Rachel's Mother's Day Sangria

White Peach Sangria

1 bottle white wine 
3 ounces brandy
2 ounces triple sec
1 cup orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
2 ounces simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water brought to a boil for 2 minutes in a small saucepan) and cooled 
3 ounces white peach puree (peel peaches, remove pit and puree in a blender with a small amount of water)
Fresh peaches, oranges, and apples slices
Place all ingredients in a pitcher and stir. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 48 hours. Serve over ice.

Recipe adapted from  Bobby Flay

That was some good Sangria!

Chloe's Blueberry Pancakes

I am definitely not mad at Mayor de Blasio for declaring a Snow Day (even though there is hardly any snow on the ground).  Teachers need the opportunity to miss their students, and sometimes the weekends are not enough!  Chloe got the day off to a great start by fixing these wonderful pancakes for the family.  She gets the cooking gene from her Grandma!

Chloe's Blueberry Pancakes

(Adapted from The Disney Princess Cookbook)                                                           

Ingredients:
1 egg
3/4 cup of milk
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp of maple syrup
1 cup of flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
Butter or oil for frying
1/2 cup of blueberries

Directions:
1. Crack the egg into a large mixing bowl.  Whisk in the milk, canola oil, and maple syrup.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour baking powder, and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture to the egg mixture and stir just until all the ingredients are wet.  The batter should be lumpy.
3. Gently stir in the blueberries.  Don't stir too much, though, or the pancakes will be dense.
4. Ask an adult (Grandma) to help you at the stove.  Lightly butter or oil a nonstick frying pan, and then warm it on the stovetop over medium heat for about one minute.  Turn the heat down to medium low.  Use a 3/4 -cup measuring cup to pour the batter for each pancake into the pan.
5.When the tops of the pancakes start to bubble, carefully flip the pancakes over with a spatula.  Continue cooking them until the undersides are golden brown.  Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Serves: 4-6

Chloe's Pop-Pop wanted to make sure we got a picture of him holding his Aunt Jemima syrup!

Jackie is the Queen of Kale

We are big fans of Jackie Jenkins over here.  In addition to being an intellectual and athlete with an extremely warm and joyful heart, she is a great cook.  When she came over for Thanksgiving she brought this amazing sweet and savory kale salad.  When I posted the recipe on this blog, someone from Facebook actually made it.  I actually made it (and those who know me know that that means a lot!)  In the weeks leading up to Christmas my mother texted me almost daily to make sure that Jackie was bringing it for our holiday party.  After we sat down to dinner, my father insisted on frequent updates as to her ETA.  Jackie's kale salad is that good, so I made sure to get a recipe for another one.  Enjoy!

Almost Raw Asian Kale Salad

(Adapted from Tess Challis's book The Two-Week Wellness Solution)

• 6 cups kale (lightly packed) washed and well drained
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
• 4 teaspoons of agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon of orange juice

• 5 medium cloves of garlic, pressed or finely minced
• 1 tablespoon each: grated ginger and sesame seeds (raw or toasted)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1. Remove the stems from the kale and chop the kale leaves into thin ribbons (or just finely chop if you prefer).  Place in a large bowl.

2. Add the lime juice, sesame oil, agave nectar, and orange juice.  Using your hands, stir well to combine.  Continue to work the liquids into the kale with your hands-you are massaging the marinade into the kale.  Once the kale turns a darker shade of green is softened, you're done with the massage.

3. Add the remaining ingredients to the kale mixture and stir well, using a spoon or your hands.  Once the mixture is throughly combined, it's done.  This can either be served immediately or refrigerated in an airtight container for several days.

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