In the Pink Sangria

Makes about 24 servings
Total price: NY $18.73 / 19.77
Price per serving: NY $ 0.78 / 0.82


We made this pink sangria for our friend Blondie’s Birthday Potluck in Prospect Park.* We drink a lot of sangria around here and find that for outdoor picnics, a pretty diluted sangira is preferable and more refreshing on a hot day out in the sun. That’s why this recipe calls for 2 liters of seltzer. If you’re serving this at night at a party, drop the seltzer down to just one liter or less (you know, depending on what kind of party you’re having, nudge, nudge.) The raspberries and pineapple with the rose wine give this one a nice bright, fruity taste and the bright pink color, punctuated with the yellow pineapple, just screams “Birthday Party!” And, of course, blondes and pink always have gone together splendidly!


(UPDATE: We've been Slashfooded! ("Stunning Sangria - Feast Your Eyes")

Ingredients

• 1.5 liter bottle Rose wine (NY $6.99)
• 2 shots Crème de Cassis (NY $1.77)
• 2 pints strawberries (NY $2.49)
• 1/2 pint raspberries (NY $2.49)
• 1 pineapple (NY $4.99)
• 2 liters seltzer (Free or NY $1.04)

Directions


Pour wine and cassis into a large pitcher. Wash strawberries, remove leaves, quarter vertically and toss into pitcher. Wash raspberries and add to raspberries. Chop pineapple into approximately half inch chunks and add to wine/fruit mixture. Put into refrigerator and allow to chill for 3-6 hours. Immediately before serving, add seltzer. (Either pour into pitcher if yours is large enough, or top off individual glasses with the seltzer.) Be sure to scoop lots of fruit into each glass, digging down for the non-floating raspberries: picking out the boozy fruity flotsam** is half the fun!


* The economy being what it is, Blondie still hasn’t found employment, but she’s had some encouraging interviews. Keep your fingers crossed for her!

**Of course, since raspberries don't float, I guess we can't call them flotsam, can we? OK, then, jetsam it is!


Nutritional Facts
Amount Per Serving

Calories 81.6	Protein 0.4 g	Magnesium 3.3 %
Total Fat 0.2 g	Vitamin A 0.4 %	Manganese 27.2 %
Saturated Fat 0.0 g	Vitamin B-12 0.1 %	Niacin 1.3 %
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1 g	Vitamin B-6 2.7 %	Pantothenic Acid 1.7 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g	Vitamin C 35.9 %	Phosphorus 1.7 %
Cholesterol 0.0 mg	Vitamin D 0.0 %	Riboflavin 2.5 %
Sodium 5.5 mg	Vitamin E 0.5 %	Selenium 0.7 %
Potassium 143.4 mg	Calcium 1.2 %	Thiamin 1.9 %
Total Carbohydrate 7.9 g	Copper 3.8 %	Zinc 0.8 %
Dietary Fiber 1.4 g	Folate 2.5 %
Sugars 1.7 g	Iron 2.6 %

Recipe and Nutritional Information after the jump

Early Summer White Sangria

Makes about 12 glasses
Total price: NY $6.76/NY $7.35
Price per serving: NY $0.56/NY $0.61


This past weekend we had some of that back-of-your-neck-feeling-dirty-and-gritty summer weather that New York is famous for. Sangria, particularly this lighter white wine iteration, is just the thing to both cool down and take the edge off the concrete heat. Plus, what other alcoholic beverage comes equipped with a snack?*


Sangria is also a delicious, summery way to stretch a bottle of wine without being a “spritzer” (ugh) or a “cooler” (double ugh). Personally, I think the best part is fishing out the boozy macerated hunks of fruit bobbing about in the beverage. All the more reason to make this at home: you might not feel like you can dig the tasty chunks out with your fingers in a restaurant or bar, but there’s no reason not to in your house or on a picnic. (Go ahead, slurp away and suck off the juices off your fingers while you’re at it!) When you compare the $6 a glass that this will run you in a restaurant with the around 50 cents a glass that this cost us, we're guessing that you'll become home-brewing sangria converts too. And I bet you weren't getting berries or peaches in that restaurant glass, now were you?


Ingredients

• 1 lime (NY $0.17)
• 1 lemon (NY $0.25)
• 1 orange (NY $0.34)
• 2 ripe peaches (NY $1.01)
• 1 pint strawberries (NY $2.00)
• 3 tablespoons sugar (staple)
• 3 shots Cointreau or other orange liqueur (staple)
• 1 bottle dry white wine (NY $2.99)**
• Seltzer (staple*** or NY $0.59)

Directions

Slice the citrus fruits into thin wedges, dice the peaches, and cut the strawberries into quarters lengthwise. Combine in a pitcher or jug with sugar and orange liqueur. Pour over bottle of wine, and chill over night or for several hours. When ready to serve, pour into glasses, spoon in some of the fruit, and top off with seltzer.**** If its blazingly hot out, toss in an ice cube.



