Rosh Hashanah Apple Challah

Happy New Year! Well, the Jewish new year that is.  Today is Rosh Hashanah and I took the day off from school so that I could go to services with my family and then have lunch with them.  It is going to be a lovely day and I am excited for some family time.

I kicked off the day with a nice 3 mile run.  This week also happens to be the week before the Chicago Marathon and therefore my final week of taper before the big race!  This will be my fourth marathon!  I can't believe it and I feel so positive and strong.  Running has become so important to me and I love that I have accomplished so much.  It was especially nice to run 3 miles this morning after sleeping in a little longer than usual because of my day off!

Last night, we went to my brother's house for a Rosh Hashanah dinner.  I have been obsessed with my new bread maker and so I decided to make a challah to bring to the dinner.  On Rosh Hashanah, you eat round challah because it represents the end of a year meeting the beginning of a new year.  You also eat apples and honey because you want a "sweet" new year.  So, I made a Round Apple Challah!

Round Apple Challah

Ingredients:
Dough:
3/4 cup water
2 eggs
3 tbsp canola oil
3 cups bread flour
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp SAF yeast
Filling:
3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
1. I used a bread machine to make the dough and all you have to do is add the dough ingredients, in order, and then press start.  If you don't have a bread machine, you can add all the ingredients to a stand mixer and mix everything together and then knead for 8-10 minutes, let it rest for about 30 minutes, then knead again and let rise in a warm place for an hour.
2.  To make the filling, toss the chopped apples with the lemon juice, honey, and cinnamon in a bowl, and place in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
3.  Once your dough is ready, place it on a lightly floured surface.  Using a rolling pin, roll it out until you have a rectangle about 18 inches by 12 inches.
4.  Place the apple filling on the dough rectangle and press it into the dough.  Then, starting with the long side, roll the dough into a long log.  Make sure the seam side is facing down.  Roll the log out so that it becomes a few inches longer.  Then, wind the log around so that you have a circle.  Tuck the end of the dough under the circle.  Place your round challah in a 9 inch cake pan and let rise for another hour.
5. About 15 minutes before your challah is done rising, preheat the oven to 325 and make sure the rack is in the center of the oven.   Sprinkle some sugar over the challah and then, bake the challah for 40-45 minutes.  Let cool for about 20 minutes before removing from pan.

Enjoy :)

Two Tone Swirled Frosting: Graduation Cupcakes!

Today I am off to Champaign, Illinois for my little brother's graduation!

1. What? How is he already graduating?

2. OMG I think that means I am like officially done with college....I don't even have a sibling in it anymore!

3. Champaign is sort of the worst, but at least I get to go to college for the weekend :)

We have a ton of stuff planned because he has two different graduation ceremonies and a luncheon.  On top of that, we are going to some of his favorite places and I made these amazing cupcakes to enjoy after our dinner on Saturday.  These cupcakes are the perfect treat and a great idea for graduations! You can use the school's colors to make a festive treat and, I promise, it is really easy! 

Zack (the little brother) said his favorite cupcake flavor is chocolate.  So, I made some super simple chocolate cupcakes but then I frosted them like this:

How to do Two-Tone Frosting:

1. Make the frosting: I beat 1 1/2 cups of unsalted butter with 3 cups of powdered sugar and 1 tbsp of vanilla.  

2.  Divide the frosting into two bowls.

3. Color the frosting

4. Using two frosting bags, put the frosting into each bag (keep the colors seperate!).  Cut the ends off of each bag. 

5. Put the two bags into a third bag.  This third bag should have the end cut off and your frosting tip inside already. 

6. FROST!  Because the colors come through the frosting decorating tip at the same time they swirl as you frost the cupcakes!  Pretty cool right?

Enjoy :)  

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!

Last night we had friends over to ring in the new year and it was a blast!

My little brother bartended (he even made his own menu!) and we had a potluck sort of dinner!  I made my Build Your Own Nachos with Crock Pot Salsa Chicken and my Lightened up Spinach Artichoke Dip.  Everything was a huge hit.  We also had Crock Pot Barbacoa, Baked Mac n Cheese, and, of course, tons of desserts.

