The Best Way to Prepare for a Trip to Spain...

...is to make sangria!  Well, maybe it's not the best way to prepare, but hey, I am attempting to immerse myself in culture before I even leave.  I get points for that, right?  Right...


Anyways, I've been on a recipe hunt for some traditional Spanish cuisine, and while I came across dozens of paellas, gazpachos, and oodles of different tapas ideas, the one that really sparked my interest was sangria.  Now that Chicago has finally gotten some nice weather, it would be just lovely to spend a summer evening on the porch with a pitcher of sangria and enjoy the night air.  Ahh yes...such a wonderful scene to get lost in, isn't it?  But then I realized that I only have 3 DAYS left before my trip, and if I want to make this stuff, it's gotta be easy and fast.


Lucky me, I stumbled upon this:

Mmmm...doesn't that look refreshing??  I can't wait to whip up a batch...as for now, cheers!  Or should I say...salud!


30 Second Sangria

Yields 1 sangria

Red wine (cheap!)
Sparkling lemonade
1 lemon or orange (optional)
Ice (optional)

If you think of it beforehand, chill the wine and sparkling lemonade. Otherwise, you can add a few ice cubes to your sangria to compensate.

Place equal parts red wine and lemonade in a glass. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon or orange into the glass for every 8-12 ounces of sangria (depending on how sour or sweet you would like yours) and garnish with a slice of lemon. But, if 30 seconds is just too long for that drink to be in your hands, you can skip the lemon and orange entirely.