We are Thankful…Fall Favorites

November 21, 2020 / theblindpig11 / Leave a comment

As the Thanksgiving holiday quickly approaches we have been reflecting on all that we are thankful for at The Blind Pig Blog. We are thankful for our family (all three of the piglets) and of course our extended families in Texas, Missouri and abroad. We are very thankful for our friends and health during this crazy year, and we are thankful to our faithful Blind Pig Blog Readers.

Writing a blog can be like calling into an abyss at times. You are never really sure if anyone is reading your posts and reacting to what you have to say. We appreciate those of you who have reached out to us through comments, likes and other means to let us know that you are “out there somewhere” reading and nodding your head.

Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays, because the focus is not on presents and gift giving (not that Rhonda doesn’t like a good gift– wink, wink). The focus is on family, spending time together and reflecting on all of our blessings this year. Of course, the food and beverages are a fun part of the holiday, too. Who doesn’t love the yummy food?

Like ours, your Thanksgiving may look a little different this year. There may be fewer people around the Thanksgiving table and you may not be spending the day with relatives that you only see a few precious times each year. However, you can still make this day special whether you have 2 or 10 at your feast. We thought that we would share some of our favorite posts from this year and years past to help you plan your Thanksgiving celebration.

To host the perfect Thanksgiving meal large or small, you need to offer some great cocktails. Here are a few that we hand selected for you.

Don’t have time to fix drinks for guests while you are checking on the turkey? No problem. Try one of our sangrias for a large batch cocktail that can be prepared before guests arrive.

Punt e Mes Sangria

Carpano Antica Sangria

Need something on the lighter side for a before or after dinner drink? We’ve got you covered with an Orange You Glad or an Apple Mule.

For those who like something a little more alcohol forward a Spiced Fall Manhattan or a Reverse Manhattan works before or after a big meal.

Every big meal needs to have a grand finale. Need some dessert ideas to make for the big day? Any of these would be a perfect ending to a delicious turkey meal.

Bourbon Pumpkin Dump Cake

Not Your Mama’s Apple Crisp

Templeton Pecan Pie

Ginger Crumble Apple Pie

There are always those who would rather drink their dessert, so try a Pumpkin Spice Martini. It will be a crowd pleaser.

It seems like this is a good year to keep some old traditions and mix in some new. Which Blind Pig Blog favorite is going to make it into your Thanksgiving spread this year?

Disclaimer: 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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Thanksgiving Toast – Orange Anejo Sour

November 22, 2019 / theblindpig11 / Leave a comment

The Blind Pig Family has had quite a week! We are headed out to soccer trip, to be followed by a hockey trip, and some other exciting adventures! We can’t wait to share the details with you next week. In the meantime, we wanted to let you know how grateful we are to all of our loyal readers and followers. Our Thanksgiving will be different this year as Blind Piglet #1 is staying in NYC and will be watching the Macy’s Day Parade from inside her office building. (It makes us tear up just to put that in writing.)

If you are new to our blog, thanks for stopping by, please share our pins and posts with family and friends. The more the merrier!

This week we are sharing a lovely cocktail for the perfect Thanksgiving toast — Orange Anejo Sour. The flavors in this drink are complex and interesting, but don’t worry, mixing it up for family and friends will be a snap!

Before we share the ingredient list with you, we want you to bear with us and give this cocktail a chance. Most of our cocktails we share have only 3-4 ingredients. This one has a few more than that, and it you do not frequent the cocktail bar scene, may seem a little unusual to you. To make the Orange Anejo Sour you will need sliced oranges, sugar, mint leaves, anejo tequila, fresh lime juice, orange liqueur, Carpano Antica Sweet vermouth, egg whites and blood orange San Pellegrino soda.

A few notes about these ingredients: first of all, yes, this drink has raw egg whites. If you cannot be exposed to raw eggs for health reasons, obviously this is not the cocktail for you. The same goes for any guests you may be serving. You want to use anejo tequila for this cocktail. Anejo tequila has been aged for 1-3 years in oak barrels. The flavors in anejo tequila are much richer with vanilla and floral undertones. Anejo has enough flavor that it is typically served neat for sipping. You will not have the same experience with this cocktail if you use blanco or reposado tequila. Carpano Antica sweet vermouth is a wine based product that we have shared with you in other posts, such as, Orange You Glad It’s Carpano? San Pellegrino is the only blood orange soda we could find at our local Kroger. There may be others, but our Kroger didn’t have them.