We watched the ball drop, played funny charade games, and had an amazing time.

This morning, I made some french toast for my brother and his friend who stayed at our place and now, after some advil :), I am getting ready to hit the treadmill for a bit.

I'm not a huge fan of new year's resolutions, but I do think it is nice to reflect and refocus at the beginning of a new year.  2015 was great.  I ran my second marathon, got a new job that I love, and did a TON of wedding planning.  That being said, 2016 is going to be crazy epic.  First and foremost, I AM GETTING MARRIED!  I can't wait to say "I do" to my best friend and see all my hard work from wedding planning finally play out.  I am also planning on running marathons 3 and 4 and just generally staying fit and eating healthy.  Finally, tomorrow Bri and I have plans to talk with a mortgage broker about moving forward in the process of buying our own place!! I can't believe all this very grown up things are just around the corner and I could not be more excited.  So, here's to an amazing 2016!  Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Beer Brussel Sprouts with Parmesan

Merry Christmas Eve!  I really love brussel sprouts and I figured that they are a pretty common Christmas table staple.  So I am going to share one of the more recent brussel sprout recipes I tried that I just loved.  

Bri is not a huge fan of brussel sprouts.  However, he tried these and said that he actually liked them.  That is how great this recipe is.  

In other news, last night I threw a little party for Bri and his brother's "50th Birthday."  They are twins who just turned 25 so I thought that it was cute to combine those ages and call it a 50th!  It was such a fun night.  A ton of our friends stopped by our place and we just hung out, had some good food, good drinks and it was a blast.  It was one of those nights where I am just so incredibly grateful for how many amazing people we have in our lives.  

Tonight we are headed to my family's Christmas Eve get together and I am excited for yet another evening full of fantastic people.  I hope that everyone out there also has a really lovely holiday season full of friends, family, and of course, good food!

Beer Brussel Sprouts with Parmesan

(adapted from The Homemade Haus)

Ingredients:

6 tbsp unsalted butter

2 lbs brussel sprouts, halved

5 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz beer (we used Revolution's Fist City #Chicago)

4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Place oven rack in the middle of the oven and turn the broiler on high.

2. In an oven-proof skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.  Once melted, add in the brussel sprouts and let cook for about 3 minutes.  Stir them and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally.

3. Add in the minced garlic and continue to cook for another few minutes.  Then add in the beer and let cook for another few minutes so that the brussel sprouts become tender.  

4. Sprinkle the parmesan over the top and place the pan under the broiler until the cheese starts to melt and the brussel sprouts brown a bit.  This took a few minutes and I always watch to make sure that nothing burns.  

Enjoy :) 

Uncommon Goods

I'm so excited for a bunch of reasons.

1. Today is my last day for this week!
2. I'm hosting book club this weekend.
3. Uncommon Goods reached out to me and offered to send me some of their products!

They are the coolest.  Seriously.  I can't even decide on what I want from their site since there are so many amazing products.  I'm obviously a big fan of food and math so I was considering this adorable pie dish.

So here is their story: Uncommon Goods is all about creating amazing handmade, recycled and organic products.  They are invested in creating a positive workplace that gives back.  And, they are constantly promoting environmentally friendly and socially responsible practices.  Basically, they rock.  Their employees love to work there and they are pretty much totally internet based so that they can cut down on paper products such as catalogs.  Plus, their products are super freaking cute!

I can't believe how many amazing products have caught my eye.  With the holidays right around the corner I think that some great pages to check out are: Kitchen and Bar, Home and Office, and Gifts for Family.  In addition to all of this, they also have some amazing art pieces that are totally affordable.  This site is going to be a great place to get a jump start on my holiday shopping.  Plus, I have been trying to spruce up our apartment lately and I have already found a bunch of options that I think will be great for our place!  So, whether you are a fellow chef, wine lover, or have an online shopping addiction, you need to know about this site!  Head on over and let me know what you think!

Marathon Training Monday

Happy Labor Day!

I am incredibly grateful for this day off from school.  Last week was great, but I have a ton of work to do and I am glad that I have this extra time.

