July 16, 2023

Angie hosted and started us off with a sangria recipe from the Whistling Duck.  

Red Sangria

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice or juice from 3 lemons

1 cup orange juice

1 bottle Whistling Duck Cattle Guard Sweet Red Wine

2 cans Sprite

Lemon, oranges, blueberries

Pour sugar, lemon juice and orange juice into pitcher and stir well to dissolve sugar.  Add wine and Sprite and stir again. Garnish with fruit.

 

Talia started us out with a triple appetizer tray!  All were delicious and the goat cheese bites so pretty with the pomegranate seeds. The sausage balls are always a hit at parties!

Cream cheese sausage balls

Potatoes

Goat cheese bites

Next was Tonya's beautiful tomato salad. Tonya did NOT put almonds in the dressing and substituted white wine vinegar for the sherry vinegar.

Our main dish was weeknight paella. It reminded us of jambalaya.  I think most cultures have a seafood rice dish. This one is Spanish. I even splurged on the saffron threads.

Mary brought a mushroom side dish. It had some kick!

Angelica finished with dessert. These precious little cakes have almonds which seem to be a common theme in Spanish cooking. According to the google, "Almond trees flourished in areas such as Spain, Morocco, Greece, and Israel, and their harvests fed explorers traveling along the Silk Road to China. Spain is the only country that maintained a significant almond industry, and they are still a producer of almonds."