Crockpot BBQ Chicken

crock pot BBQ chicken

This week we have received so much rain in Texas that we thought that we may need to consider building an ark.  Don’t get us wrong, we love rainy nights when the thunder is rolling in the distance.  We don’t even mind a few good cracks of lightning now and then.  We know that we will appreciate this rain during the middle of August when we don’t need to be on water restrictions, but we haven’t seen the sun in a week!

We have the perfect meal to bring you a taste of summer in the middle of winter — Crockpot BBQ Chicken. Rhonda found this recipe years ago in Southern Living Magazine.  It has been sitting in her recipe file for years, so we thought we’d give it a shot.  It turned out to be a pleasant surprise.  It is easy, tasty and fresh.  We bet it will become part of your usual rotation, because it is definitely going to become part of ours.

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First, stir together salt, paprika, garlic powder and pepper in a small bowl.

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Place the chicken in a single layer in your crockpot.  We had to layer ours a bit. Then sprinkle the pepper and salt mixture on the chicken.  We made sure to coat each piece with the mixture.

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Next, you will whisk together cola, ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and whiskey.  Make sure to pour this along the side of the crock pot, so you don’t remove the spices from the chicken.

Cover and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 6.5-7.5 hours.  Sit back and enjoy yourself, because all of the hard work is done.

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When you are ready to serve, transfer the chicken to a serving platter.  Pour pan juices over the chicken for extra flavor.

The chicken was so tender and juicy, it fell apart on our plate. Yummo.

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The recipe calls for using a whole chicken, but our family are chicken breast people.  This is a great recipe for making shredded BBQ chicken sandwiches the next day.  However, at The Blind Pig House, there were no leftovers. #teenageboys

Need a little taste of summer to brighten your winter blues? Try Crockpot BBQ Chicken and let us know what you think.  By the way, the sun just came out!  Have a great week.

Want the recipe?  Visit our site for a printable version of Crockpot BBQ Chicken.

Go for the Gold Medal Coffee

 

Have you been watching the Olympics?  We love the Olympics.  It is one of the few times that we can see so many different sports and events.  If you could compete in any two events, which would you choose? Craig would choose hockey and downhill skiing. Rhonda would choose figure skating and the half-pipe. As we have watched the coverage night after night, we asked ourselves, “What would be a great beverage to drink while watching the Winter Games?  And by the way, where is Bob Costas?”  While we cannot answer both questions, we do have a great answer for the first.  The  Winter Games drink that takes first place for Pyeongchang is Gold Medal Coffee!  The best part of this drink is that we have both a short program and a long program to offer.

The short program is a little twist on a traditional Irish Coffee. Telling you to drink an Irish coffee for the olympics didn’t really sit well with us, so we had to add a few degrees of difficulty.  Craig just recently discovered coffee. (Where has he been? We don’t know.)  He  has started to make himself a vanilla latte before work each morning. To flatter the new coffee lover in our household, we created Gold Medal Coffee.

How do you make it? It is so easy.  You need 2 ounces of Kerrygold Irish Cream.  Remember we have used Kerrygold in a variety of recipes like, our french toast, and our Kerrygold ice cream?  You need an ounce of Irish whiskey, and half of a cup of hot dark roast coffee.  Pour the Irish cream and the whiskey into a coffee cup, top off with the coffee and sprinkle a little cinnamon on top.  Once you take a sip of this delicious coffee, you will hear the Olympic theme song playing and feel as if you are on top of the podium. This is  an excellent after-dinner drink to offer to guests as an alternative to a heavy dessert, and it makes an award-winning brunch beverage, as well.

Now for the long program.  Prepare your coffee. Fill a tall glass with ice, and add 2 ounces of Kerrygold Irish Cream, 1 ounce of Irish whiskey, and 1/2 ounce of Frangelico liqueur.  Top off with coffee.  Add a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon for garnish. You nailed the landing. Yes!!!

Maximum points earned for execution and artistic interpretation!  You’ve earned the gold.

To download and print the recipes for these two golden beverages.  Visit our website.

We hope you enjoy Gold Medal Coffee this week while watching our American athletes go for the gold!  We would love to hear what you think.  And if you find out where Bob is, can you let Rhonda know?  She’s been worried that he has another eye infection!

Disclaimer:  Beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years and older.  We do not condone underage drinking, and never drink and drive.

 

Bonus Post: The Love Triangle

the love triangleHey friends, we are bringing you a bonus post this week. The idea of a bonus post was suggested by Rhonda’s friend, Melissa J.  Since there is so much going on — Olympics, Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras, we decided to try it out .

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In this post we are sharing a lovely drink that was invented by Rhonda.  Any similarities between this drink and others is purely coincidental.   Because we are releasing this drink idea so close to Valentine’s Day, we lovingly named it The Love Triangle.  We took advantage of garnishing it with heart shaped ice cubes.  However, this drink may not just be a weekend fling.  You may want to keep this sweetheart around for the whole year.

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The Love Triangle is made with a trio of main ingredients: vodka, pomegranate juice and diet ginger ale. (Thus “love triangle”…)  However, your heart won’t be pulled in three directions when you see how many calories are in this cocktail.  Only 88!  Yep, 88 little tiny calories.

