Showing posts with label Memorial Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Memorial Day. Show all posts

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Red, White and Blue Sangria


Crisp dry white wine, mixed with a little lemon vodka and Grand Marnier, then topped up with lemon-lime soda and lots of pretty fruit, makes a refreshing libation for summertime. 

This week Sunday Supper is remembering all those who made the ultimate sacrifice in our armed forces, just ahead of Memorial Day tomorrow, by showing off our red, white and/or blue recipes. Even as you feast and enjoy the extra day’s holiday – if you are living in the US, that is – we hope you will be inspired to honor military personnel from every country who died to preserve our freedoms, including those who put themselves in harm’s way to bring aid to the needy and try to ensure safety and peace in troubled regions worldwide. (Did you know that there are more than 30 countries whose flags are red, white and blue?) Unlike Veteran's Day, which honors the service of all soldiers, Memorial Day is especially to recognize those who gave their lives.

Many thanks to this week’s host, the great DB from Crazy Foodie Stunts. Make sure you scroll on down to the bottom of my post to see all the colorful recipes we are sharing today.

Let me introduce this sangria ingredient list with a disclaimer. When I told my husband that I was making sangria and, did he want some, he said, “Nah, thanks. I’ll just have a cold beer.” Well, I’m all for taking one for the team, particularly my Sunday Supper group, but drinking an entire one-wine-bottle batch of sangria seemed ill-advised, so the amounts you see here photographed are for half of the recipe I share below. And, yes, I did drink the whole darn half pitcher over the course of a hot afternoon! It was refreshing and delicious.

Ingredients
1 bottle dry white wine (My favorite white is Sauvignon Blanc, both for sangria and drinking in general.)
1/3 cup or 80ml Grand Marnier
1/4 cup or 60ml lemon vodka
3 cups or 710ml lemon-lime soda (Two of the 12 oz or 355ml cans.)
6 oz or 170g raspberries
4.4oz or 125g blueberries
1 dragon fruit

Method
Starting at least a day ahead, wash some of the blueberries and raspberries and put three blueberries and one raspberry in several of the holes of a muffin pan. For a more decorative look, I used the Nordic Ware one known online as the Bundt Brownie pan. <affiliate link Add a little water, until you see the blueberries just barely start to float.



Put the pan in the freezer and leave until the water freezes enough to hold the fruit in place.

Top up with more water and freeze until solid.

When the fruity ice is frozen, release by running some water over the back of the pan and store in a airtight container in the freezer. If you want to skip all these steps and get straight to the sangria, just use normal ice cubes.


When you are ready to serve, peel and slice your dragon fruit and cut it into pieces about the size of your raspberries and blueberries. Wash the berries and drain well.



In a pitcher, combine your wine, vodka and Grand Marnier.

Add your fruity ice (or just some normal ice) and then top up with the lemon-lime soda.


Add in more raspberries, blueberries and some of the cut dragon fruit. Put some berries and dragon fruit and ice in each glass and fill up with sangria.



Enjoy!



And make sure to check out all the other great red, white and/or blue recipes we have for you today.

Food Using One Color

Red Food

White Food
Blue Food

Food Using Two Colors

Red and White Food

Blue and White Food

Red, White and Blue Food

Sangria outside on our new-to-us outdoor sofa set.  Doesn't it look refreshing!

Monday, May 26, 2014

Chili Cheese Dog Muffins for #MuffinMonday


When you think about it, (or is that just me?) almost anything can be made into a muffin, including a chili cheese hot dog: Spicy chili, sharp cheddar and hot dogs baked in a muffin then topped with more cheese, onions and mustard. Happy Memorial Day! 

This week I am channeling Coney Island and bringing you a chili cheese dog muffin, in honor of Memorial Day, the holiday when we Americans honor and thank the members of the armed forces who  sacrificed their lives in the line of duty to protect our nation. It is also the kickoff to hot dog eating season. Not that we can’t and don’t eat them year round but according to Forbes.com Americans eat an incredible seven billion hot dogs between Memorial Day in May and Labor Day in September. No telling how many of those are chili cheese dogs. But this year at least, a few of them will be muffins.

Ingredients
For the muffins:
2 cups or 250g flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon flakey sea salt or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 oz or 115g extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup or 250g spicy beef chili
1/4 cup or 60ml canola or other light oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup or 120ml water
4 hot dogs (about 7 1/2 oz or 215g total weight) I like all beef Ball Park Franks. (Plus they are on sale this weekend at my Houston grocery store – Score!)

