new year. & a sangria recipe. {w/ recipes}

Happy New Year from the w/ household!

Hope your celebrations were filled with love and laughter.

We hosted a few close friends at our condo to ring in 2013.

I put together an easy appetizer spread -

mozzarella and salami/prosciutto rolls

crudités

Rosemary Marcona Almonds from Trader Joe's 

{side note, these are amazing!

The BEST almonds you will ever eat.

A bit pricy at $4.49 for a small bag,

but perfect for special occasions, or a Tuesday}

Stilton Cheese with Apricots, served with crackers

Pickled Cranberries

I also made a baked brie with candied pecans -

I candied the pecans myself and added

cinnamon and ginger to give it a holiday spin

mini heirloom tomato caprese skewers - are these not adorbs?

really tasty too with some basil flavored olive oil

and a little salt and pepper

For drinks I served a holiday sangria - this turned out delicious!

Wine is always a staple beverage at get togethers with my girlfriends.

One of my besties, and a guest at my NYE shindig,

loves sangria but really dislikes oranges, or anything citrus.

In the summer I've made great citrus-free sangrias

with pears, blueberries, pomegranates, apples, etc

and figured New Years would be the perfect time

to try out something new.

I'm not quite sure why we (as in the general population)

only eat cranberries at the holidays.

I happen to love them.

They're sweet and tart, and high in antioxidants.

Cranberry & Apple Sangria {w/ a kick}

1 bottle white wine (I used Charles Shaw Sauvignon Blanc)

1 bag of fresh cranberries

1 granny smith apple

1 cup sugar (divided)

Vodka (about ¾ cup)

1 cinnamon stick

1.      The night before, wash desired amount of cranberries (I used half a bag) and gently pierce each with a knife. In a lidded container, mix ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water to make a simple syrup. Add cranberries then fill with desired amount of vodka so that cranberries are covered and can begin soaking up the liquor. I used strawberry vodka since it was what I had on hand. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2.      In a serving pitcher or large bowl, add wine and cranberry mixture. You should notice the cranberries are a bit plumper and are sweet enough to be palatable, but still a bit tart.

3.      Cut apple into bite size slices and add to sangria. Taste a little and add extra sugar if desired. Add cinnamon stick and refrigerate until serving. Enjoy!