Make this ahead of time to let the fruit and wine meld together. Let it set for at least 4 hours and then serve in wine glasses. It's sweet and fruity so it goes best with dessert or with some cheese and crackers.
Ingredients
1 bottle of pinot grigio
1 cup of simple syrup
1/4 cup of orange curacao
1 lemon
1 clementine
1 green apple
1/2 cup of whole cranberries
First you'll want to make the simple syrup, which is just literally equal parts water and sugar heated up until the sugar dissolves. I use 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar. Make sure you don't over heat it or else you end up with a very thick syrup. As soon as the sugar dissolves, let it sit and cool to room temperature before adding to your sangria.
Add your simple syrup into a large pitcher, along with the pinot grigio and orange curacao.
Next, slice up half of the lemon and the whole clementine into rounds. Make sure to remove any seeds before adding into the pitcher. Cut up about half of the apple into thick chunks and add to your sangria. Add the cranberries and give it a stir.
Place in the fridge immediately and let the flavors come together. Serve in glasses and enjoy!
Ingredients
3 large or 4 medium sized chicken breasts
1/2 cup of chopped celery
3 green onions/scallions
1 T tarragon
1 t basil
1/4 t mustard
Dash of onion powder
Dash of garlic powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup of lite mayo
First, you'll want to grill your chicken breasts. I just throw these on the grill with whatever else I'm cooking and then set them aside. No need to add any seasoning to the chicken, we'll take care of that later.
Once the chicken has been cooked, let it thoroughly cool. Foodie Tip: I usually make the chicken a day in advance and then throw it in the fridge over night. Once your chicken has cooled down, you will shred it with your fingers. I break it up into little bite sized pieces. I know it's gross touching it with your hands, but it's also the best method.
Now chop up your green onion and celery. Make sure you wash your celery. There tends to be a lot of dirt on celery, so use a vegetable brush to help. Slice each celery in half length-wise and then chop. Throw into the bowl with your chicken. Add in your spices, mustard, and mayo and give a good toss.
You can add grapes to this if you choose, but I like it just as is. This will keep for a few days in the refrigerator, but it probably won't even last that long! Eat it as is, on bread, or on top of some greens. It's awesome in lunches and on picnics too.
Ingredients
5 red potatoes
1 T of olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t of salt
1 T rosemary
This side dish is super simple and rustic, but takes a while to cook (1 hour). So, prep your ingredients, place them on a pan and put them in your oven while you finish the other parts of your meal.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cut your red potatoes into cubes and place in a bowl. Add olive oil, garlic, and salt, and toss the potatoes until coated.
Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray and put potatoes on the sheet. Place the potatoes in the oven and cook until tender and brown (45 minutes to 1 hour). Flip the potatoes after about half way in to ensure they cook thoroughly.
Once the potatoes are done, chop the rosemary and sprinkle on top.
Ingredients
2 cups of white chocolate chips
1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips
1 t of pumpkin pie spice
1.5 cups of smashed ginger snap cookies
First, layer a large baking sheet with wax paper.
Place ginger snap cookies in a Ziploc bag, close, and get smashing! You'll need enough ginger snaps to make about 1.5 cups. Make sure you have chunks, so don't get too crazy and have ginger crumbs instead. Spread out the broken ginger snaps on the wax paper/baking sheet, but don't go to the edge.
Melt the white chocolate. You have two options either a double broiler, or by microwave. I prefer the microwave because it saves time, and dishes. Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 20 second intervals, stirring after each, until the chocolate is melted. Add in the chocolate chips and melt for an additional 20 seconds, then stir. Add in the pumpkin pie spice and give it a quick stir.
Pour chocolate mixture over the ginger snaps, then place in the refrigerator until hardened.
Take out and break into chunks. This is an awesome homemade (and easy) Christmas gift. Just put in a large mason jar, bow, and go!
I loved my "fall" sign so much, I decided to try my hand at crafting a sign for Christmas.
To start, I went to Hobby Lobby where just about everything I bought was 50% off. I started with 3 large wooden letters that were $1.25 each. Then I used some twine and a red-white chevron ribbon that cost about $1.25 for a spool at the craft store. I made a quick trip to Michaels and got the embellishments (about 4 wreath picks will do). They ranged from 50-75 cents and were available in aisle with wreath making materials. I chose to go sparkly, since I was using more rustic materials as my base. I then cut the various picks and embellishments into smaller parts for gluing.
I stared off by wrapping the "J" with twine. Tip: Use lots of hot glue to secure the twine! I cut the ribbon for the "O" in half and then began to wrap it tightly, using glue to help secure the ribbon as I went.
I wanted to do something fun for the "Y", and thought "why not combine the two techniques?" I cut and measured my ribbon to fit the length of the "Y", and glued one end to the bottom/backside of the "Y". I attached the edge of the twine to the bottom right hand side of the "Y" and began to wrap. When I got to the ribbon, I alternated over and under with the ribbon, which gave it a cool effect. This was a long process (think about 2 hours from start to finish), so get your wine and favorite DVR program going, while you do this project.
I then glued the embellishments on. TIP: if you are drinking your wine and make a couple of "mistakes" the embellishments go a long way to covering them up :)
This is my absolute favorite thing I make! It's easy, colorful, and is good as a meal or side dish. It is also great as leftovers!
Ingredients
1 box of parmesan couscous
1 yellow zucchini squash
1 green zucchini
4 oz. of diced pancetta
1/4 cup of shaved parmesan cheese
4 gloves of minced garlic
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
Cook the couscous as directed on the package. Then let it sit while you are making the rest of the dish in a separate pan.
In a deep pan (I use a wok) add in the pancetta. Foodie Tip: Don't add any extra oil or butter. It will make your dish extra oily. Let pancetta cook till it starts to brown and then add in your garlic. Give it a good toss. Foodie Tip: The garlic will burn easily, so you'll need to keep an eye on it!
Cut the zucchini and zucchini squash into small rounds about 1/8 inch think. Foodie Tip: Try to keep the rounds around the same size to ensure even cooking (you may even want to cut larger rounds in half).
Once the garlic has soften, add in the zucchini, zucchini squash, salt, and pepper. Give a good toss to mix everything up and place a lid over the pan. Stir occasionally. Once the zucchini and zucchini squash start to get translucent it's done!
Add in the couscous and give a good stir. Cook for an extra minute and then pull the pan off. Add in the shaved parmesan cheese, toss, and serve.
Ingredients
1 can of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1 medium sized granny smith apple
1 wedge of brie cheese
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Unfold your rolls and break apart the triangles. Place on a lightly sprayed metal pan.
Cut up the apple into thin square slices and brie into 8 1/2 inch chunks (you won't use the entire apple). Place a slice of apple and a piece of brie onto each triangle.
Starting at the large end, wrap the dough over the apple and brie. Fold in the edges as you go, and roll till the point is on top. Tuck all lose ends/edges under otherwise the brie will leak out.
Cook for about 10 minutes. The brie will be hot, so make sure you let it cool slightly before popping one in your mouth.
Make this ahead of time to let the fruit and wine meld together. Let it set for at least 4 hours and then serve in wine glasses. It's sweet and fruity so it goes best with dessert or with some cheese and crackers.
