Make it Through with a Quarantini

March 29, 2020 / theblindpig11 / Leave a comment

Well, friends, we think we have all decided that this is our new normal for awhile. Sheltering in place, social distancing, and working remotely. It has been an adjustment for sure. The Blind Pig Blog is not a platform for a political stand or a commentary on the social climate of our time, but food, fun, and friends have been interrupted. We hope that our blog has been a place that you have chosen to visit to try out some new cocktail, dessert and food recipes and to get away from the depressing news on the TV.

This new climate is the opportunity for everyone to explore or research a new hobby. The Blind Pig Gang tried out a new fun thing last night. If you follow Discover Puerto Rico on Instagram, each night at 6 pm CST they are live streaming demonstrations of the Puerto Rican culture. Friday night they had a salsa class — which Rhonda was disappointed that she missed. Saturday night they had a bartender demonstrating how to make a Pina Coloda and a Mojito. Tonight they have a chef creating yummy Puerto Rican Cuisine. If you are looking for something to do, drop by and watch.

We already shared with you that Craig has been the Skype Happy Hour King, and Rhonda had her first social distancing happy hour with friends on Friday. Our family has played a marathon game of Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit. Do what you need to do to make it through, friends! Which is why this week we are sharing a strong dose of Quarantini with you. This recipe is not new or fancy. It is the classic recipe for a strong martini, but desperate times call for… well you know!

A few basic ingredients is all that is needed for a Quarantini — premium gin, high quality dry vermouth, we use Carpano Dry Vermouth, and some orange bitters. We used olives to garnish our Quarantini, but you may want to use a lemon twist. If you are viewing this post via email, visit us at www.theblindpig.blog to find the recipe for the Quarantini.

Cheers to you friends, we will make it through this difficult time, and we will have parties in the street once again. Until then, stay safe, healthy and keep your piglets close!

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

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Oreo Menta Shake

March 20, 2020March 20, 2020 / theblindpig11 / 1 Comment

It has been a long week friends. Without a lot of good news, we thought that we would share a little pick me up. At the point that Rhonda is writing this post, Craig is having his second virtual happy hour of the week. How do you have a virtual virtual happy hour? Schedule a zoom meeting with your closest friends, grab a cocktail and happy hour it up! The Oreo Menta Shake would be a great concoction for a virtual happy hour.

In celebration of our Irish heritages and as a toast to St. Patrick’s Day this week, we thought that we would share a special adult shake with you with a little mint to savor. The Oreo Menta Shake is an easy adult shake to create, and tastes just as delicious as it looks! The Branca Menta adds just enough minty kick to this smooth, creamy concoction. It will have you feeling like you found the end of a rainbow.

Before we get started with how to make the Oreo Menta Shake, we would like to share a fun story with you. We are always interested in how various products get their start. We have used Fernet Branca Liqueuer in a few of our other recipes that we have shared with you on the blog. Fernet Branca, which has been around since 1845, is like the grandfather to Branca Menta. Branca Menta was created in the 1960s. Apparently a famous Italian Opera singer named Maria Callas was known to drink Fernet Branca along with a touch of mint syrup before each performance. The Branca family were huge fans of Maria Callas. They were very flattered that she drink their product, but were confused why she felt that she needed to “improve” on their creation. Inspired by her idea, the Branca family began to produce and sell both Fernet Branca and Branca Menta. So the next time you have a sip of Branca Menta, you can think about Maria Callas and her contribution to the liqueur family.

To make the Oreo Menta Shake, you need some mint chocolate chip ice cream (we prefer Blue Bell), some crushed Oreos and mini Oreos for garnish, milk and Branca Menta Liqueur.

Place the ingredients together in a blender and pulse until creamy and smooth. Pour into serving glasses and garnish with mini Oreos on cocktail skewer or toothpick. We gave our glasses a little extra flair by rimming the glasses in chocolate syrup and rimmed in crushed Oreos. You can sprinkle some crushed Oreos over the top of the shake for extra flavor and appeal.

If you are viewing this post via email and would like a full printable version of our recipe for Oreo Menta Shake, visit us at www.theblindpig.blog.

The Oreo Menta Shake makes a great dessert when hosting guests. This is definitely going to be on our summertime menu for gatherings at our house! What about you? Are you already making plans for sunny summer gatherings with friends?

Disclaimer: Beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older. We do not condone underage drinking. Drink responsibly.

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A Taste of Luck

March 13, 2020 / theblindpig11 / Leave a comment

Happy Friday the 13th everyone! St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, and it seems that we are all in need of a stroke of luck. In light of a much needed relief from the depressing news that surrounds us, let’s all focus on happier matters. This week we are sharing a delicious find — Irish Chocolate Cake with Irish Cream Frosting — Yummo! Let’s take a bite. Shall we?

We made Irish Chocolate Cake for our church small group dinner at our house a couple of weeks ago, and we got rave reviews! We originally found this recipe last year in the March Dallas Morning News. Sorry we did not have the original author of the recipe. However, like we usually do, we gave it a little Blind Pig twist. The three delicious layers of Guinness-enhanced chocolate cake alternated with Irish cream frosting is a tasty delight to anyone’s taste buds!

To start this recipe, you will combine Guinness beer and butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir cocoa powder into the mixture and whisk until smooth.

In a small bowl combine flour and baking soda. Set that bowl aside.

In a mixing bowl mix eggs, sugar, sour cream and vanilla extract. Alternate the flour mixture with the chocolate mixture into the mixing bowl until all ingredients are added and the mixture is smooth. Mix for an additional 3-4 minutes on medium speed.

Place the batter evenly into three cake pans, and bake the layers for 15-20 minutes. Check to make sure the cake springs back when touched before removing from the oven.

Cool cake layers completely.

The Irish Cream Frosting is made by mixing butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add Irish Cream and continue mixing until fluffy and light.

Once cake layers are cool, place one on a cake plate. Layer with icing. Add additional layers alternating with frosting. We purposefully did not attempt to cover the outer sides of the layers of cake to allow the layers to be viewed on the cake. You can shave some slivers of a chocolate bar for garnish on the cake. As with any cake that has cream cheese frosting, you will want to refrigerate the cake until you are ready to serve. The cake holds its shape and tastes better when it is a little chilled.

You may have noticed that we were absent for a couple of weeks at The Blind Pig Blog. Like many of you, we have been very busy with jobs and family. However, if you follow us on Facebook you saw that we made a Spring Break trip to NYC to visit Piglet #1. We took in the 911 Museum, the Vessel, and went to see Mean Girls!

Try out our Irish Chocolate Cake this weekend or next week for a little Irish luck! Let us know what you think. We’d love to hear about it!