Fuzzy Leprechaun

Ingredients:

1 oz. Peach Schnapps
1 oz. Blue Curacao
1 oz. Vodka
1 oz. Orange Juice
1 oz. Pineapple Juice

Pour the above ingredients into a glass filled with ice. Stir the ingredients together and serve with a straw! This is the perfect fruity drink for any party such as a St. Patty's Day party. The color green that this combination makes is just gorgeous!

Colorado Bulldog

And now, for my FAVORITE alcoholic beverage of all time! The tricky part? You pretty much have to be a scientist because if you pour it in the wrong order, the milk will curdle (yuck!). Everyone needs to try this spin on a White Russian; the Colorado Bulldog is delish!

Ingredients:

Kahlua
Milk, 1% (or any kind of cream)
Vodka
Coca-Cola Life (or any coke product)

Set two glasses side by side. Pour in about 1/4 c. Kahlua in the bottom of each. Add in 1-2 shots of Vodka per glass. Pour approximately 2-3 shots of milk in, add ice, and stir everything together. Top it off with a few shots of Coca-Cola poured on top! (Note: if you add in the pop before the milk is added, it will curdle!).

Sparkling Purple Rain

I'm not a huge drinker, but I have an entire arsenal in my phone of random drinks I've wanted to try or toy with. This drink has always looked so pretty, but I am not a fan of sour drinks. I took the classic Purple Rain and added a bit of sweetness and bubbles, to make the perfect refreshing drink!

Ingredients to make two:

2 shots Vodka
2 shots Blue Curacao
4 shots Cranberry Juice
1 can Sprite

Place your serving glasses side by side. To each glass, add 1 shot Vodka, 1 shot Blue Curacao, 2 shots of cranberry juice, and pour about 1/4-1/3 c. Sprite on top. Add ice cubes to chill the drink, and serve!

Guinness Sliders

I, hate beer. I have tried so many times to like it but if I drink I just go straight for the bottle of vodka. Around St. Patty's Day every year though I always buy a bottle or pack of Guinness because it gives such a good flavor to baked goods, burgers, puddings, marinades, you name it. It has such a dark, almost bitter flavor that pairs well with something dark chocolate or mixed in with some whole grain mustard. In this case, it kept these little sliders unbelievably juicy and went along great with the melted cheddar.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. ground beef (chuck)
2 Tbs. minced white onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs. stone ground mustard
1/4 c. Guinness beer
1/2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
4-5 slices cheddar cheese, cut in quarters
8-10 white dinner rolls (or slider buns), cut in half and toasted on the grill pan

In a medium size bowl, mix the first 8 ingredients together. I know the raw onion looks daunting but I promise, it gets tender during the cooking process.

Form the burger mix into 8-10 small patties. Mine end up being about the size of my palm, because remember, it will shrink substantially while cooking.

Heat two grill pans to medium high heat. Place 4 to 5 mini patties on each grill pan (or take turns and do batches if you need to). Do not mess with them! Let them cook for 4 minutes on the first side. If you keep turning them and messing with them you will get uneven cooking and no grill marks. And do not press down because all of the juice will escape the burgers. Flip them over after the 4 minutes and cook for another 4 minutes. 

Place two (quarter slice) pieces of cheese on top of each  burger and place a lid over to melt the cheese. To assemble, place the patty with melted cheese on the bottom bun. Top with more course ground mustard and a small amount of ketchup and place the lid on top!

Beer Chicken with Cheese Sauce

This sandwich is packed full of flavor and juicier than ever! Everyone knows beer and cheese pair well, so why not add them together in a way you would never normally do it! These would be great for a football party, or pretty much any party.

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breasts, boneless skinless
12 oz. beer
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Place the chicken, beer, garlic, salt, pepper and beer in the slow cooker and cook everything for 8 hours on low heat (or 4 on high). I use a plastic liner for easy cleanup later. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred on a cutting board. Place back into the cooking liquid and stir.

