Homemade Summer Sangria

Bonjour!
Sangria! Yes please! I figured I would post this on a Tuesday so you could have the time to go out & buy the ingredients for your Friday night get together! A few weeks ago we were given a bottle of red wine as a gift! It was a very nice gift, except for Dan and I don't really enjoy red wine. I KNOW, I KNOW...all of you crazy wine drinkers out there are going to think I am crazy. I am sorry, I just haven't acquired the taste for it yet. BUT add some fruit & some sugary-goodness and I am on board! I love me some sangria! So here is a very not healthy, but oh so good recipe! Enjoy!

Mix together all of the following ingredients in a punch bowl or a large(or two) pitcher. Let the ingredients sit for 24hrs in the fridge to get the best flavour!

• 1 bottle of red wine (or your choice)
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 orange, sliced (you can squeeze the juices into the wine)
• 1/2 can of orange juice from concentrate
• 1 small can of diced pineapples (add the juice as well)
• check sweetness. If you would like it more sweet add a tbsp of sugar.

Add the following ingredients just before serving:

• 3 cups of ginger ale (4 if you like the wine more watered-down)
• 1 container of blueberries (1 dry pint)
• a handful of strawberries (frozen or not)
• 1 kiwi, peeled and sliced ( I used it for a little decoration :)
• add ice

xo

Spiced Bran & Blueberry {Muffins}

Happy Monday everyone! I hope your day has been lovely so far! I worked 8-4 today. A man eating at the restaurant and I started up a small conversation & he told me that I had a beautiful accent! I was quite flattered! I am typically more embarrassed of my accent & I rarely get compliments on it. Then he went on to ask me if I was from Ireland! haha. I said no I am from Ontario, I'm an anglophone. He was shocked. haha he thought I was European. I met someone at the mall a few months ago and he asked me if I was German. He said I had a thick German accent when I spoke French. I laughed and said " well that's funny, because I'm English!". I must have a pretty interesting accent!
Here I am posting YET ANOTHER muffin recipe. It had been two weeks since I last made muffins. It felt wrong. I had no after work snack & I felt lost.
So I fixed that and made muffins!
Here is what you need:

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup white flour
• 1 1/2 cups oat bran
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 4 T canola oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground clove
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 cup milk
• one dry pint of fresh blueberries (551 ml)

Step one:
Preheat oven to 400F. Place muffin cups in your muffin pan. Makes 12 muffins.
In a large mixing bowl mix together the flour, w/w flour, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, & nutmeg. Make sure it is combined well.

Step two:
In a separate medium sized bowl mix together your wet ingredients. Honey, sugar, egg, apple sauce, oil & milk.

Step three:
Add the dry ingredients to the the wet. Stir until fully combined. Stir in the blueberries.

Step four:
Pour the muffin batter into the muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.

STEP FIVE:
ENJOY!

Here are pictures from our weekend!

It took us 2 hours on the bike to get to I'Isle aux Coudres. It's an island on the St Lawrence river. So beautiful!

Me on the ferry to the island.
I got some pretty funny looks from people. I guess I'm pretty intimidating ;)

Finished the day with my pj's on, sitting in front of the fire! Bliss..

Did you guys do anything fun & exciting over the weekend?

xo

Bobotie {African dish}

Bobotie is a South Africa dish made with spiced ground beef, raisins and a special egg-based top. This was the first time I have ever eaten Bobotie! It for sure won't be my last. I can't wait to eat it tonight for leftovers!    With the beef and the raisins it has great flavour! I have never tasted anything like it. Sweet and delish. Feeling like cooking something different tonight, try this out! Also don't be intimidated by the curry, it's not spicy at all.
You need:

• 2 onions finely choped
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 kg ground beef
• 1/4 cup of milk + 3/4 milk
• 1/2 cup of bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 tbsps sugar
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tbsp tumeric
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3 tbsp peach or mango chutney
• 4 bay leaves
• cooked rice to eat on the side
• 2 eggs

Step one:

Put the chopped onions in a pan with the oil. Fry on medium-high heat. Add the ground beef & cook until brown all the way through.

Step two:
Add 1/4 cup of milk, breadcrumbs, sugar, curry powder, salt, pepper, tumeric, lemon juice, raisins, & peach chutney to the ground beef.

