The Best Sangria Recipe.

I scoured the internet and magazines for the best sangria recipe I could find. I knew I wanted to have a light, summery, signature drink for the party and as soon as I found this recipe I knew I had found the one. It's delicious, light, summery, and strong (can't say I didn't warn you!). The recipe is found here, at AllRecipes.com which is one of my favorite foodie sites.

It was a smashing success. I made the recipe for 40 people and it was GONE by the end of the party. My co-workers were talking about wanting a good drink recipe with fresh fruit so I gave them this recipe and they made it and loved it!

One last note about the recipe. I let the sangria chill in the fridge overnight to let the flavors really blend and soak and it tasted even better the next day. Enjoy!

White Peach Sangria

Prep time: 10 min

Ready in: 4 hours & 10 min.

Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry white wine
3/4 cup peach flavored vodka
6 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup white sugar
1 pound white peaches, pitted and sliced
3/4 cup seedless red grapes, halved
3/4 cup seedless green grapes, halved

Directions:
1. In a large pitcher, combine dry white wine, peach vodka, lemonade concentrate and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add sliced peaches, red and green grapes.
2. Refrigerate sangria until well chilled, at least 2 hours, or overnight to blend flavors. Serve over ice, and use a slotted spoon to include sliced peaches and grapes with each serving.

Menu Monday.

I really want to get into the habit of planning meals. I know it's the best way to save money grocery shopping and so I planned ahead this week and went grocery shopping yesterday. Here is what is on the agenda for the week:

Monday - Tuna Melts
Tuesday - attending a gala
Wednesday - Turkey brauts
Thursday - Chicken stir-fry
Friday - double dating
Saturday - Trader Joe Spinach Pie

Hopefully we stick with it!

Let Them Eat Cake!

My mom loves to bake cakes. It has become a hobby of sorts, but she is REALLY good. She made my wedding cake and it tasted so good, and I don't even like cake. She worked so hard on it and it came out beautifully! When my aunt and mom were setting up the cake at the reception hall, a bride was touring the facility and loved the cake so much she asked my mom if she would make her cake! It was a great compliment, but my mom declined the offer.

But we kept telling her she should start doing cakes professionally. She has done countless cakes for friends and family "just for fun." She always said if she started a cake buisness it wouldn't be fun anymore.

She recently made the cake below for a co-worker's baby shower and it turned out amazing!!

And yesterday a lady from church called because she heard how great her cakes were and asked my mom do make her wedding shower cake...and she's getting paid. She works so hard and is really talented and I am super proud of her! Congrats on your first paid cake mom!!

Weekend & POM.

Garth and I had a great weekend. Friday nights have become our movie nights and I'm loving it. Garth made yummy chicken and edamame and then for dessert he made homemade hot chocolate and it was amazing. We watched Up and Star Trek. I L.O.V.E.D Up so much! It was sad, but the message was excellent and I laughed so much. Star Trek was better than expected considering I had no desire to see it in the first place.
Saturday Garth and I went to visit some friends and have lunch and watch U of M get beat by Ohio State. After the game we went to a winery in Ann Arbor and then to a brewery for dinner. I had a chocolate stout, but found out that did not mean the beer would taste like chocolate - much to my disappointment. But the tofu pizza I had was incredible! After dinner we went to hang out with my family for dessert. It was a great day!
Sunday we went to church and then came home and were super lazy all day watching football and reading. I love lazy Sundays!
In other news, the lovely people at POM sent me a few of their iced coffees to try out. I really enjoyed all the flavors, especially the vanilla. The coffee was so creamy and delicious, but what I liked most about the drink was that it was fat free and had over 10 grams of protein. It was the perfect afternoon snack to wake me up and keep me satisfied until dinner. Two thumbs WAY up for this!

Go-To Recipe.

The only time I have cooked in our marriage was to make this recipe. Garth LOVES it. It is so easy to make...well, if I can make it I know you can!

Broccoli Quiche
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions, garlic, and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Spoon vegetables into crust and sprinkle with cheese.
3. Combine eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in melted butter. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until center has set.

I'm not gonna lie, the first time I made this I had to call my mom and ask her where the pie crust was because it was not in the baking section like I expected. And minced? I did not know what that meant, but a sweet lady showed me where to find the minced garlic.
Nonetheless, it is a delicious recipe that was worth the humiliation. I'll be making it tonight, yum!

The Cake Disappointment.

Per your request, here are pictures of the lame cake. It just looks like it was rushed, and I gave him a week's notice like he asked.

Do you see how it's leaning over? Gosh, it was a NIGHTMARE transporting it to my parents' house - every bump, and every turn it would wobble back and forth.And what is coming out of the bottom of the cup??? We could not figure it out.
Oh, and I asked for chocolate flavoring and I got vanilla.

ETA: I saw a picture of a Starbucks cup the pastry chef had made and it looked exactly like a Starbucks cup, you couldn't even tell it was a cake! I was so impressed with this picture, I ordered the cake. But the cake did not look like the picture AT ALL - the cake I got is much too fat, and the warmer is much too thin, it is leaning over, and it has coffee beans coming out of it??? And when I went to pick up the cake, the original picture I had based the cake off was no where to be found. It was very misleading and disappointing.

Love it.

Garth surprised me with one of my favorite meals of all time: beef stroganoff. Look at those yummy veggies about to get sauteed and turn a delish golden brown:Mmmm that is heaven in a pan:
Holy yum, that was the best start to a weekend EVER. After dinner, Garth and I went for a long walk to the video store and rented "The Office" Season 5. Love it.
Saturday we spent most of the day watching football. Sure, I was disappointed my Spartans lost, but I was cheered up when I read this article where State's QB said this:
"I have faith. Football's not my foundation. It's not my identity. My faith is in Jesus Christ and he's not changing anytime soon. I'll keep trusting in him and in his plan and move on from here. I'm thankful football is not my identity; football's not what defines me. If it was, this would be a lot harder to take. I have faith in Jesus Christ and he's my rock and he's got me, he's holding me and I'll be OK as long as here's there."
Preach it, Cousins! Love it.
Saturday night we met up with fun friends to celebrate my sister-in-law's birthday. We ate at this yummy brewery downtown Royal Oak and then walked around afterwards.
Sunday we went to church with the family. Then Garth and I went to pick-up a cake for my mom's birthday at this local bakery. I was so excited to give it to her because it was a replica of a Starbucks cup. And if you know my mom, you know she loves Starbucks. But when the chef put the cake on the table I was in shock. Garth didn't even know what the cake was! It was so horribly done and leaning over! I was very disappointed it didn't look pretty, but it did taste amazing, so it was worth it.
Love it.

Food for Thought.

Does anybody else eat more than their husband? I've never been a salad girl, even when Garth and I were dating. I'm a burger and fries kind of girl and always have been. But the more we're married, the more I realize I tend to eat about the same amount as Garth, or more.
Last night I ate more than Garth and he looked at me and said, "Where does the food go?!" Which got me thinking, is it normal that I can out eat a 200 pound man? Hmmm...

The week I ate like a college kid.

In an attempt to clean out our pantry and fridge before the move, Garth and I ate what was left in it. So this is what our menu looked like last week:
Monday - Pizza rolls
Tuesday - Ramon Noodles
Wednesday - McDonald's
Thursday - Tuna sandwiches
I must be old because I felt so sick after the pizza rolls and McDonald's. And that was the week I ate like I was back in college.