halloween is right around the corner and no good costume party is complete with out a spooky good,  large batch cocktail.  

my favorite kind of party drink is an easy one that i mix up in big batches and can be made in ADVANCE. and the best part about this sangria is that it is BETTER when made a day or two before. 

bloody berry sangria

serves: 4 cocktails  

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 5 minutes

total time: 15 minutes

ingredients: 1 bottle cabernet sauvignon. 8 oz  blood orange juice. 6 oz brandy. 4 oz simple syrup.  .5 slices concord grapes. 2 plums, sliced into wedges. handful of blackberries. 1 blood orange, thinly sliced. 4 cups of ice. large pitcher.

start by filling your pitcher with all of your fruit.

pour in the bottle of wine.

add in the blood orange juice, brandy and the simple syrup. give everything a really good stir.

fill your glass with sangria. fill your serving glass with a cup of ice. scoop out some of the fruit and add it to the serving glass.

serve and enjoy.

xo, a

bloody berry sangria

serves: 4 cocktails  

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 5 minutes

total time: 15 minutes

ingredients: 1 bottle cabernet sauvignon. 8 oz  blood orange juice. 6 oz brandy. 4 oz simple syrup.  .5 slices concord grapes. 2 plums, sliced into wedges. handful of blackberries. 1 blood orange, thinly sliced. 4 cups of ice. large pitcher.

start by filling your pitcher with all of your fruit. pour in the bottle of wine. add in the blood orange juice, brandy and the simple syrup. give everything a really good stir. fill your serving glass with a cup of ice. scoop out some of the fruit and add it to the serving glass. fill your glass with sangria. serve and enjoy.

in my early twenties, when i started newfoodtuesdayz my readership was pretty limited. thank god. just kidding. it is a wonderful documentation of my life and my "schooling" in the kitchen. but back then, the only people checking out my life (because we know they weren't coming for the food) were friends and family. mostly, my parents. 

they were super supportive, allowing me to write (mostly uncensored) about my life which often included them. especially during the years i lived with them. not that i didn't communicate with them every day, but they were able to see a different side of me through reading the blog. as i got busy, and fell off the blog wagon for a year, so did they. and when i started back up, they never really got back on the train. and lately, i've been giving them a bit of trouble about it. but i now know that they have come back to the fold. because i definitely heard about it when i didn't give my mother credit for my lemon ceasar salad recipe. so let me make it up to you mom. 

this recipe is my favorite dish from my childhood. i would ask my mother to make it any time it was my choice for a special meal. but this dish is so much more than that. this is my first memory of really GOOD homemade food. simple, beautiful, delicious food. there isn't a lot of muss or fuss, but when done well, the flavors sing. it was the first recipe i asked for when i had my first kitchen at twenty. i learned to cook chicken properly with this dish. how to season food with this sauce. how to make food sing the way my mom did. she will never cop to it, but she is a great cook who taught me what good food was. and for that, i'm eternally grateful. 

chicken diane
serves: 4
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
total time: 20 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 lbs chicken tenders (or pounded chicken breasts if you can't find tenders). 2 tbs butter. 2 tbs olive oil. 2 tbs lemon juice. 3 tbs brandy. 1 tbs dijon mustard. 2 green onions, green and light green parts, sliced. 1 garlic clove, minced. .25 cup chicken stock. 2 tbs parsley, chopped. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. aluminum foil. 

start by patting your chicken dry with a paper towel and season both sides well with half the salt and pepper. in a large pan, combine half the butter and olive oil. cook over medium high heat until the butter starts to sizzle.

add in your chicken in an even layer. if you can't cook the chicken all at once with out crowding the pan, do it in two batches. 

cook the chicken with out disturbing it until lightly golden on both sides, flipping once. about 3-4 minutes.

set the chicken onto a plate or dish and cover with aluminum foil to rest. 

add the remaining olive oil to the pan with the brandy, dijon, lemon juice garlic and green onions. 

season with half the remaining salt and pepper and saute the onions and garlic, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

when the liquid has reduced and is almost gone, add in the chicken stock, butter, half the parsley and remaining salt and pepper. stir well and cook until the butter has melted.

remove from the heat, add the chicken back to the pan.

garnish with remaining parsley.

serve hot with sauce spooned over the top. 

xo, a

chicken diane
serves: 4
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
total time: 20 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 lbs chicken tenders (or pounded chicken breasts if you can't find tenders). 2 tbs butter. 2 tbs olive oil. 2 tbs lemon juice. 3 tbs brandy. 1 tbs dijon mustard. 2 green onions, green and light green parts, sliced. 1 garlic clove, minced. .25 cup chicken stock. 2 tbs parsley, chopped. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. aluminum foil.
start by patting your chicken dry with a paper towel and season both sides well with half the salt and pepper. in a large pan, combine half the butter and olive oil. cook over medium high heat until the butter starts to sizzle. add in your chicken in an even layer. if you can't cook the chicken all at once with out crowding the pan, do it in two batches. cook the chicken with out disturbing it until lightly golden on both sides, flipping once. about 3-4 minutes. set the chicken onto a plate or dish and cover with aluminum foil to rest. add the remaining olive oil to the pan with the brandy, dijon, lemon juice garlic and green onions. season with half the remaining salt and pepper and saute the onions and garlic, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. when the liquid has reduced and is almost gone, add in the chicken stock, butter, half the parsley and remaining salt and pepper. stir well and cook until the butter has melted. remove from the heat, add the chicken back to the pan. garnish with remaining parsley. serve hot with sauce spooned over the top.