Tag Archives | recipe

Toni’s DIY Holiday Spice Sangria

By on December 17, 2013 in Beverages, DIY, Holiday Recipes, Recipes, Saving Money

Homemade Sangria Recipe

Have a holiday drink on hand for last-minute entertaining, or to give away as a Christmas gift.  I love homemade sangria, and here’s my recipe with a twist of holiday spice.

Homemade Holiday Sangria recipe

 

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Toni’s DIY Holiday Spice Sangria

Toni’s DIY Holiday Spice Sangria

Ingredients

  • Basic Red Table Wine- I use a gallon of a basic red wine that I find in bulk at Costco. Trader Joe’s also has great deals for basic red table wine over the holidays.
  • Cranberry Juice- 1 bottle
  • Brandy- a little more than half a bottle (save some for your eggnog!)
  • Oranges- 3 or 4 large; sliced and halved (into half-moon shapes)
  • Pears- 3 or 4 large; sliced
  • Cinnamon Sticks- 4 or 5 whole
  • Cranberries, fresh- 12 oz.
  • Whole Cloves- put into a tea bag

Instructions

  1. Combine ingredients in large mason or Sangria Jar
  2. Let this mixture “steep” for a 2-3 days in a cool place. If you live someplace cold, you can just leave it outside, unless it will freeze.
https://tonispilsbury.com/tonis-holiday-spice-sangria/

 

Eat, drink and be thrifty!

If you enjoy serving wine to guests for the holidays, at anywhere from $20 to $100’s per bottle, the money you spend can certainly add up.  Having a batch of this holiday wine elixir on hand is not only affordable, it makes a visually stunning holiday presentation and it’s absolutely delicious.

homemade holiday sangria recipe

 

The Gift of Wine

Many of my friends like to give and receive wine for the holidays, and this too can get costly.  Get creative with ribbons, tags and metallic pens by bottling your own Holiday-Spice Sangria.

 

Toni’s Holiday Spice Sangria Recipe

You will need a big pitcher, mason or sangria jar.  I don’t like sugar in my sangria even though so many recipes call for it; I can’t even drink it.  Instead I use fruit juice.

Combine:

  1. Red Table Wine- I use 2 gallons of a basic red wine that I found in bulk.  Trader Joe’s also has great deals for basic red table wine over the holidays.
  2. Cranberry Juice-  1 bottle
  3. Brandy- a little more than half a bottle (save some for your eggnog!)
  4. Oranges- 3 or 4 large; sliced and halved
  5. Pears- 3 or 4 large; sliced
  6. Cinnamon Sticks- 4 or 5 whole
  7. Cranberries- 1 12oz. bag
  8. Whole Cloves- put into a tea bag

Let this mixture “steep” for a few days in a cool place.  If you live someplace cold, you can just leave it outside, unless it will freeze.

Serve and enjoy.

Happy Holidays!

 

Chardonnay Cake Recipe:

Chardonnay Cake

Easy Chardonnay Cake Recipe

Christmas Potato Cakes

By on December 16, 2013 in Recipes, Survival Guide for Busy Moms

Reincarnate The Leftover This Weekend

Christmas spirit was in the air this weekend at the Spilsbury house with decorating, gift wrapping and our first holiday party.  Once the Christmas music CD’s came out of storage and we popped the first one in the surround-sound, it became official- the holiday season is here.

I also ended up with leftover mashed potatoes in my refrigerator, so instead of tossing them, I decided to make some red and green potato cakes (aka: Christmas Potato Cakes) to celebrate our joyeux weekend.

  Potato Cake Recipe

Making potato cakes is simple and not an exact science; you never know how many cups or ounces of mashed potatoes you’ll end up with.  Therefore, it’s “a little of this-a little of that” science.  You simply add an egg or two to the mashed potatoes along with a half-cup or cup of flour, some seasoning and milk, and voila!… or voici!- potato cakes.  If your potato cake batter is too runny, add some flour; and if it’s too thick, add some milk- you get the picture.

