Dinner (& Wine Mixer): Grilled Pineaches (& Chardonnay)

I have done it! Not only do I have a recipe that works with dinner, but I have a recipe that makes a great wine mixer, too. (Wine is amazing, but Wine Mixers are just so fun to create!)

I call this grilled pineaches [pine-E-chez], because I had a bag of peaches and a bag of pineapples. . (And because I still take pleasure in combining two words to make one rediculous word.) 

Disclaimer: I call anything I put in a skillet, grilled. No grill was used. 

Directions: 

I let my frozen fruit thaw at room temperature for two hours.  

By dinner time, they were pretty soft.  I threw them in a skillet with a 1/4 cup of juice ( I used Passion Fruit Lemonade, because that's what we had on-hand), 2 tablespoons of  brown sugar,  3 tablespoons of  ground cinnamon, and 2 pinches of ground ginger,

I cooked them on medium for 30-45 minutes, stirring regularly.  And sprinkled nutmeg on top when they were done. That's it. An easy, quick side,

These sweet and savory grilled fruits added some balance to our somewhat spicy fried chicken and potato wedges.  And they weren't too sweet or too bitter, so the husband didn't mind eating them with dinner, and the boys ate them without question or complaint.  

After dinner, the grilled pineaches were absolutely perfect when I added 1/2 cup of them into 1 cup of Chardonnay, and blended it.  It helped cut the bitter after-taste of the Chardonnay.

And although I did not try it, I think these would be wonderful with vanilla ice cream. I will buy some ice-cream tomorrow, and top it with the leftovers and let ya'll know! 

Because of their flexibility and catchy name, Grilled Pineaches just may be my new favorite recipe. 

Frozen Strawberry Chardon-ade

The boys started their homeschooling today, and while they did awesome with the school work, they weren't too crazy about the new schedule.  Pair their uncooperativeness with the never-ending cleaning, and put a fussy Noelle in the mix, and let's just say Mommy needs a drink.
Around 1pm, my senses told me that I'd need a drink by dinner, so I prepped one and put it in the freezer.  (I won't lie: I took a few sips to hold me over; it's been a rough day.)
It's probably nothing new to some of you, but I named it something funky; so it's mine for the evening.

My brain is completely fried, so I have no smooth transition.  Here's how I made it.
You need:
-Lemonade
-Sliced Strawberries
-Chardonnay-- I used Cupcake Chardonnay today.
(I used lemon juice and made my own lemonade, so I could add extra sugar! Sweeter is better in my opinion, but regular lemonade would work fine)

...

I mixed all the ingredients together, blended them in a blender, and put it in a freezer.  I didn't measure anything. But you don't really need measurements: All I know is I used 5 strawberries, and the rest is really up to you!
4 LONG HOURS LATER: I had a Frozen Strawberry Chardon-ade waiting on me. That is also pretty yummy with pineapples, might I add!

...

I would say that my mixed drink was 1/4 lemonade and 3/4 wine.  Because I made my own sugary lemonade, it was still pretty sweet; I barely tasted the wine.  For me, that makes it a tad more effective.

UPDATE: My husband is anti-wine, and he hi-jacked my drink! Said it was "pretty good".

White Wine Mixer

...
Let me start by saying. I'm no connoisseur. 

I love wine; but I love it because of the way it blends with other flavors. 

Unless I really need it, I don't drink wine in abundance by itself. 

That being said: I buy the cheapest wine. 

This bottle of Winking Owl Chardonnay

 was at Aldi's for $2.89 

(great deal!)

In my personal opinion: it tastes the same as the $7- $15 bottles, and the glasses of Chardonnay you order at most restaurants. 

One of my "tasters" says it's a bit more bitter, but he still drank majority of my bottle. So it's definitely tolerable. 

The orange juice gives this mixer a slight fruity taste, but you mostly taste the wine cooler (or the ginger ale).

Here's what you need: 
-Ice
-White Wine (I used Chardonnay)
- Fuzzy Navel Wine Cooler  OR Ginger Ale (I actually ran out of Ginger Ale, which is why I used the Fuzzy Navel) 
- Orange Juice with no pulp 
-Halved Grapes (optional)

I layered it: 

Orange Juice

Wine

Wine Cooler

And another splash of Orange Juice

Stir & Add Grapes.

ENJOY

& let me know what you think!