This weekend was a bit rough in terms of marathon training.  During the week I ran 4, 9, and 5 miles.  The 9 and the 5 I did with my friend, Lauren, who is also training.  It was great to have a running buddy.  Running with a friend made the time go by faster, and it made me not notice the super awful weather as much.  It has been super hot and humid.  Saturday was the 18 miler.  This is really long.  I finished and felt pretty ok.  However, it was hot and humid for the first 6 miles which made for a really difficult start.  Then, thunderstorms rolled in and made it difficult to see.  The lightning got pretty bad so we stopped for a bit, but then it let up and we were able to go on.  I finished, but it was not pretty.

After the run, I came home to get cleaned up and eat a little bit.  However, I did not have a ton of time before I needed to get in the car and head to the suburbs to meet my mom to go wedding dress shopping.  This was super fun, but I definitely did not drink enough water throughout the day.  So, Sunday I was not feeling so great and had a headache.

Moral of this Marathon Monday: drink lots of water a few days before, during, and after long runs.

I only have one more long run before we taper and then race! I can't believe it is already so close!  This week the mileage is 5, 9, 5, and 14.  I know 14 is still long, but I have already done 15, 16, and 18 so it doesn't seem so bad.  Now, I am just hoping that the weather starts to feel a little big more like fall...

Well, I hope you enjoy labor day! I am off to run 5 miles and then drink lots of water :)

Baked Spinach Pesto Avocado with an Egg

So, I took a little vacation for the 4th because I was so busy! But, I'm back! And I have a great recipe for a baked avocado with an egg.  

Two of my best friends from the school of education at Wisconsin were in town for the 4th and we had a blast.  We visited the Bean in Millennium Park, went to the top of the John Hancock building, walked around Water Tower Place, brought in burgers to the Half Acre Tap Room, relaxed on North Avenue Beach, BBQ'd for the 4th and saw fireworks from North Avenue, and generally, had so much fun! 

After this crazy weekend, I am ready to settle down and relax.  I decided that since my first trip to a bridal salon for dress shopping is about 2 months away, I really want to kick my eating healthy trend into high gear.  This recipe today is totally going to help me with my plan.  It is crazy delicious, super quick to put together, and healthy!  I love avocados and they are full of good nutrients.  Then, the pesto is homemade where I controlled the amount of oil and used a ton of spinach!  Finally, the egg provides some good protein.  It's a great, well-rounded, meal idea.

Baked Spinach Pesto Avocado with an Egg

Ingredients:

1/2 avocado

1 egg

2 tbsp pesto (I used my Homemade Spinach Pesto)

Salt and Pepper, to taste

optional: dash of hot sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Cut an avocado in half and scoop out enough of the center so that there is room to hold the egg.  

3. Place the avocado in an oven-safe dish and crack the egg into the center.  Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the top and then bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.   The time depends on how well done you like your eggs.

4. Spread some pesto over the top of the avocado and egg.  Sprinkle a dash of hot sauce over the creation if you are using it.

Enjoy :)

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! 

Every day is mother's day.  I mean, what would we do without mom's?  Literally, no one would exist!  My mom is pretty amazing and I just wanted to say, I love you!  Bri and I are planning on having brunch with my mommy today and then dinner with his mommy later.  It is going to be a really nice day!  

Here is a round-up of some of my mommy's favorite recipes that I have made in the past:

Oreo Coffee Ice Cream Cake

Skinny Mocha Cupcakes

Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

Chocolate Chip Banana Cupcakes with Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

I hope that all the mother's out there have a really great day!

Enjoy :)

Cinco de Mayo Breakfast Sandwiches

It's Cinco de Mayo on a Taco Tuesday?  That is just too much.

I decided that in honor of Cinco de Mayo, I would share this recipe for Mexican Breakfast Sandwiches.  I made some homemade guacamole, toasted some whole wheat English Muffins, found my favorite salsa at the store and I was ready to go!  Oh, and I almost forgot: THE CHEESE!  Holy moly this cheese was perfect.  I was searching the crazy, overwhelming cheese section at my local grocery store when the nice employee pointed me in the perfect direction.  Pico de Queso Cheddar.  It has the perfect amount of spice and it melted really nicely on these sandwiches.  This is such a yummy recipe and you end up with tons of extra salsa and guacamole for leftovers or to go with the tacos you will naturally want to make later.  I made four sandwiches for me and Bri, but you can make as many as you want with this recipe.

