Wine Gummies

I've been a little lazy about posting my trials lately. Chalk it up to busy weekends filled with wedding arrangements (and just plain lazy days). Here's something I made a few weeks ago... I love gummies! Gummy worms and bears especially! So when I found this recipe for WINE GUMMIES, I thought "YAY ADULT GUMMIES!". These are actually super easy to make, it just takes a little while for the initial gelatin powder to start dissolving.

Original recipe here

I apparently forgot to take pictures of the finished cut little gummies.....I guess I was too busy eating them!

Servings: 256
About 3-4 calories per piece

Ingredients:
2 cups wine (16 fl oz)
8 tbsp gelatin (unflavored)*
4 tbsp maple syrup**

*I used the same gelatin as the recipe-creator used.
**I didn't want to make it too sweet, so I stuck to the low-end of the amount of syrup.

Step 1: In saucepan, warm wine on low heat. Keeping the temperature down is very important, so the alcohol does not burn off.
Step 2: Add gelatin 1 tbsp at a time, stirring well before adding more. Finish adding all gelatin and stir until fully dissolved. Froth is OK, it just make some bubbles in your gummies.
Step 3: Add syrup, to taste.
Step 4: Pour mixture into greased 8 x 8 pan (or candy molds).
Step 5: Let cool. You can put in them in the fridge to set (I did); I left them for a few hours and they were fully set.
Step 6: Flip pan upside down on cutting board. You may have to bang the pan down a little to get the gel to slide out.
Step 7: Cut as desired. Because I doubled the original recipe, my gel was pretty thick, so I cut it into smaller pieces (16 x 16).

Recipe's time estimate: not listed
My total cooking time: 30 minutes (15 minute prep, 15 minutes cook) *this does not include cooling time

These turned out so good. And they're addictive. I sat there with a bowl in front of me and easily ate 30-40 pieces before I figured out I should stop. I made both red and white wine versions, and they both turned out well. I will DEFINITELY be making these again!

Ingredients (both red & white wine)

Step 2 (see frothing?)

Step 4 (white)

Step 4 (red)

Crispy Oven Roasted Chickpeas

I actually made this a couple weeks ago, but have been super busy wedding dress shopping and St. Patty's Day partying. :P I had a bunch of chickpeas (made from dry) that I needed to use fast, since they're only good a few days after you cook them. And I found a snack recipe for them! They turned out great. I actually took them on a Color "Run" 5k that my friend and I did, and these were a good pre-run snack while we were waiting for the run to start.

Original recipe here

Servings: 10
About 172 calories per serving  (~100g per serving)

Ingredients:
5 cups garbanzo beans/chick peas (canned or cooked from dry)
3 tbps olive oil
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cayenne pepper

Step 1: Drain and rinse chickpeas, if not already done. Lay out on paper towel to dry.
Step 2: Preheat the oven 400°F.
Step 3: Combine olive oil, cayenne pepper, garam masala, and salt in a bowl.
Step 4: Place chickpeas in a medium to large bowl.  Pour the spice mixture over the chickpeas and toss until coated.
Step 5: Spread chickpeas on a baking sheet (I lined mine with aluminum foil). Make sure they're not too tightly packed.*
Step 6: Bake for 35 to 45 minutes.  Carefully shake the tray a couple times between cooking.**
Step 7: Remove from oven. Serve hot or room temperature.

*I had to use two baking sheets to have them spread out. If you have too many on one sheet, they take longer to get crispy.
**I shook tray at 15 minutes in and 30 minutes in.

Recipe's time estimate: not listed
My total cooking time: 50 minutes (5 minute prep, 45 minutes cook)

As you can see, this recipe is SUPER easy. And so yummy. I ate a whole serving right when they came out out the oven. Sooooooooooooo good. They're still good after they've cooled, and even after a couple days (stored in ziploc bags), but they're the best right out of the oven.

Ingredients

Step 3

Step 5 - This tray took a little longer to get the peas crispy