Sangria 2.0

Well, another 100 degree day in Danville...I previously posted this recipe about a year ago and thought with this crazy heat, I would repost it, as it's my summertime "go to" cocktail! Cheers!

Best.Sangria.Ever.
(makes approx. 6 glasses)

1 750 ml bottle of red*
1 750ml bottle of white*
1 Orange, halved & sliced
1 Lemon, sliced
1 Lime, sliced
1 cup granulated sugar (I use superfine or baker's sugar)
Fresh seasonal fruit of your choosing,
such as sliced apples, peaches, apricots, or mango and berries
1 shot glass of rum

In a 4 quart glass or plastic pitcher, add wine, sugar & all fruit; stir, or if pitcher is a sealed lid type, shake until sugar is dissolved. Add rum and stir or shake again, then refrigerate for 24 hours. Serve over ice.

*I never, ever spend more than $3.00 per bottle of wine - Charles Shaw & Sea Ridge are usually my "go to" wines for this recipe. Cabernet & Chardonnay are the varietals I use.

Sour Cream/Salsa Dressing

1 cup of your favorite salsa, with juice
1 cup sour cream or plain nonfat yogurt, drained
Hot sauce to taste (optional)

Mix all ingredients together until smooth consistency. If the dressing is too thick for your liking, add a little salsa juice and stir until dressing thins out to desired consistency.

Corn Bread Casserole

1 box Jiffy corn bread mix
1 14oz. can cream style corn
1 140z. can whole corn, drained
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp honey

Preheat oven to 400. Mix all ingredients together; pour into greased loaf or 8x8 pan. Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve immediately.

Lynne's Awesome Chicken Tortilla Soup - Crockpot Style

My best friend Lynne gave me this recipe. I like to cook soups in my giant crockpot, so bear that in mind when making this soup. Makes 14 cups.

2 ears of corn
2 cups celery, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cups carrots, finely chopped
1 anaheim chile, seeded & finely chopped (optional)
1 large can red enchilada sauce
1 quart chicken broth
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 6 boneless skinless thighs

Shredded jack and/or cheddar cheese
Crushed tortilla chips

With a sharp knife, cut kernels off of ears of corn and put in crockpot. Put all remaining vegetables in crockpot. Add sauce and broth; stir gently. Add chicken. Set crockpot to low (10 hours). When time is complete, shred chicken with two forks and stir gently to mix shredded chicken back in. Serve immediately & top with tortilla chips and cheese.

Side dish suggestions:
green salad with a sour cream/salsa dressing
corn bread casserole

A New Outlook On My Blog...

So, two years ago my New Year's resolution was to start writing a blog. I completed my resolution, but never resolved to write on it regularly. I wrote periodically, mainly just to rant, especially around election time, because I was so sick of the misinformation being publicized and the hysteria it invoked. But again, life got in the way and I discovered Facebook, Twitter, etc. So again, gogomom was ignored...

On FB, I constantly post my dinner menu & my sweet friends always respond positively! Last night, my good pal Annie suggested I start blogging my menus and recipes - so here I am, reviving gogomom as my little recipe blog! I'm going to leave up my rants, comments & blurbs because they are how I feel or felt at the time, but going forward I'm going to focus on food and drinks, with a little rant here and there! ;)

Some of my recipes are my creations, most are from friends, cooking shows and cookbooks - I do usually put my own twist on them. I love to create meals, but I don't think I'm creative enough to grab ingredients and go! I'm more into taking recipes and making them quicker, tastier, and more plentiful. I encourage you to post your own comments, ideas and responses to my recipes, as I love the input!

This is very exciting for me, as I have always wanted to own a restaurant or cafe - ownership of this blog will be close enough (without the cash investment or risk). So, thank you for indulging me in my new calling - I hope you enjoy it!

Best.Sangria.Ever.

Okay, I might be overstating it a bit, but I get a lot of compliments and requests for my Sangria recipe...This is hands down, my favorite summertime cocktail! We live in the East Bay, where it gets VERY HOT in the summer, so we spend all of our free time at the pool club with our friends and neighbors. I always have a big pitcher of Sangria in my cooler.

I'm not one of those "secret family recipe" people, so I thought I would share it with everyone:

Best.Sangria.Ever.
(makes approx. 6 glasses)

1 750 ml bottle of red*
1 750ml bottle of white*
1 Orange, halved & sliced
1 Lemon, sliced
1 Lime, sliced
1 cup granulated sugar (I use superfine or baker's sugar)
Fresh seasonal fruit of your choosing,
such as sliced apples, peaches, apricots, or mango and berries
1 shot glass of rum

In a 4 quart glass or plastic pitcher, add wine, sugar & all fruit; stir, or if pitcher is a sealed lid type, shake until sugar is dissolved. Add rum and stir or shake again, then refrigerate for 24 hours. Serve over ice.

*I never, ever spend more than $3.00 per bottle of wine - Charles Shaw & Sea Ridge are usually my "go to" wines for this recipe. Cabernet & Chardonnay are the varietals I use.