White Peach Sangria

Sangria Sunday, anyone? For those that know me, they know I am not a big drinker. I may have one drink a month, if lucky. However, I am a sucker for a nice fruity sangria on a sunny summer day! :)

I have been wanting to make a Sangria for awhile now but needed to find one that didn't call for million ingredients and would be quick and easy. I did just that.

This recipe is a knock off of the White Peach Sangria from Applebee's. I wanted to use an entire bottle of wine so I wouldn't have to store it. The recipe made a huge batch of sangria and would be great for an evening with friends or family. I hope you ENJOY! :)

Ingredients:
1 bottle of Sutter Home- White Zinfendell
1 bottle (750 ml) of Peach Schnapps
1 litter of 7-up or lemon lime soda
12 oz of pineapple juice
1 bag of frozen peaches

Step One:
Mix all ingredients into a large craft/serving bowl. (I only used 3/4 a bottle of 7-up BUT if you want a lighter mix you could use the whole bottle)

Step Two:
Serve over ice and ENJOY!

Apple Enchiladas!

As I mentioned in a previous post, Summer makes me crave Mexican food. I also have a HUGE sweet tooth. Put these two together and it is a recipe for AWESOMENESS. :)

I am always looking for quick and easy recipes. This recipe is a winner in that department. Plus, not to mention, it is fantastic served with a scoop of ice cream. Next time I make it, I am going to switch it up and try cherries. I'm sure any type of fruit will work great with the sauce.

Side Note: Stay tuned to my next post. I am going to get a little daring and throw a twist of me into it! Food + Fashion = MY.LIFE! :)

Ingredients:
Flour Tortillas
21 oz can of Apple Pie filling
Cinnamon
1/2 Cup of Sugar
1/2 Brown Sugar
1/2 Water
1/2 Butter **(Note I forgot to include this in the picture! Whoops!)

Step One:
Evenly spread apple filling down the middle of a flour tortilla. Sprinkle with cinnamon and wrap up. Place the seam side of the tortilla down, into the pan.

Step Two:
In a medium sauce pan, on MEDIUM heat, combine sugar, brown sugar, butter and water. STIR CONSTANTLY and bring to a boil. The mixture will become thicker once boiling.
**SUGAR WILL BURN EASILY. IT IS IMPORTANT TO STIR THE SAUCE TO AVOID BURNING**

Step Three:
Pour sauce over the enchiladas. Let stand for 45 mins. Place into oven at 350 degrees and bake for 20 mins or until golden brown.

Step Four:
Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream or eat it all by itself and lastly, ENJOY!!!

SUPER Simple Salsa

Summer nights always make me crave mexican food and what better way to start your night than with a nice cold drink and some chips and SALSA!! :)

I bought one of Pioneer Woman's cookbooks and found this recipe in it. I was a little hesitant because I am not a fan of spicy salsa but I ended up making it how the recipe called and realized I could have added more jalapeno! 

This recipe makes A LOT of salsa so it would be great for a night with friends/family or if you want to can it and save it for a rainy day!! 

Ingredients:

1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice

2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)

1/4 cup Chopped Onion

1 clove Garlic, Minced

1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin

1/4 teaspoon Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1/2 cup Cilantro (more To Taste!)

1/2 whole Lime Juice

Step One:

Pour all ingredients, EXCEPT the cilantro, into blender. Pulse a couple of times until you get the consistency you are looking for. 

Step Two:

Pour into large container/dish and top with cilantro when ready to serve!! Serve with a cold one and some chips! Lastly, ENJOY!!

Original Recipe:

thepioneerwoman.com

Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

This was one of my first "pins" on Pinterest and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to make it! HEAVEN!! The aroma from this recipe is to die for. It starts with clean lemon, moves to sweet buttermilk and ends with a mixture of baked blueberry/lemon/Sugar. UGH! (Yankee, get on it. I NEED this as a candle!)