Cheese Sauce:

2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. flour
1/2 c. beer
1/2 c. milk, 1%
8 oz. fresh grated cheddar
2 Tbs. chives, fresh chopped
Pretzel rolls

Melt the butter in a small saucepan on medium high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the beer and milk and continue to cook and whisk until the consistency is smooth and thick (5 minutes). Stir in the chives. Slice the pretzel buns in half and place the shredded chicken on the bottom half. Top with the cheese sauce and top bun. I like to spread a little mustard on mine also!

Pork Tenderloin with Ginger Beer Gravy

Potato Puree Ingredients:

10-12 small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cooked
1/3 c. shredded smoked Gouda cheese
2 Tbs. reduced fat sour cream
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 1/2 tsp. chives (I used freeze dried)
1/2 tsp. fresh cracked pepper

Combine the above ingredients together in a food processor and pulse until you reach a smooth consistency. Set aside.

Pork Tenderloin and Sauce Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 lb. pork tenderloin
2 Tbs. butter
1/4 c. finely chopped shallots
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 Tbs. flour
1/2 c. ginger beer
2 c. chicken broth, low sodium
1/4 c. milk, 1%

Preheat the oven to 390 degrees. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in an oven proof skillet over high heat. Sear on all sides until browned. Place in the oven for around 35 minutes. Remove the pork from the skillet and cover with foil.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in the same skillet that the pork cooked in, with the juices. Add the onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes until soft. Add the flour and mix together. Add the ginger beer, cook for about 1 minute. Add in the chicken broth and whisk until dissolved. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid reduces to about half of the amount.

Add the milk and mix. Return the pork to the skillet and simmer for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens like a gravy. Transfer the meat again to a cutting board and slice. Serve with the potato puree, and top with the onions and gravy. I also served mine with a side of roasted beets (check out the recipe in another blog post!). Top with chives if you are antsy for some color like I was.

Mustard Cognac Sauce

This creamy sauce goes perfectly with steak, and would be great on pork, chicken, roasted vegetables, you name it! Although the booze is cooked down, the sauce still has a hint of cognac that is heightened by the tangy addition of mustard.

Ingredients:

1/3 c. Cognac (or brandy)
1/2 c. Heavy cream
3 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp. cornstarch + 1 Tbs. water (slurry for thickening)

In a small saucepan, add the cognac and on medium-high heat, cook the booze for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally, until it is cooked down at least a third of the way.

Add in the mustard, salt and pepper and whisk together for another 3 minutes or so. Mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl to make a slurry and add about half to the saucepan. Whisk together and see if it is thick enough yet, if not, add in more of the slurry (just remember that as the sauce cools, it will become thicker). Pour over your meat of choice, or mix in with roasted vegetables, and serve while still warm.

Strawberry Kiwi Lemonade Bounce

Here is another variation of my late Aunt Jean's Bounce recipe. I had to cut up a bunch of kiwi for a fruit salad and wanted to do something with the kiwi peel (I am not brave enough to eat it, even though I know technically you can, and know some people that do). This bounce turned out perfect and is a great flavor profile for the hot summer days to come!

Ingredients:

3 c. Burnett's Pink Lemonade Vodka
4 large strawberries, chopped
Peel from 6-8 kiwi
5 tsp. Splenda

In a large bottle, combine the above ingredients. Place the cap back on and shake everything together. I like to place a label saying when the Bounce will be done (4-6 weeks, or if you are impatient, you can test it out after two). Every day, shake the bottle and set back down. After the time has passed, strain the liquid and place into a different bottle. Now all you have left to do is tip a shot back!

Soy Sake Eggs

Hard boiled eggs, soaked in soy sauce and sake? These eggs give off a slight kick for sure, and go great in an Oriental salad or as is with some fresh cracked pepper.

Ingredients:

3/4 c. soy sauce, low sodium
1/4 c. sake
1 Tbs. sugar
4 eggs (hard boiled)

In a medium size mason jar, add the soy sauce, sake and sugar. Place the lid on and shake to combine the ingredients. Peel the eggs and rinse under cold water to make sure all of the egg shell pieces are gone. Add the hard boiled eggs into the jar and place the lid back on top. Refrigerate for at least an hour. You can store these already-made for up to 5 days.

