Cinco De Mayo (Dogs Say the Darnedest Things)

¿Quién dejó los perros?   Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof ¿Quién dejó los perros?   Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof ¿Quién dejó los perros?   Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof ¿Quién dejó los perros?

SARAH: Why are we listening to the Spanish station?

FREEDOM: Because we are celebrating Cinco de Mayo.

SARAH: Why are we doing that?

FREEDOM: Because we are part Chihuahua.

SARAH: So?



¿Cuánto cuesta ese perrito en la ventana?   
El que mueve la cola.   
¿Cuánto cuesta ese perrito en la ventana?   
Espero que los del perrito para la venta. 

FREEDOM: That makes us Hispanic.

SARAH:  We're part Pomeranian too. Why don't we ever celebrate any Pomeranian holidays?

FREEDOM: Are there any Pomeranian holidays?

SARAH: Why ask me? I don't even know where Pomerania is. Do you?

FREEDOM: Europe, I think.

SARAH: That's helpful.

FREEDOM: Maybe Macky knows.

SARAH: Where is he?

FREEDOM: In the other room, playing on the computer.

SARAH: Macky! Where is Pomerania?

MACKY: How should I know?

SARAH: Look it up on Google.

MACKY: It is in northwestern Poland.

SARAH: OMG! Do you know what that means?

FREEDOM: What?

SARAH: That means we are Pollocks!

MACKY: How many Pomeranians does it take to change a light bulb?

SARAH: You're not funny!
 

Sangria

One of my favorite drinks to serve with Tex-Mex food, or barbecue, is sangria.

Sangria normally consists of wine, chopped fruit, a sweetener, and a small amount of added brandy. Chopped fruit can include orange, lemon, lime, apple, peach, melon, berries, pineapple, grape, kiwifruit and mango. A sweetener such as honey, sugar, syrup, or orange juice is added. Instead of brandy, other liquids such as Seltzer, Sprite or 7 Up may be added.

Ingredients:

• 1 750 ml bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja reds, Zinfandel, Shiraz)
• 3 cups of club soda
• 1 Orange cut into wedges
• 1 Lemon cut into wedges
• 2 Limes cut into wedges
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Shot brandy

Preparation:

Mix wine and club soda in the pitcher, then squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, limes, and orange into the mix. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and add sugar and brandy. Set aside for a few hours at temperature to allow the fruit flavors to blend. Pour over ice and serve.

A variant method is to chill overnight and add club soda just before serving.  

If you'd like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over ice. 

Addition ideas:

Obviously, the quality of the wine will effect the quality of the sangria, but I would not recommend using a pricy wine to make what is essentially a wine cooler. A moderately priced dry red wine will make an excellent sangria. Likewise on the choice of brandy.

As mentioned above, a variety of fruit may be used instead of oranges, lemons, and limes.

Sliced strawberries, diced peaches, a handful of fresh blueberries, raspberries, kiwi slices, etc.

Ginger ale or citrus soda make a good replacement for the club soda.

A variety of  fruit brandies, or fruit liqueurs can be substituted for the brandy. For best results, match the type of liqueur/brandy to the type of fruit(s) used. Other liquors (especially rum) may be used as well.