Thank goodness I had some red and green bell peppers diced up already to add for our “Christmas Potato Cakes”.  Just cook batter in canola oil, flipping once, until crisp on both sides.

Potato Cake Recipe

Potato Cake Recipe

 

Serve alongside some turkey bacon, sausage, eggs, or by themselves- potato cakes taste good with anything.

Potato Cake Recipe

I hope your Christmas Holiday is off to a great start!

 

The Underestimated Mashed Potato

By on November 2, 2013 in Holiday Recipes, Recipes, Saving Money, Side Dish Recipes

Homemade Mashed Potatoes

A Stitch In Time Saves Nine. A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned. Waste Not, Want Not.

Probably one of the most versatile, frugal and efficacious dishes is the mashed potato.  Gracing our Thanksgiving dinner table each year, mashed potatoes are wildly overlooked for the remaining 364 days of the year.

At just pennies per serving, Homemade Mashed Potatoes are not only inexpensive, they’re one of the most versatile side dishes.  By adding a few cloves of fresh garlic during boiling and then mashing with the potato, the gourmet Garlic Mashed Potatoes are created.  By substituting milk with buttermilk, you have Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes.  And, Herb Mashed Potatoes can be made by adding some fresh or dried herbs like rosemary, thyme and parsley.

 

Rosemary Chicken with Herb Mashed Potatoes

Herb Mashed Potatoes

Five Recipes To Make with Leftover Mashed Potatoes

Homemade mashed potatoes can be cooked in bulk to freeze for future use, or stored for use in other recipes- or, like I call “Reincarnate The Leftover”.  Here are some of my favorite recipes using leftover mashed potatoes.

Potato Cake Recipe

Festive Potato Cakes Recipe

 

Bangers and Mash

Bangers and Mash with New Castle Gravy

 

Twice-Baked Cheesy Potatoes

Twice-Baked Cheesy Potatoes Recipe

 

Cottage Pie Recipe

Cottage Pie Recipe, is allegedly a favorite dish of Prince Williams-  a tasty version of the Shepherd’s Pie.

 

Shepherd's Pie Recipe

Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

 

A Stitch In Time

Homemade mashed potatoes freeze and reheat well, so I like making extra and storing for a busy day’s side dish.  I recommend using glass storage containers like Rubbermaid’s Glass Food Storage or Ziploc’s Versaglass that go from the freezer and into the oven or microwave to reheat.

Check out our Homemade Mashed Potatoes Recipe here:

Homemade mashed potatoes recipe

Homemade Mashed Potatoes Recipe

 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

By on November 1, 2013 in Gluten Free, Holiday Recipes, Recipes, Side Dish Recipes

Another Fall Favorite Vegetable

Brussels Sprouts are one my favorite Fall Vegetables, and not just because they create beautiful food photography.  Brussels Sprouts are so easy to prepare with no peeling or dicing required.

I simply slice each one in half, drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt & pepper.  After roasting for about 10-15 minutes until crispy brown, they make a perfect side dish.

But to be honest, I eat them as a snack…. they’re so crunchy and delicious.

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts are yummy!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with sea salt & pepper

Brussels Sprouts

in oven to broil for about 10-15 minutes

Roasted Brussels sprouts

Crunchy and Delicious Roasted Brussels Sprouts

 

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

  • fresh Brussels Sprouts- 1 lb
  • olive oil- 3 tablespoons (about)
  • salt & pepper- to taste (or, use McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning for an extra "kick")

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F
  2. slice sprouts in half and place in mixing bowl
  3. drizzle with olive oil
  4. season with salt & pepper (or Montreal Steak Seasoning)
  5. toss
  6. transfer to baking sheet
  7. cook until crunchy brown, approximately 30 minutes
https://tonispilsbury.com/roasted-brussels-sprouts/

 

The Perfect Holiday Side Dish Recipe

Brussells Sprouts recipe

Roasted Brussells Sprouts

 

 

As a side dish in this week’s meal plan from The Organized Cook, Roasted Brussels Sprouts are perfect paired with Chicken with Wild Rice.

Chicken with Wild Rice and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

The Organized Cook Weekly Meal Plan System