Wine + Chocolate: Northern California Valentines Celebrations

My company TeamBuilding Unlimited has long been known for its Chocolate Team Building, as well as its Winning Wine Team Events. TeamBuilding Unlimited also produces a combination event-- Team Wine: The Noir of Wine and Chocolate Tasting. Wine and Chocolate are the Perfect Pairing.

I plan to do an in-depth article on Wine and Chocolate Pairing, but in the meantime, here are several different Wine and Chocolate Events (not necessarily pairings) in Northern California that will jumpstart your Valentine's Celebration. Wine and chocolate is what it's all about.

February 10: "Food From the Heart"at the 1898 Ferry Building Marketplace, San Francisco. Kick off Friday night, February 10th, in the candlelit Grand Nave. Merchants and restaurateurs at the Marketplace will offer chocolate tastings and seasonal hors d'oeuvres, and local Napa Valley Vintners will pour wine. The event is free with nominal charges for food and wine samples. 
       Marketplace shops will all be open from 5 to 8 PM for Valentine shopping on Friday night. Proceeds from purchases of wine and hors d'oeuvres will benefit Slow Food San Francisco's programs such as the School Garden Projects.  

February 10: 6-9 p.m. Rock Wall Wine Company, Alameda. Via Amore! Viva Wine! Rock Wall Wines, treats and chocolate.  www.rockwallwines.com

February 11: 12- 5:00 pm. Domenico Winery, San Carlos. Winter Wine Festival & Chocolate Festival. 6 wineries pouring their wines at Domenico Winery....Jazz Cellars, Muccigrosso Vineyards, Naumann Vineyards, Pinder Winery & Travieso Winery! Each winery will pair their wines with chocolate in celebration of Valentine's Day. For more info.

Feb 11-12, 10am-5pm: B.R. Cohn Winery, Glen Ellen Wine and chocolate lover celebration for Valentine’s Day. Mention the phrase “my special Valentine” to receive a complimentary tasting. There will be a chocolate fountain with dipping delights paired with a heavenly Cabernet Sauvignon.  B.R. Cohn Winery, 15140 Sonoma Hwy, Glen Ellen www.brcohn.com

Feb 11-12, 10am-4:30pm: Kenwood Vineyards, Kenwood. Cabernet & Chocolate
Kenwood Vineyards is offering a sweetheart of a deal on their Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon. Taste their current vintages paired with dark chocolate. Kenwood Vineyards, 9592 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood. www.kenwoodvineyards.com

February 11, 1-4pm: DeLoach Vineyards, Santa Rosa, A Zin Affair to Remember. A Zin-extravaganza that  includes Vertical Zin tastings, gourmet chocolate, local artisan cheeses, raffle prizes, case specials, and music. DeLoach Vineyards, 1791 Olivet Rd, Santa Rosa www.deloachvineyards.com

February 11 & 12, 12-5 p.m.: Mountain Winery, Saratoga. The Wine & Chocolate Event.  WINE & CHOCOLATE TASTINGS: Empanadas with Spicy Chocolate Dipping Sauce ~ Paired with The Mountain Winery Zinfandel, Chocolate dipped Cured Peppered Bacon ~ Paired with the Mountain Winery Merlot, Chocolate Pizza Nutella, Dried Fruits and Nuts ~ Paired with the Mountain Winery Syrah, Chef Sidoti’s famous brownie – Paired with the Mountain Winery Cabernet Sauvignon. Go here for more info.

February 11, 11-5 p.m: "In Love with Redwood Valley, A Day of Wine, Spirits and Chocolate. Mendocino. Third annual chocolate and wine extravaganza. Professional chocolatiers will present tastings of exquisite dark and milk chocolates, truffles, dipped strawberries, heart-shaped cakes and more, paired with Redwood Valley's dark, rich ports, cabernet sauvignon, petite sirah, muscat canelli and world-class liquers and brandies.  Click here for more info.

February 11-12, 11 am -4 pm: Lodi Wine & Chocolate Weekend. Travel from winery to winery while taking in each of the winery’s hosted activities such as wine and chocolate pairings, live music, barrel tasting and cellar tours.  Go here for more info. 

February 11: 1-3 pm: Silverado Vineyards, Napa, Wine & Chocolate.  Anette's Truffles paired with Silverado Vineyards wines. A true wine/chocolate pairing. For more info, click here.

Wine & Chocolate Tasting Team Event

TeamBuilding Unlimited has long been known for its  Chocolate Team Building, as well as its Winning Wine Team Events.  TeamBuilding Unlimited also produces a combination event-- Team Wine: The Noir of Wine and Chocolate Tasting.

This event is a combination of two great tastes! Chocolate and Wine—to die for... Participants are given an opportunity to taste, sample and rate different Wines paired with great chocolate with different percentages of cacao. As participants sample each wine, they will use the five "S," seeing, swirling, smell, sip, and maybe spit, to compare colors, flavors and tastes. Teams will be given a chance to make comments, to keep score and to rate the wines and chocolates that they have tasted, as well as how they pair together.

Perfect for Team Events, Appreciations, or a Social Function!

Contact TeamBuilding Unlimited for this ultimate event!

Rocking Horses for Ronald McDonald House

Last week TeamBuilding Unlimited led a leadership group from one of the premiere retailers in children's furnishings and accessories in a terrific Charity Challenge: Rocking Horses for Tots. The company doesn't offer rocking horses, but after this team building event, I wouldn't be surprised to see them turn up in a future catalog and stores.

