You Had Me at Pumpkin Spice

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Did we mention that Rhonda loves fall?  Along with the season of fall, Rhonda loves pumpkin spice.  She will try anything as long as it has pumpkin spice in the title… well almost anything.  She even has a shirt that she wears every fall to commemorate her love for pumpkin spice.  We don’t really know when this love of pumpkins began.  It may date back to her love of the fairy tale of Cinderella as a small child.

Imagine her delight when she found a drink with 5 simple ingredients that she can toast to her love of pumpkin spice. This drink meets the standards of easy and tasty. We hope that you, too, will be able to celebrate your appreciation for the flavor of fall with a toast to this drink as well. 

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Thanks to Craig’s colleagues who had dinner with us this week and taste tested some of our pumpkin recipes. It is always more fun to try out new recipes with friends and family!

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Golden Pumpkin Spice Martini

  • 1 tablespoon of pumpkin puree
  • 1 oz. Seagram’s Extra Smooth Vodka
  • 2 oz. Kerrygold Irish Cream
  • 1 dash of pumpkin spice
  • 1 dash of vanilla
  • whipped cream and chocolate syrup for garnish

Add pumpkin puree, vodka, irish cream, dash of pumpkin pie spice and dash of vanilla to shaker.  Add 1 cup of ice.  Shake for 30 seconds. Strain.  Pour into serving glass drizzled with chocolate syrup for garnish.  Top off drink with a small dab of whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.  Cheers!

We dressed this drink up with some whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.  We drizzled the inside of the our martini glass with some chocolate syrup to accessorize the drink.  We first mentioned this garnishing technique back in the post  Who Needs Half-Price Shakes After 8?

Do you know how to correctly shake a drink? Rhonda used to shake drinks vertically until Craig pointed out that the correct way to shake a drink is to make sure that the shaker is horizontal to the ground.  Who knew?  It does make sense, though.  The ingredients mix better when the shaker is turned on its side.  So let us see you shake, shake, shake!

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The Golden Pumpkin Spice Martini is the perfect fall drink.  Can’t you see your Thanksgiving guests sipping on this prior to their Thanksgiving Meal?  It is not too heavy and it is not too sweet.  It is a great drink for sitting around a fire with cozy blankets on a cool fall evening.  Let us know if you try it out.  We’d love to hear from you.

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Happy Halloween!  Stay safe and have fun.

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DISCLAIMER: THE BEVERAGES ON THIS SITE ARE MEANT FOR ADULTS 21 YEARS AND OLDER.  WE DO NOT SUPPORT OR ENCOURAGE UNDERAGE DRINKING.  ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY AND NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE.

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Salted Whiskey Caramel Corn

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This week we have a perfect treat for fall harvest parties or just watching October baseball on TV.  It is a delightful mix of sweet, salty and a twist of rye whiskey.  Our distinguished team of teenage boys taste testers gave this treat two thumbs up.  This truly is some of the best caramel corn that we’ve ever tried.  We knew that it was going to be tasty, but we were pleasantly surprised just how tasty it is.  We aren’t sure if it is the Kerrygold butter, the twist of rye whiskey, the roasted pecans or the sea salt.  Try it and you decide!

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We originally found this recipe on www.kerrygoldusa.com.   We tweaked a few of the ingredients a bit to fit our pantry and our tastes.  As usual, this recipe is easy to make.  You can have this whipped up for trick-or-treaters in no time.

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Salted Whiskey Caramel Corn

  • 10 cups of unbuttered popped corn
  • 1 cup pecan halves
  • 3/4 cup of Kerrygold butter
  • 1 cup of lightly packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons Templeton Rye Whiskey
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

Pop popcorn.  We used 2 packages of microwave popcorn.  Place in a large bowl.  Sprinkle pecan halves over the top.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray and set aside.

In a 3 quart heavy bottomed sauce pan, melt the butter over medium to medium-high heat.

Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and sea salt.  Stir until it starts to boil.

Boil for 4-5 minutes without stirring.  Make sure not to cook the caramel too long or it will burn.

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Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract, whiskey and baking soda.  The mixture will bubble.  Stir until smooth, then quickly pour over pecans and popcorn.  Toss the popcorn and pecans to coat evenly, then spread half in an even layer in one prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the other.