* If you would rather boil the eggs than using my method of baking them in the oven for 30 minutes, that would work also. I add the eggs to a pot of cold water, and set on high heat. I let them boil for 10 minutes, and then remove from the heat and let cool for five. By then, you should be able to rinse in cold water and easily remove the shell.

Mini Beer Bread Cheese Curd Muffins

 

Well, football season has ended for the year (I don't actually watch football, I just like to make awesome appetizers that you would serve if you actually HAD people over to watch football....but anyways..), and the Superbowl was yesterday. I made these cute little bite size beer bread with Wisconsin cheese curds on top! (And no, I am not from Wisconsin, nor do I like the Packers..... my husband and I as sad as it may be, although they did do good this year, are both Lions fans.) These bite size morsels are absolutely delicious with a honey mustard dip!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. dill cheese curds, broken into small pieces (or use normal cheese curds and 1-2 Tbs. fresh dill)
12 oz. beer (someone left a Keystone at our house, use whatever you want to get rid of)
1 pouch beer bread mix (I used pampered chef)
1 Tbs. margarine, melted
2 Tbs. chives, freeze dried or fresh
2 tsp. garlic salt

Spray a 24 cup (or 2, 12 cup) mini muffin tin with non stick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix the beer, bread mix, margarine, chives and garlic salt together. Fill the muffin tins about 2/3 of the way full with the batter. Place part of a cheese curd in the center of each cup and press down slightly. bake for 10-12 minutes until the bottoms are slightly golden and the cheese is melted. This recipe makes around 50-52 so spray the tins again and repeat the filling and cooking process until the batter is gone.

I served this with a honey mustard sauce. I combined 1 1/2 Tbs. champagne mustard, 1 1/2 Tbs. course or stone ground mustard, and 2 tsp. honey. Double, triple or quadruple depending on how big of a crowd you are serving this for.

Glazed Fruitcake Truffle Bars

 Fruitcake, if done right, is always such a dense and chewy bread that even one slice can get pretty overwhelming. This recipe takes all of the great flavors of fruit cake and turns it into little bite size truffle, slathered with a bourbon glaze!

 Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

1 bag chopped fruitcake mix (candied cherries, etc)

1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon butter, melted

4 teaspoons bourbon or brandy (plus 2 tsp. bourbon for glaze)

1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbs. milk

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and powder, salt, ground cloves and brown sugar together. Add in the walnuts, fruitcake mix, ginger, egg, butter and 4 tsp. bourbon and stir with a spatula until everything is combined well. Spread into your prepared pan and smooth out the top while pressing down.

Bake for 38-40 minutes until the edges are golden brown. It may still look or act gooey, but it is fully cooked and will firm up while cooling. Let cool in the pan for ten minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack to continue cooling. 

When the fruitcake is fully cool, cut 1 inch strips in one direction as shown above. Then cut again in the opposite direction to make 1 inch cubes. Place in a candy paper baking cup or mini cupcake liner. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and 2 tsp. bourbon and stir. Slowly add the milk in until you have a pouring consistency yet still slightly firm. With a pastry brush, brush the tops of the fruitcake truffles and decorate with edible glitter.

Apple Cider Jell-O Shots

I am not a person who drinks often. In fact, my birthday and Halloween party every year are the two I usually count on. These are dangerous! Apple juice since I was a kid has always been my favorite, and apple cider is a pretty close second. Add cinnamon flavored Fireball mixed in? I'm in trouble..... These turned out amazing, and jell-o shots are one of the best ways ever to consume alcohol!

Ingredients:

2 c. apple cider
1 c. water
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin (Knox)
1 c. Fireball

Heat a small saucepan to medium heat and add the water and apple cider. When the liquid is warm/hot, add in the envelopes of gelatin and whisk until all of the lumps are out and the gelatin is incorporated into the apple cider. Add in the fireball and whisk again for about 30 seconds to a minute. I worked with half of the liquid at one time, and poured it into a 2 cup glass Pyrex measuring cup that already has a spout at the top. Pour into individual disposable cups (I went to Gordon Foods and grabbed ones with lids, that are about the size of the ketchup containers you get at fast food restaurants). Place the lid on top and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve!