Blackberry Orange Sangria

I managed to pick up a bottle of Blackberry Brandy and it added just a touch of sweetness to this delicious Sangria.  Enjoy!

Ingredients: (makes about 7 or 8 large glasses)
1 1/2 Cups Merlot (I used La Terre)
1 1/2 Cups Riesling (I used 2012 Old Vine Riesling from the local Christoval Vineyards)
1 Cup Brandy (I used Blackberry)
1/2 Cup Orange Liquor (I used Gran Gala)
3 Cups Orange Juice (not from concentrate is best I used Simply Orange)
1  Red Apple (Cored & Sliced)
1  Green Apple (Cored & Sliced)
1 Orange (Rhine Removed and Sectioned)
10-15 Green Grapes (Seedless)


Directions:
Add all ingredients except fruit to a pitcher.  Stir thoroughly.  Add in the fruit and stir again.  Allow fruit to sit in sangria for at least 10 minutes before serving.  Serve & Enjoy!  (Feel free to eat the fruit and add it to your glass)

Add all liquid ingredients

Add in the fruit

Serve & Enjoy!

Sangria Mix

My mother had sent me a Sangria pre-mix that she had come across since she knew of my love fro Sangria.  So I decided to give it a shot, and I have to admit that it did turn out very delicious.  Almost dangerous as it went down like juice. 

Ingredients: (makes about 7 or 8 large glasses)
1 packet Sangria Mix (I used one from Gourmet Village)
2 Cups Portmanteau (I used 2010 from Christoval Vineyards)
2 Cups Estate Vermentino (I used 2012  from the local Christoval Vineyards)
1 Cup Brandy (I used E&J)
1/2 Cup Amaretto Liquor (I used Disaronno)
2 Cups Orange Juice (not from concentrate is best I used Simply Orange)
4  Pineapple Rounds (Cored & Sliced)
6 Strawberries (Sliced)
1 Apple (Cored & Sliced)
10 Slices of Honey Dewlicious
10-15 Green Grapes (Seedless)

Directions:
Add all ingredients except fruit to a pitcher.  Stir thoroughly.  Add in the fruit and stir again.  Allow fruit to sit in sangria for at least 10 minutes before serving.  Serve & Enjoy!  (Feel free to eat the fruit and add to your glass)

Put all of the liquid ingredients into a pitcher and stir

Add the fruit and stir again

Serve & Enjoy!

Sweet Red Sangria

With my cousin over to visit, we had to whip up some Sangria.  Our shared love for Disaronno led to the addition of it tot he Sangria, and we were not disappointed.  I have admittedly winged my Sangria recipes from the first one until now and it has all been delicious.


Ingredients: (makes about 7 or 8 large glasses)
1 1/2 Cups Malbec Rose' (I used 2012 Finca El Origen)
1 1/2 Cups Sangiovese (I used 2012 Rambouillet from the local Christoval Vineyards)
1 Cup Red Table Wine (I used Kitchen Sink)
1 Cup Brandy (I used E&J)
1/2 Cup Amaretto Liquor (I used Disaronno)
3 Cups Orange Juice (not from concentrate is best I used Simply Apple)
3 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Nutmeg
10-12 Dried Whole Cloves
2 Plums (Pitted & Sliced)
1 Apple (Cored & Sliced)
1 Orange (Rhine Removed and Sectioned)
10-15 Green Grapes (Seedless)
10-15 Blueberries

Directions:
Add all ingredients except fruit to a pitcher.  Stir thoroughly.  Add in the fruit and stir again.  Allow fruit to sit in sangria for at least 10 minutes before serving.  Serve & Enjoy!  (Feel free to eat the fruit and add to your glass)

Add all of the liquid ingredients and spices

Add in the fruit

Serve & Enjoy!

Wine-Infused Leg of Lamb

This is an extremely easy AND extremely delicious recipe!  I am a big lover of lamb, but you could also do this with a nice beef roast. 

Ingredients:
1.5 lb Leg of Lamb (Larger if you are wanting to serve more people)
Seasoning (Garlic, Rosemary, Sea Salt)
Red Wine (I used Sangiovese)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Season the lamb and add it into an oven safe baking dish.  Pour enough wine in to come to the top of the lamb but not cover.  Put in the over for 30-40 minutes for medium rare.  Serve & Enjoy!
*If you want an alcohol free dish, substitute chicken stock. 

Season the lamb and place it in the baking dish

Add the wine and bake

Remove from oven, serve & enjoy

Red Sangria

I wanted to try a new sangria recipe so here it is.  Turned out very delicious. Here it is.

Ingredients:
2 Cups Red Table Wine (I used Kitchen Sink)
2 Cups Cabernet Savignon (I used Black Stone)
1 1/2 Cup Brandy (I used E & J)
1/2 Cup Cherry Grand Marnier
1 Cup Apple Juice
1 1/2 Cups Blueberry Lemonade
1 Apple (Sliced)
1/2 Small Can Mandarin Oranges
10 Green Grapes (Seedless)
10 Red Grapes (Seedless)
Cinnamon

Directions:
Combine all of the liquid ingredients and stir thoroughly.  Sprinkle cinnamon on top and stir.  Add in fruit, and mix.  Serve & Enjoy!

Add the liquid ingredients

Add the fruit and mix

Chuck Steak with Wine Sauce

I was originally hoping to make this with a cognac based sauce, but a survey of my cupboards revealed  serious lack of alcohol in my house, so it turned into a wine based sauce instead.  I definitely wasn't disappointed by the change however, as it was delicious.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Butter
1/4 Cup Green Onions (chopped)
1 tsp Brown Sugar (packed)
1 Cup Beef Broth
1 1/2 Cup Red Wine (I used a Barbera)
1/4 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1 Tbsp Butter
4 chuck steaks
Seasoning (Mediterranean Spiced Sea Salt)

Directions:
Melt 1 Tbsp Butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Add the green onions and saute' for about 3 minutes.  Add brown sugar and stir for about 1 minute.  Add beef broth and the wine, simmer on low heat for 20 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce.  Whisk in the cream.
Add the butter to a skillet.  Season the steaks and add to the pan.  Cook on med-high heat for abotu 5 minutes per side (medium-rare) or longer.  Transfer steaks to a plate.  Add the sauce to the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits in the pan.  Season  a touch for flavoring.  Serve by cutting/scoring steaks and drizzling the wine sauce over top.  Enjoy!

Saute' the green onions

Add brown sugar, wine and beef broth

Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes.  Cook the seasoned steaks for 5 minutes per side

Whisk in the cream

Add sauce to the skillet and season

Serve & Enjoy!

Beef Roast & Veggies Recipe

As the weather turned cooler this weekend, I wanted to make something to warm us up and happened to have a beef roast on hand that was ready to be cooked.  

Ingredients:

2 lb Beef Roast

2 Cups Red Wine (can substitute beef broth)

3 Cups Water

Seasoning (Garlic, Rosemary, Sea Salt, Bourbon Brown Sugar)

2 Cloves Garlic

4 Stalks Celery (Chopped)

3 Potatoes (Peeled & Chopped)

3 Carrots (Peeled & Chopped)

 Directions:

Season the beef roast and place into the slow cooker.  Add the wine and water and cook on high for 1 hour.  Add the Garlic, Celery, Potatoes and Carrots.  Cook on Low for another hour.  Roast will be tender and ready to eat.  Serve and enjoy!

Season the roast and place into the slow cooker

The seasoning I used

Add the wine & water and cook on high

Add the veggies and cook on low

Serve and enjoy!