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Bake for about 30-45 minutes, or until it has reached desired dryness.  Every 15 minutes, rotate pans and toss the popcorn a bit, breaking up any big pieces.

Remove from oven and cool.  Break pieces apart and serve.  Yumm-O!

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Did you try out the Booberry Martini we posted last week?  Will you serve Salted Whiskey Caramel Corn to your ghosts and goblins?

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Booberry Martini

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This week’s post is all about Halloween and fun! If you are planning an adult Halloween party, then you need a great signature cocktail to serve to your ghouls and goblins.  We created the Booberry Martini. This martini is a sweet drink with a blueberry flavor.  If blueberries are not your favorite, you can substitute cranberry juice or pomegranate juice.  However, the blueberry pomegranate juice gives the beverage a nice dark purple tone which is perfect for Halloween.

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In our martini we are featuring Crystal Head Vodka. Crystal Head is not only the perfect vodka for Halloween because of the skull bottle, but it is also fitting because it is owned by Dan Aykroyd, former Ghostbuster!

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Our purple potion is created with simple ingredients. Use 1 1/2 parts vodka, 1 part blue curacao, 1 part pomegranate blueberry juice, 1 part pineapple juice, 1 part grenadine and  a splash of fresh lime juice.

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Pour all ingredients over ice into a shaker.  Shake for 30 seconds.  Strain and pour into serving glass. Top off with a splash of fresh lime juice.  The splash of lime juice helps to soften the sweetness of the fruit juices.  We made one batch with lime juice and one without.  We preferred the flavor of the lime juice batch.

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No Halloween party is complete without the perfect serving glasses.  We happened to own a few of these Crystal Head martini glasses, but I found some other festive serving glasses you can purchase through Spirit Halloween and Oriental Trading Company.

Booberry Martini

  • 2.5 ounces Crystal Head Vodka
  • 1 ounces Blue Curacao
  • 1 ounces Blueberry Pomegranate Juice
  • 1 ounces Grenadine
  • splash of fresh lime juice

Pour all ingredients over ice into a shaker.  Shake for 30 seconds.  Strain and pour into serving glass. Top off with a splash of fresh lime juice.

Serves 2

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Are you having friends over for Halloween?  Have you thought about a signature cocktail?

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DISCLAIMER: THE BEVERAGES ON THIS SITE ARE MEANT FOR ADULTS 21 YEARS AND OLDER.  WE DO NOT SUPPORT OR ENCOURAGE UNDERAGE DRINKING.  ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY AND NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE.

 

 

Tastes like Fall!

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Hello Friends!  Did you try the Cola and Whiskey Brisket recipe from last week?  We had great leftovers.  It made some mighty fine tasting brisket tacos for dinner on Monday night.  Remember, if you try our recipes and like them, we love to hear feedback.  Most importantly pin them on pinterest and share the ideas with family and friends.  Each week our Blind Pig following continues to grow and we appreciate all of you who clicked on the little “follow” button in the lower right hand corner of your screen to get our posts emailed to you each week!

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We shared with you weeks ago that we love Fall!  Here in Texas we are starting to wake to cool crisp temperatures and by the afternoon the weather is just right for sitting on our back deck or next to a fire in the chimenea with a smooth fall drink in hand.  The beverage we are sharing with you today tastes like fall.  That is the best way to describe it!  It is a sangria with hints of cinnamon and a smooth warm finish from Zaya Rum.  We loved our summer sangria recipe we shared with you, so we are excited to share a twist on a sangria recipe that is Fall in a wine glass.  What could be better?

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True to our motto, the ingredients are easy, tasty and fresh.  The fresh fruit of apples and pears with a hint of citrus orange compliments the rum and cinnamon nicely.  We used Diet Sprite in our sangria to cut down on calories and reduce the sweetness.  This recipe tends to be very sweet, so you may want to choose a white wine that is not too sweet for your sangria, such as a Chardonnay.

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Zaya Fall Sangria

  • 1 apple
  • 1 pear
  • 1 orange
  • cinnamon sticks
  • 1 bottle of white wine
  • 1/2 cup of  Zaya rum
  • 4 cups of lemon lime soda 

Slice fruit or cut into chunks.  Place in tall pitcher with 3-4 cinnamon sticks.  Pour bottle of wine in pitcher.  Add 1/2 cup of rum. Stir.  Place in refrigerator to chill for 4-5 hours.  Prior to serving, add 4 cups of lemon lime soda.  Stir, serve and enjoy.

