Pomegranate Sangria

We had our Christmas party last night and I'd have to say the most popular item served was the punch. The punch bowl was completely dried up by the end and everyone kept commenting how good it was. Since we had more people this year, I decided to serve a punch instead of the usual individual holiday cocktail and this recipe served us well. Of course, we had lots of other delicious items like the mustard crusted beef tenderloin which is turning out to be a Bratney Christmas party tradition

and it never fails to please.

Another surprising hit from our dinner was the Kale Waldorf Salad that I picked up at a local deli here in town called a'Tavola. A friend of mine raved about this salad so I had to investigate and she was right. We went through 5 quarts for 20 people. And it looks festive, too. Normally, you wouldn't think kale salad as a big hit but this one definitely was and I'm always looking for yummy kale dishes. It had green apples, walnuts and craisins in it with a delicious sweet dressing. I'll have to try to come up with this recipe.

Another talk of the party was the dessert, a mixed berry Chantilly cake from Whole Foods.

This was a layered sponge cake with whipped cream and fresh berried layered in-between. All I can say is "Wow" and so did everyone else. As usual, the coffee drinks were flowing with the Chantilly cake. I made lots of Irish coffees, pumpkin spice latte, carmel macchiato, regular latte, and regular drip (what? how boring...)

I couldn't resist to throw in a few petite fours to add to the festive occasion this year. They wash down well with a nice coffee drink...

This year we also did a raffle where 3 lucky people won a new camera, iPad and an Amazon gift certificate.

So, if you're looking to add a punch to your Christmas party this year, you might consider this pomegranate sangria. I found it on the foodnetwork.com by Bobby Flay and it is perfect for a holiday party. I had to triple the recipe for our party. If you need to increase the quantity, a tip to remember is this:

1 bottle of wine is 750 ml

There is 240 ml in 1 cup.

So, if I needed to triple the recipe like I did, then 750 X 3 = 2250 ml

2250 ml / 240 ml (1 cup) = 9.3 cups or 9 - 1/3 cups of wine

Makes 4-6 servings

1 bottle fruity red wine.

I used Gallo which worked well

2 cups pomegranate juice

1/2 cup brandy

1/2 cup Triple Sec

1/4 cup simple syrup (equal amounts sugar and water, heated until sugar dissolves, cooled)

1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

Make your life easy and try to find them ready-to-use

1 large orange, halved and thinly sliced

1 green apple, cored, halved and thinly sliced

1 cup red grapes, sliced in 1/2

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 48 hours before serving. Serve over ice.

It's a fun recipe to make (except if you must do the math) and it's so colorful.

I even enjoyed getting a partial grape or pomegranate seed in the bottom of my glass. A little bit of fruit to chew and savor in your drink is always a bonus.

And you can't beat the beautiful center piece that this punch makes at your party.

Trader Joe's Gluten-Free Oatmeal, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't have very many gluten-free cookies on my blog because quite frankly, I usually don't like gluten-free. But occasionally, I do find a good recipe and this is one that is from the back of the Trader Joe's oatmeal and it's a good one. My friend brought some over to our house last weekend when Nick and family were here for our birthday celebrations and we all loved them. My friend lives a few blocks away and we walk the neighborhood together on weekends. We can easily go 5 miles in no time, talking non-stop. She loves exploring our neighborhood as much as I do and we discover so many favorite little spots. We even found a property with a horse (or more like a pony, I should say.) The views are always quite lovely, too. Bruce and I had our thirty-ninth wedding anniversary on July 18th and I made a point of walking past the house where we had our wedding reception. I told my friend, "Thirty-nine years ago today, t...

Meatloaf by Mark Bittman

Once again, I turned on the television yesterday and saw that Mark Bittman was on the Today show and was making his version of meatloaf . This must be meatloaf season. It was surprisingly similar to the Pioneer Woman's version who was also recently on. I was a little surprised of his version because Mark Bittman is into healthy eating and has lost a lot of weight and improved his health by changing his diet which he writes about in his book, Food Matters . His meatloaf recipe also included bacon and cheese! I must be doing something wrong. The thing to remember, which he writes about in his book, is that you can eat healthy without going extreme or changing your whole life. If you don't know who Mark Bittman is, he is a food writer and a four star chef with multiple cookbooks who loves to eat but changed his food philosophy to improve his health. He tells his story in Food Matters and provides ...

Two-Bean Soup with Kale

This hearty vegetarian soup warms up chilly nights. Use any type of canned beans you happen to have on hand and add chicken or Italian sausage for a heftier dish, if you prefer. Makes 4-6 servings 3 Tbsp. olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped carrots 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/2 tsp. salt, divided 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 cups vegetable broth, divided 7 cups stemmed, chopped kale (about 1 bunch) 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed, drained and divided 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried rosemary 1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, carrot, and celery, and saute 6 minutes or until tender. Stir in 1/4 tsp. salt and garlic; cook 1 minute. 2. Stir in 3 cups vegetable broth and kale. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simme...

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