Ultimate Blog Party

Hello, come in, can I take your coat? Don't mind the dog, she has no manners. Olivia, get down, get down. Hold on, let me get her a treat so she'll leave you alone.

Come in, come in. Can I get you a drink? A glass of wine? Perhaps some sangria?


Ingredients

• 1 1/2 liters red table wine(I used Lambrusco)
• 1 cup grenadine
• 2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
• 1 1/4 cups sweet vermouth
  

sugar water

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• strawberries, cut into thirds
• oranges, slice thin,then quartered
• crushed ice
  

Directions

1. This makes a gallon.
2. Mix all the ingredients, except for ice.
3. Let sit in refrigerator at least 4-5 hours, if not overnight.
4. Pour sangria into serving glass over ice, fruit and all


Please enjoy an appetizer of Bake Brie and Caramelized Onion.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 8 cups sliced onions (about 4 large)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
  
  
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon sugar
  
  
• 1 8-inch-diameter 32- to 36-ounce
• French Brie, packed in wooden box (reserve box)
• 2 French bread baguettes, sliced

Melt butter in heavy very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until just tender, about 6 minutes. Add minced thyme, reduce heat to medium and cook until onions are golden, stirring often, about 25 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup wine; stir until almost all liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle sugar over onions and sauté until soft and brown, about 10 minutes. Add remaining 1/4 cup wine; stir just until liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool. (Can be prepare 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Unwrap Brie, reserving bottom of wooden box. Cut away only top rind of cheese, leaving rind on sides and bottom intact. Return Brie to box, rind side down. Place box on baking sheet. Top Brie evenly with onion mixture. Bake until cheese just melts, about 30 minutes. Transfer Brie in box in platter. Surround with baguette slices.

Men, you can come to the table now. (Because you know the women have been chatting in the kitchen anyway.) For those meat-eaters at this party, I apologize, but your hostess is a vegetarian and doesn't even cook the stuff. So dinner tonight will be Fake Chicken Parmesan.

Ingredients:

• Quorn Garlic'N Herb Chik'n Cutlet (your call on how many you need for home many people, I'd say 2 each, but your friends might not eat a lot etc.)
• Meatless red sauce
• Shredded mozzarella cheese

OK, this is the super easiest dinner recipe ever. Microwave the fake chicken cutlets according to the directions on the box. But don't make them super hot. Cover the bottom of a pyrex dish with sauce and place the cutlets on top, don't over lap. Add more sauce on top and then cover with a good layer of mozzarella. Bake until sauce is hot and cheese is completely melted. Individual servings can be done completely in the microwave.

I hope you are enjoying my little dinner party. How about some dessert, some Berry Crostata.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups (plus 1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cups (plus 2 tablespoons) sugar
• 1/8 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cups (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1 cup fresh blackberries
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

1. Make the dough: Combine 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Form a well in center of the dry ingredients and place the butter and 1 egg in the well. Using your hands, mix the ingredients into a soft, pliable dough. Form it into a 4-inch disk and place it on lightly floured parchment paper. Lightly dust the dough with flour and roll it into a 10-inch circle. Place dough with parchment on a baking sheet, cover the dough with plastic wrap, and chill for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Make the crostata: In a small bowl, mix remaining flour and sugar and set aside. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and evenly spread the flour and sugar mixture on the dough, leaving a 1-inch-wide border around the edge. Place berries on top of the mixture and sprinkle with lemon juice. Fold the 1-inch border over top of the berries to form a 9-inch crostata.
3. Bake the crostata: Lightly brush the top of the crostata dough with remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar, if desired. Bake on the middle rack of the oven -- about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and slide crostata with the parchment paper onto a wire rack. Cool for 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Thank you so much for coming. This was fun, we should do it more often.

And if I were to win a prize for my party (because they do give out prizes for that sort of thing)
I would like...

#54 - Liza from Liza’s Eyeview would like to donate a $60 gift certificate to Mikarose.com. Mikarose is an on-line store of elegant modest dresses at affordable pricing.
#103 - LEGO will give away 7 Pink Brick Box play sets, in honor of the 7 day long Ultimate Blog Party! LEGO® Creative Building sets offer open-ended creativity and endless play possibilities for children of all ages. With the new Pink Brick Box moms and their daughters (and sons!) can build together with classic iconic LEGO bricks in a new color splash! Little builders can practice being creative with this new tub featuring a multi-colored assortment of bricks, perfect for building a cute ice cream parlor, animals, flowers, people, cars and more. Set includes building instructions for 3 models and photo inspiration for 15 more. New storage case allows for quick and fun clean-up. Ages 4+.
#59 - Lori from A Cowboy’s Wife is giving away $25 via pay pal.

I would also be honored to enjoy number 38, 46, 59




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