Raising Spudley: Whiskey and Wine

It's guys' night at our house.

I'm sitting in our bedroom, cuddling with our pup, listening to guys chant and shout while negotiating poker hands and ~~throwing down~~ sipping tumblers of whiskey. Ah, guys night. (Does anyone else hear phantom neighbors knocking on your door when you know it's way too loud in your place? The joys of condo living.)

In preparation for the event, I pinned a few recipes that look absolutely indulgent yet fratty. My husband ~~begged me not to~~ politely declined my offer to make homemade pretzels with jalapeno dip and miniature deep dish pizzas for the affair. So now I need another excuse, because both sound phenomenal.

I fortunately escaped guys' night and tagged along with a friend to a dinner party. (Which was lots of fun - thanks Blair!) We ended up having a great conversation with a visitor from Argentina and it made me want to go back! John and I took a trip to Buenos Aires and Mendoza (Malbec and chocolate pairings at 9 a.m. anyone?) in April and it was one of my favorite trips to date. If anyone is looking for a getaway that is cultural, warm and a little off the beaten path, I highly recommend Argentina. It's more affordable than Europe, the people are the friendliest I've met (one b&b even let me borrow their front desk computer so I could turn in a grad school paper on time - no questions), and the food is to die for. Not to mention they have the hustle of the big city in Buenos Aires, the quaintness of wine country and mountains in Mendoza, and glaciers in Patagonia.

On a side note, we booked our winery visits, cooking class and hiking/rappelling in Mendoza through Uncorking Argentina and they were absolutely. amazing. Here and here are a few helpful articles on the area from the NY Times and on one of my favorite restaurants in Mendoza, Azafran.

Since it's about 10 degrees in Chicago and snowing, I'm going to continue reminiscing. Vacation cannot come soon enough!