Strawberry Peach Bellini

At the risk of extreme judgment, I’m just going to say it. I am a Real Housewives junkie, and Teresa Giudice is my favorite housewife by far. My mom and I have been obsessed with the New Jersey Housewives since the first season when the infamous Danielle Staub stirred the pot in only a few episodes.

The very Italian RHONJ has rocked Bravo for years with probably the most fights—among the wives and the husbands—of the entire Real Housewives franchise. Teresa has always been the hot-headed housewife with the even hotter-headed husband, Joe Giudice. If you remember, Teresa was the one to up-end the table in response to Danielle’s shenanigans in season one.

I’m sure that even if you’re never watched the RHONJ, you know who I’m talking about because Teresa and her husband have recently been sentenced to respective prison sentences for fraud. Slightly embarrassing, but I definitely had a moment when I saw Bravo’s Andy Cohen interview Joe and Teresa after the verdict. Then again I bawled at the season finale of Vampire Diaries last spring, so I’m probably just overreacting (who didn’t cry when the incredibly attractive Damon…wait spoiler alert sorry). But how is Teresa going to survive in prison?! She doesn’t even like living in “used” houses!

Teresa has always been my favorite housewife, and my mom and I have been rooting for her through the entire series. I actually received Teresa’s first cookbook, Skinny Italian, for Christmas last year. We went to see an appearance she made at the Mall of America a few years ago too, and I got this super blurry picture of her. Don’t worry, I’m not über psychotic. Just a little.

With all of the recent attention she has been getting, I realized I have never made anything from her cookbook! This is shocking because if you haven’t gotten the point yet, I pretty much love everything that Teresa does. (Except the whole illegal activities thing…)

To honor Teresa and toast to her years on Bravo, I made her Bellinis from Skinny Italian (with some alterations of course). No geek talk on this post, because I don’t think Teresa would appreciate that very much. She may be my favorite personality, but she’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. I love you Teresa! Here’s to the good times! Hang in there, and please don’t lose your s**t in prison like you have on the show.

Strawberry Peach Bellini

Adapted from Skinny Italian

Serves 4 (depending on how generous your pours are…)

2 peaches

5 strawberries

2 tablespoons sugar

1 bottle sparkling wine, chilled (Prosecco or Champagne)

1. Peel, pit, and roughly chop the peaches. I like to cut right to the chase and use a peeler, but you can also easily peel your peaches by placing them in boiling water followed by ice water for 30 seconds each. Roughly chop the strawberries.

2. Blend the peaches with a tablespoon of sugar until pureed. Add a little water if your peaches aren’t blending smoothly. Empty the peaches from the blender and rinse it before doing the same with the strawberries and remaining sugar. Strain the strawberry puree to get rid of the seeds, or you can cut the outside of the strawberries off prior to chopping them.

3. Chill the fruit purees for at least an hour prior to using.

4. Put 1-2 tablespoons of peach mix in the bottom of each glass followed by a teaspoon of strawberry mix. Fill the glass with sparkling wine and mix briefly to incorporate the fruit throughout. Enjoy!