Sangria

Sangria
Sangria means a lot of things to a lot of different people. Blood? Red wine, sprite, and OJ? Could be......

Here's what I just made for a crowd of 10. There were leftovers, and it was quite a shindig.



1.5 higher quality box wine (I used Bota Box Malbec)
1 bottle Meyers dark rum
1.5 Gallons orange juice
0.5 Gallons pineapple juice
Several stems lemongrass, cleaned and trimmed
3 tsp cinnamon
1 root ginger, peeled and grated
juice from 3 plump limes
Chopped fruit-I used apples, pineapples, and oranges

Mix it up at least 6 hours before you plan to start your festivities.

Who wants a boiga?

I had a 4th of July party and experimented with some different kinds of burgers. Here's a rundown:

Mediterranean chick pea burgers

cooked chick peas
squeeze a lemon
minced kalamata olives
chopped scallions
pine nuts
bread crumbs
minced garlic
2 eggs
parsley
cumin
sirracha

put in as much of these things as you want, seasoning to taste, along with any fresh herbs you have and enough bread crumbs to dry it out. Mush it together with your hands so some of the beans get smushed. You can also add any veggie you have on hand--just dice and sear before you add to the mix. Form patties and grill on oiled foil or a skillet or baking pan on the grill. Nom nom.


Crabby tuna patties

1 can drained crab
1 can high-quality tuna, drained
squeeze a lemon
2 eggs
bread crumbs
diced red onion
diced dill pickles
old bay seasoning

assemble, cook, and nom same as above.


Greek veggie burgers

Frozen spinach
tomatoes fresh or canned
crumbled feta
so much garlic
minced red onion
2 eggs
bread crumbs
marjoram, oregano, Italian seasoning, salt pepper, whatever you got!
diced olives if you want

Push the water out of the spinach and diced tomatoes in a strainer. Mix, mash, and grill!

Buffalo chicken burgers

Ground chicken from Cardonas
crumbled bleu or gorganzola
diced celery
diced red onion
sosososo much Frank's red hot
eggs
bread crumbs

Since these are meat, you can grill on the grate rather than using the foil.


Of course you can mix anything but the kitchen sink with eggs and breadcrumbs and make a "burger". Another thing I threw in to some of the heartier ones I've made is quick oats--it absorbs liquid and is slightly healthier than pankos. These are just a few ideas in my quest to never turn the stove or range on in the summer.