What I've been eating, part 1...

White Wine Sangria

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle decent white wine
• 1/4 bottle white rum
• Sprite
• 2 small, sweet apples
• 1 mango
• handfull lychees (or grapes, in a pinch)
• 1 peach
• 1 nectarine
• juice from 2 large oranges
• simple syrup to taste (equal parts sugar and boiling water)

1. Chop fruit into approx. 1 in. pieces and place in a medium sized pot. Add rum, wine, OJ, and sugar. Don't make it too sweet, since you'll be adding Sprite later.
2. Refrigerate at least 3 hours, longer is better. Serve over ice, topped off with Sprite.

Hot and Spicy Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 medium zucchini
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 medium red onion
• handfull brown mushrooms, handfull cherry tomatoes
• Sambal chili garlic sauce (or Sriracha)
• white wine vinegar
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• cumin or curry powder

1. In a large skillet, saute the onion until softened, but not browned
2. Cut zucchini and mushrooms into similar sized pieces and add them to the pan. Season with salt, pepper, and your spice of choice. Once they're mostly cooked, add quartered cherry tomatoes and hot sauce
3. Using a mandolin or a standard vegetable peeler, grate the carrots into long, flat strips, like tagliatelle noodles. Add the carrots to the pan and add more salt and hot sauce.
   
4. Finish with a dash of white wine vinegar.

Fig and Brie Appetizer

Ingredients:

• 1 baguette, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds on the diagonal
• Brie or similar soft cheese (I tried a goat cheese that was similar to brie, but lighter)
• either standard honey or date honey, which I assume could be found in a middle eastern market - it's amazing!!!
• fresh green figs

1. Brush the bread slices with olive oil and toast them very lightly in the oven.
2. Drizzle with honey and place a slice of brie on each, then return to the oven to melt the cheese.
3. Once the cheese is melted, remove and place 1/2 fig on each slice of bread