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Once you take the first sip, you will feel like you are curled up next to a toasty fire in your favorite blanket enjoying the scent of Fall.  What are your Fall favs?

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DISCLAIMER: THE BEVERAGES ON THIS SITE ARE MEANT FOR ADULTS 21 YEARS AND OLDER.  WE DO NOT SUPPORT OR ENCOURAGE UNDERAGE DRINKING.  ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY AND NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE.

 

 

 

Cola and Whiskey Brisket

This week we are sharing a yummy new recipe that Rhonda found in Southern Living October 2017 issue.  As usual we tweaked it a little bit, but we think that you will really want to try out this easy delicious brisket recipe.  This recipe is so good, that it just might make it into our regular rotation.  Yes…. that good!

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To begin you will want to preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  Sprinkle both sides of brisket with salt and pepper.  We rubbed it into the meat to help tenderize a bit.  Heat oil in a dutch oven or roasting pan, and brown both sides of the brisket.  Remove brisket from dutch oven and transfer to a plate.

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Stir together the ketchup, cola, chicken broth, onion soup mix, and herbes de Provence in a large bowl.  The recipe calls for balsamic vinegar ketchup.  We could not find this at our local Kroger, so we chose to cut down on ketchup by about 1/4 cup and add in a 1/4 of balsamic vinegar instead. Pour this mixture into the dutch oven and add the browned brisket to the pan.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cover with foil and follow with a tight lid.  Place dutch oven in preheated oven.

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Bake 2 hours, and enjoy the delightful aroma that wafts through your house.  Several times during the day our teen boys asked what we were having for dinner because it smelled so good.

Turn brisket over.  Tuck carrots along the sides and sprinkle onions across top.  Replace foil and lid and continue baking for about an hour.

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Transfer brisket and carrots to a serving platter.

Simmer gravy over medium until heated through.  Stir in Templeton Rye Whiskey and sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.

Slice brisket and spoon gravy over hot brisket and vegetables.  Sprinkle with thyme.  Serve remaining gravy in serving dish on table.

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We served our brisket with mashed potatoes a side salad and some sliced artisan bread.  The gravy was delicious over the potatoes and carrots.

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We received two thumbs up from our boys for this recipe, and they are not always an easy sell.

Cola Whiskey Brisket

  • 1 (4 1/2 – 5 pound) first cut (flat) beef brisket at room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp. plus 1/4 tsp kosher salt divided
  • 1 1/2 tsp. plus 1/4 tsp. black pepper divided
  • 1 (14 ounce) bottle balsamic vinegar ketchup
  • 1 (12 ounce) bottle cane sweetened cola
  • 1 1/2 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 envelope dry onion soup and dip mix
  • 1 Tbsp. herbes de Provence
  • 6 medium carrots halved and cut into 4-inch lengths
  • 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. whiskey
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
  1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Sprinkle both sides of brisket with 1 tablespoon of the salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high.  Add brisket, and cook until deeply browned, 5 to 6 minutes on each side.  Transfer brisket to a plate.
  2. Stir together balsamic vinegar ketchup, chicken broth, onion soup mix, and herbes de Provence in a large bowl.  Pour slowly into Dutch oven, and stir and scrape to loosen browned bits from bottom of Dutch oven.  Return brisket and any juices to Dutch oven.  Bring to a boil over medium-high, and cover with foil followed by a tight-fitting lid.  Transfer Dutch oven to preheated oven.
  3. Bake 2 hours.  Turn brisket over.  Tuck in carrots and sprinkle onion into liquid around the edge of brisket.  Replace foil and lid, and continue baking until brisket is fork tender, about 1 hour.
  4. Transfer brisket and carrots to serving platter.  Simmer gravy over medium heat.  Stir in whiskey and sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.
  5. Slice brisket.  Spoon some of the hot gravy over brisket and vegetables, and sprinkle with thyme.  Serve remaining gravy in serving dish on table.

We have more great fall recipes to share with you in the upcoming weeks.  We hope that you are enjoying the cooler temperatures.  We are!

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