Quail Etouffee, Swamp Buggy Tour, Barefoot Wine

Put on your cowgirl hat, boots and jeans! We are ready for a fabulous Girls Ranch Getaway! The girls were excited to arrive at Rafter T Ranch, located in Sebring, FL, for an all-girl, ranch-style getaway. Everyone arrived by early evening (also known as “supper time”) to meet new friends and visit with old friends. After some wine and pomegranate martinis, we enjoyed a delicious dinner of Quail Etouffee. During dinner, we told funny stories, asked Leigh is she preferred a “bull or a bowl,” learned that words like “moist” and “creamy” are undesirable, and got a full re-cap of Jody’s bikini contest days.

Saturday morning we woke up for a Swamp Buggy Tour of the ranch, complete with “Bloody Jeri’s.” The swamp buggy’s tires were taller than us, so we were thrilled to find a special “loading dock” for Traci who is six months pregnant. During the tour, we learned about the cattle raised here and how they mange the ranch to work with nature and not against it. Once the buggy ride was over, we returned to the lodge to begin cooking lunch using recipes and wine from Barefoot Wines (http://www.barefootwine.com/). We enjoyed BBQ Chicken Ala Moscato, Chardonnay Vegetarian Spanish Rice, Barefoot Bubbly Champagne Vinaigrette Dressing and Moscato Wine Cake.

After lunch, Barefoot Wine’s own Lisa Metheny taught us everything we know (now at least) about wine flavorings and food pairings. Even Sharla (who doesn’t like wine at all) tasted the wines and had a great time learning new things. Who knew oak smells like vanilla? Many thanks to Lisa for driving more than two hours to be with us and for sharing her wonderful wisdom with the group. She was a fantastic, even though she used the word “moist” more than once!

After lunch and wine, we were ready for a little R&R. Some of the girls enjoyed professional massages in a private room, some hung out on the back porch and read books and magazines, some visited with new and old friend and some used their time to photograph and enjoy nature. We all enjoyed some “down time.”