Blackberry Orange Sangria

June 10, 2014

To continue on our ‘Sangria Week’ as we gear up for summer, the next sangria recipe on this list is a Blackberry Orange Sangria that is absolute perfection. I had a really hard time picking a favorite sangria this year because they’re all so unique and have something about them that I truly love, but this one just has to take the cake.

In early April I was poking around the internet for a sangria recipe made with Cabernet. Most sangrias that call for red wines use a Pinot Noir, a Spanish red or Merlot, but we were hosting a lunch at our office for Autism Awareness month and our Cabernet gives back to Autism so Cab it was! Rather than serve Cab at noon, I decided to get a little creative and make a sangria instead. I came across this recipe and decided to replace the Spanish red for our Cab and I was floored with how good it turned out. For a moment, I was the crazy girl at the office asking everyone if it was really that good or if I was just nuts. Everyone agreed that it was awesome – the combination of pomegranate juice, orange and fresh juicy blackberries is simply heavenly – and so it became my favorite 🙂 Bookmark this one for when you’re entertaining this summer or just need a change from your usual drink of choice. I hope you love it! Cheers!

Ingredients

1 bottle ONEHOPE Cabernet Sauvignon
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/4 cup simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water heated until sugar is fully dissolved)
orange slices
apple slices
blackberries
pomegranate seeds (optional)

Directions

1) Combine all ingredients in one of your sangria bar carafes and tightly seal for 24 hours before serving

2) Fill glasses with crushed ice and garnish with fresh orange slices, apple slices, blackberries and pomegranate seeds before serving.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Recipe adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/red-wine-sangria-recipe.html

Blood Orange Sangria

June 5, 2014

Happy almost Friday! Whew… it’s been a while, y’all! Life has been insane for the most part and I consistently feel like a chicken with my head cut off, but I just couldn’t stay away any longer 😉 With summer rapidly approaching, I created a bunch of sangria recipes for work and this one was one of my favorites. Blood oranges are SO good, their color is incredible and when combined with wine, strawberries and blackberries, the combination is to die for. As a huge lover of Pinot Noir, this recipe, which includes my favorite varietal, allows me to sip on a delicious red without completely overheating on a hot summer day. I can’t wait to make this again! Stay tuned for a few more recipes to add to your list of entertaining ideas for summer 🙂 Cheers!

PS: Huge thanks to The Nest and Inspired By This for featuring this recipe!

Ingredients

1 bottle ONEHOPE Pinot Noir
1 cup ONEHOPE Sparkling Wine (optional if you would like it bubbly)
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup blackberries
2 blood oranges (sliced)
Lemon slices (optional)
Lime slices (optional)
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 cup sugar

Directions

1) Combine all ingredients (except Sparkling) into a carafe, cover and refrigerate for 4-24 hours. The longer your sangria mixture sits, the more infused the flavors become 🙂

2) Before serving fill each glass with crushed ice and allow guests to garnish with their own fruits.

3) Top with sparkling if desired

Yield: 4-6 servings

Recipe adapted from: http://fabtasticeats.com/2013/01/29/blood-orange-blackberry-sangria/

Weekend Waffles

July 25, 2011

Growing up, one of my favorite meals of the week was my dad’s Saturday morning breakfast. Between evening dance classes and homework during the week, it was hard for us all to sit down at the dinner table together so we made up for missed family time on the weekends over coffee, orange juice and whatever else my dad felt like whipping up. Homemade waffles have been on my mind for a while now after stumbling across this recipe. And after finding it again on Annie’s blog last week, I just had to give it a try. Using the easy fruit topping my dad taught me years ago, I took a stab at combining a little family tradition with the infamous “Waffles of Insane Greatness”…and I think we just might have found our weekend tradition.

Ingredients

Waffles:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Fruit Topping:
1 large peach (I removed the skin)
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup raspberries
1 cup blackberries
1/2 cup blueberries
1 tbsp. French vanilla coffee creamer (liquid form)

Directions

Waffles:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and whisk together to blend. In a separate medium mixing bowl, beat together the milk, buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix together until the batter is smooth with few lumps. Set aside for 30 minutes and prep fruit topping. Preheat waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Fruit Topping:
Combine all fruit in a mixing bowl and drizzle French vanilla creamer over the top so that the fruit is lightly coated. Mix together.

Remove waffles from the waffle iron, butter (if desired) and serve with fruit topping. Syrup is not needed as the fruit is bursting with natural sweetness and the French vanilla creamer creates the perfect consistency while adding a delightful twist. While some people will insist on having syrup on their waffles, urge them to try it without.

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