Style on a Budget White Sangria

I figured since I mentioned using the leftover wine from the salmon in the sangria - I had better tell you how to make the sangria as well!

I personally love sangria, especially in the summer!  The mix of wine with sweet summer fruits is just a great combination and so refreshing.  Typically I gravitate to red sangria but when i saw this recipe I knew it would be yummy and had to try it!  Bonus - less chance of Amy ruining her clothes when she inevitably spills the sangria.  :) The recipe calls for A LOT of fruit.  And I'm pretty sure I cut the amount of fruit in half and it was fine. Also I omitted the white grapes because I couldn't find any that day.  Basically you can use whatever fruit you like but this recipe is based primarily on citrus.  The best part?  It doesn't really matter if you buy $2 wine or $20 wine - so grab whatever's on sale!!

Style on a Budget White Sangria
via 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know

Serves 4 (or two very thirsty ladies - guilty!)

One 750-ml bottle dry white wine (such as sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio)
1/2 to 1 cup brandy, to taste (I used 1/2 cup)
1/4/ cup sugar
2 limes, sliced into thin rounds
2 lemons, sliced into thin rounds
1 orange, sliced into thin rounds
1 green apple, sliced
1 small bunch white grapes, removed from the stems, sliced in half
1 cup seltzer
Ice cubes

1.  In a large glass pitcher combine the wine, brandy, and sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

2.  Add the fruit and seltzer to the pitcher.  Let the sangria marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours before serving.  Add ice to the pitcher, stir, and serve.

Cheers!!

Bikini Season Baked Salmon

Remember this yummy looking dish?? 

I thought it would be a good idea what with it being July already (how did that happen?) to post the recipe for the Bikini Season Baked Salmon that I made Memorial Day Weekend.  As I mentioned before, it's from the cookbook 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know and let me tell you, it is so easy peasy!  And I did make some substitutions.  I used parsley flakes and so you only need about a tablespoon I believe, I did use fresh lemon juice since we were making sangria as well, and I believe I used Sauvignon Blanc for the wine (I used the remainder in the sangria!)

Bikini Season Baked Salmon
via 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know

Serves 4

Four 8-ounce skin-on salmon fillets
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons capers

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Put salmon skin side down in a ceramic or glass baking pan.  Rub the salmon with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.  Let the salmon sit in the pan for 10 minutes.

2.  Drizzle the white wine over the salmon, then sprinkle 1/4 cup parsley on top; save the remaining parsley to use later.  Put the pan in the oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes (so quick!) or until the salmon fillets are opaque.

3.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix the lemon juice, capers, remaining parsley, and 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Top each salmon fillet with the mixture and serve immediately.

I believe i let it cook to the longer time but i was using two rather large fillets instead of 4 smaller ones.  Just make sure the fillets are flakey and opaque.  This dish was filling but didn't leave you stuffed - perfect for a yummy meal before heading poolside (for those of us without a beach).

Hope you enjoy - I know I did!

I'm here....no worries!!

Hi all,

Many apologies for not following up on all of my food pictures with the accompanying recipes.  Unfortunately with some difficult things going on for me personally, the last couple weeks have gotten away from me.  But I promise to get the recipes posted this week!  I'm very eager to share these wonderful recipes from a great cookbook with all of you!

Thank you so very much for your patience and understanding!

Much love,
Amy

100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know

While my mom was in town this weekend I decided to try out some of the recipes from my new cookbook.  While at Barnes & Noble the other day, I picked up a copy of 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know.  It was put together by the editors of Glamour magazine using recipes gathered over the years for busy women who want to cook healthily and cook well, but may not have the time or the budget to do just that.  

Tonight my mom and I tried out several recipes, including the following:

Style on a Budget White Sangria (Forgive the Tupperware!)

No-Fail Kale Salad (No joke, that is the center of the Purple Kale that I used for decoration)

Bikini Season Baked Salmon 

Gingery Green Beans

Get Over Him Berry Parfait

As you can see, a lot of the dishes have cute names.  The cookbook is famous for including a recipe for Engagement Chicken which is supposedly responsible for 70+ engagements!  Now I will probably not be utilizing that recipe any time soon - but there are tons of great recipes inside as well as some cute stories from Engagement Chicken success stories.

Throughout this week I hope to share with you the recipes for the above dishes.  I was really excited with how well it all turned out and how quickly it came together as well.

