Summer Sangria

Holy Hot Temps, people!  It has been quite warm outside.  Nice because my laundry tends to dry quickly, but not so good for walking pups and playing outside.  But I have a cure.  Something that will make you feel much better.  Something to sip with a good friend on the back porch.  Or the front porch. Or the sidewalk.  However you roll...

SANGRIA!!  The official drink of summer.  And winter.  Well, anytime, really.  I like making white sangria in the summer and red sangria in the winter.  Both are delicious and refreshing.  Here's how I make white sangria:

White Sangria
1 bottle (750 ml) White Wine (I chose Orange Muscat wine-- its already sweet)*
1 nectarine, pitted and chopped
1 plum, pitted and chopped
1 apple, cored and chopped
1 tangerine or orange
sugar, to taste
20 oz. club soda or lemon-lime soda

1.  Place the chopped fruit in the bottom of your pitcher.

Isn't it pretty??  I thought so...

2.  Pour in the wine.

3.  Juice in the orange or tangerine.  Tip: use a paper towel to strain out any seeds.

4.  Stir everything together and let it sit overnight at room temperature.  In the morning, taste it.  Add sugar if it needs it.  Because I started with a sweet wine, I didn't add any sugar.  Put the whole thing in the refrigerator and chill at least 4 hours.

5.  When ready to drink, stir in cold club soda or lemon lime soda.  Serve over ice, if desired.  The fruit is good to nibble on if it drops into the glass-- but it absorbs a lot of the alcohol so watch out!

*Other wines I like to use: Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc or Viogner.  Just be sure to begin with a wine you like to drink.  Remember-- if you begin with crap, you'll just have fruit flavored crap at the end. Wink wink!

My silly camera decided to erase the pics I took of the sangria in the glass.  I'll catch it next time!

Happy Summer!

Wishing for Spring (Grilled Chicken and Fresh Lemonade)

Oh boy.  That Christmas Vacation was a doozy!  Here's a few pics of family at my parents house.

This is Aunt Marsha, Grandma Lucille, Mom (Laurie), my cousin Kristy and her daughter Cassie.  Lovely ladies!

This is Aunt Marsha with her pal, Butch.  She makes the coolest harnesses for this little guy!  She also made some harnesses for Ralfie and Tobie that make them look like little train engineers.  So cute!
Now that the Holidays are over, its time to get back to normal and look forward to Spring.  The weather lately has been very deceitful!  The sun shines, but it's still only 20 degrees outside.  Brrr!  Well, that brings us to the recipes. 

These recipes include an ingredient that always reminds me of sunshine-- both in the way it looks and the way it smells.  Can you guess what it is?  That's right!  Lemons!  Not only can you cook with lemons, but they come in handy around the house as well.  Use a small handful of kosher salt and half a lemon to scrub a wooden cutting board.  Put a quarter or so down the garbage disposal to keep it smelling fresh.  Use it for 'secret messages' by writing on a piece of paper with lemon juice, letting it dry, then make the message appear by lightly warming the message over a candle (with adult supervision of course).

Fresh Lemonade
juice of 4 lemons (save those peels for the garbage disposal!  Just keep them in the freezer until you need one)
1 cup sugar (or splenda-- I used splenda)
2 quart pitcher
water

1.  Place sugar or splenda in the pitcher with about 2 cups of warm water.  Stir until sugar/ splenda dissolves.
2.  Stir in lemon juice.
3.  Fill pitcher with water to the 2 quart mark and stir well.
4.  Serve over plenty of ice and enjoy!

*You could also use a combination of citrus fruits-- try replacing one of the lemons with 2-3 clementines or use Meyer lemons instead of regular lemons for a sweeter citrus-ade.


And now on to the chicken.  This marinade is wonderful.  It really is!  The chicken comes out tender and juicy, even if it gets slightly overcooked.  My parents have a covered back porch and are lucky enough to be able to grill year round.  If you can't grill, the broiler in the oven works just fine. 

Garlic and Lemon Grilled Chicken
For every 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, combine in a small bowl with a whisk:
3T. olive oil
2T. water
1T. lemon juice (fresh is best but juice from those little plastic lemons will work)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1-1/2 tsp salt
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

I like to put my chicken in a ziptop freezer bag, but my mom uses a plastic food storage container.  Either way, put the chicken in and pour the marinade over it.  Close the container and shake or tumble to distribute the marinade.

Chill 30 minutes, turning at least once.  Preheat grill or broiler to medium heat.  Drain chicken from the marinade and place on the grill or broiler pan.

Grill/broil for 12 minutes, turning every 4 minutes.  Let rest for 5 minutes before eating.

Hint/tip:  Mom likes to pound the chicken breasts slightly so they will cook evenly.  Chicken breast tenders will also work with this marinade, as will fish, pork, beef, etc.  Cooking times will vary.

Hope this post brought a bit of sunshine to your day!

Christmas Day Hot Chocolate Bar

We had a great time with Tyson's family on Christmas day.  I got lots of cute pictures of the nieces and nephews, but the SD card we had in the camera malfunctioned and erased them all.  So sad!  That means you'll have to do with the recipe for Hot Chocolate and no photos.  Darn!

My nieces and nephews LOVED this hot chocolate.  I hope you do, too! I'll include amounts for both a small batch of hot chocolate and for a large batch.  The instructions are the same for both.  I adapted the recipe from a recipe found here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Creamy-Hot-Cocoa/Detail.aspx, but I altered the sugar content and the preparation instructions.  Enjoy!

Hot Chocolate (Small Batch)
1/3 cup unsweetened Cocoa (I used Dutch Processed)
1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup boiling water
3-1/2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup half and half

Hot Chocolate for a Crowd
1-2/3 cups unsweetened Cocoa (I used Dutch Processed)
2-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1-2/3 cups boiling water
1 gallon  milk (I used 2%)
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla
4 cups (2 pints) half and half

1.  Combine cocoa, sugar and salt in a saucepan with a whisk.  Stir in the water and cook on low.  Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute.  (For your own chocolate milk sauce like Hershey's, stop here and refrigerate the syrup in an airtight container.  It will last for a few weeks.)

2.  Slowly stir in the milk and cook on medium, stirring constantly.  Cook until very hot, but not boiling.  It is important to constantly stir the milk to prevent it from burning on the bottom of the pan.

3.  Remove pot from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and half and half.  The half and half should cool the mixture down to the perfect drinking temperature.  Serve in heat-proof cups.

We served this hot chocolate with several toppings.  I got the idea from my friend Tamra Dobler.  She serves her hot chocolate with fresh whipped cream, crushed peppermint pieces, toffee pieces, caramel bits, mini chocolate chips, marshmallows, etc.  Just line the cups of a jumbo cupcake pan with tissue and fill each cup with a different topping.  The kids and adults had lots of fun customizing their cocoa.  Hope you do too!

As mentioned in step 1, you can cook the cocoa, sugar, salt and water, then cool it and put it in a clean bottle in the fridge.  This syrup can be used to make chocolate milk, served on ice cream, etc.  Basically, it can replace the good 'ole Hershey's syrup.  I was thinking of trying to make it with Splenda or Truvia because the sugar free versions of chocolate syrup you can buy in the store are kinda gross.  I'll let you know how it turns out!

My mom made a new recipe this year called Pecan Brittle.  I'll post that recipe soon!