'Tis the Season for toasting!

I love a holiday recipe that gets the whole house smelling wonderful.  This is definitely one of those.  A little like mulled wine ... but a little sweeter and more refreshing.

Holiday Sangria

Sangria in it's basic form is sweetened red wine with fruit.  I have an awesome Autumn Sangria recipe, and this one is very similar and just uses seasonally inspired more festive fruits.

One of those is Carambola, otherwise known as starfruit.   It looks sort of like a little melon and when sliced creates little 5 point star shaped pieces.  It tastes like a cross between citrus and melon, but not quite as tart or sweet and it makes an excellent garnish for the holidays.

The other two fruits I used were raw cranberries and tangelos.  I chose tangelos since they're a little smaller than oranges and easier to add to a glass or pitcher.

In addition to spicing up your holidays, this sangria makes an unique gift for friends, neighbors or party host.  All you need is a sealable jar, similar to the juice jar I have pictured.

Here's what you'll need ...

Ingredients

2 bottles Merlot

1 bottle ginger ale

1 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground clove

4 to 6 oranges or tangelos

6 to 10 cinnamon sticks

1/2 bag of cranberries

Directions

In a medium pot, combine Merlot, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Let simmer for ten minutes, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved.

Pour immediately into a sealed pitcher or other container. Chop apples and add them along with the cinnamon sticks to the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.  Add ice and ginger ale to serve.

For a more carbonated punch or mimosa, add the ginger ale to the wine after it's cooled ... then it will keep the fizz.

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As the weather cools, my afternoon espresso pick-me-up is sometimes replaced by hot chocolate.   Or I'll make a big batch of it for hanging out by the fire pit in the back yard.  Though my night-time version usually has a little extra something to warm us up.  Such as shot Grand Marnier or Bailey's Irish Cream.  Yum.

I recently posted a recipe for homemade marshmallows that goes perfect with a cup of hot chocolate.

So I thought, why not post a couple different ways to make hot chocolate?  You know, besides ripping open a packet, pouring it into a mug and nuking it in the microwave.

We're talkin gourmet baby!

For a single serving quick and easy, here's what you mix ... 2 tsp cocoa (Hershey's, Ghiradelli, Nestle, etc.), 2 tsp sugar, and a cup of boiling water or heated milk.  That's it!  Easy, huh?

If you want to get fancy, you can also add a 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract , or a 1/4 tsp of peppermint oil or extract, or a 1/4 tsp of almond extract.  Catch my drift?  Pick your flavor.  If you want to make a big batch, just double up on the ingredients for each additional cup you want to make.

Just don't forget the marshmallows.

Do you have a favorite way you like to make your hot chocolate?  A secret trick or recipe?  Do share!  Comment below.

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Last week I caught up with my long time friend and college buddy, Eric.  In college we had a PR writing class at the godawful hour of 7 am.  Which, to actually get a wake-up coffee and a parking space on campus at UCF meant I had to be leaving my house dressed, ready, backpack stuffed with all the necessities by 6:00 am.  What was I thinking when I signed up for that?  I'll tell you what I was thinking ... I need this class to graduate and it was the only time it was offered!  At least the professor was cool.  But every once in awhile he'd painfully wake up our sleepy morning brain with some sort of stressful/deadline/writing type of drill.  Writing early in the morning is my typical routine ... I just don't usually push myself to perfection in under an hour.  It takes a least a  2nd pot of coffee before I can go back and edit.  It seems so crazy long ago now.  Back when my cell phone was huge and all email was dominated by aol.  We were at the top of our class.  And now here we are ... I'm obsessed with breakfast and Eric is wondering why YouBentMyWookie.

Eric always had some good treats baked up.  So when he told me he had a recipe for Marshmallow I begged him to share!   He had  me asking ... WTF is actually IN a marshmallow?  You mean they're not magically produced by Willy Wonka?  There are ingredients I can buy at the store to make these?  Awesome!

He suggested instead that I do a themed Halloween breakfast in full costume.

Aaaah. No.

So ... in lieu of dressing up like Chewbacca and baking wookie cookies ... I tried some marshmallow instead.  And they're unbelievably easy!  The timing was perfect since we finally got our Fall cold spell here in Florida.  Hot chocolate and marshmallows is a great morning or afternoon treat and we like to have Smores in the backyard fire pit with our guests.  Yum.

I'll walk you through it step-by-step with photos and post the full recipe at the end.

