Mojito Pops

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup cold water
  • 6 tablespoons light rum
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ¼ cup fresh mint leaves
  • 6 (2-ounce) paper or plastic cups or shot glasses
  • 6 pop sticks

Directions

  1. Take a small saucepan out and add to it the water, rum, lime juice and sugar. Turn the heat up just high enough for a simmer to occur. Once simmering, add the mint into the saucepan, lightly mashing it afterwards. Let it simmer for 2 minutes then take the saucepan off the heat. Let the mixture cool for 15 to 20 minutes (we went with 15 minutes).
  2. Strain the mixture into a glass measuring cup (we put a strainer over a small mixing bowl). Throw away the mint leaves. Divide the mixture among the 6 cups. Place a small piece of aluminum foil over each cup. Place them in the freezer for 1 hour.
  3. Take each stick and place it through the middle of the foil. Leave in the freezer for 2 hours or until firm.
  4. When you’re ready to eat, take the foil off and peel away the paper cups or with a plastic cup, gently twist it out or if you’re using shot glasses, run the bottom of the glass under cool running water until the pop comes out or run a small thin knife around the inside edge until the pop comes loose (we used paper cups).
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This is a really refreshing popsicle to have on a hot day. The mint comes through right away, we loved it. We will say that you’re not going to get drunk from eating this (we couldn’t taste the rum at all) but this was still a treat we enjoyed regardless.

Recipe source unknown.

Take care everybody !

Backyard Barbecue Beans

Ingredients

  • ½ cup barbecue sauce (we used Bull’s-Eye Original)
  • ½ cup ketchup (we used Hunt’s 100% Natural)
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard (we used French’s)
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (we used hickory smoke)
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic (we used garlic powder)
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 ¼ pounds bratwurst, casings removed (we used a 19 oz. package of Johnsonville Brats Original)
  • 2 onions, chopped (we used yellow onion)
  • 2 (28-ounces each) cans baked beans (we used Bush’s Original)
  • 2 (15-ounces each) cans pinto beans, drained (we used Bush’s brand)
  • 2 (15-ounces each) cans cannellini beans, drained (we used Bush’s brand)
  • 1 (10-ounce) can Ro-tel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained
  • 6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces (we used Wright Naturally Hickory Smoked)

Directions

  1. With the oven rack set in the middle, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Take a large mixing bowl out and add the following ingredients to it, stirring until combined: barbecue sauce, ketchup, water, mustard, vinegar, liquid smoke, granulated garlic and cayenne. Leave the sauce off to the side for now.
  2. Take a 12-inch nonstick skillet out and set the heat to medium-high. Once the skillet’s hot add the bratwurst to it. Using a spoon, break the meat up into small bite-size pieces, cooking for 5 minutes or until the fat starts to render. Add the onions into the skillet and stir for 15 minutes or until the onions and sausage are both well browned.
  3. Take the sausage mixture out of the skillet and add it to the sauce, followed by the baked beans, pinto beans, cannellini beans and the tomatoes, stirring to combine and ensure that all the ingredients are equally distributed throughout. Take a 13- x 9-inch metal baking pan* out and place it on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Place the bean mixture in the baking pan, topping it with a single layer of bacon.
  4. Place the pan in the oven (with the baking sheet still underneath it) and cook for 1 ½ hours or until the beans are bubbling and the bacon’s rendered (ours took 1 hour and 45 minutes). Let the beans cool for 15 minutes before serving.

*We used an EZ Foil Lasagna Pan (13 ¼ x 9 5/8 x 2 ¾-inch).

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This is good the first night but it’s even better the next day ! The first day you can taste the sweetness and smokiness but it’s on the second day that you notice the spiciness more. It makes your lips tingle but it doesn’t overwhelm the other flavors. It’s got an excellent mouthfeel to it. It will thicken up some overnight and it’s great to eat cold or warmed up !

This recipe came from Cook’s Illustrated.

We weren’t paid in any form to promote Bull’s-Eye, Hunt’s, French’s, Johnsonville, Bush’s, Ro-tel, Wright, EZ Foil or Cook’s Illustrated.

Take care everybody !

Slow Cooker Brisket

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 ½-pound) flat-cut beef brisket
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (we used freshly ground black pepper)
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 3 teaspoons ground ancho chile pepper
  • ¾ teaspoon ground red pepper
  • ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup beer (we used Budweiser)
  • ½ cup chili sauce (we used Heinz Chili Sauce)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
  • Crackers, Cheddar cheese, and pickles to serve (we didn’t use any of those)