Cinco de Mayo Mexican Breakfast Sandwiches

Cinco de Mayo Breakfast Sandwiches

Ingredients:
4 Whole Wheat English Muffins
4 eggs
Your favorite salsa
4 slices of Pico de Queso Cheddar
Guacamole:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed
1 avocado
3 tbsp cilantro
3 tsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:
1. Make the guacamole: food process the avocado with the cilantro, lime juice, half the black beans, and half the corn.  Add in the salt and pepper.  Once creamy, pour into a bowl and stir in the rest of the black beans and corn.
2. Toast the English Muffins and melt the cheese on one slice of for each sandwich.  Spoon a few tablespoons of the guacamole on the other slice of the English Muffin.
3.  I made my eggs over easy in a frying pan and then placed them on top of the cheese.  You can scramble, fry, or whatever.
4. Spoon some salsa over the eggs and then place the guacamole slice on top.

Enjoy :)

Happy Passover!

Passover is here again and I just want to wish all my Jewish friends out there a nice pesach!  My favorite part of Passover, besides the seder with my family, is finding a good passover dessert.  Here are some of my favorite Passover recipes for sweets from past celebrations:

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Macaroons

Gluten Free Nutella Brownies

What are some of your favorite Passover recipes?

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Yesterday was the St. Patrick's Day celebration in Chicago.  It was also buddy, Lauren's, birthday and some of my best friends from college are in town as well! In fact, one of my friends is named Patrick so I was pretty pumped to celebrate St. Patty's day with my very own Patrick.  Last year, we went and saw the dyed green river and all of that so this year we decided to just hang out.

I started the day off with a nice 8 mile run outside!  I am so excited that spring weather is here and it no longer hurts to be outdoors.  It was fantastic.  After a much needed shower, my friends all got together and kicked off the day with green mimosas and cinnamon rolls!  We ended up hanging out on the porch enjoying the beautiful weather and it was just awesome.  After some pizza for lunch, we walked to a nearby Irish bar and saw some Irish step dancers.  This is something that I've always wanted to be able to do and I just can't figure out.  I mean, I am a decent dancer, but I just can't get my feet to do anything that resembles Irish step dancing and so I give those girls a lot of credit and I think it's crazy cool.  For dinner, we went to Cheesie's by the Belmont Red Line stop.  That place is so bad, but so good.  If you are ever in the area and respect a great grilled cheese sandwich, you have to go.  And then, we ended our night at Cesar's having some "killer" margaritas along with some delicious nachos.  Overall, it was a really fun day.  It's days like these where I am so grateful for the fantastic friends I have and the great city I live in.

Because it was the St. Patricks Day celebration and because it was a birthday celebration.  I decided to make Irish Car Bomb cupcakes.  I have tried a similar cupcake before and it was really yummy.  So, I wanted to make my own.  I was inspired by the Brown Eyed Baker and I made some adjustments to the recipe.  Here is what I came up with!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Ingredients:
Cupcake:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup Guinness beer
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 eggs
2/3 cup non-fat, plain greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
Filling:
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tsp Irish whiskey
2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
6 tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream

Directions:
1. Make the cupcakes: preheat oven to 350 and line 24 cupcake wells with liners.  Or, if you want, I made 6 giant cupcakes in my silicon cupcake holders and 24 mini cupcakes in a mini cupcake pan.  Then, in a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder.  In a small saucepan, place butter, canola oil, Guinness, and cocoa powder.  Heat until butter melts and stir to combine.  Let cool while you beat the eggs and greek yogurt in a large bowl.  Beat in the chocolate mixture until well combined.  Beat in the flour mixture until just combined and fill your cupcake wells so that they are about 3/4 full.  For mini cupcakes, bake for about 12 minutes, for regular, bake for about 17 minutes, and for giant, bake for about 19 minutes.  Let cool completely.
2. Make the filling: chop the chocolate and place in a microwave safe bowl.  In a separate, microwave safe bowl, pour the cream and heat for about 30-45 seconds.  You want it to be warm, but not boiling.  Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate completely melts.  Stir in the whiskey and the butter and then let sit so that the ganache starts to set.
3. Make the frosting: beat the butter in a large bowl until it is light and fluffy.  Beat in the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, until it is well combined.  Beat in the Bailey's and continue to beat until your frosting because light and fluffy.  Add in more powdered sugar as needed.
4. To assemble: using a knife or a cupcake corer, cut out the centers of your cupcakes.  Spoon in the ganache to fill the centers.  Then, using a piping bag or an offset spatula, frost your cupcakes.  Serve immediately, or store in the fridge in a container.  Before serving, let the cupcakes sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I can't believe we have reached 2015.  2014 was a big year for me: I completed my first year of teaching, I trained for and ran the Chicago Marathon, I was promoted to director for camp, and Bri and I got engaged.  I am so excited to spend 2015 planning our wedding!  I am also excited to see what else this year brings.  I don't have any resolutions, but I do want to find a new workout activity besides running.  I think I am going to make it a weekly tradition to go to a Kickboxing-Cardio class at the LA Fitness by me.  We will see how that goes!  I also want to continue to read as many books as possible, so if you have any suggestions please let me know!  Finally, I am super pumped to announce that Bri and I found a wedding venue and can officially get the ball rolling on planning!

I wish everyone the best in this new year!

Copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars

Merry Christmas everyone!

I didn't have a ton of time to talk about Hanukkah this year since I was so busy with school before winter break and then going to Cancun for 5 days, but here is one great Christmas recipe that everyone should know about.  Head over to Recipe Girl for the official recipe, but here is a picture of one of my favorite breakfasts/desserts: Cranberry Bliss Bars!  I made mine with unsalted butter and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, but otherwise I followed to recipe and they were just amazing!

I am wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and I hope that everyone has a wonderful day with friends and family no matter what you celebrate :)

Enjoy :)

5 Courses to Celebrate 5 Years

August, 3rd: Bri and I had a really great year.  One year ago, we moved into our apartment and celebrated our 4-year anniversary.  Now, we have been living together for a year and are on year 5 of our relationship!  It has been really great and I am so appreciative for all the amazing times we have experienced together.  To celebrate year 5, I thought it would be cute to cook dinner together and have 5 courses in honor of 5 years.  We shared this amazing meal and watched a movie and it was a quiet and lovely anniversary.

Zucchini Soup

Strawberry Poppyseed Salad

Whole Wheat Gnocchi with Feta and Peas in a Brown Butter Balsamic Sauce

Toasty Parmesan Tomatoes

Creme Brûlée Cupcakes

4th of July Cupcakes

Happy 4th of July! 

I made cupcakes :)

2013: A Year in Review and a Fabulous New Year's Cocktail

2013 was one amazing year.  I can't believe all that has happened.  I completed student teaching, graduated from college, ran my first half marathon, got my first teaching job, moved into an apartment with Bri, and became a mom!

For all you readers who just became shocked about that last detail, I have to clarify.  I became a mommy to the cutest cat in the world!  I can't believer I haven't talked about Benny already!  Bri's sister found a kitten on the streets and Bri and I decided to take him in!  His full name is Benedict Ted Cumberbatch.  The Benedict Cumberbatch part comes from Bri's sister who decided it was a great name.  Plus, he is an awesome actor and stars as Sherlock in the BBC version of Sherlock Holmes (great show!).  The Ted part comes from Bri's and my favorite show, How I Met Your Mother.  Bri and I are Marshall and Lilly (he's a lawyer and I'm a teacher) and then we just needed a Ted to complete our apartment!  He's an awesome little kitty and I love him so much! Also, I apologize in advance for any typos in this post...Benny is currently laying on one of my arms while I type and is just being too darn cute for me to move him.

The other most exciting accomplishment for me this year has been my work as a new teacher!  I absolutely love my job, love my colleagues, and love my students.  I am have a great year and, although it is exhausting and often difficult, it is so rewarding and I know that I have chosen the right path based on how happy I am.