Here's what you'll need to get your fire-roasting-smore-making-hot-chocolate-dipping marshmallow on.

Some non-stick spray for the dish/pan.  A cup of light corn syrup.  A cup of sugar.  (Been to see your dentist lately?) A half cup of water.  Gelatin. Vanilla.   And cornstarch and powdered sugar to get the sticky suckers off your fingers.

Pour 3 packets of unflavored gelatin in a bowl followed by a 1/2 cup of water.  Let it sit while it magically turn into jello-like mini pearls while you make the sugar mixture.

It will start soaking up the water and grow.

This is what it will look like after about 10 minutes.

While your gelatin is expanding ... pour 1/2 cup of water, sugar and corn syrup in a small sauce pan on MEDIUM heat.

Stir briefly with wooden spoon and then let it come to a boil.

Approximately 7 to 8 minutes.

You want the mixture to reach 240 degrees ... and then immediately remove from the stove.  Sounds precise and scientific, huh?  I know, I told you this would be easy, so here is where I confess ...

I'm not a candy maker. Not. At. All.  I do love sugar, if that counts. So I didn't have a candy thermometer.  I used a meat thermometer instead.  Buwhahahah!  I told my mom that over the phone ... and she said I was lucky it didn't blow up in my hand.  I was careful though!  I really watched the time on the clock to follow Eric's instructions of "7 to 8 minutes."  At about 4 minutes, it was at 180 degrees.  A 7 minutes it went immediately to 220 degrees ... which is the max on my thermometer ... so I guessed that meant it was ready and removed it from the heat.

(now my mom has a candy thermometer in the mail to me this week)

CAREFULLY and slowly pour it into a large bowl on top of your gelatin.

You can use a big fancy schmancy mixer or just a hand mixer.  Either will work just fine.

Mix for 12 minutes.

Yes, I said 12 minutes.

At about 5 minutes I got all impatient and pouty ... thinking ... this isn't working.  It's clear and bubbly.  I must have not let it boil long enough.  Pout. Cross arms. Tap foot.  Pout some more.

Since I still had 6 or 7 minutes to wait while the marshmallow becomes marshmallow, it was a good time to distract myself by preparing the pan.

Spray your pan with a non-stick cooking spray.  I got smart and started doing this over the sink after my friend Jim did a knee-slide across my kitchen floor.  Yeah.  Pam mist on the floor could equal a disaster.  Or as it did for us, one heck of a belly laugh.  I'm just sayin.

Anyway, after lightly spraying with a non-stick spray, sprinkle with equal parts corn starch and powdered sugar and then cover with plastic wrap.

Press TIGHTLY across the edges.  Otherwise your going to have one fun mess to clean up.  Also, if you didn't have one on before, now is a good time to sport an apron.

Shake it.  Shake it until the entire surface is covered in white.

Pour the excess into a bowl for later use.

Ah!  What's this?  While I was distracted by shakin sugar the marshmallow is ...

becoming  ...

MARSHMALLOW!  At this exact moment I ran around the house shouting, "I MADE MARSHMALLOW" the same way Tom Hanks yelled "I made fire" in Cast Away.  After it being yellow/clear/bubbly for so long I was really "wowed."

The recipe calls for a tsp of vanilla.  But Eric said to be liberal with the vanilla so I added 2 tsp. Is doubling it going overboard?  Naaaaah!

Make sure the vanilla is good and mixed.

Looks like vampire fangs, doesn't it?

Pour into your prepared pan and smooth out with a spatula.

Now's a good time to lick the bowl.  If you've got some nutella and banana on hand, you could even make a marshmallow sandwhich.  Mmm.

Cover and let the marshmallow sit overnight to harden. Or, if you make these in the morning they should be ready by the evening for S'mores.

Take a knife around the edge of the pan to help lift out the marshmallow.

It will feel a little "spring loaded" so rather than thinking of slicing, think more of separating it from the side.

It should be fairly easy to lift out if you did a good job sugar shaking.

Place onto a cutting board and sprinkle with the left over powdered sugar/corn starch mixture you used to coat the pan.

Now here comes the fun part.  Slicing marshmallow.  It's a little like trying to nail jello to the wall.

I remembered that Eric suggested using a pizza cutter so I switched and that helped a bunch!

Once you have your marshmallow squares, roll them around in bowl with the powdered sugar/corn starch mix.  This will keep them from sticking to your fingers ... the plate ... the wall ... pretty much anything they come into contact with.

