Skip to main content

SRC Reveal: Connor's Cooking

It's time for the February Secret Recipe Club. Woohoo! Meet Raina of Connor's Cooking who loves cooking and baking for friends and family. She writes, "Sometimes it's a hit and sometimes it's a miss, but being in the kitchen is one of my favorite ways to spend my time." You gotta love a gal who admits to kitchen flops.

Raina and I had crossed paths last year when she was assigned to my blog - in August - and whipped up some hoecakes based on my family's tradition of hoecakes for Presidents' Day. But this was my first time exploring her culinary creations.

Not edible, but I love that she has a recipe for Oobleck on her blog. While you can't ingest oobleck, it is fun, fun, fun; it's a slime that has properties of both liquids and solids. Though I didn't have a chance to make it this month, I have before. The boys love it. Click for Raina's slime recipe: here.

When I was searching for something to cook for the SRC, I was enamoured with every single one of her recipes in her 'alcoholic beverages' tag. I really wanted to whip up a batch of her Rhubarbaritas. But, unlike other people who seem to have a stash of rhubarb in their freezer (green with envy over here!), I cannot keep rhubarb for longer than the season. We eat it all! And our growing season here on California's central coast is brief. I also liked her Orange-Julius, Adult-Style. But the recipe that won out and inspired me this month was her Sangria. I've made sangria before; I made a jug of Cherry-Chardonnay Sangria as liquid courage during our adults only kickball tournament last summer. So, I went with that. I just winterized Raina's creation a little bit, serving it warm and changing the fruits with what was in season...


1 bottle red wine
2 C water
1 C vodka
1/2 C raw sugar
1 C water
1 orange; sliced into thin slices
1 lemon; sliced into thin slices
1 pear; cut into chunks
1 C blueberries
1 C cranberries

In a small pan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Place all the fruit in the syrup. Place the wine and water into a large souppot and bring to a simmer. Add the fruit and simmer for at least 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let steep for 30 minutes to an hour. Add in the vodka and rewarm the drink. Spoon into mugs and serve warm.

Though you can't see all the yummy fruit in the photo - sorry, I should have used a clear mug! - this was fantastic. And all that boozy fruit at the bottom of the drink was my favorite part. Thanks, Raina, for the inspiration.

Comments

  1. Lovely! This looks so warming and delicious for a chilly day. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I need warm sangria too! Great idea!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lovely pick for this month's SRC.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the idea of a warm sangria, perfect on a cold winter night.

    If you haven't already, I'd love for you to check out my SRC entry Lemon Almond Biscotti.

    Lisa~~

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a great pick! I love the idea of making a warm sangria... it sounds like it would come out sort of like a fruitier version of mulled wine.
    (And, as someone who is obsessed with rhubarb and who does keep a stash in her freezer during the off-season, I've totally bookmarked that Rhubarbarita for my next party. That sounds awesome!)

    ReplyDelete
  6. yes! making this-- love the idea of warm sangria!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, wow..after 2 feet of snow yesterday, this would the perfect tummy and soul warming drink by the fire. It looks and sounds delicious...fantastic choice!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir