Image from Real Simple Magazine
While the holidays are in full swing, I'm already thinking about what to do with all of the leftover items after the festivities are over. You know what I mean, the extra candy canes that no one wants, the box of chocolates containing the flavors that everyone turns their noses up to, and the mangled honey-baked ham that looks like someone cut it with a chain saw. I'm okay with tossing those few chocolates, but there are some leftovers that I know can be put to good use.
If you are hosting a Christmas or New Year's Eve party this year, you will likely be left with half empty bottles of wine. As a wine lover, it kills me to toss it out. I was thrilled to find a few suggestions for just this situation from
Real Simple Magazine. Real Simple suggests using the wine to create your own "Boozy Syrups". Yum! For the full article, go
here.
Leftover Red Wine Syrup
1 zest of one orange
1 bottle of red wine (or 3 1/2 cups assorted red wines)
1 cup sugar
6 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
Combine ingredients in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the mixture is thickened, about 35-40 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and orange zest. Allow mixture to cool for 15 minutes. Refrigerate to chill. (Mixture will thicken as it chills.)
Left over White Wine Syrup 1 vanilla bean
1 bottle of white wine (or 3 1/2 cups various left over white wines)
1 cup sugar
Split open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. In sauce pan, combine ingredients, including the vanilla bean pod. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the mixture is thickened. about 35-40 minutes. Remove the vanilla pod. Allow the mixture to cool for 15 minutes. Refrigerate to chill. (Mixture will thicken as it chills.)
Serve with: Ice cream, yogurt, pancakes, waffles, pound cake, cheese cake or fruit.
Image from The Food NetworkIf you don't have the time or enough left over wine to make the syrups, Real Simple suggests pouring the leftover wine into ice cube trays and freezing the mixture. When a recipe calls for a small amount of wine, you'll be all set.
According to
The Kitchen, due to the alcohol, the wine will not freeze completely but will be solid enough to pop out and transfer to another container. They also suggest using muffin tins or pouring the wine directly into a freezer bag.
Don't throw out the odds and ends of the wine at the end of the party. Put it to good use!
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