Sunday, November 18, 2012

Bourbon Cider Sangria

I love fall. I love my hoodies and sweaters. I love having to make a little effort to stay warm. I love the way the light slants through the windows of our top floor apartment at 2pm. I love my boots! At last, I am finally relieved that summer is over and I don't feel the urge to squeeze every ounce of fun out of every day.

I especially love Thanksgiving. I love that it feels a bit like Christmas (and I'm finally allowed to listen to Christmas music! When I'm not alone anyway...), but without the stress of the gifts, the shopping, and the wrapping. Oh, the wrapping...

I usually bring something to my parents house that does not require the use of the kitchen. My Mom cooks everything and has her routine, which does not include me being underfoot! That usually means dessert and/or booze. This year I'm doing both. I decided on a cider sangria after seeing multiple recipes on pinterest. I tried one recipe, but it fell a little flat. This makes a big batch, so halve it if needed. Here's my remix:


Bourbon Cider Sangria






  • Two bottles of dry white wine (anything not too sweet)
  • 1 cup Canton ginger liquor
  • 1/2 to 1 cup of whiskey or bourbon (I used Jack Daniels)
  • 5 cups apple cider
  • juice of two lemons
  • 3 or 4 apples, chopped and sprinkled with cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a large container and let sit for at least two hours for the flavors to blend. You may want to try it with a 1/2 cup of bourbon, just in case 1 cup is too much for you. If you like bubbles in your sangria, top it off with seltzer. Want to be really fancy? Rub the rim of your glass with one of the apple pieces and dip it into a shallow plate covered in cinnamon sugar before you fill the glass.

Enjoy!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Baseball Soup aka Kale Soup

As soon as it gets cold around here, I want to make my grandmother's portuguese kale soup. We call it Baseball Soup, but I have no idea why! The problem is that the first time I want to make it, I have to hunt down the tattered piece of notebook paper it's scribbled on and it's usually where I left it 6 months prior. So, here it is, copied exactly as I found it in an email from my Mom, who copied it right off of the recipe card.

First, get a BIG pot to put everything in. It will shrink down after a while.




PORTUGUESE KALE SOUP
2 LARGE CANS COLLEGE INN CHICKEN BROTH
3 SMALL CANS COLLEGE INN BEEF BROTH
1 CAN 14. OZ STEWED TOMATOES
2 CANS PEA SOUP

2 CUPS CHOPPED KALE (1 PKG ABOUT 2 LBS) OR 2 PKGS FROZEN KALE CHOPPED
1 CUP CHOPPED CABBAGE (1/2 HEAD)
1 LARGE ONION DICED
3 STICKS CELERY CHOPPED

1 TSP BLACK PEPPER                                  TSP GARLIC SALT
1/2 TSP RED PEPPER FLAKES (OPTIONAL)   COUPLE SHAKES SALT

ADD AFTER ALL ABOVE HAS BOILED AT LEAST 1 HOUR
2 PACKAGES CHOURICO - PRICK SKIN AND PARBOIL 15 MINUTES.  WHEN COOL SLICE INTO SMALL PIECES
2 CANS BEANS (FAVA/CHICK) WHICKEVER YOU LIKE
6 RED POTATOES CHOPPED IN LARGE PIECES

DIRECTIONS:  
BOIL ALL INGREDIENTS ABOUT 1 HOUR - ADD CHOURICO, BEANS AND POTATOES AND BOIL AT LEAST ANOTHER 1/2 HOUR.


Notes: 

This is may be a bit confusing? Boil all of the first group for an hour. While you're doing that, you can parboil the chourico and cut it up. Then you can add the beans, potato and sausage for an additional 30 min. 

I use way more fresh kale, probably like 8-10 cups, or two bundles/bunches.

If you can't find chourizo, linguica is pretty close.

In an attempt to keep the sodium down, I use low sodium broth and salt free beans and canned tomatoes.

The canned pea soup is the condensed kind (but add it straight to the pot without adding water). I stopped using it for two reasons. First, it became impossible to find for a while. Second, it's really high in sodium. I usually buy dried split peas and simmer them forever until I can mash them into a paste, or if I'm feeling less patient, I put a bag of frozen peas into a little of the broth and mash them up once thawed. 

Feel free to adapt ingredients for your preference or dietary needs. It could easily be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth and just beans.

Lastly, my grandmother was famous for leaving ingredients out. I'm pretty sure adding some Old Bay seasoning is the solution for what I felt was missing. Do this at the very end so you don't over season.

Enjoy!