To begin, we are going to slightly broil orange slices. Place the thinly sliced orange slices on a cookie sheet with sugar sprinkled over the top. Broil for only a few minutes watching closely until the oranges are slightly browned and the sugar has glazed over the top of the orange.

Next place mint leaves in your shaker and muddle. Add tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, sweet vermouth, and an egg white from one egg. Shake vigorously until the sound from the shaker changes from a sloshly sound to a thicker sound. Open the shaker and add ice. Shake for about 15 more seconds. Pour into a coup or martini glass. There will be a froth on top. Gently lay the broiled orange slice on the top of the froth. Serve and amaze all with your bartending talents!

Orange Anejo Sour

1 orange slice
1/4 tsp sugar
5 mint leaves
1.5 ounces of anejo tequila
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce of orange liqueur
1 ounce of Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
1 egg white
Blood orange soda

Place orange slice on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sugar and broil for about 5 minutes. Remove and cool.
Place mint leaves in a shaker and muddle. Add tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, Carpano Antica, and egg white.
Shake until frothy. Add 1 cup of ice and shake for 15 more seconds.
Pour into a coup glass. Top off with blood orange soda.
Garnish with broiled orange slice.

The Orange Anejo Sour is a great cocktail for the holidays with its rich flavors and impressive appearance. Make it next week for your Thanksgiving guests and let us know what they think!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and 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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Please Pass the … Peas?

November 18, 2018November 25, 2018 / theblindpig11 / 1 Comment

prosecco peas

It’s so close to Thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for here at The Blind Pig Blog. First and foremost we are incredibly thankful for all of the blessings we have received this past year. Of course, Blind Piglets #1, 2 and 3 top off the list! We were reflecting on some of our blessings the other night. It is such a shame that we live in such a fast paced world, that we are often focused on the next big thing instead of taking time to reflect and have gratitude. Another thing that we are very grateful for, as corny as it may sound, is all of our wonderful subscribers. We are so happy that you take time out of your lives each week to read our silly little blog and try out some of our flights of fancy. With that said, we are always welcome to more and more subscribers! Please use one of the subscriber buttons on our website and encourage friends and family to join us each week. We have many more fun recipes and concoctions to share with you through the holidays.

When you saw the title of today’s blog post, you may have thought, “Peas? Yuck!” (That’s what Craig thought. More on that in a bit.) We want you to hear us out. We discovered this recipe on the The Food Network website. It is a recipe originally created by Giada De Laurentiis, which is why it caught Rhonda’s eye (and of course the fact that it has bubbly prosecco as an ingredient).

Craig unfortunately was not raised with good peas. What we mean by that is that his mother made only canned, soggy peas for dinner. He hated peas so much that they were often the last thing on his plate. His mother would not let him leave the dinner table until his peas were eaten. Luckily, his mother had a huge fern next to the kitchen table. Craig, being the opportunist that he is, would scrape his peas into the potted plant when no one was looking. That is some serious pea issues to bring into adulthood. Fast forward a few decades and Rhonda is trying to convinced Craig that Prosecco Peas are not his mother’s peas.

Why now? Why peas? When we discovered this recipe, we decided that it would make an easy, tasty and fresh side dish for Thanksgiving. Keep on reading to the end for more tasty Thanksgiving suggestions.

proseccopeas1

To make Procecco Peas, you will need a few simple ingredients. This is where our recipe diverges from Giada’s. We are sure her peas are quite delicious, but if the ingredients are not easy to find at our local Kroger, it is not going to make it on our table very often at mealtime. Are we right? You will need 4 ounces of bacon, sweet onion, a bag of frozen peas, fresh mint leaves, freshly grated parmesan, salt and prosecco. Stay with us. We are aware that the ingredients sound like an unusual combo, but the final product is delish!

First you cook the bacon in a large skillet. Drain off most of the fat. Next add the onions to the pan and cook until soft. Stir in the peas and cook until heated through. Raise the heat to high and add the mint, salt and parmesan. Toss to combine. Add the prosecco and remove the pan from heat. Stir until everything is evenly combined. That’s it!

proseccopeas4

The bacon, prosecco and touch of cheese give these peas a delicious flavor. The bacon provides a nice complement to a turkey or ham dinner. If you make this for your Thanksgiving meal, you will be hearing lots of, “Please pass the peas.”

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