Valentine’s Day Wine Poem:

Roses are red

Wine is also red

Poems are hard

Wine!

Valentine’s Day is almost here and we can’t think of a better way to enjoy it than with a glass of wine! This California Celebration is one of our favorite drinks here at Vista Ranch; it has the perfect combination of sweetness from our Las Locas Moscato and bubbles from our Vista California Sparkling. So easy to make and delicious, make this for your special someone or Galentines this Valentine’s Day!

Ingredients:

1 bottle of Vista California Sparkling

1 bottle of Las Locas Moscato

Instructions:

1. Mix equal parts sparkling and moscato in a glass (more or less depending on your desired level of sweetness).
2. Cheers!

Happy Holidays! With all of the hustle and bustle this time of year brings, sometimes we forget the things that truly make it special; good food, wine and most importantly, quality time with friends and family. There is no better way to add a little holiday cheer to your festivities than with some delicious mulled wine! Warm with a touch a sweetness, this pot of joy will fill your kitchen with warmth and holiday aromas. It is the perfect addition to all of your “not so silent” nights this holiday season!

Cheers!

Ingredients:

1 bottle of Vista Big Trees Red Blend
3 cups of fresh apple cider
¼ cup on honey
3 cinnamon sticks
1 orange, zested and juiced
10 whole cloves
4 star anise

Directions
1. Combine the wine, cider, honey, zest, juice, cinnamon sticks, cloves and star anise in a large saucepan or pot
2. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
3. Pour the mixture through a strainer to separate the wine from the cloves, star anise and orange zest.
4. Pour wine into mugs and garnish with cinnamon sticks, orange and star anise (if desired)

Enjoy!

Cheers to Thanksgiving week! This time of year is the perfect time to spend quality time with friends and family and enjoy good food and wine of course! Sparkling is the perfect addition to any Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving celebration and this “Fall Sparkle” is the perfect way to add a little flare to a typical glass of sparkling. Happy Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

• Vista Valle Sparkling
• White Grape Juice
• Pear
• Cranberries
• Rosemary

Instructions

1. Add 2 parts sparkling wine to 1 part white grape juice (can be less or more depending on your desired level of sweetness)
2. Cut fresh pears and add them to wine; garnish with cranberries and rosemary

Cheers!

Want to spice up your classic mimosa recipe this Fall? This apple cider mimosa is perfect for any Friendsgiving celebration or to enjoy Thanksgiving morning while watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! Check out the easy steps and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of Vista Sparkling
• 1 container of fresh Apple Cider
• Cinnamon and Sugar (to rim the glass)

Instructions

1. Rimm glasses with cinnamon and sugar (or caramel if wanting something sweeter)
2. Add 2 parts sparkling wine to 1 part apple cider (can be less or more depending on your desired level of sweetness)
   Cheers!

October may be over but Fall is just getting started! With pumpkin deserts to savory dishes there are so many delicious recipes to make during the Fall season. Most people don’t realize the amount of edible squash and pumpkins that are available this time of year and all of the different ways to prepare them however the list in endless. One of our favorite and simple dinners to make during this time of year is Spaghetti squash! Not only does it’s appearance resemble spaghetti( bonus for all of those avoiding gluten) but it can pair nicely or stand alone as its own meal. We’ve chosen to add pasta sauce but it can be enjoyed with just olive oil as well. Follow the simple instructions below and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 Spaghetti Squash
• Pasta sauce
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Parmesan Cheese
• 1 clove of minced garlic(if desired)

Instructions

1. Cut your spaghetti squash in half and take out the seeds.
2. Place the 2 halves of the spaghetti squash on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Heat the oven to 400°F and bake for 30-40 minutes(depending on size) or until able to pierce a fork into the flesh and it separates into spaghetti-like strands.
4. Using a fork, scoop the insides out into a separate bowl. If a fan of garlic, add 1 clove of minced garlic and parmesan cheese and mix.
5. Add pasta sauce if desired and garnish with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

We find that pumpkin bread is one of the most versatile baked goods during the fall season. Breakfast on the go? Pumpkin bread. Afternoon snack? Pumpkin bread. Desert? Pumpkin bread! With that, comes many different options and recipes. We’ve found pumpkin bread recipes are like snowflakes-each one is unique and special! There are many delicious recipes out there however this is one of our favorites. Start baking and spread the pumpkin cheer!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1-½ sticks (¾ cup) butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cane sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 15 oz pumpkin puree

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 F
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg
3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, mix butter and sugar until blended. After, blend in the eggs one at a time. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla to mixture and blend until smooth.
4. Add flour mixture to the large bowl slowly and blend until combined.
5. At batter to two  8 x 4 pans( greased) and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted into the middle of the bread  and comes out clean.
6. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving

Enjoy!

The days are getting shorter, the mornings are getting more crisp and the leaves are starting to change which means… it’s pumpkin-everything-season! As soon as Starbucks brings out its famous Pumpkin Spice Latte, we know its our time to start whipping up our favorite pumpkin recipes. The possibilities are endless-pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pancakes and the list goes on. One of the most important ingredients in these deserts is-you guessed it-pumpkin puree! One of the most common questions we get asked at our pumpkin patch is “How do you make pumpkin puree?” and we wanted to share how simple the process is. We used the fairytale variety (one of our favorites) however you could use a Queensland, Jarrahdale or other winter squash varieties. Follow the steps below and enjoy!

Step 1 

Cut your pumpkin in half and scoop out the guts and seeds.

Step 2

Bake in the oven at 400F for about an hour (size depending)

Step 3 

Take the insides of the cooked pumpkin and blend in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Viola! Add the puree to homemade soups, cookies, pies and smoothies and enjoy!