closer to ensuring, success):

1.  Decorate ONE wall in my house :: Refererence #60 - Purchase a piece of art for our home

[via]

I'm thinking Instagram photo wall of some sort.  There's tons of other Instagram decor ideas out there though.  I'm planning to compile mine and D's insta-photos and go from there.  Even if it doesn't end up being insta-inspired, I'll count this as completed if I decorate just one wall.


2.  Volunteer :: Reference #38 - volunteer somewhere.


Since I work with kids on a regular basis, I wanted to take a step back from that.  

I want to do something where I get to be around precious little animals instead!  I've had my eye on volunteering at Safe Haven and just have not taken the plunge.  It's about time I take the focus off me, me, me.

3.  California :: Reference #67 - Visit 3 of the 1000 Places to go Before You Die  

[via]

I'm pretty sure our California road trip is going to check off a few of the "places to see" on the list.  We'll be hitting up the Pacific Coast Highway, Monterey Peninsula, Coronado, and wine country which are all included on the list.  

4.  Find a signature summer mixed drink :: Reference #90 - Learn to make a new mixed drink

[Strawberries + white wine]

This Strawberry Reisling Slushie sounds right down my alley, but I'm thinking something involving fruit and tequila!  (And if I get really lazy, I can always count my sangria as my summer drink!)

And that's that my friends!  Four goals (which I guess technically doesn't characterize this as a "bucket list"), two of  which involve no real effort.  I am planning to read, spend lots of time at the beach/pool, and keep working on my fitness!

How are you spending your summer days?

life lately :: schools out for summer!

Technically my last day with students was Friday, and I still have three teacher work days this week.  My brain is in summer mode though!  D has been traveling like crazy, so I've spent most of June by my lonesome.  Trust me though, I've been keeping busy!

 [Wine + paint party for a co-worker // ootd for the party]

 [Trying this recipe]

 [Sushi date with D before he left me for a week]

 [I've been spending lots of time out on the porch with beer + blogs]

 [She's obsessed with me in the mornings]

 [They're HUGE!  Also Mr. Bojangles {the white Silkie} is holding back the crew from getting in the coop at night.  Super annoying.]

[Blood orange margarita at Jibarra // ootd for drinks with a friend]

Now this week will be spent packing and cleaning before heading to Georgia on Friday or Saturday and then Cali bound next Monday!

Linking up with Alli and Haley this week!

First stop :: Prague.

I realized I've mentioned our month-long trip to Europe before, but I've never thoroughly posted about our travels.  It was still the best time of my life, and I have no problem reliving it.  As the three year anniversary of our trip is approaching this month, it's the perfect moment for a little time travel.

A brief note :: we flew to Europe via stand-by.  While it was the cheaper option, it was definitely the most stressful.  We ended up not flying out after a whole day in the airport but were able to hitch a flight to London the next day.  While at Heathrow, we booked the first flight to Prague since that's where our first hotel reservations were.

[Yep, big fancy hotel beds]

After finally arriving and checking in, sans luggage because best believe it will get lost, it was amazing to finally feel settled.  Seriously, we pricelined a lot of our lodging in Europe.  We got some amazing deals (read: $60/night in Munich), but this was three years earlier.  

We spent three nights in Prague, and it ended up being one of my favorite cities.  It is absolutely beautiful and stunning.  The city was not majorly hit during World World II so much of the "old world" beauty remains in the city.

We spent our first day just walking around exploring Prague.  The Prague National Museum is really amazing.

 [U Fleku]

Of course after sight seeing, we spent plenty of time eating and drinking in the city.  The bars have rich histories, some of them dating back to the 1400s!  We started at Novomestsky Pivovar which is in the center of the city.  They brew their own beer and have their own restaurant.  U Fleku was next on our list.  It was highly recommended to us by other beer lovers that had ventured to Prague.

Upon entry in the bar, you're greeted with beer.  It's thrusted down in front of you with each additional beer recorded with notches on your coaster.  The beer is delicious, but the atmosphere is in close competition to win your love of this bar.

We sat at family-style tables and enjoyed the accordion music.  The patrons happily singing, drinking, and eating definitely made this one of our favorite spots in Prague!  

Our second day in Prague involved lots of walking and plenty of sight seeing.

We started by taking the walk up to the Prague Castle, which is the largest fully standing castle in the world.  If you needed a reason to visit, the walk up to the castle is gorgeous on its own.  We were lucky that it was a beautiful day for visiting.

You can get a full view of the real beauty of Prague from the top of the castle.  The above picture makes me fall more and more in love with the city every time I see it.  We took tours through most parts of the castle area which include a Basilica, a Convent, and a Cathedral.

There is even a vineyard!  The St. Wenceslas vineyard has a long history; legend has it that it is the oldest vineyard in Bohemia.

 [The famous Charles Bridge]

After leaving from the Castle, we took the walk across the Charles Bridge.  The bridge dates back to 1357 and connects the two sides of Prague.  The bridge is definitely busy and dotted with artists and booths.  

We spent some time in Prague's Old Town Square.  Just observing the architecture and statues in Prague is enough to keep you busy all day.  This was one of the best cities to kick off our trip with!  The "old" feel of Prague really captured my heart, but the affordability of things sealed the deal.  Prague, to my knowledge, has yet to convert to the Euro.  This lends to cheaper prices there.  I have a dream of revisiting Prague in the winter when there is snow on the ground!  

I'm also linking up with Kelsey today!

Don't forget my giveaway ends TOMORROW!!