We had a big weekend of football (son, Evan scored 2 touchdowns toward his team's 24-20 win), but also baseball (Red Sox, ugh).

What says Autumn to you? But before you answer, it's also Indian Summer, so it's actually more like Summer tha July was here in Newburyport. Again, the contradiction that October in New England usually is.

SO, to observe the Red Sox despicable loss this evening, we had some friends over and combined Autumn and Summer: Sangria, burgers and dogs on the grill, guacamole, caramelized onions, blue cheese.

Ultimately, I wanted a big burger bar, and I had it. A hamburger with guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, and goat cheese says Summer. One with blue cheese and caramelized onions says Autumn. I had both myself, thank you very much.

But the two biggest hits of the evening were the sangria (Summer) and the caramelized onions (Fall, which also made their way into a fabulous dip for potato chips). The sangria recipe comes from a friend I worked with years ago, and it's been a staple in my house and my sister's since then.

Jenn's sangria

1 lemon
1 orange
¼ c sugar
¼ c brandy
¼ c triple sec
1.5 l red wine
12 oz ginger ale

Slice lemon and orange and place them in the bottom of a pitcher. Add sugar, brandy, triple sec, and let sit in fridge for a few hours, or overnight. About an hour before serving, add red wine, and chill. Add ginger ale just before serving.

Caramelized onions
For this recipe, I use any mixture of onions I have, it makes the flavors more interesting: shallots, Vidalias, Bermudas, whatever you have.

1 lb onions, sliced
¼ c salted butter
¼ c olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ t ground cayenne pepper
1 t kosher salt
½ t freshly ground black pepper
¼ c sugar

Add butter and oil to skillet and heat. As you slice the onions, add them to the skillet and cover them to sweat them. Once all the onions are sliced, add the garlic, salt, and pepper, and continue to sweat. Once all the onions are tender and translucent, add sugar, and remove lid to caramelize them. Once they're a nice caramel brown, remove from heat. Use hot or refrigerate for later use.

My sister, Bridget, makes her caramelized onions in a crockpot while she's working and uses them to make a great pizza with smoked gouda.