I really wanted to make some tasty sangria this summer. I got the idea to make my own sangria after going wine tasting with friends in Temecula, California. Falkner Winery, one of the wineries we visited, has a recipe for sangria that uses two bottles of their Luscious Lips red wine which is absolutely delicious. Yummy.
Well, if you read My Summer List, Revisited post, you know Dustin and I are currently trying for our second child. Hmmm. Trying for a second baby and drinking sangria? Not so much. The sacrifices we make for these kids, huh? Whatever was I to do?
Solution: Virgin Sangria! I know, I know…a non-alcoholic sangria recipe is not as fun or as sexy as the real stuff. But, think of this as a great recipe to share at your kid’s birthday party, a baby shower, with friends who don’t drink, or at an office potluck. See? It works itself out.
If you’ve ever made sangria, you probably know the more fresh fruit, the better. The hardest part about making this drink is waiting for it to get ready in the fridge. I suggest leaving it overnight (if you can stand it), but at least a few hours would allow some magic to occur. That’s right: magic.
Feel free to improvise with whatever fruit or juices you may have on hand. For example, you could add some orange juice, pomegranate juice, sliced peaches, sliced pineapples, etc. to make it your own. There’s almost no bad fruit to try — well, maybe bananas. Eww.
Thanks for sticking with me on the Summer List extravaganza. Last stop on this crazy summer ride: Mint Chip Ice Cream. Stay tuned!
Virgin Sangria
3 cups grape juice
3/4 cup apple juice
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 lemon, thinly sliced, with peel
1/2 lime, thinly sliced, with peel
1 medium orange, thinly sliced, with peel
1 small apple, cored, sliced into 8ths, with peel
1 small black plum, thinly sliced, with peel
2 3/4 cups sparkling mineral water or club soda
Directions
Combine the fruits and juices in a large pitcher. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, overnight preferably, to allow for flavors to combine. Prior to serving, add mineral water and stir together.
Enjoy!
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As always, I want to thank you for visiting. I welcome your comments, questions, recipe suggestions and food stories. Here’s to doing what you love!
Posted in Drinks | 
Tags: cocktail, drinks, non-alcoholic sangria, summer list, Virgin Sangria | 
12 Comments »
Would you believe I had never tasted a crab cake until earlier this year? Crazy, right? Oddly enough, it happened in Las Vegas. Dustin and I went out to a nice seafood restaurant called Chart House while our friends watched Jordan at the hotel.
Mind you, this was our first night out without Jordan. Ever. Needless to say, I was watching my phone like a hawk. Like. A. Hawk.
Anyways, just because we were out on the town and on our own and totally not obsessing over all the different ways my baby could get lost or hurt without my constant presence, we ordered all sorts of beautiful dishes at the restaurant. We tried the Lobster Bisque (yum), the Bruschetta Sliders (quite tasty), the Crab Cakes — all in addition to our actual entrees. Oh, I may have had a few glasses of wine, too. Hey, it was Vegas, after all.
Until then, the opportunity had never really presented itself to try crab cakes. Not sure how that happened.
Long story short, the meal was fabulous. By the way, Jordan was sound asleep after frantically rushing home when we got back to the hotel, in case you were worried.
Since our trip, the memory of the crab cakes has stuck with me. So, like any reasonable person would do (heehee), I added them to My Summer List to try out on my own.
I hadn’t ever really considered buying live crabs and then picking the meat from the shells. Ugh. That sounded like a lot of work. So, instead, I bought a pound of “fresh” crab meat at the store. Important note: If you ever use this type of crab meat, make sure to thoroughly check it for shells prior to cooking it. I thought the hefty price tag would insure the shells were completely removed. Silly me.
The crab cakes turned out to be quite tasty — hence the name “Best Crab Cakes.” Granted, I don’t have much to compare them to, but I really think they were good. Just the right amount of heat while letting the crab be the star. I think they were complimented very well by the Lemon-Dill Aioli, too, which is tart and creamy.