So let’s get down to business.  How is this drink made?

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Pour one ounce of vodka, one ounce of pomegranate juice and juice from half of a lime in a rocks glass.  Add ice.  Top off with ginger ale and stir.

After one sweet sip of this drink, you will be torn.  Do you prefer the seductive taste of pomegranate?  Is it the bubbly ginger ale that has you giddy?  Or the smooth taste of the vodka that melts your heart?  You decide.

Do you want this recipe in a printable format?  Visit our website and click on the print button.

We hope you loved our bonus post for the month of February.  We appreciate any feedback you have, and our hearts go out to you even more if you  subscribe to our blog and follow us on pinterest and instagram.  Now go hug someone you love!

Espresso Your Love

Espresso Fudge

Make this delicious treat with Caffe’ Borghetti Espresso Liqueur.

Hello, Lovebugs! This week we are sharing an easy and delicious treat you can make for any of the honeys in your life.  This recipe combines two delicious chocolates and the taste of espresso coffee with the only espresso liqueur made from real espresso coffee beans.  We first shared our love of Caffe Borghetti with you when we made Caffe Borghetti PBIF Pie. The hint of espresso coffee intertwined with two kinds of chocolate will have you looking for love in all kinds of places.

We found this recipe on Pinterest from http://www.insidebrucrewlife.com.  Of course, we put our own Blind Pig twist on it.  We promise, if your sweet ones like fudge they are in for a treat!

Place a layer of wax paper or aluminum foil in a 9×9 inch pan.

Next, place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for bursts of 15-30 seconds.  Remove from the microwave and stir.  Return to microwave again for a short burst. Remove and stir. Continue until the chocolate chips are melted and smooth.

Place a container of chocolate frosting in the microwave for 1 minute.  Pour into chocolate chips and stir until smooth and creamy.  Add 2 ounces of Caffe’ Borghetti Espresso Liqueur to the chocolate mixture.  Pour mixture into 9×9 inch pan.

We let our chocolate bottom layer cool and rest for about 15 minutes before starting the next layer.

Melt white chocolate chips with the same process as you melted the chocolate chips.  Heat and add white frosting to the white chips. Stir until smooth.  Pour over the top of the chocolate layer.  Let fudge set until firm.  We placed ours in the refrigerator to solidify overnight.

Prior to serving, cut into squares or thin slices.  Store in a sealed container.

Yes, it really is that easy!!

We hope that your Valentine’s Day is the best yet!  Give your loved ones a hug and kiss for us.  If you are not subscribing to our blog, yet.  What are you waiting for?

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Classic Boulevardier

classic boulevardier

Hey friends.  For those of you who are new to our blog, welcome.  We are glad you stopped by.  To our loyal followers, we hope you have some Beer Brisket cooking in your crockpot for the big game on Sunday night.  This week we are going back to classic cocktails to give you two great ways to make a Boulevardier.

The word boulevardier, according to Webster’s Dictionary, refers to men who were worldly and socially active.  The first boulevardiers got their name from the thoroughfares they frequented: the boulevards of Paris.  Unlike many nicknames, “boulevardier” is generally a complimentary term. It is quite fitting that this term refers to men, because the boulevardier drink is usually a drink that appeals to men over women.  Craig loves Boulevardiers — Rhonda not so much.  They are very alcohol forward, but a great crowd pleaser for those who want a classic cocktail vibe.

Here’s how we make ours.  We made a large batch for a party that we hosted.  We started it two weeks prior to the party, so the flavors had plenty of time to blend and mature prior to serving.

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Templeton Rye, Carpano Antica Formula, and Campari are needed to make a Classic Boulevardier.

We used our infusion barrel.  Prior to using a barrel like this, make sure to fill it and soak it in water for a few hours.  You want the wood to expand and seal against itself.  Otherwise, you will have your drink leaking everywhere, and you don’t want that!

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We filled the barrel with 1 liter of Templeton Rye Whiskey.  Rye whiskey is a key ingredient in a Classic Boulevardier.  You don’t want any whiskey other than rye.  Next add 1 liter of Carpano Antica Formula.  We shared Carpano Antica with you back when we made our Sangria. Next add 750 milliliters of Campari, and finally add in about a teaspoon of Angostura bitters.

Most barrels do not have large openings, so make sure you have a funnel handy for pouring the liquor.  You can also use the funnel pour spouts like we have in the photos.  After two weeks, pour in a rocks glass and serve with a single large cube of ice. Sip slowly and enjoy.

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Classic Boulevardier

Want to try the drink, but don’t want to make a large batch?  We have the single serve recipe here.

Print Classic Boulevardier

Classic Boulevardier

  • 1 ounce Carpano Antica Formula
  • 1 ounce Templeton Rye Whiskey
  • 3/4  ounce of Campari
  • dash of Angostura Bitters

Stir and pour into a rocks glass.  Serve.

Thanks for stopping by our blog.  If you want to have our recipes and ideas come straight to your inbox, use the subscribe menu below.  Look for us on Pinterest and Instagram.  We hope you visit us next week, when we share something sweet and expressive for Valentine’s Day!

 

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.