Wheeee!
Somehow, between the hours of eight am and six pm, this
Turned into this:
And wine! Glorious wine!
Sorry for being so unavailable yesterday in terms of answering questions/comments. I was in the air all day! I’m going to email some folks over at Miraval this morning and check to see which recipes I can share with y’all. Hopefully that post will go up later—I just had to wait till Monday so someone would be in their office to answer me.
Last night Almanzo picked me up and we went straight for pizza (my request). For those of you that asked, he took care of Dexter while I was gone. Both of them actually video chatted with me on Friday night! Ain’t that sweet? My trip was nothing short of fabulous, but I have to say, it was good to get home to my guys.
Here are some of my favorite photos from the trip:
This morning, I tried to recreate the wondrous swiss muesli that I had at the resort. Unfortunately, what I came up with was this:
Cold, mushy oats the same color as my carpet. Chef, if you are reading this, please help??!! Your swiss muesli is vital to my survival. I cannot go without!
This, however, was a little better.
Starbucks sent me some samples of their new natural fusions line (with flavors like caramel, cinnamon and vanilla) and I made a steaming cup in my french press. This coffee isn’t made for a french press but it worked beautifully!
In my Phillies cup! Thanks Tammy! As for the coffee, I loved it. I’m actually a closet fan of flavored coffee. I can’t say that too loudly here because the native Californians will come throw beans at me or something, but I always loved a little french vanilla coffee in my life. Plus, this coffee is STRONG. Just the way I like it.
I have a to-do list the length of a novel so I gotta get crackin. And, speaking of novels, thinking of having the Sarah’s Key discussion on Wednesday. Does that work?
{ 51 comments… read them below or add one }
Those photos are gorgeous! Makes me want to travel
Not a coffee fan, but I love it flavored too when its filled with cream and sugar!
that first shot of the desert is GORGEOUS! i can’t wait til you can post some of the recipes (hopefully!
)
Your pictures look amazing. SO happy you had a wonderful, relaxing vacation and blogged about it! The food looked incredible so I’m crossing my fingers (and toes) they let you share the recipes. I also got to try the Natural Fusions line and I love it! Perfectly strong with just a subtle hint of natural flavor.
Wow what amazing photos!! I totally know what you mean about enjoying vacation but also feeling great about getting home and back into normalcy!
I’m a flavored coffee girl too and live in Seattle. I’m surprised they haven’t locked me up for that!
It looks like you had such an amazing time…spas are so great for escaping reality.
Alas…back to reality!
Awesome photos! I’m sure it feels good to be home even though your weekend was magical. Happy Monday!
I love flavored coffee! Hazelnut is my favorite. I hope they pull through with the recipes!!
You’re amassing quite the stunning array of summer photos! I think pizza is the perfect punctuation to a glorious vacation.
Gorgeous photos! I would love to go there someday.
The pizza looks pretty glorious too. I think I could live on pizza.
Oh, and I hope you find the secret to the muesli!!
Looks like you had an amazing weekend!! Kudos to you for doing the high ropes – I’d be sweating like crazy just looking at it from below!
How cute that your boys video chatted with you. I can’t go a few days without talking to Hunni when we are apart.
And I’m waiting with baited breath for those recipes. Please Chef…share!
The vanilla is even better. Wait until you try it!
Awesome coffee photo. I love how you captured the steam!
gorgeous pictures lady!
i am going to have to break down and purchase some of that coffee. I love flavored coffee, but haven’t always been a “fan” of starbucks from the store…it almost seems too strong (is that possible???). perhaps i should give it a second chance…for the caramel, of course! =0)
Those pictures are amazing, I love the cacti one! I really hope they let you share some recipes. If I can’t go to Miraval, at least I can pretend.
Beautiful Photos! I’m glad to hear you liked that coffee. I’ve been dying to try some!
I love flavored coffee too and hate all the coffee snobs around here!
hey just a suggestion!…im reading “charlie st cloud” and highly reccommend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it should be ur next one for ur cook club!!:-)
welcome back to the real world lol!
it looks like you had a lovely time. great photos and can’t wait to see the recipes!
I am also a huge fan of flavored coffee. I know it’s not “really” coffee or whatever but it just tastes so lovely to me! It’s my preffered choice every morning.
Missing the desert – loved your pictures!
I’m excited at the prospect of a “Sarah’s Key” discussion – keep finding myself thinking about that book, three weeks after I finished it!
The photos look fabulous! and of course, that pizza looks amazing!
I definitely prefer the AFTER photos!!!
throwing beans right now…but your redemption comes in the form of a press…french press that is. love me some french press coffee….
GREAT photos! You should consider submitting them to a photo contest…or maybe Miraval will frame them and hang them somewhere with your photo credit! That would be amazing!
1994 Arrowwood Merlot! That must have tasted pretty good!
The Miraval palette is so serene. Love the photos. What a fabulous trip!! Experiences like that stay with you forever. But, pizza/wine….oh, yeah! So sweet that Dexter got to stay with Almanzo!
What a great end to your trip! Pizza and wine with your guy…
Yes, to the Sarah’s Key discussion. I finished it over the weekend and absolutely loved it. I seriously was so into the characters and was super sad to finish the book.
Great pictures of Miraval by the way. During undergrad I made a fictitious program proposal based on one of the programs they (used to?) offer at Miraval.
I always find that flavored coffees aren’t strong enough for me, but I still love them anyway.
Hey there!
I’m so glad you had a wonderful, relaxing, thought-provoking, beautiful time away.
The pizza picture from last night looks SOOOOOO tasty.
I’ve never been so hungry for pizza.
Have a lovely start to this new week, Jenna.
Em
I must try that coffee!!! I usually keep it simple with unsweetened green tea and lemon, but sometimes a girl just needs her coffee!
Gorgeous photos!
I can’t wait to hear the discussion on Sarah’s Key. I really liked the first half of the book but I thought it went downhill once Sarah’s perspective ended. Did anyone else feel the same??
the pictures are glorious, but my fav is the phillies mug! go phillies!!
~nicole from philadelphia
Love the Phillies mug! I also love flavored coffee! But don’t like strong coffee! And I so want (need) to go to Miraval! We often get Pizza on our first day back from vacation!
The caramel coffee looks really good. My husband likes the really dark coffee but maybe he would let me switch it up a bit with this stuff:)
When on vacation I also had this great muesli and tried to recreate it when I got home…it turned out half decent, but if you find the special recipe please share!
Your photography is beautiful.
Also, I love caramel, but not coffee. I don’t think any flavor would make coffee right for me. I still like cappuccinos though. Somehow the way they make them actually makes ‘em pleasing!
Did Miraval have wine?
yes
!
Wow is that you up side down.
Pizza is divine after a spa weekend. Flavoured coffee is one of those things that people are loathe to admit!
As delicious as the food there looked, I don’t blame you for wanting to dig into that pizza as soon as you got back!
Hooray for the Phillies mug!
Miraval looks amazing!
As for the Sarah’s Key discussion – Wednesday sounds good! Can’t wait to talk about it, I LOVED it!
Hi Jenna, I’ve perused your blog a couple of times and when I clicked the bookmark today I saw something very familiar! I live in Santa Rosa and LOVE Rosso’s! It’s nice to discover another local blogger. Just had to say hi.
~Melissa
Love is ….. watching your girlfriends cat. How sweet!
Kind of ironic to leave a gorgeous resort bent on having you relax and take it slow ….. then come home to a mountainous to-do list because you were relaxing. Boo.
You’re so very welcome!
I would love to know if you’ve been able to recreate the muesli from Miraval. I’ve just returned from there, and like you, absolutely fell in love with their muesli. My search fro a similar recipe is actually how I found your blog. =)