Frozen Margarita Pie
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup finely crushed pretzels (or chopped in a food processor)
¼ cup sugar
Filling:
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
⅓ cup frozen Bacardi Margarita Mix, thawed
2 tablespoons tequila
1 tablespoon orange liqueur
green food coloring, as needed (optional)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons Bacardi Margarita Mix, thawed
1 tablespoon tequila

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix crushed pretzels and sugar together in a bowl, stir in butter until evenly incorporated. Spoon mixture into a 9-inch pie plate, press into bottom and up sides of plate to form a firm, even crust.

Bake curst in the preheated oven until edges are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Mix sweetened condensed milk, Bacardi mix, tequila, orange liqueur, and food coloring in a large bowl.

Using a hand or stand mixer, beat cream, 2 tablespoons Bacardi mix and 1 tablespoon of tequila, until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream mixture into sweetened condensed milk mixture. When crust is cooled, spoon filling into crust.

Cover pie with plastic wrap and place in freezer for at least 4 hours.

3 Irish Men Cupcakes
adapted by pinch.my.salt originally adapted by David Leberman

Cupcake Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter
½ cup sour cream, or yogurt
6 ounces Guiness Beer
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup dark cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda

Ganache:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
⅔ cup heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons Jameson Whisky
2 tablespoons butter

Frosting:
1 stick of butter, soften
3 cups confectionary sugar
4 ounces softened cream cheese
4 tablespoons Bailey’s

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pan with liners and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix eggs and sugar until creamy. Add melted butter, sour cream, beer and vanilla. Mix until incorporated. In a separate bowl, add flour, cocoa, baking powder, and soda, whisk until combined. Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients, mix until smooth, about 2 minutes at medium speed.

Fill cupcake liners ¾ of the way full. Bake about 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out dry.

Let cupcakes cool, about 10 minutes, before transferring to a cooking rack.

While cupcakes are cooking, in a small sauce pan heat cream over medium high heat until its warm, but not boiling. Chop chocolate into small chunks and place in a medium sized bowl. Add butter (in small chunks) to chocolate and butter. Stir until it melts and becomes cool. Add in your whiskey and set aside to firm up a bit, about 10-15 minutes.

While the ganache is cooling, use a small circular cookie cutter, or melon baller, and remove a small portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill the center with ganache using a small scoop or piping bag.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time. Once the sugar is incorporated and the frosting is smooth, add in the baileys, mix until completely smooth. Place the frosting into a piping bag or zip lock bag (cutting a small edge) and frost the cupcakes.

Cucumber Vodka Watermelon Jello Shooters
Ingredients:

1 12–16 pound watermelon
4 cups cucumber vodka
4 3-ounce boxes Jolly Rancher Watermelon Jell-O mix
2 1-ounce boxes unflavored gelatin

Preparation:

1. Using a large chef’s knife, cut the watermelon into two equal halves, lengthwise.

2. Use your knife to slice all the way around the perimeter of the watermelon flesh, about an inch from the rind. Be careful not to pierce through the skin, as this will lead to your Jell-O leaking out. Then use a kitchen spoon to scrape out the rest and create a smooth bowl with roughly 1/2-inch red watermelon flesh left on the rind.

3. Line two small, rimmed baking sheets with paper towels in a way that creates a bed for your watermelon bowls. The idea is to create enough support to keep the watermelon bowls from rolling at all while they’re in the fridge. Put one bowl in the center of each tray and set aside.

4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the Jell-O mix and the unflavored gelatin. Add 4 cups of boiling water and whisk until the gelatin is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. Add the vodka all at once and whisk just to combine.

5. Pour the Jell-O mixture into the watermelon bowls, dividing evenly. Carefully place the Jell-O filled watermelon bowls in the fridge, and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.

6. When Jell-O is set, cut each half into 1-inch slices, crosswise, then cut each slice into 2–3 wedges, and serve.

Happy Friday and Bon Appetito!

Must Have Boozy Desserts for Any Party


I love being a mom-in-law!  Today my beautiful daughter (in-law) sent me a text asking for a recipe for her office (she’s a wonderful dentist) “Cinco de Mayo” party next week.  I guess you can say she knows where to turn when looking for a recipe.  I immediately thought of one that I wrote for a cookbook several years ago, however that recipe never made the final cut.  Here’s the recipe…

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup tomato salsa
2 tablespoons Weber Gourmet Burger Seasoning
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, or to taste1 to 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle in adobo
1 teaspoon Spice Islands Ground Cumin
2 tablespoons Mazola Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ to 1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack or Queso Fresco cheese
Tortilla chips for dipping

Directions:

Combine black beans, salsa, burger seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, chipotles, adobo sauce, cumin, and oil in a blender or food processor; pulse until blended but still chunky.DSC_0035DSC_0038

Place bean mixture in a two-quart casserole dish.  Top mixture with shredded cheese.  Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden and bubbly.  Serve with chips for dipping.

Note:  Tonight when I made this dip I was out of canned chipotle peppers, so I substituted 1 tablespoon Chipotle Pepper Seasoning and 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke!  It rocked!!!

Quick Facts:
Prep Time:  5 minutes
Cook Time:  15-20 minutes
Yield:  8 servings
Great dip or use as a topping on eggs, fajitas or sandwichesDSC_0043

Kinta’s Famous House Margarita

1.5 ounces Tequila (Reposado)
1.5 ounces Triple Sec
1.5 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice (about 3 limes)
1 cup Ice
1 lime
kosher salt

Rub the outside of 1 glass with cut lime. Dip into a plate of Kosher salt.
Combine the Tequila, Triple Sec and lime juice and ice into a cocktail shaker, shake well
and pour into prepared glass…..