Note: I used homemade beef chili that is very thick, mostly meat, cooked down till there’s not much liquid left. If you are going to use store-bought or juicier chili, cut back on the amount of water.

For garnish:
2-4 tablespoons finely chopped onions
Yellow mustard

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 12-cup muffin tin by spraying with non-stick spray or lining with muffin papers. If you have a kind and generous mother like mine, see if she’ll volunteer for a Dollar Tree run to buy paper liners with little blue and red stars. You can pay her back in chili cheese dog muffins.

Grate your cheddar if it didn’t already come grated and finely chop your onion. Set aside a handful of the cheese for topping.



Slice the hot dogs into small circles and set aside 12 to poke into the tops of the muffins before baking.


Combine your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cheese in a large mixing bowl.



In another smaller bowl, whisk together your eggs, oil, chili and water.



Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stop when it’s still quite dry looking.



Toss in the big pile of hot dog circles and stir again.



Divide your batter between the 12 muffin cups.



Sprinkle the tops with the reserved cheese and chopped onions. Add one reserved hot dog circle to each and push it in just a little bit to make it stick.



Bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.



Allow to cool for a few minutes in the pan and then remove to continue cooling on a wire rack.


Drizzle with a little yellow mustard, if desired. But I say, what’s a chili cheese dog without a generous drizzle of mustard?



Enjoy!

Now go shake a soldier's hand and thank him or her for her service. And pray for peace and that no one need ever make the ultimate sacrifice. And perhaps bake some muffins to share.




Monday, May 12, 2014

Star-Spangled Muffins #MuffinMonday

When you want to show your love of the Stars and Stripes, bake these Star-spangled muffins. Blueberries for blue, strawberries for red and cream cheese for white. And, of course, just a little colored sugar to finish them off. Pretty and delicious!

Food Lust People Love: These star-spangled muffins are baked up with strawberries, blueberries and oatmeal. Cubes of cream cheese are folded in the batter for extra richness. Top them with some colored sugar sprinkles for a festive treat.

Monday isn't any old day on Food Lust People Love: It is always Muffin Monday. So, without further fanfare, here are my Star-Spangled Muffins.

Hands over our hungry bellies, repeat after me:

I pledge alliance to the muffin
of the United Straw- and Blue Berries
And to the breakfast for which it stands,
one muffin, under sugar, 
with oatmeal and cream cheese for all. 

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups or 190g flour
1/2 cup or 50g quick cook oats
1/2 cup or 100g sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup or 180ml milk
1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 oz or 100g cream cheese
1/2 cup or 100g blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup, chopped, or 90g fresh strawberries

Optional to decorate: A couple of tablespoons each of colored sugar sprinkles and/or pearl sugar

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C. Prepare your 12-cup muffin pan by greasing it with butter or nonstick cooking spray or lining it with paper muffin cups.

 In a large bowl, combine your flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt.


Cut your cream cheese into small chunks and toss them in the flour mixture to coat so they won’t stick together.



In another smaller bowl, whisk together your milk, oil, egg and vanilla.


Pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients. Add in the chopped strawberries and blueberries.  (If using frozen blueberries, they can be added without thawing.)


Fold all the ingredients together until they are just combined. Do not overmix.



Divide the batter between your 12 muffin cups.



Sprinkle the tops with colored sugar and/or pearl sugar to decorate.

Food Lust People Love: These star-spangled muffins are baked up with strawberries, blueberries and oatmeal. Cubes of cream cheese are folded in the batter for extra richness. Top them with some colored sugar sprinkles for a festive treat.


Bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Allow to cool for several minutes before removing the muffins from the pan and cooling further on a wire rack.

Food Lust People Love: These star-spangled muffins are baked up with strawberries, blueberries and oatmeal. Cubes of cream cheese are folded in the batter for extra richness. Top them with some colored sugar sprinkles for a festive treat.

Enjoy!

Food Lust People Love: These star-spangled muffins are baked up with strawberries, blueberries and oatmeal. Cubes of cream cheese are folded in the batter for extra richness. Top them with some colored sugar sprinkles for a festive treat.




Needing more more Memorial Day ideas and recipes? Check out what my fellow Kick Off to Summer Week 2014 participants are sharing today!  

Pin these Star-spangled muffins!

Food Lust People Love: These star-spangled muffins are baked up with strawberries, blueberries and oatmeal. Cubes of cream cheese are folded in the batter for extra richness. Top them with some colored sugar sprinkles for a festive treat.

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