Sangria1 to 1.5 liters red wine (We recommend Shiraz or Syrah)
one 1-liter Tom Collins mix
2 cups Triple Sec
2 oz brandy
2 apples, cored and thinly sliced
1 orange, thinly sliced
lots of ice
Combine all ingredients except the ice. If possible, chill in refrigerator overnight (or at least several hours).
Fill large pitcher(s) with ice and pour the sangria over the ice prior to serving.
Source: Picnic, by DeeDee Stovel, page 22. [
purchase]
I am realizing more and more that I really enjoy cooking. Yes, I know our blog is about food, and that means we are supposed to like to cook…but I mean I’m really starting to get hooked like my mom and Aunt Jane.
It is 10:45, and I have just finished baking homemade foccacia bread, roasting and peeling red peppers, making basil mayonnaise, and tossing
garam marsala with roasted cashews. I still have to blanch asparagus and slice red onions. Tomorrow we are tailgating with my parents before a
Lancaster Barstormers game, and I have been preparing. We are making foccacia sandwiches with prosciutto, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, roasted asparagus, red onions and basil mayonnaise. They will be served along homemade gazpacho (
recipe), garam marsala cashews, homemade hummus (compliments of my partner in crime who is sleeping like a log right now) and sangria (compliments of him as well). Then, it will be finished off with my mom’s German chocolate cake. Her cakes are unreal. Totally made from scratch with all the love in the world. A cake from her definitely means that someone thinks you are special.
I have to say I think I started becoming a foodie during the summer of 1994 when I spent 2 weeks with my paternal grandparents. During that time I spent a week at the family cabin with my grandparents and my dad’s sister (my amazing Aunt Jane), and was treated to the most wonderful education a 14-year-old could ever have. I ate food that week that I had never experienced before. Not that it was unusual, but it was not my normal fare, but I tried everything (my mom taught me to at least try everything), and I never regretted it. I remember that time fondly.
Another time I remember vividly is the near-religious experience in my Aunt Carol’s kitchen in the summer of 1999. It was a goat cheese with peppers and olives and crostini. I think that was the day I fell in love with goat cheese.
Another amazing experience recently was with my brother, husband, parents and my brother’s girlfriend at my parent’s house. My brother was definitely the spirit of the meal that night. He made
dal, and a mango yogurt drink (similar
recipe) that was quite delicious. His willingness to share cuisine that has become part of his life at
school meant a lot to me, and his skill in the kitchen is amazing.
I could go on and on…about clamming with my grandfather, smelling freshly ground horseradish with my other grandfather, shared cooking at the Belen family cottage, meals of simple soup and homemade bread made regal with the company of friends, eating entire loaves of homemade bread with my hubby, the way my dad got me to eat mushrooms as a little kid, sharing different cuisines with my brother, but the pages I would write could fill a book.
I think I’m starting to realize that it’s not just about the food. It’s about the amazing people in my life…my aunts who are amazing cooks, my mom who shows love through the table, and the way a simple meal of bread and cheese with my husband is better than the fanciest restaurant.
Well, the fireworks I could see and hear from my apartment window have ended, and I still have to put away my foccacia and cashews. I leave you with this idea – the next time you would like to make a memory with someone or deepen a bond, invite them to share a meal with you. It does not have to be fancy, but open your ears and heart, and you may be amazed at what happens. And to those of you who are invited to share a meal, slow down. Realize that you could make lasting memories.
Where to start...
We spent a wonderful and wonder-filled weekend in Virginia this past weekend. A young man of many titles -- to name a few: brother, brother-in-law, friend, hero -- graduated from "the College" on Sunday. Somehow we found time to experience a whole lifetime of memories in a few short days.
It was grand; so grand that it made us look in the proverbial mirror and listen to advice we have been passing out unsolicited: there is a plethora of LIFE out there to experience. It is far too easy to settle for what is within grasp or within walking distance. This is what we have been telling many around us for some time and yet had stopped believing it ourselves and began thinking that Lancaster was the only/best place on Earth. To quote a line from a former favorite: "turns out not where but who you're with that really matters."
