March 19, 2013

Dinner Party and Sangria

When I think of a dinner party, I think of this:



So when Scott's all, "People are coming over", my pessimistic side usually takes over.

Honestly, I was not going to make osso buco and I was not going to wait until midnight to eat (see the dinner party that is referenced above).  

Here's what I made..

Enchiladas- I went with a tasty main dish that I knew would turn out right since we'd had it a few weeks ago. I used a rotisserie chicken to save time and money.

Rice-This was new to me, but I figured it'd be pretty hard to screw up.  I omitted the olives and red pepper (laziness is a flaw, as I was not going back to the store).  I REALLY liked it.  I'm a huge fan of Caribbean-style rice and beans (the kind cooked in coconut milk) and this reminded me of that because we used jasmine rice (Scott's suggestion. He's so smart).


Apple Crisp- a stand-by dessert.  The hardest part was finding baking apples.  All I wanted were MacIntosh.  I went with Fuji.



Delicious.  It's my new pride and joy.  It takes a little effort...but then you can keep a pitcher of it in the fridge and sip from it all week.  I had the fruit and limeaide in the freezer.  So I made a pitcher of this for the cost of an $8 bottle of wine and a $2 bottle of ginger ale.  And if we weren't in such a hurry at the store, I probably could've found much cheaper wine.
This drink was super-sweet (the way us cheap wine drinkers like it), so I really do recommend topping off individual glasses with extra ginger ale.



Fruity Lime Sangria
1 bottle merlot
2 cups ginger ale (to mix in and then you can top off each drink with extra)
1/2 lime sliced into wedges
1/2 lemon sliced into wedges
1/2 orange sliced into wedges

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup frozen concentrated limeaide
2-3 shots of Triple Sec


1 cup fresh or frozen fruit (I used a bag of mixed frozen fruit, but sliced strawberries, peaches, or other whole berries would be tasty.)

Pour the merlot into a pitcher.  Squeeze the juice from the lime, lemon, and orange wedges into the pitcher and stir.  Add in limeaide, sugar, and Triple Sec.  Stir well until the sugar is dissolved and store in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.  You can also add the fruit during this step if you want.  I added mine in later.

After the sangria has "marinated" for at least a few hours, stir in 2 cups of ginger ale and the fruit, if you haven't already.  Serve immediately (if frozen, the fruit acts as ice cubes).  Pour into glasses and top with more ginger ale, if desired.

What do you serve if you're entertaining?  It doesn't matter how many meals/desserts/drinks I've made for Scott and myself..it's always nerve-racking when other people are involved!





15 comments:

  1. Yeah, that sounds like a great party! I never thought of using a rotisserie chicken for enchiladas (which are a staple in my house) before, but I bet that added a great flavor. As for the sangria, that will be at my next party. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That sangria looks divine!! Definitely bookmarking this post so I can make that soon!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hmm. Think I could get away with putting sangria in a water bottle at work and telling everyone it's cranberry juice?

    That episode of The Office is one of my favorites. "THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!!!!!!!!!!"

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sounds like a great party! I'm going to have to try that sangria recipe - yum!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Damn that sangria looks good! Your dinner party's one I'd definitely want to attend. Mine are pretty lame, like pizza and beer kind of lame haha.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That's one of my all-time favorite episodes of The Office, I love when Jan plays her assistant's CD. Your dinner party menu sounds delish, I'll come over any time. Just give me like a week's notice so I can plan a flight.

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's a sangria I bet I'd like! And that rice sounds amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  8. We've had our families over a couple times. Once, I made lasagna and Scott made ribs. I think we also did a chicken once. Yum!

    I don't like having people over because I don't like to clean. lol

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh, Sangria! How I miss thee! I will have to try this when I do not have an "underage passenger" on board.

    I am reading this during a break in my evening ESL class, and I LOLed when I saw that GIF. The people around me probably think I'm a big weirdo. Oh, well... they are kind of right...

    ReplyDelete
  10. First, love The Office reference; that is one of my all time fave episodes! When they tour the bedroom and see that Michael sleeps at the end of the bed, I crack up! Anyways on to dinner, I love all things Mexican and well sangria. Looks tasty!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Who lets a jug of Sangria sit for a week? And who sips sangria??? :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love that episode from The Office haha one of my favorites. :) Good job though on the dinner party, sounds like it was awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I've always wanted to have a dinner party! Whenever we have guests, we order out. I cook when just my friends come over though. I wonder what that says about me. Do I not like his friends as much? Everything from your party looks freaking delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  14. As long as there's sangria, I don't think any meal can go wrong. I love making sangrias because there's a wide variety of recipes that you can pair with any meal. White wine, red wine, sweet, dry – you just have to find the right combination of flavors with liquor and fruits. On top of that, you can use cheaper wine and it'll still be delicious. Thanks for sharing, Kristin!

    -Corey

    ReplyDelete

Comments make my day!