Adapted from Rachael Ray, 30 Minute Meals

* Do tell if you can think of any: I really want to know! I don’t consider a maraschino cherry or lime wedge to constitute a “snack”. And no bottom of the bottle worms either, got it? A snack is something one would *want* to eat.

** We used a Two Buck Chuck here. You don’t have to go quite that low, but really its not worth using a pricey bottle of wine in a sangria, what with all the citrus fruits and other stuff you’re tossing in with it. There is a time and place for nice wine, but really this isn’t it.


*** This is a staple for us, as we make our own with one of these. Yes, that is an incredibly pricey gizmo used to make something that is quite inexpensive from the store. It’s not for everyone. But we’re pretty much seltzer addicts over here, and worry about the environmental impact of all those plastic bottles. This way we can guzzle as much seltzer as we like with worrying about the cost or the landfills. And, its shaped like a penguin. If you can resist that, you are a stronger person than I.

**** Since we took this out on a noontime picnic, we ended up using quite a bit of seltzer per glass because, as the LBUH put it, “We’re not having *that* kind of picnic!” Oh, FINE. Sigh.


Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving

Calories 81.4	Vitamin A 2.1 %	Iron 2.4 %
Total Fat 0.2 g	Vitamin B-12 0.0 %	Magnesium 3.2 %
Cholesterol 0.0 mg	Vitamin B-6 2.4 %	Manganese 19.1 %
Sodium 4.0 mg	Vitamin C 53.5 %	Niacin 1.5 %
Potassium 164.7 mg	Vitamin D 0.0 %	Phosphorus 2.0 %
Total Carbohydrate 9.6 g	Vitamin E 0.9 %	Riboflavin 2.2 %
Fiber 1.8 g	Calcium 2.2 %	Selenium 0.7 %
Sugars 1.8 g	Copper 3.5 %	Thiamin 1.8 %
Protein 0.6 g	Folate 2.4 %	Zinc 0.8 %

Recipe and Nutritional Information after the jump

Mango, Blueberry and Ginger Fruit Salad

Serves 8
Total Price: NY $9.56 / NY $13.15
Price Per Serving: NY $1.20 / $1.65

"Recessionipes Entertains: It's a Pity Party! (Part 1)"


A good friend of ours, let's call her Blondie, recently discovered that she too is soon to join the rising number of unemployed workers with fancy professional degrees and the student loans to prove it. We told her to come on over for some commiserating, gallows humor and, of course, emotional eating.

I think most of us have noticed that it's a lot cheaper to go out for brunch than it is to go out for dinner: the same rule applies if you're having people over to your home. Blondie, who is an excellent baker, whipped up some coffee cake and we provided a frittata and this fruit salad (Blondie's Apple Coffee Cake was moist, wallet-friendly and delicious, and we're hoping that with a little bit of peer pressure we can coax her into sharing the recipe!).

I've been making this fruit salad for years, because the flavor combination is so refreshing, and much more interesting than you usually get in a traditional fruit salad. Seasonwise, we jumped the gun a bit on this one: later on in the spring it will be both cheaper and more flavorful.


Ingredients

• 2 limes (NY $1.00)
• 1/3 cup water (free!)
• 1/3 cup sugar (staple)
• 2 large mangoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (NY $5.00)
• 3 cups blueberries (NY $3.56)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (staple, or NY $3.59 for 12 oz.)

Instructions
(Note: Be sure to make in advance: you'll want to let this marinate for a while before serving.)

Zest one of the limes using a peeler, and remove any white pith from the strips of the peel with a knife.

Juice both the limes (rolling them with your hand against a cutting board first to loosen up the juices.)

Combine zest, water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

Stir until all sugar is dissolved, then boil, uncovered approx. 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice.

Let stand for 20 minutes, then remove and discard the zest.

Toss together mangoes, blueberries, ginger and syrup in a large bowl and let stand until ready to serve (recommended: at least 30 minutes.)


Adapted from Gourmet, August 2003

Nutrition Facts

Approximate values per serving

Calories 115.6	Vitamin A 9.1 %	Iron 0.9 %
Total Fat 0.4 g	Vitamin B-12 0.0 %	Magnesium 2.0 %
Cholesterol 0.0 mg	Vitamin B-6 4.6 %	Manganese 8.5 %
Sodium 6.6 mg	Vitamin C 40.4 %	Niacin 2.6 %
Potassium 140.4 mg	Vitamin D 0.0 %	Phosphorus 1.2 %
Total Carbohydrate 30.2 g	Vitamin E 5.6 %	Riboflavin 3.5 %
Fiber 2.5 g	Calcium 1.0 %	Selenium 1.0 %
Sugars 18.0 g	Copper 4.6 %	Thiamin 3.9 %
Protein 0.7 g	Folate 2.9 %	Zinc 0.6 %

Recipe and Nutritional Information after the jump