Step three:
Place the beef mixture into a baking dish. Place 4 bay leaves on top. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes uncovered.

Step four:
While the beef is baking beat together 2 eggs & 3/4 cup of milk in a small bowl. Once the beef has been baked for 15 minutes, take it out & pour the egg/milk mixture on top of it. Bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Serve with white rice. Also add chutney, chopped apples, chopped pears, dried apricots, peaches, coconut & peanuts. I know it sounds different, but it tastes really good. It is always fun to try something new!

xoxo

{Decadent} Cheesecake Filled Strawberries

Like I said before, I love Pinterest. This idea comes from there. I made these last night for Dan and I. We enjoyed a romantic evening of these strawberries, tea and the tv show Curious and Unusual Deaths. haha sounds romantic right? haha. We actually love anything on Discovery channel. If we feel like watching something together, it's normally from that channel. These strawberries HIT THE SPOT. for real. I will make these again.
They are super easy to make. Here is what you need:

• 1 brick of low fat cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 tbsps icing sugar
• 1 pkg of strawberries
• chocolate syrup (or melted chocolate, because that would taste so much better)

Step one:

In a bowl beat the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla.

Step two:

Cut out the centre of your strawberries & stuff them with the cream cheese!

Last step:

Drizzle with chocolate sauce. Then enjoy!

xoxo

Easy Apple Crisp

To start, HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE! Oh goodness, am I ever excited that it's Monday. I know that is so unlike me to like Monday, but I am now on the countdown to my trip to Montreal! Yay!Only 4 more days! Also, tomorrow is Valentines day! The day of love. The day everyone is expected to buy and and receive presents, flowers and chocolate. The day that every couple will be eating at a restaurant. The day that so many people think is overrated. Well I must tell you that I WILL be participating in everything valentines day. I shall partake in chocolate and eat at a restaurant that we reserved. This is my very first valentines day with Dan. For the past three years we have either been in different countries or separated by provinces for the day. I know that we don't need a "special" day to celebrate our love for one another, BUT I am looking forward to actually spending the day WITH him. haha It sucks when you have someone you love but you end up spending valentines day eating ice cream & watching a romantic movie alone. haha.That's not me this year!  What are your plans for valentines day?
Anywho, this recipe is excellent. Dan and I have made it several times. My youth pastors wife gave us a bunch of her own recipes as a gift for our wedding shower. It was a great gift and we have enjoyed trying the recipes! This recipe is super easy! If you try it you will not be dissapointed.
You need:

• 6 to 8 apples
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup of oatmeal
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Step one:
Cut up your apples.

Place them in your baking dish.

Step two:
Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, oats and melted butter in a bowl.

Pour it over the apples.

Step three:

Bake uncovered at 350F for 25-30 minutes.

ENJOY!

xo



Country Peach and Raspberry Tart

I had extra pie dough left over from making pumpkin pie so I found this lovely recipe and I am very glad that I made it! I used a half recipe..(because thats how much dough I had left over..) but I will share with you the whole recipe here and you can do what you like with it! The original recipe called for just peaches..but I decided to add some raspberries. I would most definately recommend following the recipe here and using just peaches. The raspberries made the tart a little more sour...and I think if it had of been just peaches it would have been perfect. Now I know for the next time!

Here is what you will need:
-1 single crust pie dough recipe (easily found online)
-1/4 cup of sugar
-4 tsps flour
-1/4 tsp of cinnamon, ginger or nutmeg
-3 cups of peaches or nectarines pealed and sliced
-1 tbsp lemon juice
-1 tbsp sliced almonds
-milk

Preheat oven to 375F.

Step One:
Prepare your pie crust. Roll out the dough on parchment paper into a large circle. Slide the paper with the dough ontop onto your baking sheet. Set aside.

Step Two:
In a large bowl mix together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add the peaches and lemon juice...Do this until the peaches are all covered.

Step Three:
Take your peaches and put them in the center of your pie crust. Start to fold up your pastry dough leaving an opening in the center.

Step Four:
Brush a bit of milk onto the pie dough and sprinkle a bit of sugar ontop. Add your sliced almonds.

Step Five:
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden. Cook for 30 minutes on a wire rack.

Happy tuesday everyone!
xo