Balloon and Wine Festival in Temecula, CA

Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival

As you may have read in my Things To Do in Temecula post, a few years ago I decided to surprise Daniel with a big birthday trip to Temecula.  Specifically, to attend the Balloon and Wine Festival!  Daniel has always surprised me with weekend getaways for my birthday, and that particular year I was finally not a starving artist and could reciprocate!  I had many different travel ideas and options, but the Balloon and Wine Festival stood out amongst them all.  Mostly because Daniel and I love to go wine tasting, and the prospect of taking a hot air balloon ride was too amazing to pass up (hello, bucket list)!  It was a clear winner!

The Balloon and Wine Festival is held every year in Temecula, CA, which is about 2-3 hours away from Los Angeles.  Tickets vary based on what you want to see and do, packages, etc.  I bought general admission tickets online for Friday, which were $22 each.  I also bought parking for $5.  The festival typically lasts three days, and offers a variety of entertainment each day.

Commemorative Wine Glasses at the Balloon and Wine Festival Obviously, one of the main attractions is the wine.  There are a plethora of local wineries and vendors situated throughout the entire festival.  You’ll need to buy beverage tickets when you arrive – we chose to buy a package that came with commemorative wine glasses ($15 each).  If you like physical mementos, I highly suggest doing the same.  We use the glasses all the time, and they invoke wonderful memories every single time.  Tip:  When we were talking to the woman selling us drink tickets, we mentioned it was our first time attending and she threw in a bunch of tickets for free!  Not saying this will happen to everyone, but worth mentioning just in case, right?!

If I’m remembering correctly, I believe 1 tasting cost 2 tickets and a full glass cost 4 tickets.  Another Tip:  We found a few vendors that gave us full glasses for only 2 tickets.  We chose to mainly go there to get our buzz on, and then dispersed our remaining tickets for the wines and champagnes we were really interested in trying.  Sooo, if you want to get tipsy, be sure to scope out all the booths before you use too many tickets!

They also serve beer if you’re with someone that doesn’t drink wine, and there’s also a bunch of food vendors serving up typical festival fare so you’re not drinking on an empty stomach.  Here are a few of our favorite things we tried:

Grilled sausage with peppers

Grilled Sausage and Peppers at the Wine and Balloon Festival

These fried pickles were AMAZING!

Fried Pickles at the Wine and Balloon Festival

This was an “Indian taco” – the photos don’t do this justice.  It was incredible!

Indian Taco at the Wine and Balloon Festival

Other than wine, there is also musical entertainment on Friday and Saturday.  Usually it’s either country or popular 90s bands.  It’s a serious flashback if you grew up during that time!

Hot Air Balloon Ride in TemeculaThe 2nd big attraction at the festival is the hot air balloons.  The festival coordinates hot air ballon rides in the morning on Saturday and Sunday.  If you read my Hot Air Balloon ride post, then you know that I chose to schedule a private ride for Daniel since it was his birthday.  But the festival rides would be a great option for anyone on a budget, and/or wants one stop shopping.  Tips:  1. Be aware that you will need to be there SUPER early in the morning, balloons have to take off as soon as the sun comes up and they have to get everyone checked in well before that.  2. Dress in layers!  It will start out cold and then become incredibly hot, also bring a hat because the fire overhead will be intense.  3. I also suggest bringing sunglasses, as the sun gets pretty brutal.  4. Lastly, hold on tight and be prepared that it could be a bumpy landing!

General tips:  Even if you’re not taking a balloon ride, be sure to dress in layers for the festival regardless.  It will most likely be very hot during the day and cool off considerably at night.  Bring lots of sunscreen, and something to cover up with – there was practically no shade when we went.

Another main attraction, and what Daniel and I were most looking forward to (besides the wine), was the “Balloon Glow.”  On Friday and Saturday night, local companies bring in their finest hot air balloons to delight festival goers with a spectacular show of light and music.  I’d highly suggest going on Friday or Saturday just so you can see this.  Trust me, you really don’t want to miss it.  Check out some photos below!

Setting Up the Balloon Glow at the Balloon and Wine Festival

Once the sun goes down, you’ll see the balloons start to inflate.  It was pretty amazing to see up close!

Daniel and Michele Watching the Balloon Glow

Once it’s fully dark, the Balloon Glow will begin.

Glowing Balloons at the Balloon and Wine Festival

Hot Air Balloon During the Balloon Glow in Temecula

Fired Up Hot Air Balloon During the Balloon Glow

Balloon Glow at the Balloon and Wine Festival

This champagne shaped hot air balloon was one of the few that was promoting their winery, instead of their sponsor.  We checked out Wilson Creek Winery the next day, which you can read about here.

Wilson Creek Winery Hot Air Balloon at the Wine and Balloon Festival

It was one of the most amazing festivals I’ve ever attended, and an all around incredible experience in Temecula.  I truly hope we’ll be able to go back one day soon!  If I’ve piqued your interest and you’re thinking about attending the festival this year, or just taking a trip to Temecula, be sure to check out my Things To Do in Temecula post.  You’ll find lots of food recommendations, hotel suggestions, and so much more!


Chili Mac Dinner Recipe

We always keep ingredients for Chili Mac in our cupboard, and it’s often our go to dinner recipe!  Not only is it delicious, but on a busy night it’s a super quick and easy meal to get onto the table.  It’s great if you have a bunch of veggies you need to use up before they spoil.  And there are so many ways to vary the basic recipe it never gets old!