Best Crab Cakes with Lemon-Dill Aioli
For the Lemon-Dill Aioli:
2 large egg yolks (pasteurized, to be safe)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp. fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 tsp. dried dill
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
Directions
Place all ingredients, except for olive oil, in a blender. Pulse to combine. With the blender running, very slowly drizzle in olive oil, little by little, until an emulsion forms (the mixture will thicken and become a creamy, white-ish color).
Refrigerate for 1 hour prior to serving to allow flavors to meld.
For the Crab Cakes:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tbsp. parsley, minced
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 lb. crab meat, de-shelled
3/4 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs, divided
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup parmesan, grated
Directions
Heat 1 tbsp. butter in large skillet on medium-high heat. Cook green onion and garlic until tender, approximately 2 minutes. Add parsley, lemon juice, 1/2 cup of the unseasoned breadcrumbs and spices to the mixture and stir together. Remove from heat. Fold in crab meat until evenly distributed.
Combine parmesan, 1/4 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs and panko in a shallow dish.
Form the crab cake patties to about 1/2-inch thickness. Wet your hands with water if the mixture starts to stick. You should make about 8 medium-sized patties.
Cover the patties with parchment paper or saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. This will make it so the cakes don’t fall apart and crumble while cooking.
Heat 1 tbsp. butter in a large skillet on medium-high heat until butter is almost burning. Cook patties, 4 at a time, until golden on each side, approximately 3 minutes per side. Use the remaining 1 tbsp. butter for the final 4 patties.
Serve with a lemon wedge and Lemon-Dill Aioli for dipping.
Enjoy!
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As always, I want to thank you for visiting. I welcome your comments, questions, recipe suggestions and food stories. Here’s to doing what you love!
Posted in Appetizers, Fish, Sauces |
Tags: aioli recipe, best crab cakes with lemon-dill aioli, crab, seafood |
6 Comments »
Yay, it’s the weekend! I hope you are all having a fabulous Saturday. Dustin and I will celebrate our 6-year wedding anniversary tomorrow. Very exciting.
Thanks to all the positive feedback I received from my last Weekend Favorites post, I have decided to make this a recurring kinda thing. I’m still working on the name…not sure what to call it. Any suggestions?
On to the fun stuff! Here’s a compilation of some great reads from around the food blog world over the past week. I hope you take some time to check out these sites and all they have to offer. There are some big names this week in my Round-Up. Here we go!
- I love homemade pancakes. I love blueberry pancakes. I love butter. I love….blueberry butter?!? How have I never thought of this? Thank you, Ashley, from Not Without Salt for posting Pancakes with Blueberry Butter this week. It looks so simple and I am eagerly anticipating the next time I make pancakes. Yum!
- Okay, so you may know I wanted to make homemade jam this summer. Have I yet? [cue crickets chirping] Not yet, sadly. Well, Lindsay and Taylor over at Love and Olive Oil have totally shown me up by canning a gazillion different goodies this summer. Some of their intriguing concoctions include Apricot Riesling Jam, Sweet Basil Jelly and Pear Ginger Preserves. Check them all out.
- Even friends of mine who don’t know anything about food, blogs or cooking know about The Pioneer Woman. It’s crazy. Ree earns her keep for sure by posting delicious and lovely recipes like this week’s Homemade Cinnamon Bread. Check out how perfect her loaf comes out! She’s amazing.
- I’m not usually a big chocolate person, usually preferring fruit over chocolate (I know, I’m crazy). But, ever since I read Joanne’s post on Double Chocolate Layer Cake, I cannot stop thinking about getting my hands on some chocolate. Her cake looks so moist and full of chocolate-y goodness. *Swoon*
- Reading Tina’s post this week on Tomato Salad almost made me get in my car and drive back to my hometown (Ojai, California, in case you were curious) for a fresh tomato salad from Boccali’s Pizza. I love that Tina leaves her salad simple — just the way it should be! So delicious.
- I keep seeing homemade popsicle recipes everywhere on various blogs this summer, but Joy the Baker’s Raspberry and Goat’s Milk Yogurt Popsicles look so good and, well, different. Maybe it’s her modeling skills that have persuaded me. I really want to try them out. Who’s with me?
Enjoy!
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As always, I want to thank you for visiting. I welcome your comments, questions, recipe suggestions and food stories. Here’s to doing what you love!
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