Summer Sangria

So my favorite drink to have on the weekends, at cookouts, at the beach, or if I happened to be stranded in the desert would absolutely, positively, have to be Sangria! It combines my love for a delicious glass of wine with the refreshing clink of ice and tasty fruit without giving it a weird watered-down taste.

I make it many, many ways, and it is never the same. I will give you measurements as a framework, but please, for the love of all things tasty, Do.Not.Measure. Well okay, you can measure, but don't worry about being crazy precise, because its all about how it tastes, and how all of the fabulous flavors marry together into a refreshing, straw-worthy, give-me-another-glass kind of way.

Summer Sangria
1 Bottle of Red Wine
1/4 of a 2L bottle of Sprite, or bubbly Lemon/Lime drink
1/3-1/2 cup of sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lime
Fruit

Mix all ingredients in large pitcher until it reaches the perfect level between sweetness and tartness. Let fruit of choice marinate for a few minutes for a stronger fruit-infused taste.

*Go-to fruit: Lemons, limes, Orange (sliced thinly with rind and placed in pitcher)
*Latest fav fruit: Strawberries, lemons, limes, and blackberries
*Preferred wine: Cabernet Savignon or Pinot Noir

Printable Recipe

Soup in a Box?

So, I have to share something with you. Brace yourself. Boxed Soup. (Do not feel ashamed if you have the same confused look on your face that I did while staring at the Giada de Larentis section in Target.)

Giada is a soup genious. For $2.99 I got this:

And it was super simple!

Step 1: Sautee 3 strips of bacon or pancetta until crispy.

Step 2: Throw in entire box (4 cups) of Chicken broth.

Step 3: Throw in Seasoning packet and dried bean packet from Giada's box. Cook for 20 minutes.

Step 4: Throw in an entire bag of baby spinach.

Then stare at a fancy pot of soup that was absolutely no-fuss, grab a heaping ladleful spoonful, and enjoy!

Summer Pasta Salad

Dear PioneerWoman. Thank you for another wonderful recipe! It's 90 degrees out today and all I can think about for lunch & dinner is something cold and "vegetabley"....

Summer Pasta Salad

Thinly cut up 1 zuchinni into teeny triangles. These will be eaten raw in the pasta salad. Before you FREAK out and say "I do not like raw zuchinni" (like I did), and make up your mind that you will change the recipe and cook yours...Don't. Cut thinly, close your eyes and take a bite, and you will forever change your mind. It's like a decadent cucumber, and you get bonus points for being healthy and eating it this way. Trust. Me.

Next, add 1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes. (And please forgive the sideways picture).

Next, chop up about 1/4 of a cup of fresh parsley and get your 1 lemon ready for squeezing. (And change your iphone picture over to Instagram settings for dramatic effect.)

Add parsley, and the juice of 1/2 a lemon to the bowl. (If you are a lemon-lover like me, add juice of one whole lemon). Add 3 oz of feta cheese....this is where your mouth will start to water.

Add 1/2 a box of cooked and drained, whole wheat pasta. Toss to your little hearts content. Add salt and pepper to taste, and Voila, a cold, "vegetabley" summer meal full of pasta goodness!

“Sun is shining. Weather is sweet. Make you wanna move your dancing feet.” — Bob Marley