Christmas in a glass

We went out to dinner with friends last month (extraordinary enough), and the Gladstone Tavern had a fabulous and gorgeous red winter cocktail that is going to be our standard this holiday season.

1 part cassis
1 part pomegranate juice
top with sparkling wine

I had some Norwegian berry liquor in the house (don't ask) that made an acceptable substitute for the cassis, so I'm sure Chambord or any other would do fine. Today I did buy the real stuff for company, though.

I'm thinking of serving it with a fresh raspberry in the glass, or maybe on the rim. Might also be interesting with cranberry juice.

Cheers!

breakfast bars

I splurged on the new Nigella Express cookbook. I've only had time to try one recipe, and I was immediately drawn to the breakfast bars. They are a yummy cross between a granola bar and a breakfast bar. YUM. Obviously you can use whatever nuts or seeds you have on hand.

• 1 14-oz can condensed milk
• 2.5 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
• 1 cup dried cranberries (I used a mix of cranberries and dried cherries)
• 1 cup mixed seeds (I mostly used sunflower seeds with some sesame seeds thrown in)
• 1 cup unsalted peanuts

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees and oil (I used the spray) a 9 x 13 baking pan.
2. Warm the condensed milk in a saucepan
3. Mix all other ingredients in a bowl and add the warmed condensed milk, using a rubber spatula or big wooden spoon to fold everything together.
4. Spread the mixture into the pan and press to make the surface even.
5. Bake for 1 hour. After about 15 minutes, cut into bars (I made 16) and cool completely on a wire rack.