And there you have it ... MARSHMALLOWS!  Enjoy in your hot chocolate, S'mores, or just on there own.

Thanks Eric!

Marshmallow

Ingredients

3 packages unflavored gelatin

1 cup of ice cold water, divided

12 ounces granulated sugar (1 1/2 cups)

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup cornstarch

Nonstick spray

Directions

1) Place the gelatin into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water.

2) In a small saucepan, combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and the salt. Place over medium heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes.  Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the panand continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees, approximately 7 to 8 minutes.  Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

3) Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture.  Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high.  Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm (approximately 12 10 15 minutes).  Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping.

4) While the mixture is whipping, prepare the pan.  Combine confectiners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl.  Lightly spray 13 x 9 inch baking pan with a nonstick cooking spray.  Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture, cover with plastic wrap, and mover around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan.  Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

5) When marshmallow is ready, pour into the prepared pan, spread evenly with the spatula, and dust the top with some of the remaining sugar adn cornstarch mixture to lightly cover.  Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours or overnight.

6) Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inc squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture.  Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining sugar mixture, using additional if necessary.  Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

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Considering it is still hotter than a fresh biscuit here in Florida, and I needed an instant way to cool off.

As much as I'd like to have a hot cup of coffee or cocoa outside on my deck, that usually only happens inside with the air cranked up.  These simple little drinks are much better for Florida fall weather.  Or summer.  Or spring.  What the heck, Florida really only has one season, right?

I actually dreamed up this recipe one morning when we had some friends over and I took a look in my fridge to see what kind of cool late-morning smoothie I could whip up to calm the sweat on our brow from an outdoor photo shoot.

Here's what you'll need ... very simple ... a bag of frozen peaches ... whole milk or cream (cream makes it more rich) ... vanilla ... and mint.

You could choose to use fresh peaches ... if so ... add about 2 cups of ice.

Real simple.  Throw it all into a blender ...

About a cup of milk ...

A cap full of vanilla ...

And then blend.

If you want it to be more sweet, you could add a 1/2 Cup of sugar.

If you want it to be more relaxing, you could add some champagne.

(I actually did in our second batch!)

But just as-is you'll find it  is light and refreshing.

Relax. Refresh. Recharge.  Repeat.

These are kind of rich with the milk or cream, so I would suggest serving in a smaller glass than a standard 18 ounce smoothie.

Peaches & Cream Morning Smoothie

Ingredients

1 bag of frozen peaches

1 Cup whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

mint to garnish

Optional:

1/2 Cup sugar

1 Cup champagne

Directions

Add ingredients to blender and mix well.  Serve chilled.  Makes approx. 6 servings.

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I can't think of a better way to kick off the Fall season than with a glass of spice infused Autumn Sangria.  My good friend, Maranda, gave me this recipe years ago and I always make a batch around Labor Day to celebrate the coming of Fall. 

First I'm gonna show you how to make it.  Then we're gonna clink glasses and have a little toast.  Okay ... maybe just clink your glass to your computer monitor ... just be sure to not spill any on the keyboard.

First, grab yourself two really cheap bottles of Merlot.  If you're a fan of the movie Sideways ... and you don't like Merlot ... tough.  You need a strong red wine to keep the flavor after we manipulate it with some sugar and spice.  And you need it to be cheap wine so that you don't cry when we pour all the ingredients in.  Since you can't really find a rich earthy Barolo that's cheap, trust me with the Merlot.

Next, you'll need a little sugar and spice to make everything nyahiiice.  A big pinch of cinnamon and a little pinch of clove and nutmeg.   Some apples and cinnamon sticks for flavor AND decoration.  And a whole boatload of sugar.  One cup, to be exact.  And a bottle of ginger ale.

Pour the two bottles of wine into a deep sauce pan on medium heat.

This is the look I give my friends when they question whether or not the "full" two bottles of wine are going into the recipe ... or if one is for the cook.

Now this is why I'm telling you to use the cheap stuff.  Pour in the cup of sugar and spices.  Even though you're using a cheap Merlot, believe me when I say it's gonna taste goooooood.

Stir the wine as the spices and sugar melt and blend in.  This whole process takes about 8 to 10 minutes.  Be sure to not "boil" the wine.  You just want it to get a little warm simmer.  Boiling would burn off the alcohol ... and then defeat the whole purpose of making sangria!

