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.

it’s the season for ALL the gourds. every store you go to has a big bucket of pumpkins and squash ripe for the picking. many of you are at home cooking up butternut squash for soup, making pumpkin pies, and roasting acorn squash for salads. or some other combination that requires you to scoop out the seeds from your specific gourd.

now before you go ahead and throw out all those good seeds, check out this weeks’s tip.

gourd seeds are not the only good seeds to roast, they are packed FULL of nutrients, healthy oils & fiber. they are awesome as a tasty on the go snack and even better atop a fresh salad.

below is a recipe for a pumpkin spice roasted gourd seeds, but for something simpler, you can use the olive oil and just salt and pepper. you could even spice them like my favorite spiced pistachios.

pumpkin spiced roasted gourd seeds

serves: .5 cup gourd seeds

prep time: 5 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: .5 cup gourd seeds (seeds from 2 butternut squash, 1 acorn squash or seeds from a smaller pumpkin). 1 tbs olive oil. 1 tsp brown sugar. .5 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp cinnamon. .5 tsp ginger. .25 tsp ground cloves. .25 tsp nutmeg. parchment paper. baking sheet.

start by preheating your oven to 275 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment paper. wash your seeds removing any extra pulp and dry very well.

lay your seeds out on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.

sprinkle your seasonings over the top and toss well till everything is lightly combined. roast them in the oven for 18-20 minutes until crispy. remove from the oven and allow them to cool till you can handle them.

eat as is or pop them into your favorite salad.

xo, a

pumpkin spiced roasted gourd seeds

serves: .5 cup gourd seeds

prep time: 5 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: .5 cup gourd seeds (seeds from 2 butternut squash, 1 acorn squash or seeds from a smaller pumpkin). 1 tbs olive oil. 1 tsp brown sugar. .5 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp cinnamon. .5 tsp ginger. .25 tsp ground cloves. .25 tsp nutmeg. parchment paper. baking sheet.

start by preheating your oven to 275 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment paper. wash your seeds removing any extra pulp and dry very well. lay your seeds out on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. sprinkle your seasonings over the top and toss well till everything is lightly combined. roast them in the oven for 18-20 minutes until crispy. remove from the oven and allow them to cool till you can handle them. eat as is or pop them into your favorite salad.