Friday Foodday

Happy Friday lovebugs,

Here are my favorite recipes this week. 

Sparkling Fruit Sangria

c/o Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients

• 1 orange, thinly sliced
• 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup raspberries
• 10 large strawberries, sliced
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 750ml bottle sweet white wine (I used Riesling)
• 1 750ml bottle your favorite champagne

Directions

Place all fruit and orange juice in a large pitcher or bowl, add wine and allow to sit in the refrigerator for 3 - 24 hours. Right before serving, add champagne.

Taste; if you'd like it to be sweeter, add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, honey, or agave. Serve and enjoy!

Grilled Rainbow Peppers with Herb Cream Cheese

c/o Skinny Taste

Ingredients

• 16 mini rainbow peppers, halved, seeds and membranes removed
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• Zest of 1 small lemon

Directions

Preheat grill over medium heat.

Meanwhile, place peppers, olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Toss to evenly coat. Set aside. 

In another small bowl, thoroughly combine cream cheese, garlic, dill, basil, 2 tablespoons chives, fresh ground pepper, pinch of salt and lemon zest.  Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a piping bag or small Ziploc bag and put in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Grill peppers over medium heat, until slightly charred, about 2 minutes per side.  Transfer to a small platter.

Snip the tip of the piping/Ziploc bag and carefully fill each pepper half with the cream cheese mixture.  Top with remaining 1 tablespoon chives.

Spread Cookie Bars
c/o Table for Seven

Ingredients

• for cookies:
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• for chocolate topping:
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly grease a large baking sheet/cookie sheet.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.   Add in eggs and vanilla.Then, add flour in gradually.  Mix all until dough forms.
4. Spread dough onto baking sheet.  Spraying your spatula with some non stick cooking spray makes spreading the dough a little easier.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until brown.
6. Remove from oven and sprinkle the top with chocolate chips.
7. Put back in your oven for just a minute to get chocolate chips soft.
8. Then, remove and spread chocolate on top of cookie.  Go slowly.  Your dough is warm and will tear is you aren't careful.
9. Cool completely and then, cut with knife or pizza cutter.