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 boxes of mac and cheese
  • 3/4 large white onion, diced
  • 3/4 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp cilantro
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 can turkey or chicken chili

Here’s what you do:

Prepare the mac and cheese according to the instructions on the box.  In a large skillet, saute onion and pepper in olive oil for about 3 minutes (or until slightly softened).

Onions and Peppers

Sauted VeggiesIf you have any softer veggies, you can add them to the pan and cook for another 3 minutes.  For this batch of chili mac, we had some mushrooms we needed to use up, so in they went!  Add frozen corn and black olives, and cook for another 3 minutes or until the corn has defrosted.

Add spices, garlic, and chili into the pan and cook until heated through.  Add the chili to your prepared mac and cheese, and you’re done!

Ordinary mac and cheese…

Mac and Cheese

Chili mac!

Chili Mac Dinner Recipe

For Daniel and I, this usually lasts about 4-5 dinners if we don’t have a side dish.  We often pair it with a salad though, so it ends up yielding A LOT more.  Bonus:  Chili mac freezes extremely well!  We always have too much to eat and end up freezing about half the pot, which is great for nights we don’t feel like cooking!

Chili MacWe prefer to use either turkey or chicken chili, but you can certainly use any chili you like.  We’ve seen a tofu chili at Trader Joes, which would easily turn this meal into a vegetarian friendly dish!  Some other ingredients we’ve added in the past:  beer, diced canned tomatoes, canned green chilies, extra shredded cheddar cheese, and we’ve substituted regular mac and cheese with white cheddar shells.

We have topped it with bread crumbs and parmesan, and popped it in the oven to turn it into Baked Chili Mac!

Baked Chili Mac

We’ve also added it on top of a hotdog with jalapenos to make a Chili Mac Dog!

Chili Mac Dog

Trust me, you’ve got to try it!


Pumpkin Beer Float

The weather in Portland has been especially fall-like lately.  As I’m remembering what it’s like to have seasons again, I’m getting pretty pumpkin crazy!  After recently buying Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale and Trader Joes Pumpkin Ice Cream, I quickly realized what must be done:  Pumpkin Beer Float.

I first heard of a beer float when I went to The Golden State in Los Angeles (highly recommend for anyone in the area), but had never tried it.  The reason being, well, it didn’t sound as delicious as a regular ice cream float.  But something about this combination told me it was going to be good!

Here’s what you need:

  • 2-3 scoops Trader Joes Pumpkin ice cream
  • One 12 oz. bottle of Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale

I recommend putting the ice cream in first and slowly pouring the beer in after.  Be warned though, as soon as the beer touches the ice creamit will foam up A LOT, no matter how slowly you pour it in.

Boom!

Pumpkin Beer Float

Daniel seemed a little suspicious about the combination beforehand, but he later agreed that it was super tasty.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the Sam Adams on its own, as it was very pumpkin-y.  But the ice cream gave it the much needed flavor and sweetness, and it really balanced out the bitterness of the ale.  Although these two worked well together, I’m sure other brands would be great in this as well.

Try it out!  I will definitely be having another one before the season is over!


A Weekend in Bend

 

 This past weekend my boyfriend Daniel and I had the pleasure of visiting Sunriver, Oregon – thanks to our friend, whose aunt and uncle own a beautiful vacation home and were kind enough to let us have a short couples retreat with our friends!

Sunriver is about a 3 hour drive outside of Portland, and about 15-20 minutes outside of Bend.  On our way we stopped in Welches, OR for dinner at The Rendezvous Grill.  Beautiful patio, and great food with an emphasis on seasonal items and local products – which I love!  However, I will say that if you are in a rush this may not be the best choice for you.  We waited about a half an hour for our order to be taken, and a bit more than that for our food.

Since we didn’t make it to the house until almost midnight, most of our exploring happened the next day.

First stop:  brunch at Chow in Bend, OR.

Another amazing meal in Oregon – I’ve lived here for a few months, and have yet to be disappointed in the quality and deliciousness of the food at, literally, every restaurant.  Chow also has an emphasis on local products, and many of their produce come from their garden right outside the restaurant.  Besides their tasty food, they also have grapefruit, mango, guava, and (of course) orange mimosas – any of which you can mix and match!  I did half orange and half grapefruit!

Being the beer-loving folks that we are, we chose to mainly stay in Bend during our mini-vacation, as Bend is home to many craft breweries.  There’s even an Ale Trail Map so you can be sure to check out all of them!  We first stopped at Boneyard Beer where your first tasting is free and every tasting after is $1.  There are no seats inside and no food, so this is definitely a good stop if you just want a few tastings or to pick up a growler.

Our 2nd and one of my favorite stops was Worthy Brewing Co.

As you can see, they grow their own hops right outside the brewery!

When we visited they had a special going on where we combined fresh hops into certain beers.  Very cool to see how it changes the flavor!

We decided to share two flights so we could try all of their beers.  Bonus:  they have a bean bag toss outside!  Which, I’m proud to say, I was victorious at!

3rd stop was Crux – sadly, I had to forego this one as I was the lightweight in the group.  Lastly, we stopped at Brew Werks for dinner.  This was my favorite for atmosphere – they had a large patio with a beautiful view.  Again, I will say if you have somewhere to be this may not be the best choice, as this was one of the longest waits for food during the trip.

The next day, before heading home to Portland, our very last stop was the Sunriver Golf Resort.  While we didn’t stay to play a round, I wanted to include this photo just to show how gorgeous it was here!

All in all we had a great time and can’t wait to return!