Mother's Day is Butter's Day!

My mom Peggy has always been ahead of the trends.

She had a love for succulents before they were on everyone's Pinterest boards, 

she took cake decorating classes years before Cupcake Wars, 

she used to sit on the living room floor and macrame plant holders before it was Boho-chic and

she stretched Marimekko fabric onto wooden frames before it was part of Target Designer campaign -

The list goes on and on...

Family holidays and gatherings are filled with old traditions 

but always a few new things she's found. 

And we always toast with chardonnay. 

My mom and I actually enjoy this so much that my dad has nicknamed us, 

"the chardonnay sisters".

Thanksgiving 2014 was a memorable one.  

That is when Peggy churned up a new wine for the festivities... 

Butter Chardonnay!

It quickly turned into our favorite "house wine",

 because everything is of course better with Butter!

True to its name, it melts in your mouth.  

It is rich, bold and luscious, this is an easy-to-love creamy California Chardonnay 
has hints of stone fruit, baked lemon and a lovely vanilla finish.

After I heard the story behind the winery,  I loved it even more.

It was started in the Napa Valley by John and Michele (where the name JaM Cellars comes from), 

and along with Butter Chardonnay they make Jam a Cabernet Sauvignon and Toast a sparkling wine, how cute is that??

The company vibe is just fun, from the packaging, bold colors and festive font
 to the clever wine names.

As they like to say, 
"We take our wines seriously, we just don’t take ourselves seriously!".
Needless to say, from that Thanksgiving on, Butter has been a staple at our family gatherings.

Flash forward to the spectacular BotteRock Music Festival in 2015.

My heart melted the minute I found out JaM Cellars was a sponsor.

Picture amazing music in the heart of Napa Valley while sipping Butter-licious Chardonnay 

with Butterballs floating in the deep blue sky!

The Butter Tent was definitely the place to be.
A bright, cheerful and chic oasis to relax in.
My daughter even met one of her favorite bands, Finish Ticket, there.
Believe me, she had butterflies for days!
I am so happy to spread the news that, JaM Cellars is sponsoring BottleRock Napa 
again this Memorial Day Weekend 2016.

Another holiday is upon us and 

I know just what my mom wants for Mother's Day, so I've decided to Butter her up...

Cheers to the Chardonnay Sisters :)

You can find Butter Chardonnay in many stores such as Wholefoods and BevMo or 

with the JaMCellars WineFinder.

 JaM Cellars is on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter #JaMCellars @JaMCellars

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

Spring Cucumber Radish Crostini

The lighter, cheerier days of Spring are here!

I'm kicking it off with a fresh, crunchy appetizer, 

with a little creamy zest that will keep them coming back for more.

Vibrant radishes, cool cucumbers 

and a hint of chives, atop crostini,

but the secret is the slightly spicy, lemon butter.

Spread the creamy, bright mixture on toasted, sliced baguette, 

add the cucumbers, 

then a few radishes, 

a pinch of course salt, 

then a sprinkling of snipped chives.

and a delicious bite of Spring awaits.

Spring Cucumber Radish Crostini
1 baguette, sliced
1 cucumber thinly sliced
10-12 radishes thinly sliced
chopped chives for topping
course salt for sprinkling
lemon hot sauce butter (see below)

Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and toast until golden under the broiler. Cool slightly, then spread with butter, top with cucumber, radish, a touch of salt and chives.

To make Lemon Hot Sauce Butter:
In a small bowl, combine 4 Tablespoons softened butter (I used salted but non-salted would work too), 1 Tablespoon lemon zest and 2 teaspoons of your favorite hot sauce (I uses either Crystal or Tabasco).

Cranberry Butter

Cranberries + Butter =

the perfect Thanksgiving duo

I wouldn't have anything else on my 

Turkey Croissants

Creamy, rich, sweet and tart...
who wants a bite?

Cranberry Butter

1 stick softened butter

1 cup cranberries

1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons orange juice

Pulverize cranberries in bottom of a blender or in a food processor, then mix in remaining ingredients.  I  like it a little "chunky" but combine until you have your desired consistency.