Red Velvet Sangria

I would love to be the type of blogger who tested and posted recipes in time for the reader so actually try it for the intended holiday! Alas I am not. So it's a good thing that sangria is an excellent summer drink and not just designated for Cinco de Mayo.

I've been wanting to make sangria for a long time (since before I got pregnant) but I never did. It seemed like a waste of wine to use a whole bottle when my husband doesn't drink wine himself. Now that my mom is here helping with baby Ellie I thought it would be a great opportunity!

This sangria is sweet, but not too sweet. I used the Cupcake Vineyard Red Velvet blend, which I think is delicious and used sliced strawberries as the fruit. My husband even tried it and said that he liked it, so I consider this a great success!  

Red Velvet Sangria

1 Bottle of Cupcake Vineyard Red Velvet wine

1/4 Cup lemon juice

1/4 Cup orange juice

1/4 Cup Triple Sec

1/4 Cup sugar dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water to make simple syrup

2 Cups ginger ale

1 Lemon, sliced

1 Lime, sliced

16 oz of strawberries sliced

1 Tangelo, sliced (you can use an orange if you prefer)

Combine the wine, simple syrup, orange juice, lemon juice and Triple Sec in a pitcher. Add strawberries, lemon, lime and tangelo or orange slices. Top it off with ginger ale and stir. Let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight before serving. Serve with a basil leaf or rosemary sprig as garnish.

What I Wore and Fancy Cars

Today was such a beautiful day, I had to walk around and try to take some photos. I figured I would try another outfit post, even though the idea is still weird and embarrassing to me. I enjoy trying on all the new clothes I got from my friends. In fact, almost my entire outfit was free. The tops from two of my friends, the necklace from a friend and my husbands cords. The scarf was from a second hand shop and my converse were from Goodwill.

I took some of the photos inside, after I tried doing them outside. It's hard to get over the fear that someone will see me taking picture of myself. It seems so vain! I don't believe I'm a fashionista by any stretch of the imagination, but it gives me something to do and a reason to actually get dressed in the morning. Being in uniform all week gets so tiring that I really want to dress up on the weekend, but I frequently get caught in the boxer/t-shirt combo.

There was a car show going on across the street. I really love old hot rods. A couple of these looked like they were from the 50's, but nothing too much older (I'm no expert though!)

Beautiful!

Now I'm hanging out at home enjoying a cocktail with pineapple juice, lime, coconut rum and club soda. Not sure what else to do. Just counting the days until my husband comes to visit.

Raspberry Cream Martini

This martini is so yummy! I threw it together when I got a new cocktail shaker (it was all I had in the house) and it tasted better than I expected, coming from a person who has never attempted to make cocktails before. I'm inspired to create some yummy Autumn/Halloween drinks tonight. Enjoy and drink responsibly!