A bottle of red, a bottle of white…

See, we just had a Billy Joel moment there.

Fine, I’ll move on.

I rounded out this month’s Sweet as Pie picks with my pick, PW’s Sangria.  I really like sangria, and I’ve wanted to try this recipe since reading Pioneer Woman’s first book.  What’s better than summer sangria?  Here’s how it came together:

We cut this recipe in half since it’s clearly designed to serve a crowd.  Halved, I needed a bottle of white wine and a bottle of red wine.  Since I was going to be blending it all together, I took the less expensive route and bought two bottles that were on sale at Publix for around $8 each.

First, I chopped a green apple and sliced an orange, lemon, and lime.  I added that fruit, some red and green grapes, some pineapple chunks, and sugar to a pitcher.

Yummy fruit.

Then, I poured in both bottles of wine.  The recipe called for orange-flavored rum and orange-flavored vodka.  I actually didn’t have all of what I needed, but I did have a tiny bit of the vodka, so I added that and then a little plain rum.  I made up the difference in the liquid with some triple sec.  I decided to use what I happened to have on hand since (1) I don’t know where the ABC store equivalent is yet and (2) it was cheaper.

Be prepared to fish around for those grapes!

All in all, this was okay.  I loved all the fruit in this sangria – I’ve never had one with pineapple and grapes it in and I really liked those additions.  Unfortunately, I must be more of a light-weight than P-Dub, because this combination was a little much for me.  Once I added a couple of ice cubes and a splash of lemonade though, it was better.  It could have been my substitutions or my inexpensive wine, but I think I just really prefer my sangria a little less intense.  Maybe I should work on developing my own recipe?  Any other favorite sangria recipes out there?

**Update** Phillip wanted everyone to know that he actually really liked this sangria recipe.

I purposely saved this Sweet as Pie pick for the few days I would be in Charleston before Phillip arrived since it’s well known that Phillip strongly believes that soup should be hot.  I, however, embrace cold soup – especially gazpacho.  Gazpacho always reminds me of summer lunches at Grandmother and Granddaddy’s house.  They often made gazpacho with the abundance of fresh vegetables out of their garden.  It’s light, it’s refreshing, it’s healthy, and in my opinion, it’s a perfect summer dish.  Here’s how PW’s version came together:

The recipe called for onion, garlic, celery, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, tomato juice, hot sauce, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.

The recipe said to blend all of the onion, all of the garlic, and half of the other vegetables. I really don’t like celery all that much, mostly because of the texture, so I put in all the celery to blend too.

The mix:After adding half of the vegetable mix to the blender, I added a couple cups of tomato juice, several dashes of Tabasco, the vinegar, sugar, salt, and some pepper.Then, I poured the whole thing into a gallon pitcher and stirred in the rest of the vegetables and another two cups of tomato juice.

At this point, I taste-tested and found it to be slightly lacking.  So I added some lemon juice (trust me – goes with everything), a pinch of cumin, and a couple of dashes of coriander.  The lemon brightened it up and the spices gave it just a touch more depth, which I really liked.

I thought this was a really good gazpacho and I’ll definitely make it again, although probably on a smaller scale since Phillip isn’t really a fan and let’s face it, I just can’t eat gazpacho every day for a week.  I’ll also probably trade out the zucchini for some fresh corn which I think would be just wonderful.  It’s so easy to throw together.  I think it would also be great to pour into some small Mason jars and throw in the cooler for a picnic or lunch on the boat.  A great use for summer vegetables!

I must admit, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made this cobbler – sometimes with blackberries, sometimes with blueberries, sometimes with mixed berries.  No matter the berry, it’s always delicious.  And so easy to make!  This is more of a cake-like cobbler than a pastry, so that cuts down on the prep time.  Here’s how it came together (this time):

What I love about this recipe is that it only calls for 5 ingredients - self-rising flour, sugar, butter, milk, and berries.

Mix together the dry ingredients, then stir in the milk and melted butter.Pour the batter into a greased dish.Then, just drop in your berries and sprinkle on some sugar.It doesn’t always take a full hour for this one to bake, especially if you’re making it in a 9×13 pan, so I’d recommend checking it around 40 minutes.

The recipe also calls for sprinkling on a little bit more sugar for the last few minutes of baking to make for a crisp crust. When I checked it with a few minutes left, it was really already done, so my extra sugar sprinkling didn't get a chance to melt.

This is a go-to dessert for me, especially when we have guests.  Just let it bake while you have your main meal and dessert will be ready just in time.  We like to serve it with vanilla ice cream, but it would also be good with some fresh whipped cream (or just some sweetened cream). 

Another delicious summer dish!

Another great grilling recipe from Sweet as Pie!  The recipe starts with a marinade made from olive oil, balsamic, brown sugar, and steak seasoning.I let these marinate overnight, although they didn’t necessarily need quite that much time.  I think a few hours would have done the trick.  Phillip manned our grill and turned out some beautiful work.While the chicken was cooking, I pulled the sauce together.

Bacon for the sauce.

After cooking the bacon and setting it to the side, heat some honey, worcestershire, and hot sauce.

I sprayed my measuring cup with cooking spray before measuring out the honey - easy pour!

Once heated, add the bacon back to the sauce, and voila!  Delicious sweet and savory chicken sauce!

The chicken itself was very flavorful, but the addition of the sauce really made it.  A really tasty main dish that only needs a simple side.  The sauce reheated wonderfully, so we enjoyed this one for several days.  An easy summer recipe!

The June Sweet as Pie picks are full of summer fare, and the first recipe up for us was no exception.  This grilled steak was a cinch to pull together.  Thanks to Kerry at Woman at the Well for making a great choice!  The ingredients list for the marinade was an odd assortment for steak – nutmeg, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, chili powder, turmeric, garlic salt, and olive oil. 

Except for the garlic salt, these aren’t spices I use every day, but I did happen to have them all on hand.  I mixed the marinade in the morning and let our strip steaks marinate all day. 

After a quick grill, we were all set.

The marinade gave the steaks a subtle, sweet flavor.  Definitely out of the box for a steak marinade, but yummy and easy to implement.  Try it sometime if you’re looking for something different to do with your steaks!