Girls Winter Weekend

For a Winter weekend getaway, transform your cabin into a chic space with silver and white touches; the sophisticated look mirrors the snowy landscape. Set the table with a silver cloth and blue, white, and silver plates. Frosted pine cones are a fun addition to the table setting. Get a bunch of pizza pans and let guests create their own pies. Make sure there are plenty of clean wine glasses. Select a versatile glass that the girls can use for red or white wine, beer, or cocktails. Arrange pillar candles around the space and white flowers in clear vases.

Place luxurious throw blankets on the couches and stack the latest celebrity gossip magazines neatly nearby.

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A girlie, rose-colored cocktail is the perfect way to kick-start a girls weekend getaway. If you're spending a couple of hours in the car, a drink upon arrival is necessary! Select a champagne cocktail — like this recipe for a Prosecco Royale — and make a toast to have a fabulous time together. A fresh cranberry-infused simple syrup provides the brilliant color. To allow time to chill, make the syrup the night before the trip. Don't be afraid to ask your friends to pitch in. Tell each girl to bring several bottles of a certain type of wine. That way, there will be plenty to go around. To look at the Prosecco Royale recipe, read more

No girls weekend is complete without an indulgent chocolate dessert. Since snow is in the forecast for the Sierra Nevada, a dessert that's served warm is ideal. Chocolate bread pudding is comforting and delicious. The simple ingredients can be found at the local mountain store and the preparation is less complicated than a layer cake. Assemble the pudding before dinner because it needs time to rest before baking. Place in the oven when dinner is finished, so it can cook while you do the dishes. If you can't find creme fraiche, substitute heavy whipped cream or a small scoop of ice cream. To look at this rich, luxurious recipe, read more

This weekend I've invited my seven very best friends to join me at my vacation house in the Sierra Nevada mountains. We'll watch movies, go wine tasting in Murphys, and indulge in nonstop good eats. Naturally I'm planning the menu. Two of my gal pals are pesceterians (they don't eat meat, but will consume seafood), so the food will be vegetarian-friendly. After the long car ride to the cabin, the girls will be hungry for a hearty, soothing meal. An Italian-style vegetable soup served with olive cheese bread is filling and scrumptious. The following morning we'll eat store-bought bagels and cream cheese before we hit up the local wineries for lunch. Saturday night will be "make your own pizza" night.

Each girl can grab a ball of Trader Joe's pizza dough and choose from a variety of toppings — crumbled sausage, prosciutto, caramelized onions, pesto, kalamata olives, mushrooms, roasted red peppers — to make an individual pie. A simple green salad with Dijon vinaigrette finishes up the menu.

Sunday morning we'll have a leisurely brunch featuring a potato and leek frittata paired with oven-crisped bacon. For these recipes, which are perfect for enjoying with your friends and family on any Winter weekend, read more