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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Bourbon Pumpkin Dump Cake… Yes, Please!

September 29, 2019 / theblindpig11 / 1 Comment

It’s no surprise around here that Rhonda loves pumpkins, pumpkin spice and everything Fall. She shared her love of Fall with you in our post for the Pumpkin Spice Martini, and several times since. We are excited to share one of our favorite Fall recipes with you — Bourbon Pumpkin Dump Cake. We keep this recipe in our autumn repertoire, and every year we look forward to the calendar changing so we can enjoy this treat a few times before we move into our Christmas season of treats. One bite of this yummy, pumpkin spice treat will have you yearning to wear sweaters and smell the scent of falling leaves. An added bonus to this recipe is that it is so easy, just dump the ingredients together, pop in the oven and let that pumpkiny good scent fill your kitchen and home.

To make this delicious dessert you need a can of pumpkin, evaporated milk, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice (of course!) yellow cake mix, melted butter, coarse crushed graham crackers, bourbon and toffee bits.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl combine the pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs and pumpkin spice. Combine and pour into baking pan.

Sprinkle the entire box of cake mix over the pumpkin mixture. Top with graham cracker crumbs. Then sprinkle with toffee bits.

Pour melted butter followed by bourbon over the top of the cake. Bake for 45-50 minutes.

If you are reading this post via email, visit us at www.theblindpig.blog for a printable recipe for Bourbon Pumpkin Dump Cake.

Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream. Yes…please!!!

We enjoy serving Bourbon Pumpkin Dump Cake to family and friends or enjoy baking a batch just for us to munch on for a few days. If your family is not a pie-kind-of-family (not sure if we can still be friends if that is true), Bourbon pumpkin dump cake could be a delicious alternative to pumpkin pie at a Thanksgiving Feast. This treat is great served with whipped topping or ice cream with a little sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice on the top. The sweet flavor of the bourbon with the graham and toffee bits enhances the spicy flavor of the pumpkin…so delish!

Try Bourbon Pumpkin Dump Cake this week and let us know what you think!

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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.

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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!

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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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