Sangria anyone? -- Recipes from my housewarming party

Homemade Sangria... mmmm.

I know it has been a little while since my last post, but I am here and coming back in full force with a few recipes.  This past weekend I held a housewarming at my apartment which I now have to myself.  I decided I wanted a Spanish themed party, so I created a menu of Sangria and Tapas.

The weekend ended up being a little hectic because I had to go into work on the night of my party for a couple of hours.  The result of this fiasco was that I had to cook very quickly and sadly do not have any photos of the food I made.  I think I have more than a couple of witnesses who can testify that the food tasted pretty damn good, though.

  Regardless of the lack of photos, I am including in this post recipes for:

Sangria

Garlic-Thyme Chicken Wings

Tortilla de Patatas

Tuna Steakpops

SANGRIA

3 liters of lighter bodied red wine 

(I would go for Pinot Noir, Red Zin, or Merlot... boxed wine works great for Sangria and is wallet friendly!)

1.5 cups of fruit flavored brandy (I used blackberry this time around)

2 oranges cut into1 inch pieces

3 apples cut into 1 inch pieces

1 lemon cut into 1 inch pieces

1 lime cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup sugar

1 liter citrus flavored soda (My soda of choice is usually Fresca)

Mix all ingredients except the soda in a large container and keep in the fridge for at least 6 hours to let the flavors harmonize.  I kept mine overnight and the fruit was super wine-steeped and delicious.  When you want to serve the sangria, you can either pour the soda into the container with the sangria or top off each glass with a splash of soda to brighten up the drink.  Don't forget to serve each cup with some fruit in it!  What could be better than getting your daily serving of fruit and getting tipsy at the same time?

GARLIC-THYME CHICKEN WINGS

3 lbs chicken wings 

(Since I was on a budget I used one of those big bags of frozen wings, but you can also use a pack of fresh ones)

6 cloves garlic, crushed with the back of a knife

1/3 cup olive oil

1 cup white wine

1 cup water

1 tbsp Adobo powder

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 dried bay leaves

1 tbsp Vietnamese chili garlic sauce (I use the one with the  green cap and the rooster on the front) or red pepper flakes

I sort of improvised on this recipe because I didn't really have all of the ingredients the recipe I was referencing required.  It was risky, but it ended up turning out great!  Also, this is the easiest recipe ever!  

Preheat the oven to 375.  Place wings and all other ingredients into an oven-safe vessel.  Stir to settle everything together and bake.  40 minutes if the wings are thawed and 1 hour if the wings are frozen.  Serve either in the dish with the cooking liquid or take wings out onto a plate.

**** I made these before I had to go to work on Saturday and ended up putting them into the fridge.  Everybody at the party ate them cold a couple hours later before I got home and STILL loved them!  I will definitely be making this chicken again. ****

TUNA STEAKPOPS

Good seafood is becoming available in the supermarket again, and if you live in Krogerland, you can buy some great fresh fish pre-seasoned and/or marinated in the seafood section.  My Kroger happens to sell tuna steaks coated in coarse ground black pepper and includes teriyaki butter.  I try to buy these tuna steaks whenever I can find them for a fair price.  In order to make them into party food, I cut the steak into cubes and pan seared them for about 5 minutes on med-high heat in olive oil.  Depending on your preference, you can leave more or less pink in the center.  I usually cook my tuna to medium.

Dipping Sauce:
Teriyaki butter (or if you don't have any pre-made from Kroger use 1 part teriyaki sauce to 2 parts butter)
Soy sauce
Rice wine vinegar
Chili Garlic Paste (the Vietnamese one from before)

Combine over low heat in a pan using proportions that taste good to you!  I am saying this because I didn't really measure, but, basically, experiment with the flavors until you like the way the sauce tastes.

I ended up serving the tuna bites on colored toothpicks (hence the name tuna steakpops) with the sauce poured over them, but I think a dipping bowl of the sauce would have been a bit more effective.  They were a big hit!

Steakpops, Cakepops!  I almost forgot!  My awesome sister made Cakepops for dessert.  Red velvet cake coated in milk chocolate and nuts or white chocolate.  NOM!  They were amazingly delicious.  I had some for breakfast this morning.  She also made some tasty chocolate covered strawberries, but they were gone too quickly to get photographed. 

I plan on making a small tortilla for breakfast in the morning, so I will take photos and include a detailed recipe tomorrow.  Get excited.