Saturday in the Park

March 10, 2019 / theblindpig11 / Leave a comment

It’s Spring Break here at The Blind Pig household. We definitely have Spring Fever, and we are looking forward to a much needed break. To kick back and relax this week we have an easy, tasty, fresh cocktail to share with you that is as effortless as a Saturday in the Park. It is light, refreshing, and the perfect cocktail for a little day drinking on the porch or patio.

To make this refreshing cocktail you will need a few fresh ingredients: fresh squeezed lemon juice, cucumber, strawberries, and basil. You will also need some rye whiskey, simple syrup, and some diet ginger ale.

To start, muddle a slice of cucumber, a strawberry, and a basil leaf in the bottom of a shaker.

Pour in simple syrup, rye whiskey and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Add ice and shake for 15 seconds.

Prep a tall thin glass with ice and lemon peel. Double strain cocktail into serving glass. Top off with diet ginger ale. (We like to use diet ginger ale to cut down on the calories, and to prevent the drink from tasting too sweet.) Garnish with strawberry and cucumber and pretty paper straw.

Upon taking your first sip, you will notice the initial sweetness of the rye whiskey with the basil and strawberry. The drink finishes off with a delicious refreshing surprise of the cucumber. It is like drinking spring from a glass.

If you are viewing this post via email, visit us at http://www.theblindpig.blog for a full printable recipe of Saturday in the Park.

Sip this drink on a Saturday or on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we don’t care. However, do tell us if you tried it and liked it! Special thanks to our friend Dawnette for the beautiful flowers we used as the backdrop and for tasting with us. Special thanks to Blind Piglet #2 who helped with some of the photography for this post.

Diclaimer: 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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Christmas Morning Bread

December 16, 2018December 29, 2018 / theblindpig11 / 1 Comment

One of the best things about Christmas is jumping out of bed early in the morning in anticipation of unwrapping presents under the tree. Since our family usually has a big meal planned for Christmas, we don’t tend to eat a huge breakfast. If you have guests staying with you, it’s nice to put your best foot forward at breakfast — especially on Christmas morning. We are sharing an easy, tasty and fresh recipe with you that will delight all of the members of your family on that joyous holiday morning. Your house guests will think that you went all out just for them. You can smile graciously. No need to tell them how easy this delectable breakfast was to make.

This recipe was a combination of a few recipes that we had found over the years. One recipe was from Taste of Home December 2017 issue and the other was from Southern Living December 2009, and then we added in a little twist of our own. This great recipe can be prepped a day ahead and baked fresh in the morning or warmed in the oven. To make Christmas Morning Bread you will need, sugar, cinnamon, frozen bread roll dough, Kerrygold butter, chopped pecans, brown sugar, Templeton Rye whiskey and semisweet baking chocolate bar.

First we started to thaw out our frozen rolls. They were not completely thawed by the time we started to work with the dough, but we think it helped to have the dough slightly thawed. You can make your bread from scratch like Grandma Ruth likes to do, but we opted for the frozen dough which was easier.

Next we combined the sugar and cinnamon. We melted our Kerrygold butter in the microwave. We sprinkled a few of our chopped pecans in the bottom of a sprayed bunt pan. Next we made our whiskey caramel sauce. We placed brown sugar, butter, and whiskey in a small saucepan; brought it to a boil; cooked and stirred for 3 minutes. Then removed from heat to cool.

After about 5 minutes, we poured about 1/3 of caramel in the bottom of the bundt pan with the pecans. This gave the top of our bread a nice sweet glaze.

We prepped our area by having the rolls handy, along with the butter, sugar cinnamon mixture and bundt pan. Next we took a roll. Dipped it in the butter, and then rolled the top 1/2 of the roll in the sugar-cinnamon mixture. We placed the roll in the bottom of the pan. We continued until we had a fairly even layer of rolls on the bottom of the pan. We drizzled caramel mixture and pecans over the first layer of rolls. Then we continued layering the rolls and adding pecans and caramel drizzle over each layer until we had 3-4 layers. Our package of rolls was 3 lbs. We thought, “What the heck. The more the merrier, right?” Wrong. It was too much dough and our rolls overflowed in the oven. Stop at about 2 pounds of dough. (wink)

Next we covered with plastic wrap and placed in a warm toasty spot in our kitchen to rise for about 45 minutes. If you want to bake these Christmas morning, you can cover and chill them in the fridge. We would suggest taking them out and letting them rise slightly before placing in the oven.

When you are ready to bake, place them in an oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees. Make sure to place a baking sheet covered in foil on the bottom oven rack. (Believe us, you do not want to skip this part. We saved ourselves from cleaning up a huge mess by doing this!) Bake bread for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes, and then invert on a serving plate.

To make the chocolate whiskey glaze you will need to melt the chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl. We melted ours in small bursts of 30 seconds, so we didn’t over cook. When chocolate is melted, stir in 1/4 cup of whiskey and stir until smooth. Drizzle the chocolate whiskey glaze over the top of the bread.

If you are viewing this post in your email, visit us at http://www.theblindpig.blog for a full printable recipe of Christmas Morning Bread.

When we made our bread in our test kitchen, it did not last long. Blind Piglets #2 and #3 and their friends finished it off pretty quickly. We had a few left overs for the next day, and we think it tasted better on day 2.

Are you going to treat your family Christmas morning? Do you need to impress your mother-in-law? Whether you are staying in or headed out, Christmas Morning Bread will be sure to become one of your family’s holiday favs. Let us know if you try it out. We love hearing what you think!

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Need to Get Away? Part 2

September 22, 2018 / theblindpig11 / Leave a comment

Last week we told you about our trip to Northern California. We shared information with you about Stinson Beach and Muir Woods. This week we are going to tell you about what we encountered as we traveled further up the coast.

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At first Rhonda was a little freaked out that there was not a Target nearby, but within a day we had settled into the quietness of the little beach town of Stinson. As we mentioned last week we spent some time walking the beach. If you follow us on Instagram you saw lots of fun pics we took on our walks.

The third day we drove north up Highway 1. We weren’t quite sure where we were going, we just took some advice from friends and locals and set out on an adventure. The first little town we encountered was Point Reyes. Point Reyes is a cute little town with an adorable farmers’ market. Their claim to fame? Apparently Prince Charles and Camilla Bowles visited the farmers’ market years ago for an organic farming festival. They are quite proud of their prestigious visitors and have photos of them displayed in various shops and in the center of the town.

After leaving the farmers’ market, we stopped at Point Reyes’ Vineyards. This vineyard is not like the picturesque vineyards in Napa and Sonoma. In fact it is next to an organic dairy farm. However, the ladies helping us in the tasting room were knowledgeable, friendly, and fun. We enjoyed spending time talking with them and tasting their outstanding wine. They gave us excellent recommendations on where to have lunch. We stopped at the vineyard to satisfy our curiosity and left with two bottles of wine — a sparkling and a dessert wine. If you are in the area and you like wine, this is a must!

We traveled further north in search of some restaurants that were on the coast and known for their great oysters. First stop was Hog Island. Apparently you don’t really go to the island, but you can see it from the restaurant. If you go, you need to have reservations — which we did not. We could have waited for 20 minutes to stand at a bar with a lot of other people and eat our oysters. We chose to head down the road to the next establishment.

That is when we came upon Nick’s. Nick’s was recommended to us by our friends at Point Reyes’ Vineyard, and a fine recommendation it was. This cute little restaurant had an area to eat inside with a minimal wait. You could also eat outside on the dock or down in the boat house. The boat house was a great place to sit and have a cocktail and feel the breeze come in off the bay. The boat house had a old piano and a few tables for a relaxed dining experience. The ambiance at Nick’s was great, but the food was terrific. By the point that we arrived at Nick’s and got seated at a table, we were a hungry crew. We probably ordered one of everything off the menu. Rhonda had the Bar-B-Que oysters– which were a hit. Craig had the fish tacos and ceviche. We had a few Templeton Rye cocktails and left with full bellies. We highly recommend Nick’s if you are in the area. Relaxed, fun, and friendly.

The next day we headed into San Francisco to spend some time with our friend Mike. It was a very laid back relaxing trip away from the hustle and bustle — not touristy at all.

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If you go, here are some things to know. Pack layers of clothing. The mornings were a little brisk, but by the afternoons the sun was out and the air warmed up. No wonder people love to live in California — the weather is incredible compared to hot Texas weather.

Stinson Beach has lots of great beach houses to rent through VRBO or AirBnB. We stayed in a house that was on the beach side. We were not right on the beach, but within a two minute walk. There are also houses on the lagoon side which looked very peaceful.

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Stinson Beach has only a small grocery store and may not carry everything you need. It was great for small incidentals, but if there are specific ingredients or brands you want, purchase your groceries before leaving the San Francisco Area.

Stinson Beach has a couple small restaurants which are crowded on Friday and Saturday nights. However, some of the small towns north of Stinson also have restaurants.

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The drive from San Francisco to Stinson Beach is on a two-lane windy road. Brace yourself if you have motion sickness. There is a route through the mountains and a route along the coast. Both have beautiful views, but if you are like Rhonda, ten minutes into the drive you are feeling so bad, you could care less about the view. Take precautions!

Have you traveled up the Northern California coast? If you have we’d love to hear about your experience.

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Pecan Whiskey Ice Cream

September 7, 2018September 5, 2018 / theblindpig11 / Leave a comment

pecan whiskey ice cream

We have a soft cold spot in our stomachs for ice cream. It is one of our family’s favorite treats and desserts. (Kerrygold Ice Cream, Cafe Bourghetti PBIF Pie, Choco Menta Shake, Mojito Ice Cream, Tequila Strawberry Lime Ice Cream Pie) For a final farewell to summer, we wanted to share with you a delectable grown-up dessert: Pecan Whiskey Ice Cream. When you see how easy this treat is to make, you will want to scream for more– ice cream that is!

To make this you need only a few simple ingredients — vanilla ice cream, toasted pecans, and Templeton Rye Whiskey. That’s it — only 3 things.

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First you will need to toast the pecans. We placed ours on a cookie sheet and placed the oven on broil. You need to leave the pecans in the oven for about 5 minutes. If they stay too long, they will burn.

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Stir together 1 quart of softened vanilla ice cream, toasted pecans and 1/4 cup of whiskey. Place back in the freezer until hardened or at least a couple of hours. Serve to friends. Yummo!

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If you are viewing this post in your email, you will want to visit us at www.theblindpig.blog to get a printable version of this recipe.

The rye whiskey has a sweet flavor that pairs nicely with the vanilla ice cream. This dessert goes down smooth. Will you make the world’s easiest dessert this weekend? Let us know if you do.

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Rye Rye Miss American Pie

August 6, 2018 / theblindpig11 / 1 Comment

caramel rye pie Hey friends, how was your weekend? We are behind on getting our post for this week published because our weekend was C-R-A-Z-Y busy! We had soccer games with Piglet #2 and a hockey party at our house for Piglet #3, plus all of the regular this and that we do on a weekend.

However, we are excited to share our new gem-of-a-dessert with you: Caramel Rye Pie. The deliciousness of salted caramel with a twist of rye whiskey makes this dessert your new “go-to” for guests. We had the pleasure of sharing this pie with the charming and beautiful Baxtley family as they joined us for dinner one evening. One word of warning, though – this pie is sweet and rich. ( Actually that is more than one word. Oops.)

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Prepare a Pillsbury pie crust according to package directions. Let the crust cool for an hour.

While the pie crust is baking and cooling, you can make the salted caramel sauce. Bring sugar and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cook the sugar and water without stirring until the mixture is a deep amber color. Be patient with this part it takes a little while.

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Remove from heat. This next part is a little tricky. You will want to use a long handled whisk, but even with that, the steam can still get you. Work cautiously. Gradually whisk cream into the caramel mixture until smooth. Next whisk the whiskey (Funny right? “Whisk the whiskey!”) and salt into the caramel. Let the sauce cool for a minimum of 30 minutes. It can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month. We had plenty left over and have been using it for ice cream sundaes!

Next prepare the filling. Whisk together egg yolks, cornstarch and 1/4 cup of half-and-half in a medium bowl.

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Stir together brown sugar, salt and remaining half-and-half in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and slowly whisk hot brown sugar mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat whisking constantly and making sure to reach all of the bottom of the pan. Boil whisking constantly for 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in butter pieces, whiskey and vanilla. Cool for 30 minutes.

The filling becomes very thick as it cools.

Spoon filling into cooled pie crust, and chill for at least 4 hours.

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About an hour before serving, prepare whipped cream topping. Spread whipped cream over the top of the pie. Real whipped cream is a treat, but can be difficult to work with. You can substitute whipped cream with Cool-Whip for the topping, and you may have a better result than we did.

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When ready to serve, drizzle caramel sauce over the top of the pie. Delish!

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If you are viewing this post in an email, you will need to visit our site to view and download the recipe.

Are you ready to try Caramel Rye Pie? Make sure to let us know if you do. We’d love to hear about it!

Enjoy your week. Can you believe that it is August already? Eeek!

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Bonus Post: Templeton Whiskey Cake

April 27, 2018 / theblindpig11 / 3 Comments

It is bonus post time! Since we missed posting an extra post in March, we are making up for it with a doubly delectable post in April — Templeton Whiskey Cake.

Rhonda originally found this recipe in the March 2017 Southern Living Magazine. After a few minor changes, it has become Templeton Whiskey Cake. This cake combines some interesting flavors of coffee, Templeton Rye Whiskey and bittersweet chocolate chips. Templeton Whiskey Cake takes a little more effort than our usual easy, tasty, fresh recipes, but it is well worth the extra time! If you are planning a celebration for someone special, we recommend you try out this recipe. Besides, it is chocolate, and you can’t go wrong with chocolate!

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You begin this cake by making the ganache first. It is important to note that the ganache needs 8 hours or overnight to sit at room temperature. Unfortunately, when we made this cake, we didn’t have the luxury of time. Our ganache could have used it.

Begin by preparing a chocolate-caramel ganache. Stir together chocolate chips, corn syrup, and Templeton Rye. Set aside.

Next stir together sugar, cold water, and cream of tartar in a large, heavy saucepan. Cook over medium, swirling pan until sugar dissolves and starts to change color. Increase heat to high and cook until mixture is a rich, golden caramel color, 4 to 5 minutes. At first we were a little skeptical, but after heat and stirring, the sugar mixture did turn in to caramel.

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After heating the caramel, you will blend the chocolate and caramel together. Then let the ganache sit.

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Next you will begin to prepare the cake. The addition of a cup and half of dark coffee gives this cake an amazing flavor and aroma. Yummy!

After mixing the remaining ingredients, you bake the cake for 20-25 minutes. Cool the cake completely.

Once cooled, place one layer of the cake on a serving plate and spread with a cup of ganache. Add the second layer of the cake and spread another cup of ganache on top, and cover sides. Top off the cake with fresh berries. Let stand at room temperature until ready to serve or place in the refrigerator overnight.

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This cake was a moist and delicious treat. The berries are an added bonus that compliments the rich chocolate ganache. We had some ganache leftover, so we saved it and drizzled it over fresh berries a week later. Yummo!

If you are reading this post through an email, click on the website to view the complete recipe.

What do you think about our Templeton Whiskey Cake? Give it a try, and let us know about it.

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Whiskey Bread Pudding

March 3, 2018March 4, 2018 / theblindpig11 / Leave a comment

All of the rain and cold weather that we had last week got us in the mood for some warm comfort food. Bread pudding has a homey feel and taste that makes us think of our grandmother. It’s a little bit like having a hug in a cup. We’ve adapted this recipe to put a little extra twist on this traditional winter dessert. We made a few adaptations to this basic bread pudding recipe that was originally found in the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. Whiskey Bread Pudding fits our blog criteria. It is easy. It is tasty. And because we added a few fresh ingredients, it is fresh.

To make this recipe you need dried bread. When we plan ahead of time, we save up the ends of our bread and let it dry out on the kitchen counter for a couple of days. If you don’t plan that far ahead, it’s okay. You can place bread cubes in a 300 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

In a mixing bowl beat together 4 eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, whiskey and vanilla. Place dry bread cubes in a round baking dish. Sprinkle dried cranberries over the bread.

Pour egg mixture over all. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool slightly. It’s that easy!

While cooling make the whiskey sauce. In a small saucepan melt margarine, butter, beaten egg yolk, water and whiskey. Cook and stir constantly over medium-low heat for 5-6 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and mixture boils. Remove from heat and stir in whiskey.

Scoop bread pudding into serving cups. Drizzle whiskey sauce over bread pudding and serve. Yes, please! This takes little effort and will delight your guests.

For a downloadable and printable version of our recipe. Visit our website.

We hope you try out our Whiskey Bread Pudding and let us know what you think. If you are new to our blog, thanks for stopping by. We hope you visit us again.

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Classic Boulevardier

February 3, 2018February 3, 2018 / theblindpig11 / 1 Comment

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.

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.

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!

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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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3 Hot Chocolates with a Twist

November 26, 2017 / theblindpig11 / 6 Comments

Hello friends, how was your Thanksgiving? Did you serve any of our delicious fall treats at your feast? Who tried the Templeton Pecan Pie? Did you serve the Zaya Banana Bread? What about the Pumpkin Martini?

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As soon as Thanksgiving is over we start to get into the Christmas spirit around here. We decorated the house with Christmas decorations, ordered our family Christmas cards, and started watching our holiday movie favorites. Hands down our family loves Elf with Will Ferrell. We can recite most of the lines from the movie. Do you know the four main food groups? Along with the other Christmas festivities, we also enjoy our favorite holiday beverages and foods. Although it was a balmy 70 degrees in Dallas today as we were hanging our holiday lights, we enjoyed some hot chocolate to get us in the holiday mood.

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This year we decided to kick things up a notch by trying some grown up hot chocolate. Lucky for you, in this post you will get 3 great ideas for the low price of 1. (We just had to partake in the Black Friday Hype!)

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We used a hot chocolate recipe from The Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for the base of our hot chocolate. However, there are many different recipes out there, and we are not against using Swiss Miss if you must!

Hot Chocolate

2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened or semisweet chocolate coarsely chopped or 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1/3 cup sugar
4 cups milk
Garnish: Whipped cream, marshmallows, mint leaves

In a medium saucepan combine chocolate, sugar and 1/2 cup of milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture just comes to boiling. Stir in remaining milk and heat through.

Remove from heat. Beat milk with a rotary beater until frothy. Serve hot in cups or mugs and garnish as desired.

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Our first try was Pumpkin Spice. We know what you are saying, “Thanksgiving is over. Give up on the Pumpkin Spice, Rhonda!” However, we think you will be pleasantly surprised with this one. Here is another twist. It incorporates Rye Whiskey! We were skeptical, until we tried it. This one ended up being Rhonda’s favorite. We topped it off with the Whiskey Whipped Cream from our pecan pie.

1.Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate

Make hot chocolate as desired. Add one ounce of Templeton Rye Whiskey. Add a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice on top.

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Kerrygold Irish Cream is a very versatile liqueur, and brings a taste of extra chocolate decadence to almost any dessert or beverage. Our Irish Hot Chocolate is easy. Just add an ounce of Kerrygold for some extra chocolate indulgence.

2. Irish Hot Chocolate

Make hot chocolate as desired. Add an ounce of Kerrygold Irish Cream. Top off with marshmallows.

Branca Menta is a liqueur that we have referenced in the past in our “Who Needs Half-Price Shakes after 8?” post. It has a smooth mint flavor that stands out in many recipes. It is perfect for any mint-lover, and gives a refreshing boost to our hot chocolate.

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3. Menta Hot Chocolate

Make hot chocolate as desired. Add an ounce of Branca Menta. Top off with marshmallows or whipped cream with a mint sprig for garnish.

3 great hot chocolate drinks for sipping around the fire and watching your holiday favs. Which one will you try first? We would love to hear about it.

theblindpig.blog

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.