White Trash Sangria!
08/01/11

WHAT?  What did he just call me?  Girl calm down.  It’s the name of a drink!

I have been so busy lately being a social butterfly that I haven’t had much time to focus on our lovely little blog.  Well, I’m coming back.  My social calendar is beginning to land the plane so to speak.  Last weekend I hosted a little get together for a group of friends.  We met at my house and ordered in Thai, had a few cocktails and tons of laughs.  I was a little worried.  I can cook but don’t ask me to tend bar.  It makes me nervous.  I wanted to have a refreshing summer cocktail that was new and different and none too threatening.  What I came up with was what I like to call White Trash Sangria.

A friend of mine told me about the drink a few years ago and while I was intrigued by the idea I didn’t really have an opportunity to give it a try.  This drink recipe, much like my last blog post is a little do it yourself.  There’s a basic guideline but how you make it happen is up to you.  If you’re feeling brave you can change-up the main ingredients.  There are only two.  When I share this with you you’re going to think I’m crazy.  You’re going to turn up your nose.  But!  I promise you if you give it a try you won’t be disappointed.  Not to mention you just have to make the stuff for a party and set it out for friends to enjoy…you don’t have to say what it’s made of.

What?

2 bottles of Red Wine

1 two litter bottle of Coke

How?

Here’s what I did.  I took a large plastic pitcher and poured in one bottle of cheap Cabernet.  I chose Cabernet because it’s a big, full-bodied red wine that I decided could stand up to the sweetness of Coke.  There were around 10 folks coming over so when I poured the wine into my pitcher it didn’t look like that would assure everyone a glass.  So…I poured in a second bottle of the Cabernet.  Then I added 3/4 of a 2 litter bottle of cherry coke.  Again…I figured that the Cherry Coke would kick this drink up a notch.  It totally did. Once you’ve poured both into a pitcher put the mix in the fridge and let it chill.

I looked around the internet for this recipe.  I found all sorts of variations.  White Wine with Sprite.  White Wine with Orange Soda.  Red Wine with Orange Soda.  Pick two flavors that you like and go to town.  It really is tasty.  It’s sangria!  You can use one bottle of wine and one bottle of Coke.  Give it a try, but please try this it’s amazing.  You could also add some fruit to add a little festive vibe.  Apples?  Limes?  Lemons?  Oranges.  You decide.  I was too lazy for all of that.  I served it over ice to the delight and fascination of my girlfriends.  Enjoy!

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Get BRAVE
07/31/11

I am mad mad mad about summer tomatoes.  I love them.  LOVE.  I could almost eat them like apples.  You show me a ripe summer tomato and I’ll make it disappear.  I can’t get enough of ’em!  I’ve got a recipe for you today that I learned from watching Oprah a few years ago.  It’s arguably the easiest thing that I know how to cook.  My two favorite things about this recipe are that it’s a sort of do what you want recipe AND that it involves tomatoes.

I’m clearly feeling more brave in the kitchen these days.  I’m currently addicted to recipes that give me a guide that I can alter and shift as needed.  I know, I KNOW…that’s exactly what all recipes are.  You can believe it or not but recipes are guides.  They aren’t one of the 613 Mitzvot.  You can change them!  Who knew!  I get that, sorta.  I’m brave-ish…not crazy.  I like a recipe that starts out by saying here’s the base, here’s a guide line.  BUT!  If you like _____________ then throw that in.  I like pretending that I’m a chef.  Throwing in random ingredients makes me feel like I know what I’m doing and gets me excited.  It makes me feel like I’m slowly turning into Ina Garten and who doesn’t want that?

What?

1 box of spaghetti (or other pasta that you love…linguini, angel hair…whatevs)

1 small bag of vine ripened cherry tomatoes (they come in a cute little bag still on a vine at the store)

1 small bunch of basil (this also comes in a small little box at the store)

Olive oil, salt and pepper

 

How?

I know what you’re thinking.  How on earth can I prepare a pasta dish that only involves 3 ingredients.  Take a deep breath and come with me.  It’s real easy, y’all.  Boil your pasta.  While that’s happening take a large bowl that can hold all of the pasta.  If you have a large bowl that also has some sort of a lid use that.  Take your cherry tomatoes and squeeze them into the bowl.  Literally.  Squeeze the tomatoes open into the bowl and tear the tomatoes into small pieces.  Use the whole bag.  Take your basil and chop or tear it into the bowl with the tomatoes.  Once he pasta is ready?  Dump maybe half a cup (don’t stress about the amount…not a lot but also not a little) into the bowl with the tomatoes and basil.  Strain your pasta.  BUT!  Be quick about it toss the pasta into a colander and let most of the water drain out but not all.  Throw the pasta into your bowl.  The hot pasta will cook the tomatoes and basil, the starchy pasta water will keep the pasta wet and form a little sauce with the tomatoes.  Put the lid on your bowl and give it a shake to mix up the tomatoes, basil and pasta. Give it a few minutes to let the pasta cook the tomatoes and basil maybe 10-ish minutes?  Salt and pepper the dish and finish it with a little olive oil…just a drizzle or 4.