Directions

  1. Take a 6-quart slow cooker out and spray the inside of it with cooking spray.
  2. Trim away any excess fat from the brisket until you’re left with a ½-inch thick layer (the way ours came in the package, it looked like it was already cut down to ¼-inch). Make several ¼-inch-deep cuts in both sides of the brisket, rubbing the brisket with salt and pepper afterwards.
  3. Take a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or grill pan out (we went with the skillet) and brush the inside with the oil. Preheat the skillet to medium-high, turning the heat down to medium afterwards. Place the brisket in the skillet, cooking until it’s browned, for 2 to 3 minutes per side (we seared the brisket on all sides). Turn the heat down if needed while browning the brisket. Place the brisket in the slow cooker afterwards.
  4. In a small bowl, mix together the ground ancho, red pepper and garlic powder. Sprinkle this onto the brisket, turning the brisket so the spice mixture can be applied all over. Make sure the brisket is facing fat-side up after the spice is done being spread all over. Pour the beer and chili sauce in around the brisket. Add the onion to the skillet, cooking it for 1 minute per side or until browned. Place the onion slices in the slow cooker, putting the lid on afterwards. Cook until the brisket is tender, 5 on  HIGH or 8 hours on LOW (we cooked ours on LOW).
  5. Take the brisket out of the slow cooker and place it on a cutting board. Let the brisket rest for 15 minutes before slicing into it. Serve with the onions, cooking liquid, crackers, cheese and pickles.
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This is the first time we’ve ever worked with brisket and we loved it ! The meat was so tender and the fat just melted in your mouth. There is a nice level of heat in this but otherwise it’s hard to pick out one distinct flavor, you just know that you want to keep coming back for more !  We know that typically brisket is something you typically cook on the grill but the weather forecast wasn’t looking good and when we came across this recipe, we just had to try it ! It just sounded so d@#n good and we were right ! A nice alternative way to have brisket if the weather’s bad or you don’t have a grill.

We got this recipe from Taste of the South.

We weren’t paid in any form to promote Budweiser, Heinz or Taste of the South.

Take care everybody !

Mini Peach Pies with cinnamon roll crusts

Ingredients

  • Crust
    • 2 packages refrigerated cinnamon rolls (such as Pillsbury Grands; 17.5 oz. each), separated, reserve icing (we used Pillsbury Grands)
  • Filling
    • 1 lb. frozen peaches, thawed, chopped, and drained (we chopped ours into roughly ¾-inch pieces)
    • ¼ cup each packed light brown sugar and granulated sugar
    • 2 tsp. cornstarch
    • 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
    • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
    • 1/8 tsp. each ground nutmeg and kosher salt
  • Topping
    • 3 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
    • 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
    • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
    • 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
    • 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
    • ½ cup all-purpose flour

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Take a 12-cup muffin pan out and spray it with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Take each cinnamon roll and pat it out on the counter first before pressing it into and up the sides of the muffin cups.
  3. Take a large mixing bowl out and stir the filling ingredients together in it. Divide the filling between the crusts (we used about 1 ½ tablespoons per pie).
  4. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt to a small mixing bowl, stirring to combine. Stir in the melted butter next, followed by the flour. Stir until moist clumps form, sprinkling it over the pies afterwards.
  5. Place the pan in the oven for 13-15 minutes or until the pies are bubbly and the topping looks golden (we cooked ours for 15 minutes). (If your filling is close to the top then it may start to spill over during cook time so we’d suggest laying a sheet of aluminum foil out on the rack below to catch any drippings.) Let the pies rest in the pan for 5 minutes before taking them out of the pan and placing them on a cooling rack.
  6. Heat up the icing in the microwave just enough to make it pourable and drizzle it over the pies afterwards* (we used a fork to drizzle the icing over the pies).

*Drizzling on the icing does make the pies look prettier but we think the pies taste good even without the icing.

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The filling is pleasantly sweet and the cinnamon and nutmeg helped give it that extra pop of flavor that makes the filling good enough to eat all on its own. The cinnamon roll was a great substitute for a pie shell. It was pillowy but still firm enough to hold the filling. With the shape formed in the muffin tin, it makes it so easy to carry this peachy treat in your hands. One might be filling for you but you’ll want to eat more than that.

This recipe came from Cuisine At Home.

We weren’t paid in any form to promote Pillsbury or Cuisine At Home.

Take care everybody !

Barbecued Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients

  • Sauce
    • 1 ½ cups catsup (ketchup)
    • ¾ cup water
    • 1 cup chopped onion (we used yellow onion)
    • 5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
    • 4  teaspoons vinegar (we used white vinegar)
    • 3 tablespoons brown sugar (we used light brown sugar)
  • 4 cups thinly sliced, cooked chicken (we used pulled breast meat from 2 rotisserie chickens)
  • 9 sesame seed buns

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Take a medium-sized bowl out and mix all the sauce ingredients together in it. Take a 2-quart casserole dish out and place the chicken in it. Pour the sauce over the chicken, tossing to coat. Place in the oven to cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve on the buns.
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This is such an easy dish to make ! The sauce is sweet and tangy and the onions still have a little crunch to them which is a nice contrast to the tender chicken.

Recipe source unknown.

Take care everybody !