Recipe courtesy of Kristopher Wallenta
Kinta’s Restaurant

margarita

Happy Cinco De Mayo


Thank you all for supporting my blog…2014 in review. 2015 will be even bigger and better!

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 11,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.


Spooky Sweets & Treats for Halloween

White Chocolate Covered Strawberry Ghoulish Ghosts

White Chocolate Covered Strawberry Ghoulish Ghosts

White Chocolate Covered Strawberry Ghoulish Ghosts

1 (16-ounce) package fresh strawberries
6 ounces vanilla bark coating
¼ cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

To melt chocolate bark:
Chop chocolate into small pieces. Place in a small glass or stainless steel bowl. Place bowl in a saucepan with 2 inches of water in it. Over medium high heat, stir chocolate until melted. Remove pan from stove.

Working rapidly, dip strawberries into chocolate covering ½ of the berries surface. Place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Immediately press chocolate chips into coating for eyes. Freeze 5-10 minutes.

In a small microwavable bowl, add remaining chocolate chips. Heat chips in microwave until melted and smooth, about 10-15 seconds. Dip a toothpick into melted chocolate and draw a mouth on each ghost.

Snakebite Bread

1 Package Fleishmann’s® Simply Homemade® Country White Bread Mix
1 cup 115° – 120° water
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon water
2 to 3 drops liquid green food coloring
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese
1 small pimento-stuffed green olive
2 whole cloves
1 (1-inch long) strip roasted red bell pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray a cooking pan with pan spray.

Place dough onto a lightly floured surface. Shape bread into a 16-18 inch log. Pinch one end of the log to form a tail shape. Form the other end into a head shape. Transfer the log onto prepared baking sheet. Cure the log into an S-shape.

Whisk together the beaten egg and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl to make an egg wash. Add 2-3 drops of green food coloring to egg wash. Brush the surface of the dough with the green egg wash. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over the dough.

Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese has turned golden brown. Transfer the baked bread onto a wire rack to cool.

Cut the olives in half widthwise to form two eyes. Attach the eyes to the head of the snake with toothpicks. Use the whole cloves to make the snake’s nostrils. Cut the strip of pepper into a forked tongue. Place the snake on a serving platter or large cutting board. Position the tongue just under the head.

Use a serrated knife to cut the snake into slices; serve warm or at room temperature.

Halloween Treats

Halloween Treats

Spider Web Guacamole Dip

3 fresh avocado, halved, seeded and peeled
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoons Mazola® Corn Oil
½ onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeño, finely diced
3 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced, divided
1-2cups shredded lettuce
¼ cup chopped black olives
½ cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
½ cup sour cream
1 bag tortilla chips

In a medium mixing bowl, place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Add the salt, pepper, and oil and using a potato masher, mash. Then, fold in the onions, garlic, 1 chopped tomatoes, cilantro, and jalapeños. If not using right away, add the seed of the avocado to help prevent browning of the guacamole.

In a large serving tray spread the edges with shredded lettuce, black olives, remaining 2 tomatoes, and Mexican cheese blend. Place guacamole in center of tray.

Place sour cream in a quart size ziplock bag. Cut the corner off. Squeeze sour cream on top of guacamole in several concentric circles. You can either use ziplock bag to pipe on the rest of the sour cream to form web or you can use a knife and run lines lightly through the sour cream circles to make the web shape. Place a creep spider on the web. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

Green Ghoul Punch

½ (12-ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
1 liter ginger ale
1 pint lime sherbet
gummy worms or gummy spiders, frozen
dry ice cubes, about 2 pounds

Pour the limeade concentrate and gingerly in a large, clear glass, punch bowl. Stir it gently to combine. Add lime sherbet, gummy worms and dry ice. Replace dry ice as smoke disappears.

Bloody Glasses

¼ cup KARO® Corn Syrup
3-4 drops red food coloring

Combine above ingredients. Dip rim of cup into syrup, dripping syrup will resemble
blood.

Happy Halloween and Buon Appetite!




Happy Labor Day

Labor Day is the third largest cookout events in the United States.  Tradition dictates that food cooked on a open flame is synonymous with summer holidays and as Labor Day is the last holiday of the summer, it had better be good!  If planning a backyard cookout then this is the right place. It’s important to take advantage of Labor Day celebrations to mix up some summer time drinks, pop open some Beer, light up the grill or smoker, and have a great cookout with your friends and family!

Here are some delicious recipes for your Labor Day Cookout!

The number one most popular food cooked on Labor Day is Barbecue Ribs

Memphis Style BBQ Ribs

Labor Day is also known for the end of “hot dog season“…

Perfect Grilled Hot Dog

Perfect Grilled Hot Dog

Some of my favorite salads include Asian Slaw, and Orzo Pasta Salad, or Black Beans, Rice & Avocado Salad

Orzo Pasta Salad with Weber® Just Add Juice® Citrus Herb Marinade

Orzo Pasta Salad with Weber® Just Add Juice® Citrus Herb Marinade

A cookout is never complete without Watermelon

Grab and Go Watermelon

Grab and Go Watermelon

or a wonderful Blueberry Cheesecake

Blueberry Cheesecake

Blueberry Cheesecake

And of course you will need the best Margarita

The Best Margarita

The Best Margarita

I hope you all enjoy this Labor Day Weekend as you celebrate with your family and friends!

Boun Appetito!!!