Flower Power Part 3: Hibiscus Margarita

August 29, 2020 / theblindpig11 / 1 Comment

This past week has been a little tough on both of us. We took Blind Piglet #2 to college last week. Although he is a very independent and capable piglet, it was hard to leave him in a different city and state to make the trek back home to Texas. To add insult to injury, his birthday was yesterday. We celebrated before he left town, but there is always a strange empty hole in a parent’s core when you realize that you might not be the first one to wish your child happy birthday each year … anymore. Did any of his new friends at school realized his birthday came and went?

As life moves on, so do the seasons and we are nearing the end of summer and transitioning to fall. As one of our last homages to summer we conclude our special Flower Power Series this week with the Hibiscus Margarita.

We made this most excellent drink for our going away party for Blind Piglet #2 as we ate our Torchy’s Tacos and queso. The crowd loved the margs and we think you will too.

Good margaritas are so easy to make with fresh ingredients. We don’t want to know if you use a margarita mix. It will hurt our hearts! To make the Hibiscus Margarita you will need hibiscus syrup that we made in our Hibiscus Spritz post. (We have been using the same batch for our hibiscus beverages all summer. We just keep it in a plastic sealed container in the fridge.) Other ingredients include tequila, fresh lime juice, cocktail ready agave nectar and orange liqueur.

This recipe is a large batch recipe so it was perfect for mixing up early. It was ready to serve once guests arrived. We made a double batch of our recipe for a group of 6 adults.

If you are viewing this post via email, visit us as www.theblindpig.blog for a full printable recipe of Hibiscus Margarita.

The Hibiscus Margarita has a glorious color and creates a festive mood when served with Mexican food. It is easy to garnish and has a delicious fruity flavor.

This wraps up our Flower Power series for the summer of 2020. Here is a quick look back at the other hibiscus drinks we featured this season.

Hibiscus Spritz

Hibiscus Mule

We hope your summer is winding down with some fun in the sun and great cocktails… even if you are missing someone a little!

Beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older. We do not condone underage drinking. Please, drink responsibly.

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Caffe’ Toffee Ice Cream

August 22, 2020 / theblindpig11 / Leave a comment

We know what you are thinking. You saw the title of this post and thought, “Enough with the ice cream!” We know. We know. We just couldn’t help ourselves. The base ice cream recipe that we used for Boozy Berry Ice Cream was so delicious and turned out so well, that we just had to try it with another flavor. Can we just tell you that once again this ice cream did not disappoint! Is “Ice Cream Connoisseur” an official job title? And if it is where do we apply?

This ice cream delicioso is made from the same base that we used a few weeks ago. However, this time after mixing the base, we added one quarter cup of Caffe’ Borghetti Espresso Liqueur (We know but it’s so versatile!!!) and a half cup of Heath Bits. Mix those well into the ice cream base after you have frozen the base in your ice cream freezer. Place in plastic container in the freezer and 2-3 hours later get ready to enjoy!

If you are viewing this post via email, visit us at www.theblindpig.blog for a complete recipe for Caffe’ Toffee Ice Cream.

The hint of coffee flavor mixed with the bits of toffee surprise make an excellent pairing for this creamy ice cream. If you try it out, we would love to hear what you think!

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Flower Power Part 2: Hibiscus Mule

August 16, 2020 / theblindpig11 / 1 Comment

We hope you are soaking in your last days of summer. Blind Piglet #3 went back to school this week for his final year of high school, and we take Piglet #2 to college in Kansas City this week. Since we are still basking in the rays of summer, we thought it was appropriate to share Flower Power Part 2 with you!

You may remember a few weeks ago when we shared the Hibiscus Spritz on The Blind Pig. We talked about our hunt for hibiscus blooms and how to create hibiscus concentrate. We have another great hibiscus drink this week. If you are a mule fan you will be delighted to try the Hibiscus Mule!

Like all mules, ginger beer and vodka are the base components of this delightful recipe, and, of course, we added in hibiscus concentrate to give it some flower power. However, we would like to introduce you to the new kid on the block, Carpano Botanic Bitter. This new kid has been in the Fratelli Branca vault for awhile, but was just recently released for consumption in the the United States. How can it not be a great fit for Flower Power Part 2 with the word Botanic in its name? We’ve had some Carpano Botanic Bitter in our household for several weeks, but had to keep our lips sealed until if officially hit the shelves. If you live near a Total Wine, you are in luck! Don’t be afraid to ask your favorite liquor store for it. Managers are often willing to bring in products that their customers are looking for.

So how do you make this delicious cocktail? Fill a mug with ice. Add vodka, hibiscus flower concentrate and Carpano Botanic Bitter. Top off with chilled ginger beer and stir. Garnish with your favorite berries. It is so easy, tasty and fresh!

If you are viewing this post via email, visit us at www.theblindpig.blog for a full recipe for the Hibiscus Mule.

