Be fashionable this fall with Scala Hats!

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Jamie

I don’t know about you but when those cooler temperatures hit I want to run for the door and spend my days outside.  Whether it’s running off to the pumpkin patch, or the apple orchard to pick apples or visiting the wineries all around me I want to experience fall for all that it is.

And, of course, sometimes, we need a little fashion accessory (women’s hat)  to help get us through those cooler temps including a fall hat:

LW266_WB

I recently received the Scala Collezione’s Boiled Wool Hat, featured above, for review purposes.  I had fun and took it out with me on a fun day at the pumpkin patch:

Pumpkin Patch

When you hear wool you automatically think itchy, but not with this hat.  With the way they’ve designed, they’ve made it a much more softer material.  Coming in a variety of colors it makes for a great accessory piece to your fall outfits.  And it only helps that it made of wool keeping the head extra warm.

The hats range from 30 dollars.  If you’re curious more about the colors available be sure to visit Hartford York.  The only thing I would say is that the hats are one size fit all so if you have a smaller size head the hat may not fit on you as well as you’d like, but the brown color of the hat makes it blend right in with a variety of outfits as I go through my fall days.

Disclosure: I received a hat for review purposes.


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Fall Recipe: Apple Pie Bars

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Jamie

I first discovered Apple Pie Bars years ago at a Thanksgiving event.  It was one of the dessert options at my family get together that year.  I remember them from the very first bite and loved them.  Every year I’d forget about them, but this year, I was all about making something with apples, and I remembered the “Apple Pie Bars” and knew they would be perfect.

I quickly looked up recipes, and chose this one to begin creating my recipe.  Thank you to Cooking Classy for having an amazing recipe available.

Apple Pie Bars

This is how the batch turned out above.  The ingredients were quite simple with buttermilk, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract and more.  The hardest part for me was cutting up the apples and dicing them, and working with the dough in the pan.  Had to make more of a batch for the dough, but it all worked out in the end.

And of course, the final picture:

Apple Pie Bars

With first bite you can taste the apple mixture and the cinnamon and brown sugar mixed with the apples.  It was a wonderful combination.  The bars tasted great when first out of the oven after cooling down, and also the next morning cold.  It’s up to you on how you want to enjoy this delicious treat.

Hope you’re having a great fall so far and this inspired you for a fall baking treat.

 


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Visiting the Jelly Belly Factory!

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Jamie

Disclosure: This is a non sponsored post.  Through my new home I’ve been visiting fun places along the way. 

Last week I decided to stop in and visit the Jelly Belly factory.  Since moving to Northern California I had done a lot of exploring with my significant other, but with this one, this was the first outing on my own.  It was a test to see if I could get to point a from point b on my own, and find my way back.

jellybellycarUpon first entrance there were three cars decked out in jelly beans and the Jelly Belly logo along with a few other pieces including the art to the right.  Because of harvest time, the outside was also decorated with pumpkins and gourds.

Once inside, you were greeted with a fill of their popular Jelly Belly murals including this one of Ronald Reagan.  Later on, during the tour, you will find out how much of an influence Ronald Reagan had on Jelly Belly.

Ronald Reagan Jelly Belly Mural

To the right there was an entire store area where you could purchase all of the Jelly Belly’s you wanted.  They also gave you the option to purchase the Belly Flops (the jelly belly’s that had odd shapes and sizes and didn’t make it into typical packaging.)

In front of you was the line to take the Jelly Belly Factory Tour, and in front of that, a sample bar where you could try 3 different flavors of Jelly Belly:

jellybelly

To the left was an area where you could enter an additional store, and also a cafe where you could sit down and have lunch because if you’re planning a day to the Jelly Belly factory you minus well enjoy all that it has to offer.

And then, on the second floor, there was also a tasting room where you could taste wine and chocolate together. (15 dollars) For those under 21, they also had a sparkling grape juice tasting paired with chocolate for just 10 dollars.  Each tasting experience comes with their own take home Jelly Belly Wine Glass.

Wine and Chocolate Tasting

Two of the chocolates were Jelly Belly flavor creations (raspberry and orange) covered in chocolate.  Two were truffles, and the first chocolate was an almond cluster.  The wines came from area wineries: Lambert Ranch, Ledgewood Creek, Scarlett Ranch Vineyard.  A tasting of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Riesling.  The glasses were filled pretty decent, as a heads up.

And then of course, I partook in the tour.  There are three rules involved with the tour:  Must wear a Hat (you can bring your own outside hat otherwise they provide you with a Jelly Belly hat,)  No Outside Food or Drink allowed inside and no photography throughout the tour.  You walk around the factory where they show you the different stages of the jelly bean making process including samples during each stage to try out the jelly beans.  It was a pretty fun experience to be apart of and I’d recommend it to anyone.

Have you taken a tour at a Jelly Belly factory before?  If so, tell me about it below.  If not, tell me your favorite Jelly Belly jellybean?

 


Categories: Fun Stuff, Northern California, Travel, Wine | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments