Sangria

Last night was tapas night at our house. I think the spread was impresssive because everyone pulled out the phones to take photos of the food. Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of the food (I think I was just hungry?) so the tapas recipes are on hold for a bit, but I snapped a photo of the sangria!

Lovely, fruity, boozy, delicious sangria. I'm not a big drinker, but I can't turn down a glass when sangria is on offer. Sometimes I think I should live in Spain with my tapas, chorizo, and sangria obsession...I guess a girl can always dream.

Anyways, not a lot to say about this fabulous invention (is it an invention?) without sounding like a completely obsessed boyband fan, so this entry will be short and sweet. Drink recipe and photos.

Make sure to save a glass for me!

Sangria

4 oranges, cut 1 into slices, juice the others (can use blood oranges too mmm)

1 lemon, cut into slices

1 lime, cut into slices

1 bottle of red wine, I like pinot noir for this

1/4c sugar (superfine if you can get it)

ice for serving

1. Juice the oranges straight into a large pitcher, pour in the wine and dump in the sugar. Stir around until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the sliced fruit and chill. Serve over ice if you prefer to have it straight away.

Enjoy!

A

Sausage, Peppers, & Onion Pasta

Today I went out to the garden to see what was ready. I came back in almost an hour later with a bucket of tomatoes, a bucket of potatoes, a grocery bag full of banana peppers, and a few onions and bell peppers. The onions and peppers will be put to use today and tomorrow. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with all the tomatoes, so I'm sure you'll see something with those soon. Salsa, maybe? I decided to make a quick and simple dish that I've made many times before. I guess I've been craving it a bit, too.

Sausage, peppers, and onion pasta is a dish I made for the old blog, but I've updated it and added some new things. I think I've also sped up the cooking process to make it a quick meal for a weeknight dinner.

Depending on portion size (are you big eaters?) this will feed 6-8 people.

Sausage, Peppers, and Onion Pasta

1lb bulk sweet italian sausage (can use spicy if you want)

3 garlic cloves, finely diced or put through garlic press

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

6T butter

arugula (I used a few handfuls)

1lb pasta (I used mini farfelle)

tt S&P

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Set aside 1/4c of pasta water.

2. Break up the sausage and place in a saute pan with about 1/2c of water. Cook until all the water has evaporated.

3. Add in the garlic and cook until you smell it. Then, add the peppers and onions. Cook until soft and all the liquid has evaporated.

4. Add 1/4c reserved pasta water and butter to the sausage and veggie mixture. Stir until the butter is completely melted.

5. Toss with the pasta and arugula.

I serve this with white wine to drink and crusty bread for everyone to tear pieces off. This is always a hit at my house!

A

Tomato & Avocado Salad w/ Chorizo

Summer usually makes me think of one thing - fresh homegrown tomatoes from the garden. Growing up I was spoiled by an abundance of fresh produce every summer thanks to my grandma's massive garden. I've always lusted after the perfect tomato, and as I've grown up, I've never been able to find a store bought one (even in season) that tasted anything like the ones from my grandma's garden. Last year I introduced my family to all varieties of heirloom tomatoes - purple, red, pink, green, yellow, orange, zebra striped, etc. They couldn't believe how delicious all the new varieties were. Unfortunately, not everyone was excited for the "weird" tomatoes. I am sad to report, when I got home from vacation I learned they only planted varieties of the red tomato we all know. That's okay! I was sad for a minute, but I'm going to make it through because I've been dreaming of this salad since I saw it in a magazine over a month ago.

I'm not really sure who is responsible for this delicious creation, so I have no one to give credit to for this beautiful salad. I'm sure you can easily cut this recipe down, but at this size it's enough for 4.

Tomato Salad w/ Chorizo & Avocado

Salad:
4 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced thin
1/4lb chorizo, thinly sliced & cut into strips
1 avocado, peeled and diced

Dressing:
3T olive oil
1T wholegrain mustard
1 orange, juice & zest

1. Arrange the sliced tomato around the edges of a serving plate and pile the others in the middle.
2. Heat a non-stick pan and add the chorizo sliced. Pan fry for 3-4 minutes until crispy. Drain fat and scatter on top of tomatoes.
3. Scatter the avocado and basil on the top as well.
4. Whisk together the oil, mustard, orange zest, and juice together. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Drizzle over the top of the salad.

This salad is super simple and very tasty. I served it with big chunks of crusty bread to soak up the leftover juices from the tomatoes.

A