This year, my sister started a cookbook club for the two of us and some of our foodie friends. It’s been a blast. We choose a cookbook, test recipes for about a month, and then gather with all five families to share the foods we liked best. It can be a frightening display of indulgence, but great fun. Even the kids, ages 6 to 17, get into it and offer their reviews. We broaden horizons and push boundaries. How many eight year olds will proclaim the Country Pate was their favorite part of the meal? Awesome.

We’ve done The Lee Brothers Southern Cookbook, Gordon Hammersly’s Bistro Cooking at Home (A must-have for your library.), and Arabesque by Claudia Rodan.

Our next dinner is over Labor Day weekend. This time we want to grill, since Labor day marks the end of Summer fun. The kids go back to school, and Fall craziness ensues. (And don’t get me started on the Holidays…there are only 117 days until Christmas which means all the big chain stores will be putting up their decorations next week.) Anyway, we couldn’t quite come up with a book specifically on grilling so we went with a chef instead…Bobby Flay.

I didn’t love this pick mainly because my inner snob is put off by the fact that he is everywhere. I put him in the same category as Rachel Ray. Over exposed. As I started looking through his cookbooks however, I was reminded what got him all that exposure. Dude knows his stuff, and a lot of his stuff is very tasty and interesting which for me is key. I like different. BBQ Duck and Sauteed Shiitake Mushroom filled Blue Corn Pancakes with Habanero Sauce? Um, yes, please.  

So I sit here still trying to figure out what to make ’cause there are a lot of good options. One thing I am certain of is I’m making his Sangria. I posted the recipe below. It’s good y’all. Too good. Don’t drink more that two glasses or you’re going to hate yourself in the morning (just ask my husband). And, like most good things, it is best shared with friends.

Happy Labor Day

Red Wine Sangria
Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay
Food Network
About 8 servings.

Ingredients
2 bottles red Spanish table wine
1 cup brandy
1/2 cup triple sec
1 cup orange juice
1 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup simple syrup, or more to taste (equal parts sugar and water, heated until sugar dissolves, cooled)
Orange slices
Apple slices
Blackberries
Pomegranate seeds

Directions
Mix all ingredients together and let stand in a tightly sealed container or pitcher for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator before serving.