It's not a big secret that I'm very firm in my No Christmas Music Before Thanksgiving beliefs. This is not the case, however, with holiday cards. I love sending them soon after Thanksgiving, but that means you have to order them before then. Being ahead of the game has never been one of my strong suits, but when it comes to ordering pretty stationary, I'm always on top of it. Maybe it's because we've moved around a lot and while the holidays have looked different for us almost every year since we started moving, this is one constant tradition we do no matter where we are (like a Thanksgiving race--it started with the Turkey Trot in Roanoke every year for as long as I can remember, then last year we did a 10K in Charlotte, and this Thursday we're running another 5K; but this time in Silicon Valley).

Anyway, life has been a little busy lately, and I had no idea that the family photos we took with our friend Rémy this summer in Charlotte would be gracing this year's holiday cards, but here we are. I had big plans to go to Baker Beach and get some new photos of us in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, but I guess that'll just have to wait until 2017.

I'm excited to be partnering with new-to-me-sponsor Tiny Prints this year--it was so sweet of them to send us these glamorous glitter holiday cards (and if you're wondering, no they don't make a mess--the glitter stays put)! They also have laser-cut designs, both personalized and stamped foil cards, and some super cute ornament ones, too. I'm really happy with the design I picked, and I can't wait to hunker down this weekend and write some notes to our friends and family on the East Coast!

And finally, from now until December 2, you can enter to win a $100 credit to Tiny Prints, right here on Freckled Italian (winner will be notified by December 16). Just use the widget below: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

In the past, I haven't really made a lot of fish at home. We've lived in a few apartments and for some reason I always feel like it stinks up the whole place, so I'd save it for nights when we planned to grill outside (or I'd just order a seafood dish at a restaurant and not have to clean up at all!). While I was writing my cookbook, the fish chapter seemed like it was going to be the hardest for me--but after a bit of experimenting I learned that preparing fish at home is actually super easy and quick.

I'm excited to welcome Bumble Bee to the blog once again--I always love it when they ask me to cook for them. This time I tried out their new Bumble Bee SuperFresh® product--they sent me the Tilapia with Lemon, Pepper, and Herbs and it was so easy to prepare that I whipped up a green bean and potato side dish to compliment it.

Green Bean Potato Salad with Garlic-Lemon Butter

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound of fingerling potatoes, washed and sliced in half
• 10-12 ounces of green beans, cut into halves or thirds (depending on the size)
• 3-4 tablespoons of butter
• Zest and juice of half a lemon
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced or sliced thinly
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook the potatoes in boiling water for about 10 minutes, or until they're fork-tender. Steam or boil the green beans just until they turn bright green but still have some snap to them, about 4-5 minutes. Drain both and add to a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl or saucepan, melt butter and mix with garlic and lemon zest. Give it a stir and add the lemon juice. Stir to combine and then drizzle over the green bean and potato mixture. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper.

A couple of messages from Bumble Bee:

“Bumble Bee SuperFresh® smells and tastes amazing. No fishy smells here. Because you prepare Bumble Bee SuperFresh® straight from the freezer, there isn’t any smell associated with thawing fish. And our frozen protein has stayed that way from harvest to your oven unlike most of the “fresh” fish you find at the seafood counter. That means it is fresh tasting, and fresh smelling.”

“All our seafood is no mess, and no fuss; just pure perfection, time after time. Our premium Salmon and Tilapia come with their own parchment paper baking pouch and go from freezer to table in under 25 minutes. High in protein, richly seasoned with pure and simple ingredients that let our fish shine through! ”

This is a super easy dinner you can make with minimal dishes, which I always love. The fish only takes 18 minutes, so you can preheat the oven while you prep the veggies and then cook everything at the same time. Talk about 30 minutes or less! I've been eating the leftover green bean and potato salad all week, reheated slightly with a generous grating of fresh parmesan. Delicious.

Check out the Bumble Bee SuperFresh® store locator here or order with Amazon Fresh here.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Photo by Oguz Uygur.

After our Autumn lunch and vineyard event at the La Crema Estate in Windsor, California a few weeks ago; my friend Annie and I stayed in Sonoma for another night to do some exploring. Healdsburg has always been one of my favorite places to go in wine country, so we headed that way. We figured that if we could make the most of 24 hours in Sonoma, then you could too--so we hit up a few tasting rooms, walked around a lot, and took a ton of photos to create a little travel guide for you if you ever find yourself in Sonoma without a lot of time to spend--you can still have a great experience with just one night.

Photo by Oguz Uygur.

Since we started in Windsor (and Kristan was still with us for a bit), we decided to have an early picnic at the La Crema Estate where we had the event the day before. The grounds are extensive and you can buy a bottle of wine and find a spot to sit and enjoy. We covered the picnic, as well as some tips and a recipe in this post.

Our first stop after the picnic was at Siduri's Healdsburg Wine Lounge, where we had a wonderful Pinot Noir tasting and ordered some food. The Pinot Noir was delicious (definitely my favorite wine, especially this time of year!), and we ate the Candy Cap Mushroom Kettle corn, which paired perfectly with the wine. We also ordered a fried seafood plate, which came with shrimp and scallops, some awesome tartar sauce, and a wedge of fresh lemon. It was really cool to taste all the Pinots from north to south and see how location and climate can really change the grapes.

Siduri is a great place to hang out because they serve food and have a lot of seating--Annie and I hung out on a comfy bench at one of the windows, so we could look out the open windows onto the sidewalk as people walked by. There's a record player and a collection of games on a bookshelf that make the place seem super approachable and comfy.

We stopped at Moustache Baked Goods for a cupcake on the way to another tasting at the La Crema Tasting Room, where Annie and I split the most delicious cupcake ever. It was filled with fig preserves and topped with some seriously beautiful almond frosting. I wanted to buy a dozen and bring them home.

Healdsburg Square is really small and super walkable, so after our cupcake break, we were practically already at the La Crema Tasting Room (a spot I've been to before and still love just as much). The service at La Crema is always impeccable--we tried a wide variety of wines and even took a few bottles with us (there are a few that are only available at their locations, not online).

The tasting room is really modern and chic--the front is set up with a bar for tastings, as well as a gift shop with lots of wine-related merchandise. In the back is a lounge with a bit more seating and lots of pillows for a more comfortable vibe.

There are more than enough restaurants to choose from for dinner, and lots of boutiques, gift shops, salons, and spas to keep you busy in between tastings. The hotel scene is also super luxurious and fun.

The next morning we walked around some more, even though it was raining. I love nothing more than a chilly grey morning, no matter where I am. My favorite spot for coffee is Flying Goat, a sweet little cafe near the square. Once we were properly caffeinated and had found a quick breakfast of egg sandwiches at one of the local delis, we hopped in the car and drove 10-15 minutes to Stonestreet Winery, still in Healdsburg.

Stonestreet is so beautiful--even in the rain! They have a gorgeous tasting room with a view of vineyard-covered mountains in the not-so-far-off distance. All of their wines are single-vineyard, which means the grapes come from one plot of land, and in the case of Stonestreet, it's the one you can see from your table. That's one of my favorite things about going to Sonoma--actually being able to see and explore where the grapes that make up your favorite wines are grown.

It was such a nice trip--our first day was sunny and warm and then we woke up to a chilly morning of dreamy, cozy rain. It just brought to light how amazing wine country is, no matter the weather or time of year. I still can't believe I'm just two hours from all of this magic! California may be far from "home" but it sure is special.

This post is brought to you in partnership with Jackson Family Wines.