Mondays are bad enough, but when you have a food hangover, they’re even worse. But, the food hangover was well worth it! Thanksgiving dinner, part I went off without a hitch, and we now have enough left overs to feed an army – serioulsy. So many leftovers. OMG.
All the essentials – butter, sangria, turkey, and mustaches
But I’m anxious to share some recipes with you that I really think will add some zing to your t-day dinner!
In the last few years, I’ve come to realize that cocktails are equally as important as Turkey & Stuffing on T-day, so I tried to think of a festive signature bevvie to serve alongside the usual beer & wine. And let me tell you, this Cranberry Pomegranate Sangria was a HIT! I will say that it sat for over 24 hours, which I believe it what made it as tasty as it was. Sangria really is it’s best when it has time to chill and let all the flavors meld together.
So THAT means that you still have time to:
1) go get your ingredients
2) find a big old pitcher to put it in
3) give it at least 24 hours to chill to perfection
Cranberry Pomegranate Sangria
*Adapted from Food Network (Bobby Flay) & Deep South Dish
INGREDIENTS
2 bottles of red wine of your choice
(I used Shiraz)
2 cups cranberry juice
1 cup brandy
1/2 cup triple sec
1/2 cup simple syrup
1 cup OJ
1 bottle of sparkling pomegranate juice
(Trader Joe’s has a really nice one or you could use pomegranate flavored seltzer water or even just sprite if you can’t find either of those!)
1 bag of cranberries
3-4 oranges, sliced
1) Combine all ingredients except the sparkling juice in a large container. Let chill in the fridge for at least 4-6 hours, but as I said, overnight is best.
2) Just before ready to serve, add the sparkling juice to the container (or you can pour a little bit in each glass and then fill the rest of the glass with sangria)
*please note that I actually doubled the recipe for the large container pictured above
Such a fun and festive beverage, not just for Thanksgiving but Christmas too! Trust me, if there was any leftover, I’d totally be pouring myself a tall glass when I got home 🙂
Would you find ‘Lemonade-gria’ in Webster’s Dictionary? Mmm, probably not. But making up words is fun! And so is making up cocktails – this Lemonade-gria is a perfect combination of the refreshing taste of Lemonade and Sangria – and it’s light and low on calories, at only 5 WW points per serving!
Rasberry Lemonade-gria
INGREDIENTS
*yields six glasses
1 bottle sauvignon blanc
2 shots of vodka
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
(about 2-3 large lemons)
1/4 cup Rasberry infused simple syrup
(recipe below)
1 cup water
seltzer water
(I used lemon flavored)
1 small container of rasberries
1-2 lemons sliced for garnish
Ingredients for Rasberry Infused Simple Syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup stevia
(6 individual packets)
1 small container of fresh rasberries
1) To make simple syrup: Combine the 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup of stevia and rasberries in a small sauce pan. Mash the rasberries with the bottom of a wooden spoon to infuse the juice of the rasberries, and simmer with other ingredients for about 3-5 mintues. Strain fruit from syrup and let cool.
2) To make Lemonade’gria- In a large pitcher, combine the sauvignon blanc, vodka, lemon juice, water and simple syrup and mix together. Add the rasberries and lemon slices and chill for 4-6 hours or overnight. (the longer the better!)
3) Pour 1 cup of the mixture in a glass with ice and top the rest off with seltzer water. Garnish with lemon.
Cheers to healthy cocktails and made up words!
Happy birthday Al!
Not only is it Thirsty Thursday, it’s Al’s birthday! In my group of gal pals from home, Al is the ‘baby’ of the group and on this Thirsty Thursday she is turning 28. Ahhh I remember 28 – it was a good year. The automobile was invented that year (haha just kidding – I’m not THAT old!)
To celebrate Al and the big 2-8, I’m havin’ the gals over for some food and drinks – it’s always nice to have a legitimate reason to have drinks on a Thursday night!
Now that it’s getting closer to summer time, I’m thinking of sangria. I absolutely love sangria – I love that you can make it a zillion different ways, and with a zillion different combinations and it always seems to be a crowd pleaser with any group. And these ladies are a great group that deserve a delicious Thursday night cocktail!
So tonight, I’m taking a stab at Peach Iced Tea Sangria – I feel as though this could turn out really well or really badly, since I can’t really picture the tea flavoring with sangria. Welp here goes nothing!
Peach Iced Tea Sangria
INGREDIENTS
1 Box of Fish EyePinot Grigio
*Or you could use 4 – 750ml. bottles of P.G., but nothing says classy like a box of wine
2 quart packets of Crystal Light Peach Iced Tea
8 cups of water
1 cup orange juice
1 cup Sweet Tea Vodka
1/3 cup simple syrup
*Cal friendly version – 8 packets splenda & 1/3 cup water)
Fruit of choice
*I used grapes and green apples, but peaches and rasberries would probably be best – apparently they’re not in season just yet (although I did get my hands on some after I had already made the sangria)
1) Cut fruit and place in the bottom of a large beverage container with a spout.
2) Add all ingredients and stir together.
A round of slap-the-bag anyone?
3) Place in the refrigerator and chill overnight (if possible – if not, for at least an hour or two – chilling is key in sangria making!)
4) Put some fruit in a glass and fill the remainder with the sangria. Enjoy!
As I said, I think when making sangria, the amount of time you chill it is key. When I first tested this before putting in the fridge, it tasted really boozey, and I was a little bit worried that it wasn’t going to taste good. But, almost 24 hours later, this sangria no joke tasted just like Peach Iced Tea – you could barely even taste the wine and vodka! Which is AWESOME but dangerous, so drink with caution 🙂
Obviously, this recipe is for a large serving – bascially a doubled recipe of regular sangria, so for a smaller crowd, you could just cut it in half.
So cheers to Al! And to birthdays! And to tomorrow being friday!
And They Cooked Happily Ever After 