Drink of the Month: Tropical Red Sangria

I love Sangria!  Not the nasty stuff you find in a plastic bottled labeled, "Sangria," but real hand-made Sangria prepared with a good bottle of wine.  

White Sangria has always been my Sangria of choice.  I like Red Sangria, but I always found it to have a weird flavor that I just wasn't a fan of.  I finally realized what the flavor was, it's Brandy.  It seems like most Red Wine Sangrias call for Brandy, and I do not like the stuff.  So I set-out to make one that didn't involve Brandy.
  
It took a couple years, and a few failed attempts that went down the drain, but I finally concocted the perfect Red Wine Sangria for me.  

Most Sangrias are comprised of four main ingredients: wine, liquor, sugar, and fruit.  
*Wine is the easy one, I prefer a dry-spanish wine in Sangria, but most any red wine will work.  
*For the liquor component I used spiced rum instead of brandy.  
*The sugar was no sugar at all, it was Simply Tropical by Simply.
*The fruit was slices of orange and lime (because it's what I had on hand at the time).

Finally, a Red Sangria that I can drink all Summer long.  

The Art of Summer Nights

With the husband and myself both having backgrounds in art, we jump at the opportunity to visit the local museums; especially when a special exhibit is in town or an event it taking place. 

The Nasher Sculpture Center (Dallas) runs a monthly 'til Midnight at the Nasher, which we recently discovered.  I have no idea how long this event has been going on for, but I loved it so much (I am sad that it took me so long to find out about it). 

Take a picnic, combine it with live music, a movie on the lawn, and a basket of food from an award-winning chef.....Welcome to 'til Midnight at the Nasher! 

We arrived just as the band was going on stage, Whiskey Fold Ramblers, and snatched the perfect spot in-between the stage and the movie projector.  We laid out our blanket and b-lined it for the yummy stuff. 

We picked-up our pre-ordered picnic basket by famous chef Wolfgang Puck and a bottle of wine.  We wanted to walk around the Nasher and take in all of the newest exhibits, but we were hungry so we sat down, poured the wine, and dove into our basket of goodies.  

The basket was comprised of the perfect picnic food.  Crispy Fried Chicken, Potato Salad, Spring Salad, a Fluffy Roll, and even a Mini Sticky Roll covered my plate; and eventually filled my belly. 

It didn't take me long to remove my shoes and enjoy the company of friends. The four of us had a great time catching up with a drink in hand, and great music playing in the background.  Not to mention the people watching was fun and entertaining. 

As the sun fell the band completed their set, and the movie came on.  We had intentions to stay for the entire movie, but since it was a kids film, Where the Wild Things Are, we decided to head out to a bar to continue our evening.  

til' Midnight at the Nasher was a wonderful, relaxing, perfect date night.  I can't wait for the September one, so I can do it all over again. 

Backyard Dinner Party

With all of our friends at the stage in their life where babies are popping-out left and right, it has become nearly impossible finding time to see each other.  Friends that we once saw a few days a week for years, have now become friends that we try our best to see every month or two.  It has been a hard transition, but so exciting at the same time. 

In an attempt to reunite with our wonderful friends the husband and myself decided to throw a casual dinner party in the backyard.  

I started planning two weeks in advance when I sent out the invite and got all 'yes' replies; I was so excited.  I knew it needed the look of a nice dinner party, but be comfortable, casual, and baby friendly at the same time.  I set-up a long table in the backyard and covered it with a simple tablecloth.  To create a 'runner' I used citronella candles (darn bugs) and beer/wine bottles as vases.  

My absolute favorite part was creating the menu cards.  A simple project of hand-writing the menu on miniature brown paper bags, and using laundry clips to attach them to napkins.  Not only was it cute, but it kept the menu and napkin from blowing away in the wind.  

As far as the menu went, most of it turned-out great.  I was going with simple dishes with sophisticated twists, and that would be nice in the hot weather (high 90's that evening).  I prepared everything a day in advance so I could hang out and participate in conversation; instead of being in the kitchen the entire time.  All I had to do was assemble plates as the night progressed and everything was ready to be served. 

• Sweet Corn Gazpacho
• Lemon Vinaigrette Salad with Shrimp
• Fig Jam & Arugula Pizza with Chicken Sausage
• S'mores Banana Ice Cream Pop

Starting the night with a cold soup was very refreshing, however the kick of Cayenne in the soup could have been toned down a notch, my mouth was on fire.  Thank goodness for wine to wash it down with.  My favorite course was actually the salad.  The Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette is a favorite of mine that I make quite often this Summer, and the addition of the shrimp, avocado, and parmesan created the perfect bite.   While my handmade-by-me pizza dough turned out perfect, the pizza, or should I say flatbread, was a little on the sweet side. Next time I will use less jam and add more cheese and sausage.  Oh, and of course the caramelized onions, yum.  The dish that I was most excited about was oh so good, however the 'popsicle' turned into ice cream in a bowl because it didn't exactly set in the mold.  Wine to the rescue again. 

Overall it was a successful, fun, and relaxing evening.  I wish our friends could have stayed longer, but babies had to be put to bed after all. 

Backyard dinner parties...fun to plan...easy to put together...a great way to spend time with friends.  

I cherish my friends dearly and wait anxiously for another dinner party, but until then, wine...more wine.  

Drink of the Week #1: Strawberry Grapefruit Sangria

Welcome to the first post in the Drink of the Week, the weekly blog series where I feature a tasty beverage to wet your whistle.  

As warm weather and sunshine sneaks into summer, I find myself sitting on a patio more and more often.  Whether it's a Friday evening at dinner with friends, the drive-in movie theater, or just our backyard, sitting outdoors calls my name.  Here in Texas we have a limited window when the weather is warm enough to sit outside without being too hot.  

I don't know about you, but when it's hot outside the last thing I want to consume is something that makes me feel yuck.  Beer sounds refreshing, but often makes me feel bloated.  Wine doesn't bloat, but it does make me want to fall asleep in the warm heat of the sun.  Also, a boozy cocktail is boozier than I want to sip on.  Therefore my go to outdoorsy beverage is Sangria. 

My favorite Sangria is any made with Sauvignon Blanc.  For a relaxing poolside ribs BBQ I went with the citrus notes of Grapefruit, Strawberry, and Lemon.  Crisp and refreshing, the perfect patio sipper.  

What is your favorite summer patio beverage?