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This post is long overdue. A few months ago I hosted the dinner club that I started with friends in the fall. That night we finally dubbed our little crew–Dinner with Schmucks, a very fitting title.

After having Italian and French themed dinner, I decided to take on another Eurpean country–Spain. I fully intended to make a meal with oxtails, but alas for oxtail ended in failure even after calling at two stores ahead of time to see if they were in stock and arrived to find no oxtails. Needless to say I was not happy.

I settled on goat legs mostly because I hadn’t cooked with goat before and thought it would be a good substitute  for the recipe I was going to use (goat leg with vegetables in sherry sauce). Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that well–it was edible but not up to my standards.

We started off with dates stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in bacon from Katelin and Andy:

Next was a wonderful gazpacho from Ben:

Our guest, Josh brought espinacas con garbanzos:

Note: Photo credit smitten kitchen (I forgot to take a pic)

The Keatings brought an amazing dish whose name escapes me now:

For dessert Caroline & Silas brought Torta de Santiago & Lactose-free brownies (especially for Silas):

Although my main course was that great, my sangria turned out damn good.

Ingredients:
2 bottles dry red wine
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup triple sec
2 limes, juiced
2 oranges, juiced
1 bottle club soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 orange, thinly sliced
1 apple, thinly sliced

Directions:
Mix all liquids in a large pitcher. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add sliced fruit and chill in fridge for at least an hour.

Food for Thought:
-I started adding club soda to my sangria for a little fizz and I think it helps bring out the flavors.
-I play around with how much sugar I add, starting with 2 tablespoons and then adding more depending on how sweet I want it to be.
-The infamous 3 buck chuck from Trader Joe’s is perfect for sangria making.
-Clearly the recipe was doubled for my guests so reduce or triple for your purposes!