So what do you think? Are you going to stir up a Hibiscus Mule and soak in some sun this weekend? We think that’s an excellent idea.

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Boozy Berry Ice Cream

August 8, 2020August 8, 2020 / theblindpig11 / 1 Comment

We love our little blog. It pushes us to be creative and look for new ideas and recipes. Just like when you read a terrific book or see a riveting movie, you can’t wait to talk to someone else about it, we can’t wait to share our latest and greatest discoveries with you each week. After more than four years of writing our blog, we still occasionally come across an idea or a recipe that exceeds our expectations. This week is one of those posts. Boozy Berry Ice Cream was a little experiment that we thought we would try out — we weren’t sure if it was exactly blog material. This funny little meme expresses how surprised we were after tasting Boozy Berry Ice Cream. Hopefully you like this week’s recipe as much as we did.

We (Rhonda) found the base recipe for our ice cream from an old post from Southern Living that Rhonda saved from 2013. Although this recipe requires you to use an ice cream freezer, it is quite simple to follow and is worth the effort. This is a delicious ice cream recipe for any flavor you would like to enjoy. It is made from cream cheese, half and half, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla and salt. The flavor of our ice cream was inspired by our favorite Tequila Strawberry Lime Ice Cream Pie. For the added flavor we used tequila, fresh strawberries, fresh basil, strawberry preserves, and crushed pretzels.

First make the base of the ice cream and process the ingredients in a blender. Cover and chill the base for at least 2 hours. Next you will pour the mixture into your ice cream freezer. (We had not pulled ours down from the highest shelf in the garage for over three years…) Freeze the ice cream according to the directions that came with your ice cream freezer. While the freezer is freezing the ice cream, prepare the other ingredients. Stir together tequila, chopped fresh strawberries, strawberry preserves and fresh basil. Next crush the pretzels. When the ice cream freezer stops, remove the ice cream and stir in strawberry mixture and pretzels making sure to mix well. Place in a tightly covered plastic container in the freezer for at least 1 hour.

If you are viewing this post via email, visit us at www.theblindpig.blog for a printable recipe of Boozy Berry Ice Cream.

Rhonda knew this was going to be good as soon as she licked the paddle from the ice cream freezer. The creamy, rich flavor of the ice cream is a delicious base for any flavor…look for other flavors coming your way soon!

Do you have an ice cream freezer? Give this recipe a try this weekend. You will be glad that you did.

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Treat Yourself with Mint Brownie Ice Cream Dessert

August 1, 2020 / theblindpig11 / Leave a comment

This week you are in for a real treat with Mint Brownie Ice Cream Dessert. This cool treat combines many of our favs, such as chocolate, mint, and ice cream. However, we must be honest with you that this dessert had to overcome several obstacles in order to be shared on The Blind Pig Blog. For starters, Craig and Blind Piglet #1 ate a portion of the Andes Mints before they made it to the top of the dessert as a garnish. (You may notice that the mints sprinkled on top are a little sparse.) Then there was the problem of the quickly disappearing dessert. Rhonda wasn’t sure if the dessert was evaporating in the freezer or if a band of gypsies had visited The Blind Pig Household and eaten the dessert over night. We’ve been through a lot to bring you this recipe, but we shall overcome! 😉

To make this amazing disappearing dessert you will need a brownie mix, 1 package of Andes mints, vanilla ice cream and Brancamenta liqueur. First mix the brownie mix as directed on the package, and add the Brancamenta into the batter. Then sprinkle chopped Andes mints into the batter and mix well. Next pour the brownie batter into a greased spring form pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes. Make sure to check the center of the brownie with a wooden skewer to check that the brownie is done, before removing from the oven. Let the brownie cool completely.

Remove ice cream from the freezer and soften for about 20 minutes. Spoon ice cream over brownie and spread evenly. Sprinkle with remaining chopped mints for garnish. Place in the freezer for about 3 hours or until firm.

When ready to serve, let dessert stand at room temperature for a few minutes. Remove sides of spring form pan. Cut into slices and serve. Don’t blink, because this dessert will be gone before you know it!

If you are viewing this post via email, join us at www.theblindpig.blog for a full printable recipe of Mint Brownie Ice Cream Dessert.

The Blind Pig Household loved this dessert! They even placed Mint Brownie Ice Cream Dessert as a very close second to the Caffe’ Borghetti Peanut Butter Ice Cream Fudge Pie, which is an enviable compliment to be bestowed on any dessert. As we were enjoying this dessert, we thought of many delicious variations that can be made with this recipe. Want a chocolate caramel dessert? Add a layer of caramel syrup between the brownie and ice cream layer. You could add a layer of fudge topping or sprinkles on top. Change the ice cream flavor for a fun variation. Don’t be surprised if you see a version of this recipe on The Blind Pig Blog again.