Done!

This isn’t super saucy but it is delicious.

Want to kick that up a notch?  I added a couple of chopped garlic cloves and a can of San Marzano that I also smashed into the bowl with the other tomatoes and basil.  You can add cheese or chicken.  How about some fried onions?  Everything tastes better with a fried onion.  Saute some bell pepper?  Zucchini?  Squash?

Seriously, y’all.  Give this a try.  It’s simple.  It’s easy.  You can add or take out any of this.  Make it your own!  Double up the tomatoes if you like more stuff in your pasta.  You’re in the driver’s seat for this one.  ENJOY!!

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Dairy Sunday!
07/24/11

While Whit is in the clouds in Costa Rica and Jeremy is recovering from a bachelorette party…what is Misty doing?  Misty is cooking for JewHungry!!  The last time I was a guest blogger it was February and there were right at 400 hits on the site.  Now, five months later there are 2,816 and counting!  I hope everyone who is visiting enjoys this easy and delicious meal!

Sundays are usually a little crazy around here, while we try to do our best to just hang out and “be” on Shabbat, that means that Sundays are NUTS and is never-ending loads of laundry, yard work, grocery shopping and all those other fun domestic things to do.  So, during the kids nap time, I start getting ready for dinner.  This week I prepared a Heart of Palm Salad, Spinach Quiche with Pine Nuts and Apple Pie for dessert.  While it seems like a lot of work, simple things like the cut canned hearts of palm, bagged greens and frozen pie crust really cut down on prep time!

*PS- please forgive me if the format gets all crazy here…I have no clue what I’m doing 🙂  Thanks!  Misty Lacefield

 

 

 

 

 

Hearts of Palm Salad

What:

1 cup mixed baby greens

1 (14 0z) can hearts of palm salad, cut, drained

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup sliced radishes

1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and cubed

1 blood orange, cut into segments (or 1/2 cup canned mandarin oranges)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Sea Salt and ground black Pepper

How?

Toss greens, hearts of palm, onion, radishes, avocado and orange segments in a bowl with vinaigrette.  Season with salt & pepper.  Drizzle with additional vinaigrette, if desired.  *I couldn’t find a blood orange on my quick trip out and I HATE mandarin oranges so I skipped the orange all together but it was still a delicious salad and EASY!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Spinach Quiche with Pine Nuts

What?

1 frozen 9-inch ready-made whole wheat pie crust

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, sliced

6 cups (I used 1 bag of organic baby spinach leaves) washed and dried

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon dried sage or 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 cup milk

2 large eggs

1 large red potato, steamed until firm-tender, sliced 1/4 inch thick

How?

Preheat the oven to 350.  Remove pie crust from freezer and thaw for ten minutes. * While your waiting, go ahead and toast your pine nuts and steam your potato so they will be ready. *  Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove crust from oven and let cool.

Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan.  Add garlic, spinach, salt, pepper and sage.  Cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute, or until the spinach is just wilted.  Stir in pine nuts.

In a small bowl, mix mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.  In another bowl, whisk milk and eggs together.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture on the pie crust.  Top with half of the spinach mixture.  Place potato slices on top of spinach.  Add half remaining cheese mixture and then remaining spinach mixture.  Top with remaining cheese.

Place the pie pan on a baking sheet.  Carefully pour in milk mixture.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool slightly before cutting.

 

 

 

 

 

Swedish Apple Pie

What?

Apples for a pie (I used 4 organic Gala apples b/c it’s what I had)
1 tbsp. sugar
Cinnamon
3/4 c. melted butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
Pinch salt
Vanilla ice cream (opt.)

How?

Fill pie pan 2/3 full of peeled, sliced apples. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar and cover apples with cinnamon. In small bowl, combine butter, 1 cup sugar, flour, egg, nuts and salt. Pour over the apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.  *This pie was SO easy, I actually made it spontaneously just b/c I had an extra pie shell- it was delicious and not too sweet b/c of the Gala apples.*

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