This recipe is super easy and fairly inexpensive to make. Everything the recipe calls for in bulk, most people will have in their house. It is a great recipe for a large family or a house that eats breakfast all day long, like myself! :)

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
7/8 cup* + 1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup buttermilk

Topping: 1 tablespoon of sugar

* 7/8 cup = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons

Step One:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixer (or x-large mixing bowl) cream together sugar, lemon and butter until smooth and fluffy. 

Step Two:

Add Egg and Vanilla. Beat until combined. 

Step Three:

Rinse blueberries. In a separate mixing bowl, toss blueberries with 1/4 of flour. Make sure blueberries are well covered with flour. 

Step Four:

In ANOTHER mixing bowl, combine remaining flour, salt and baking powder. Whisk together and set aside. 

Also, if using powered buttermilk, follow directions on back of container and make in a small pouring dish. I used SACO Cultured Buttermilk Blend. I mixed two tablespoons of powered buttermilk and 1/2 cup of water. Whisk until smooth.

Step Five:

Slowly alternating, add flour mixture and buttermilk to the sugar/butter mixture. I did mine in 4 chunks and it mixed very well. 

Step Six:

Fold in blueberries. Make sure to not smash the blueberries!! :)

Step Seven:

Grease 9 inch baking dish or something similar (I used a 9x13 and it worked perfectly!) Evenly spread mixture in dish. Top with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Place into oven for 30-35 mins. (Poke into the cake with a toothpick and look for dryness to tell when done.)

Step Eight:

Let cool for about 5 mins. Cut into pieces and serve with your favorite breakfast drink, yogurt and/or fruit! :) ENJOY!!

Original Blog:

http://www.alexandracooks.com/2011/06/29/buttermilk-blueberry-breakfast-cake/

S'more Brownies

Yes, I know. The name alone makes your mouth water. What's even better, this recipe is SUPER easy and quick!! My last recipe for brownies was totally worth the time but if you are in a time crunch, this one is a go to! It is a fun summer dessert and even tastes great warmed up in the microwave a few days later!

Prep time is only about 5-10 mins and the cooking time is about 35-45 mins.

Ingredients:
1 pack brownie mix (Make sure to have ingredients listed on the box!!)
2 cups miniature marshmallows
4 graham crackers, cut into chunks
2 Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars, cut into each segments

Step One:
Preheat oven and prepare brownies as directed on back of box. Place into oven and cook for designated cooking time for your pan size.

Step Two:
Once brownies are done baking,top evenly with marshmallows and broken pieces of graham cracker. Turn oven to low broil and place brownies into oven. Watch the brownies and remove once marshmallows are golden brown. BE CAREFUL, they will burn easily!!

Step Three:
Remove brownies from oven, top INSTANTLY with chocolate pieces, cut and ENJOY!!!

Crock Pot Lasagna

I am all about food that is quick, easy and taste amazing! A couple of years ago I got a crock pot for Christmas and told myself I was going to use it as much as possible. I thought with the crazy life I was living, it would be necessary for me to cook food ahead of time so it was ready to go by the time I got home. WELL... I also found that calling ahead, ordering food online or swinging through the drive through was just as easy! :) WHOOPS!

Well to my surprise, this recipe took no time to prepare and the cooking time didn't seem long either because I was running errands while it was cooking. The recipe is also a heck of a lot easier than I remember. Making lasagna with my mom always seemed so time consuming! I would say it took about 20-25 mins to prep and 4 hours to bake.

Ingredients:

1lb. of ground beef

Finely chopped onion/Mined Onion

Finely chopped garlic/Minced garlic

29 oz can of tomato sauce

8 oz package of lasagna noodles (uncooked)

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 cups of cottage cheese

Step One:

Brown ground beef and season with onion. While ground beef is cooking, mix together both cheeses in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.

Step Two: 

Once ground beef has fully cooked, add tomato sauce and garlic. Mix together and set aside.

Step Three:

Spray crock pot with cooking spray before starting the layering process. Line the bottom of the pot with an even layer of sauce. Next, line with noodles and top with cheese. Repeat process for 3-4 more layers, making sure to end with sauce on the top.

Step Four:
Cover with lid and let cook on low for 4 hours. When finished, the sides with be a little crusty and the top with be golden brown! Serve and ENJOY!