Blast of Berry Sangria

I was racking my brain to come up with what to bring to a 4th of July weekend with Mr. J’s family at the lake house. There’s always more than enough food and snacks so I went with a drink!
sangria_glass_290_200
I figured a sweet sangria was the way to go! I made it early in the afternoon and we drank it a few hours later. It was even better the next day. Making the strawberry sangria was huge for the flavor.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups strawberries, sliced
1 cup blueberries
¼ cup sugar
2 tbs honey
¼ cup water
1 packet Raspberry Lemonade Crystal Light
1 bottle Reisling, chilled
1 nip citrus vodka

Directions

Bring 1 cup strawberries, ¾ cup blueberries, sugar, and honey to a low boil for 5 minutes. Add  water and remove from heat.
sangria_sauce_290_200
Strain to catch all the pieces, leaving berry syrup.
sangria_sift_290_200
Prepare lemonade according to directions
sangria_drinkmix_290_200
Mix in wine, vodka, berry syrup, and remaining berries.
sangria_jug_290_20
Refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
sangria_glass_290_200
I’d definitely make this again. I think the berry lemonade was a nice touch to mellow it out a bit. Reisling was a good addition too.

Cruisin’ to Bahamas

On the cruise to the Bahamas, sis and I had some some tasty meals!

I started with chipotle shrimp with tempura zucchini strings. The shrimp had a good smoky flavor. I would have liked it as my whole meal!
cruise_shrimp_290_200
Sis started with the onion soup. She thought it was OK but the fried onions on the top lost their crunch.
cruise_onionsoup_290_200
She had salad for the next course and I had a weird one. I had spicy pineapple salad. It had fresh pineapple, red pepper, and tomatoes.
cruise_pineapple_290_200
Next for the main course, I had a pork chop with sweet potato and apple. Sound familiar? It was good, but huge! There were about four green beans hidden underneath.
cruise_pork_290_200Sis got the chef’s special roasted chicken. It makes me want to roast a chicken as a right of passage in the kitchen. This one wasn’t a photogenic as it looked in person.
cruise_chicken_290_200
We both got a chocolate moose dessert. The couple next to us described it as a chocolate peep. It wasn’t good. It was a waste of calories. Didn’t it look good though?
cruise_dessert_290_200

bermuda BAHAMA come on pretty mama

Ohh thank you Beach Boys for such a catchy tune for my vacay. Sis and I returned from our trip in the Bahamas after having a great time. It was beautiful and we loved the cruise and island stay combo.

I usually felt delayed by the slow pace but at meals it was perfect! We wandered towards the shopping and restaurants after spending the day between the pools and beach. After checking out the local fare, we ended up on the porch at After Deck.
afterdeck_sign_290_200
Our waitress was adorable! She brought some warm, local, potato bread and butter to us. It may not look like anything fancy but it had great flavor!
afterdeck_bread_290_200
We shared eggplant fritters to start. They were good, but I think the eggplant was a bit too thick. As eggplant can be, they were a bit bitter. The garlic yogurt on them was amazing and counteracted the bitterness. I’ve always shredded the eggplant for fritters so it was a nice change.
afterdeck_fritters_290_200
I got stuffed red snapper with fries. It felt like the perfect beachy meal. It was stuffed with crab and shrimp. I loved it. I ate all of the fish.
afterdeck_stuffish_290_200
Sis got the fisherman’s platter. She asked for no shrimp and to double up on anything else. It included fried conch, conch fritters, and a few other items. The conch is a very popular fish for them so she wanted to try it. I found it a bit chewy when left in big pieces like calamari can be but it was pretty comparable to a tougher scallop.
afterdeck_fried_290_200
I really loved my meal and want to cook more fish at home.
afterdeck_fish_290_200

Traveling Drinks

While traveling, we like to try some of the local everday beverages. Somewhere in Greece a few years ago I purchased a canned beverage but didn’t drink it right away. It was called Hello Boss and I thought it was just a funny name. I didn’t drink it until Albania, a few countries later, because I was tired of toting it around.

On my trip to the Bahamas with my Sis, we saw a guy drinking an interesting can of something while he sold us our terrible kayaking trip. It’s not his fault we are AWFUL kayakers. I saw his Goombay Punch and assumed it was alcoholic…not sure why. Turns out, it’s not.
bahamas_cans_200_290
We got ourselves Goombay Punch and Fruit Champagne and drink them while watching a wedding reception being set up at our hotel. I wasn’t a fan of either. Both were sickening sweet.
bahamas_drinks_290_200
I thought the Goombay Punch was OK but the Fruit Champagne tasted like strong Red Bull. I love champagne but I think just the name came about because it was bubbly.

Check it out, you can order it online!

 

Now it’s just about time for a long holiday weekend. Enjoy some festive beverages! I’m toying with bringing some sangria to the lake in Maine…

Eggy Toast

Mr. J has a new signature dish! He has perfected this bfast dish and all I can say is keep ‘em coming! Eggs and toast make this a great go-to meal. We’ve had it for dinner when it seemed like there was nothing.
eggtoast_plate_290_200

Ingredients:

4 slices of wheat bread, buttered
4 eggs

Directions:

Grill buttered bread lightly on both sides
Using a biscuit cutter or jar top cut out holes in the center of the bread
eggtoast_ring_290_200
Return the bread to the pan and crack an egg into each hole
eggtoast_sunnyside_290_200
Cook the egg until set and flip
eggtoast_flipped_290_200

The eggs were perfectly cooked through with a runny yolk and the toast was crispy. Also, the gently toasted toast circles popped out of the toast make for a great bite while waiting for the real thing.
eggtoast_plate_290_200

Mr. J thought toasting the bread in the pan before popping out the center made for a crispier edge. He served a little potato red pepper hash on the side. Yum!

Now, for the serious stuff. What do YOU call this? What SHOULD we call this? Let me know!