The group did an absolutely amazing job of assembling and painting/decorating the wooden rocking horses. Each team spent time brainstorming their designs before implementing them. Each Rocking horse was beautiful and creative!

The Rocking Horses were donated to the San Francisco Ronald McDonald House. This charitable event had a huge impact on the company that assembled and painted them, as well as the children who received them.  It was a Win-Win experience!

Here's what Shannon, Development Coordinator,  Ronald McDonald House said:

The horses were gone within ONE day. We were planning to keep two of them at the House but the kids were having so much fun. They had the biggest smiles when Ron said they could have them as their own. What a wonderful gift. The horses are a perfect project for the House since we always have children in that age range. I’m happy I was able to be a part of it.

Charity Challenge: Rocking Horses is a great way to bring your team together while fulfilling CSR: Corporate Social Responsibility. Contact TeamBuilding Unlimited for more information.

Cartoon of the Day: Mystery Party

Planning a Murder Mystery Event? Contact Murder on the Menu. It won't be like this one. Auditor Parties are actually really fun!

Love this comic from Rhymes with Orange.

Party with a Purpose: Rocking Horse

Fulfill Corporate Responsibility as TeamBuilding Unlimited leads you in a Rocking Horse Building & Decorating team-building event! This is a great way to bring your team together while providing beautiful sturdy Rocking Horses to children in need.

Participants will receive Rocking Horse parts, glue, tools, brushes, paint and more. Teams of 3-4 will assemble and paint the rocking horses. Each team will decide on theme for their horses, as well as decorating (painting) and assembling. Could be a Zebra, a Rainbow, company Logo? your choice!
Once the Rocking Horses are completed, they are presented to local organization: Shelters, Police, Fire, Disaster, Hospitals or another charity.

This Charity Challenge is fun and altruistic. It benefits your team and the children and centers who receive the Rocking Horses. It's a Win-Win event for your Team!

Your teams' efforts and creativity are enhanced by philanthropy and social responsibility.

Gingerbread Cookie Party: Chocolate Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

TeamBuilding Unlimited/Murder on the Menu offers lots of different types of Holiday Party Entertainment and team building -- from Mysteries to Charity Challenges to Culinary Team Events! Gingerbread Cookie Decorating is an all-time favorite.

TeamBuilding Unlimited provides the specially baked Gingerbread Cookies, Icing and Frosting, Tools, Decorations, and Technique instructions. You supply the Creativity! Your Gingerbread Men and Women can be whimsical, holiday oriented-- the sky's the limit! Last year one of our clients had a Gingerbread Decorating Throw-down!

Gingerbread Cookie Decorating is a fabulous way to 'spice' up your Holiday Party or Your Own Home Party!

 Because we're always DyingforChocolate, here's a Holiday Recipe:

Chocolate Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
This awesome recipe from Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito - Food & Wine Magazine

Cookies
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/3 cup unsweetened DARK cocoa powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons sweet butter, softened
1/3 cup solid vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup molasses
2 ounces dark chocolate (65-85% cacao), melted and cooled

1. In medium bowl, whisk flour with cocoa powder, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat softened butter with the shortening at medium speed until mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Add egg tocookie batter and beat until incorporated. Beat in molasses and then melted chocolate. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating between additions. Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Shape each part into a disk, then wrap each one in plastic wrap and refrigerate cookie dough until chilled, about 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. On lightly floured work surface, roll out 1 disk of dough 1/4 inch thick. Using 4- to 5-inch cookie cutters, cut dough into shapes and transfer to prepared baking sheets. Reroll dough scraps and cut out more cookies.
4. Bake cookies for about 7 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking until tops are dry. Let cookies cool in pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining dough.

ICING:
You can make Royal Icing or try this Recipe for Mascarpone Filling that doubles as Decorating Icing. Put it in a bag and pipe!  Or use Wilton Decorating Icing in the bottles.

Decorate your cookies. Let stand until icing dries, about 30 minutes.

Make Ahead: chocolate-gingerbread cookies can be kept in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Mini-Pies at Your Next Special Event

A few years ago, I mentioned on this Blog that Pies were taking over Cakes at Weddings (Wedding Pie: Make Mine Chocolate). Pies, especially Mini-Pies have been popping up at all kinds of special events! They're part of the "Small-Food Movement".

I grew up with Tasty Cake Cakes & Pies, so Mini-Pies are not new to me. What is new is that they have become the new Cupcake or Macaron. Call them what you will from personal pies to cutie pies to Pie on a Stick! They're delicious, fun, and versatile! They're making their appearance at the most elegant of parties! They also make great wedding favors!

With the holidays upon us, you might want to make them yourself. Mini-Pies are perfect for parties and holiday gifts.  Check out Dani Cone's Cutie Pies: 40 Sweet, Savory, and Adorable Recipes (Andrew McMeel 2011). Great recipes and tips for Mini Pies from Cutie Pies (single-serving pies baked in a muffin tin), Flipsides (handheld turnovers-pie on the go), Pie-Pops (pie on a stick), Pie in a Jar (baked in mason jars), Petit-5's (baked in a mini muffin tin), and full size pies.

Check out DyingforChocolate.com for a Recipe for Two Bite Chocolate Cream Pie