In other news, I have continued to cook and run as much as I can.  These are clearly important passions of mine and I am grateful to have kept up with them as I have become more busy with my job.  Although I am very happy, I have made up my mind on a few new years resolutions.  The biggest one is that I want to blog more.  I have continued to cook, but I have seriously cut back on blogging.  I want to change this in the new year and make sure to keep up with my blog.  I also want to work on becoming a better teacher by taking classes to further my education and make sure that I am the best I can be for my students.  In addition, I have set my sights on running my first marathon and I can't wait to start documenting that experience.  This new year is sure to be great and I can't wait to continue to share all my experiences here.

Finally, on a fun note, I am making a fabulous cocktail for tonights festivities.  Some friends are coming over for a potluck and I have decided to contribute stuffed shells (coming to you soon) and a Sparkling Pomegranate Cocktail!

Sparkling Pomegranate Cocktail
(adapted from Food & Wine)

Ingredients:
1 quart pomegranate juice
2 cups orange juice
2 cups limeade
750 ml Prosecco
1 fresh orange, sliced
1 fresh lime, sliced
ice

Directions:
1.  Pour all wet ingredients into a large pitcher and stir to combine.  Stir in slices of the orange and lime.  Chill.
2.  Serve with ice and additional slices of orange and lime.

Enjoy :)

Merry Christmas

I'm wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!  May you have a wonderful day filled with love from family and friends! As for me, I am very excited about a typical Jewish Deli-style brunch, Christmas dinner, and then a movie with my parents!  My family is half Jewish and Christian so why not make the day full of every tradition :)

Paper Snowflakes :)

Foodie Friends Friday: Christmas in July!

This week, Foodie Friends Friday is back!  This week is all about the Christmas!  What a fun thing to celebrate in July!  Can't you just imagine the beautiful snow with all this crazy hot weather?  Just follow the rules and link up some recipes that are perfect for Christmas or the Holidays! Also, host favorites will be featured on Daily Dish!  This week I'm linking up Vegetarian Christmas Options, Dough Ornaments, and Kissed Peppermint Crinkle Cookies.

Most Clicks:

1. Summertime Spaghetti

2. Stuffed Chicken Breast and Garlic Cream Sauce

3. Balsamic Bruschetta Chicken on Ciabatta

And Host Favorites!

Welcome to Foodie Friends Friday!

Please take a moment to read through the rules before getting started, Thank You!

*By linking up you agree that you read these rules and all photos/recipes are original and belong to you. You agree to allow Foodie Friends Friday and any of it's affiliated websites or publications (Social Girls Media, LLC) to use photos, links, and recipes for reprint and/or republishing and distribution without monetary compensation to you. If photos & recipes are used, proper link backs to you will be included.

Adding Links back to Foodie Friends Friday and our Button is our only form of advertising to bring in more people to see YOUR recipes.

Please remember to do this. It benefits you! To thank you, we will continue to feature those with links throughout the year on various outlets.

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Red White and Blue Sangria

Happy 4th of July! Today's recipe is a drink recipe that is super festive.  Enjoy my Red White and Blue Sangria!

I am off to go for a run and then see the parade! Later today, Bri and I are meeting up with friends to see some more fireworks!  I am excited to celebrate and enjoy a day off from camp!

Last night, we had an awesome potluck dinner with a bunch of my friends.  I made veggie flatbread and this drink and then we headed over to watch the fireworks in my home town.  It was such a fun evening and it made me so happy to be surrounded by such amazing friends.  I really feel so blessed to have them in my life and it was a great way to start celebrating the 4th!

Red White and Blue Sangria (adapted from Group Recipes)

Ingredients:
1 bottle dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
1/2 cup triple sec
1/4 cup citrus vodka
blueberries
raspberries
pineapple, cut into chunks
strawberries, quartered
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Directions:
1. First place 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let boil for a minute or two and then turn off heat and let cool.
2. In a large pitcher, pour wine, triple sec, and vodka.  Stir in sugar mixture and add in fruit.  I would just add in as much fruit as you want.  Also, you can cut the pineapple into chunks or cute shapes!
3. Serve over ice.

Enjoy :)