One Piggy, Two Piggy, Three!

We are headed off to Colorado for the weekend to visit with family and enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery. Instead of sharing a new recipe with you this week, we wanted to tell you about our new rating system for our recipes on the blog.

Through the four years that we have embarked on this Blind Pig Blog journey, we have collected and developed a large cache of recipes.  Sometimes it can be quite overwhelming to scroll through the list and find exactly what may fit your needs at the time. (We get it.)  Last year we split the recipes into the various categories of: I Can Fix a Drink, Oh Sweet StuffYes Please, Recipes and I Knead It.  We hope that was helpful when you were perusing our site.  Now we are going one snout further by adding in our personal rating system. 

To help our readers find the best Blind Pig Blog recipes in a crunch, we devised a rating system for our curated recipes.  Although we think all of our recipes are pretty great, we acknowledge that some far surpass others.  Our system is based on ease of the recipe, taste and crowd pleasing appeal.

No rating is a recipe that we endorse, but does not stand out.

🐷 = noteworthy recipe

🐷🐷 = Blind Pig favorite

🐷🐷🐷 = Pig out on this recipe

We hope that you enjoy using our new system.  We would love to have your input, as well.  Think we underestimated a recipe? Let us know.  A recipe makes it into your entertaining rotation?  We’d love to hear about it. Check out our recipe pages and see if you agree with our rating system.

 

 

Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

Did you know that cobblers are truly an All-American dessert?  Cobbler originated in the American colonies because the colonists did not have the means to create traditional suet puddings due to lack of suitable ingredients and cooking equipment.  Thus they started making dessert with a fruit based mix with dumplings, biscuits and dough on the top.

We love several different cobblers for the summer months with fresh berries and fruit.  Yummy!  This week we have combined a few of our favorites – peaches, blueberries, an  easy dump cake recipe, and a little bit of rum to create our Peach and Blueberry Cobbler.

To make the Peach and Blueberry Cobbler you will need fresh or frozen peaches (we used frozen), fresh blueberries, light brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, ground cinnamon, a box of yellow cake mix, butter and a little bit of dark rum.

First mix together the brown sugar, corn starch lemon juice, cinnamon and rum.  Add in the peaches and blueberries and coat well.  Pour peach mixture into a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking dish.  Sprinkle the cake mix over the peaches.  Slice butter slices over the top of the cake mix. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes.  Cool before serving.  Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream melting over the top.

This recipe can be made with fresh, frozen or canned peaches.  We prefer fresh or frozen.  Canned peaches are a little too mushy for us.  If you use frozen peaches, you will want to have the peaches thawed before using them in the recipe.

Because you can throw the ingredients together with little or no prep, this recipe is easy and great for last minute entertaining.  It also makes for a great on-the-go recipe.  You can make it at a vacation home or lake house with few ingredients and utensils.  It also travels well if you want to treat a hostess with a homemade dessert.

If you are viewing this post via email, visit us at www.theblindpig.blog for a complete recipe for Peach and Blueberry Cobbler.

Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to the top of a serving of this warm cobbler, and you have an orchestra of flavors in your hand. This delicious dessert is a treat for all ages.

Try out this dessert for your next gathering and let us know what you think.  For our other cobbler recipe you can check out our Banana Bourbon Cobbler.

 

Yummy Cake Batter Rum Ice Cream Bars

July is national ice cream month. It is fitting that we pay tribute to this delicious, cool treat for a whole month in the summer.  A standing ovation goes out to the original inventor of ice cream.  Some sources give the Chinese credit for inventing our favorite dessert.  Other sources say it was the Romans.  Then there is the debate over who first invented the ice cream cone.  We are partial to the story that it was invented at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.  Whoever the OG of ice cream is, let’s slow clap it out for making the world a truly better place and touching so many people’s lives!

We came across this interesting recipe for Cake Batter Ice Cream Bars.  We adapted the recipe and Blind Pigged it up a bit.  We thought it was delicious and it is extremely easy.  It takes only minutes to mix the batter and do the prep. Then you put it in the freezer and let the cold air do its magic.

To make the ice cream bars you will need the following ingredients: one box Funfetti cake mix, milk (We used skim.), whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, rum and ice cream bar molds.

First whip the cream until stiff peaks form.  Whisk together cake mix and milk until smooth.  Add the whipping cream and continue to whisk lightly.  Add rum and mix through.  Divide the mixture into the ice cream bar molds and place in the freezer for six hours or more.

We only had 6 popsicle molds, but we had extra batter.  We poured the batter into cupcake liners in a cupcake pan.  This accidental hack worked really well.  It created fun little ice cream cups that we could snack on easily.

When serving let the bars sit for a few minutes before removing from molds.  It helps to run the molds under luke warm water for a few minutes to start the melting process. Sprinkle the bars with some more sprinkles and enjoy.

The combo of cake batter flavor, sprinkles and the slight flavor of rum makes a delicious combination for the yummy summer treat.

If you are viewing this post via email, visit us at www.theblindpig.blog for a complete recipe for Cake Batter Rum Ice Cream Bars.

 

4th of July and Strawberry Raspberry Pie

Happy Fourth of July, friends!  We hope that you are spending your Fourth with family and friends toasting freedom!  We have a little dessert that we are sharing with you that is not only great for the 4th of July, but an anytime summer dessert.

Strawberry Raspberry Pie is a delicious and easy summer pie that will be the talk of the neighborhood potluck.  It is a made from a basic recipe that includes prepared pie crust, a simple gelatin filling. fresh fruit and Chambord Raspberry Liqueur.  This recipe has minimal steps and won’t have you spending needless time in the kitchen.

Pies made with fresh fruits and berries are light and refreshing during the summer months.  The addition of the raspberry liqueur adds a delicious raspberry flavor with a velvety rich texture to the gelatin filling.

First bake the pie crust according to package directions and cool completely.  Slice fresh strawberries and add to the cooled crust.  We have made this recipe several times.  Most of the time we only add strawberries, but to make the pie look more patriotic, we added in some blue berries this time. Cook the gelatin base in a small saucepan and add to the berries and crust.  Refrigerate for 2–3 hours.  Top with whipped cream or cool whip, and enjoy!

If you are viewing this post via email, visit us at http://www.theblindpig.blog for a complete recipe for Strawberry Raspberry Pie.

This pie is delicious and looks spectacular!  Give it a try at your next summer gathering.  We know it will be a hit!