Because I knew you...I have been changed for good.

This weekend my mom came to Lincoln to spend some quality time and so we could take a little side trip to Omaha on Saturday.  While in O-town, we met up with my Uncle Tom and his girlfriend Jennifer for dinner at The Grey Plume at Midtown Crossing, followed by the Broadway musical Wicked at The Orpheum!

First for the meal!  Midtown Crossing was finished just after I moved from the Omaha area so now every time I go back and have the opportunity, I try to check out one of the new restaurants in that area.  This time we chose The Grey Plume which is a restaurant that bases their menu on seasonally-available foods and strives to utilize locally grown produce and livestock.  It is a smaller restaurant so it is a more intimate setting than a lot of places in the area.  The food was phenomenal!  We had great wine and a great cheese and meat plate to start and then I had an amazing Dungeness Crab Angnolotti which is a delicious crab ravioli with vegetables and a lemon jelly.  So great!

The menu for the night

Dungeness Crab Angnolotti

After dinner we made it over to The Orpheum to see Wicked. I have always wanted to see this show and I was not disappointed!  It was amazing! A wonderful story and exceptional performances by all of the cast, musicians, and crew.  What a great evening!!  

 

Wine + Chocolate = One Happy Girl

This weekend my good friend Kristin and I attended an event at a shop here in town called Chocolatier Blue.  Check out their website to learn more about them, but basically their main locations are in California, but the Chocolatier is actually originally from Lincoln and recently opened a location here!

This weekend they hosted a series of classes (Beer & Chocolate pairing even!) and we attended Friday night's Wine & Chocolate Pairing class.

We were given 4 different kinds of wine and 12 - yes 12! - different chocolates, 3 for each type of wine. They dispelled the myth that dark chocolate and a deep red wine are a good combination (who knew?) and presented us with mainly sweet dessert wines.  

As for the chocolates, they are works of art!!  They range in flavors and they change by the season. I've featured some of our favorites below.  

Butterscotch and Orange Julius - the Orange Julius was one of my favorites and definitely one that worked well with the wine.  

Top - Ants on a Log - Peanut butter, celery, and raisins - sounds strange but was really good!

Passion fruit caramel & Cherry cordial

One that we didn't get a picture of is the Grapefruit with Rosemary, it was A-MAZING!! 

And if this many chocolates and wine weren't enough....

There were GIFT BAGS!!  And the class was only $25! 

It was an amazing start to the weekend which ended up being beautiful weather-wise and overall just fantastic! I even fit in some summer shopping (necessities of course!) and picked up a new cookbook so I have even more recipes to share.  

I don't know about all of you but it seems like the summer is filling up already and I think I can already say that it's going to be one for the books.  Can't wait to see what the next few months will hold! :)

Hi, My name is Amy, and I'm a Chocoholic

Anyone who knows me knows that I am addicted to chocolate, which is kind of ironic since when I was really little I actually went through a period of time where I wasn't medically allowed to have it.  How I survived that time I have NO idea!

One of my favorite things is a double chocolate cookie - chocolate batter with chocolate chips.  One of my other favorite desserts is brownies of any kind.  So when I saw this recipe from Brown-Eyed Baker for Better Than Brownie Cookies - how could I resist??  

Now whether they are actually BETTER than brownies, I think that's probably subjective, but they are definitely oh so good.  I've added some notes on what i will do differently next time too! Try to get the cookies done in as few batches as possible, as the melted chocolate/butter mixture solidifies, the batter/dough gets VERY thick and harder to place on the pan.

Also - recipe is not complete without a big glass of cold milk!!  :) 

Courtesy of: Brown Eyed Baker

Better Than Brownies Cookies

Makes 24 large cookies

2 2/3 Cups (about 16 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, chopped - I used Bakers

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 eggs

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. - I used unlined sheets and they turned out fine.  

2.  Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set it over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and smooth. (I've never done this before, but I tried it and its not too difficult and melts much nicer than in the microwave)

3.  In the meantime, stir together the eggs, vanilla, and sugar in a medium bowl, set aside.  

4.  In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. 

5.  Add the melted chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and stir to combine well.  Slowly add the dry ingredients, folding them into the batter.  Once all of the flour is incorporated, stir in the chocolate chips.  

6.  Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough (a medium cookie scoop's worth) onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they are firm on the outside.  Like brownies, do not overbake!  leave to cool completely on the baking sheets.