While the wine is simmering, this gives you time to chop up some apples.  Cut the slices fairly thin and mix in a few varieties to add some color and make it fancy schmancy looking.  Also add about two handfuls of cinnamon sticks.  I almost spelled sin-a-men sticks.  Freudian slip?

 After the wine has simmered for about 10 minutes, pour into a pitcher or punch bowl, add the ginger ale and a cup of ice and refrigerate for 24 hours.  This allows all the spices to marinate and blend.

If you are going to serve immediately (within 24 to 48 hours) then the apples and cinnamon will really spice it up and also give it a festive look.  After 48 hours, strain the big bits out so that all you have left is the liquid. 

Raise your glass ... a toast to Fall ...

" Frame your mind to mirth and merriment,
Which bars a thousand harms and lengthens life."

 --Taming of the Shrew/Shakespeare

 

Autumn Sangria

Ingredients

2 bottles Merlot

1 bottle ginger ale

1 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground clove

4 to 6 apples

6 to 10 cinnamon sticks

Directions

In a medium pot, combine Merlot, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Let simmer for ten minutes, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved.

Pour immediately into a sealed pitcher or other container. Chop apples and add them along with the cinnamon sticks to the mixture. Add ice and ginger ale. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

For a more carbonated punch or mimosa, add the ginger ale to the wine after it's cooled ... then it will keep the fizz.

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Okay.  I didn't actually get these from an Inn.  I made them up.  Seriously!

Once upon a time there was a very hot day in Florida.  And, on that very hot day my air conditioner decided to stick it's tongue out at me and quit.  And it's 90.  And the a/c guy can't make it out until tomorrow.  Are you playing a violin for me yet?

But my friends would call me optimistic in the midst of adversity and sweltery heat.  I'm a glass is half-full kind of girl.  Literally!  I googled fresh frozen drinks and about 5 recipes for Watermelon Coolers came up.  I took my favorite bits out of each one and created my own.

Champagne is optional.

Here it goes ...

Simple ingredients.  A quarter of a watermelon, a cup of juice (I used cranberry),

a cup of sugar (that looks like a little more than a cup, no?), and some ice.  Easy!

Watermelon so refreshing.  Cool, sweet and full of juice!

Perfect for my hot summer day.  I bought a "seedless" watermelon ...

and as you can see ... it's not exactly seedless.  We'll deal with that later.

You can cut your melon into cubes.

I have a melon ball scooper that I used that makes em all fancy schmancy.

Really ... it's easy.  And you can pick up one in most local supermarkets.

Make sure to not waste a single drop of juice.  Just tilt it over into your bowl.

Ideally you'd freeze these overnight making nice little watermelon ice cubes ...

but I can't wait that long to cool off.  So I'm just going to add some ice.

Again, get every last drop of juice.

Add a few melon balls to a bamboo skewer for garnish.

Pop them into the freezer to make them ice cold.

If you have time, you can freeze them over night

and create a nice little swizzle stick to keep your drink cold.

I'm sweating ... or rather ... my forehead is getting all sparkly ...

so I'm just going to use these to make my cooler pretty.

This is the the thing that makes the coolers uber delish.  Without it, it's kind of bland.

Add 2 cups of water to pot and bring to a boil.  You're gonna add sugar to this later.

Add your melon to a blender.  We're gonna get rid of the pulp and stray seeds.

Now, isn't that niiiice.

Weeeeeeeee!

By now your water should be boiling.  Add sugar, stir, and remove from heat.

And since "seedless" watermelon still has a few seeds ...

strain your juice and then add it back to the blender.

If you're impatient like me, add some ice.

Pour in your sugar water.

Add the juice.

Blend again!

You're done!  You can drink these straight up.

Or, for an extra little kick, fill the glass half way with champagne and

then add the juice.  Sort of like a melon mimosa.

Oooooh yeaaaah!  AC guy can take his time now.  I'm chillin.

--Rachelle

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Watermelon Coolers

Ingredients

2 cups chopped watermelon

1 cup sugar

2 cups water

1 cup juice

1 cup ice (optional if melon is not frozen)

Directions

1)  Chop or scoop watermelon and blend.

2)  Strain juice to remove stray seeds and add juice back to blender.

3)  Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add sugar.  Remove from heat, stir and set aside.

4)  Add one cup of ice, juice and sugar water to watermelon juice in blender.  Power it up and blend again.

5) Serve as is, or add champagne to taste.  Enjoy!