Recently I have been talking about White Sangria on Facebook. It was my drink of choice for our Oscar Night celebration.

My 13-year-old son wanted to make the dinner. His menu was pizza and Red Velvet cake. My husband and I added salad. Plus I made the stipulation that the pizza needed to have two pies that were a bit chi-chi.

When I was in the library last week I looked in a Wolfgang Puck cook book, Pasta, Pizza and More (2000), and found a goat cheese and shrimp pizza. When I reported my findings not a single soul in my house was interested. But we did want to do ham and pineapple. The desire to try goat cheese was still strong so we partnered it with spinach and bacon. These were made alongside a regular cheese as well as a half pepperoni/half mushroom.

Because the entire family was going to be in attendance, this menu allowed the younger children to try something new if they wanted but they could have something to eat in case the different foods did not quite suit their taste buds. Everyone did try the different pizzas but they were not liked by Everyone.

Choosing what to drink was made easy when I realized I wanted something light and fruity. Normally our Sunday meal does have a complimentary alcoholic drink for the adults and I was looking for something to compliment the California theme. I immediately  thought of the white sangria, the recipe being featured in a fashion magazine the year before.

Here is how we made it. In a beautiful glass pitcher we mixed 1 bottle of an inexpensive soft white wine; 1/4 cup of Brandy; 1/4 cup of white sugar; sliced lemons, granny smith apples and green grapes; and crushed ice to desired amount. My husband pulled out the white wine glasses and we sipped on our drinks all night.

It was a good supper and the big hit was the surprisingly mild goat cheese pizza. The varying flavors went well together and were interesting. We also did a spinach, feta, olive and bacon half that was too salty for my taste buds but still interesting. That is what I like about experimenting in the kitchen because you never know what is going to come out of it.

Bon Appetit!

Karyn Bowman lives in Kankakee County with her outdoor writer husband and four children. Become friends with Karyn on Facebook.

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