Our Weekend Fiesta

Hi there. I love being part of the foodie blogroll. You guys are so professional and consistent with doing your posts. I'm usually a day late and a dollar short, so to speak. The Leftover Queen Forum could easily be turned into an exceptional online food magazine of great caliber. If you take a stroll through the different blog sites, you will see photographs of incredible quality. Recipe preparations that were artfully and creatively displayed. I'm quite proud to be a member of such an elite group. So to all you food bloggers out there, I raise a toast, un brindis, to a group of people in a beautiful world of their own creation.

My contribution for this week is sharing a small weekend fiesta. Hope you like these simple recipes that were prepared with loads of love for my family.

Sandia Sangria
Makes 6 to 8 glasses

1 cup chopped watermelon, pureed
2 bottles of prepared Sangria wine
Ice
8 watermelon wedges, rind removed

Place 2 cups of ice into a pitcher. Add the watermelon puree and the Sangria wine. Mix until well combined. Chill at least two hours. Serve in wine glasses over ice and a wedge of watermelon.

Watermelon and Asardero Skewers
Makes 8

4 cups watermelon, cut in 1 inch cubes
4 cups asadero, cut into 1 inch cubes
8 wooden skewers
Kosher salt

Alternate watermelon pieces with cubed asadero on wooden skewer. Chill until ready to serve. Right before serving, sprinkle with Kosher salt.

Pico de Gallo and Guacamole Crostini

1 French bread baguette
Olive oil
Guacamole
Pico de Gallo

Slice French bread on a slight diagonal, 1 to 1-1/2 inch in thickness. Brush lightly with olive oil. Broil in oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove and allow to cool a bit. Serve on a platter with guacamole and pico de gallo.

Flank Roll with Stuffing
8 to 10 servings

1 (2 pound) flank steak
1 package stove top stuffing mix (I used cornbread stuffing for this recipe)
1 cup cooked sausage
1 small white onion, minced and sauted in oil until soft
1/2 cup chopped green chile
Salt and pepper

Prepare stove top stuffing as per package directions. Mix in cooked sausage, onion, and green chile. Flatten flank steak on baking pan. Spinkle with salt and pepper. Spread prepared stuffing mix to 1/2 inch from edges of flank steak. Carefully roll flank, starting on long side of steak, jelly roll style. Secure with toothpicks. Turn roll over so that toothpicks are on the bottom. Sprinkle roll with additional salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest, covered with foil, for 15 minutes. Slice in 1/2 inch slices and serve warm.

Wine Marinated Fruit Salad

1 medium seedless watermelon
1 cup cantelope melon balls
1 cup honeydew melon balls
1 cup green seedless grapes
1 cup quatered strawberries
1 tablespoon minced mint leaves

1 1/2 cups white wine
1/3 cup sugar

Over low heat, dissolve sugar in white wine. Set aside to cool. Cut watermelon in half lengthwise. Scallop the edges of one of the halves to make it look pretty. Using a melon baller, make watermelon balls from pulp. Comine watermelon, cantelope, honeydew, grapes and straberries carefully to keep from breaking the pieces. Drizzle with cooled wine syrup and sprinkle with mint. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.
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