Whiskey Apple Tarts

When the weather turns chilly, my first instinct is to bake! My momma asked me to make some Apple tarts she'd seen on Pinterest, and I obliged, but I decided to put our own little spin on it. We made a nice apple whiskey glaze, and it is good stuff!

With my sweet Mrs. Claus apron... because I can!

INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 apples, sliced thinly
• 1/4 c applesauce
• 2 T honey
• 2 T apple whiskey
• 2 cans of honey croissant dough (Pillsbury)
• powdered sugar to taste

PROCEDURE

The first step is to slice the apples up, nice and thin.  You want to shoot for the slices to be about 1/8".  Too thick, and it won't bend to make the rose.  Too thin, and you won't really taste the apple.  Once you have the slices, you'll need to microwave (or otherwise cook) the slices so they're pliable.  I ended up microwaving about 10 slices, enough for one tart, at a time for 15-20 seconds.  To make the glaze, whisk together the applesauce, honey and whiskey.
Next, we opened up the cans of dough and rolled them out.  The dough from Pillsbury was perforated for croissants, so I pushed those back together so they wouldn't fall apart while trying to roll up the roses.  Each can of dough needs to be cut into 6 long rectangles.  The rectangles got a line of the applesauce glaze, and a line of softened apples.  See the pic below for how to set it up.

After this, fold the dough up on top of the apples, but make sure the top of the apples are still sticking out to make the petals.

Fold the dough up, and roll into spiral shapes.  Place each rose in a muffin tin, and bake in a 350* oven for 16-20 minutes, or until golden brown.  I put more of the glaze on each after they finished baking, and a nice sprinkle of powdered sugar.

If there's one suggestion I could make, I would make the dough on the thinner side, so it doesn't expand so much as it bakes.  It won't taste any different, but it'll look more delicate and pretty when it's out of the oven!  ;-)

In their happy little cups!

If you're ever on pinterest, you've probably seen some version of this recipe.  I feel like a lot of blogs try to make this whole thing sound super easy...  It's not terribly hard, but it takes a couple of times to get the hang of how soft the apples need to be and how tight you need to roll the dough.  Thankfully, I only had one I screwed up beyond repair.  If you give this a try, I'd love to see pictures and know what you think about the applesauce and whiskey glaze!

P.S.

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Beer Queso

Hello again, friends. We decided to put together a quick and easy recipe for a party, and what is better than beer and cheese?  The correct answer is nothing! :)  This recipe takes about five minutes and makes enough for about 8 people to really enjoy.

Ingredients

• Your choice of a light beer; 12 oz. Don't choose anything with a lot of added flavors, or anything too hoppy. You probably want to stay from any IPAs. We used Landshark this time, and the taste was pretty splendid.
• 1 pound of shredded pepper jack cheese
• 8 ounces of cream cheese

First, you pour your beer into a pot on the stove, and turn the stove on high.  Let it sit for a bit, until it's simmering. Add the cream cheese (cut into chunks) and the pepper jack. Then you just stir until melted together; I recommend using a whisk for quicker preparation.  You know it's done when you can't see any little bits of the cream cheese anymore.  You can enjoy this queso while it's still hot, or let it cool off.  When it's cooled, it'll be a bit thicker. Happy partying!

This would also be really good for nachos with some pulled chicken...  Mmmmm....


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Fluffernutter Truffles

Whew! It has been a LONG week. Thankfully, we're taking a three day weekend! But, that doesn't mean we've stopped making recipes... Today, I took some time to make some truffles for dessert. We've all got parties and such to go to during the holiday season, so I wanted something easy to whip up that people would like that I could bring without too much hassle! The Fluffernutter truffle is my answer! I love all things chocolate and peanut butter, so this was an easy one for me to get on board with.  Fluffernutter brownies are one of my favorites, so the thought of adding the marshmallow flavor was too good to pass up! The other good news is that the process is easy, and it only takes four ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 c Creamy peanut butter
• 1 c Powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
• 1/2 stick softened butter
• 4 tablespoons Smirnoff whipped Marshmallow vodka
• melting chocolate

PROCEDURE

So first off, the measurements for the peanut butter and powdered sugar are approximate.  I would really start with a little less and then add more of whichever you need to get the consistency right.  But, mix together the peanut butter, powdered sugar, butter and vodka.  I just used my hands and squished it together like play-dough, but a mixer would be the less messy option...  You want the consistency to be like cookie dough - not too squishy, not too stiff.  If it's really squishy, add more powdered sugar, and if it's too stiff add more PB and butter (or a touch more vodka).  Roll the mixture into 1" balls and stick 'em in the fridge to help them set while you melt the chocolate according to the package directions.  Then, dip the truffles in the chocolate and set on a flat surface to harden.  I'd recommend covering said surface with aluminum foil or wax paper.  If you'd like, before the chocolate hardens, you can add festive sprinkles! 

Both dogs were VERY interested when they smelled peanut butter!

Lakeside!

Someday, I'm thinking about trying to add marshmallow fluff to this recipe...  If somebody does it, let me know!  I'd LOVE to know how it turned out.

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Bourbon Bacon Mac & Cheese

Hi again, lovely people. It's been on the dreary side here lately, so I've been craving comfort food... And mac and cheese is my go-to in that department. Today, I worked on a nice bourbon glazed bacon, which is goooood on some homemade mac and cheese.

I'm not kidding when I say this stuff means business. 

INGREDIENTS

• Bacon
• Bourbon (we used Jim Beam Maple)
• brown sugar
• Pasta
• milk - 1 3/4 c
• butter - 3t
• flour - 3t
• shredded cheese - 1 3/4c  (you may use any kind you like)
• salt

PROCEDURE

I made a glaze for the bacon using the brown sugar and bourbon.  The amount you need depends on just how much bacon you're cooking.  Regardless, the glaze is about four parts bourbon to one part brown sugar.  I doused each strip of bacon in the glaze before cooking in the frying pan.

You can cook the pasta according to its directions ahead of time, or after the bacon is done.  

To make the cheese sauce, start by melting the butter in a frying pan.  Then, whisk in the flour.  When totally combined, add the milk, whisking slowly.  Then, add the cheese, and mix until fully melted together.  Add salt to taste.

Comfort food doesn't get much better than this!

Again, you can really use whatever cheese you fancy.  This time, we tried white cheddar and colby jack.  Next time, (yes, we've already decided) we're going to use sharp cheddar and the white cheddar for that more traditional mac & cheese flavor.  Really, most cheese is good by me, so it all works...  The bourbon makes the bacon nice and smoky, which is soooo good with cheese.  And, it's all caramelized from the glaze, and ugh...  so good.  Just trust me on this one.

Let us know how this one works out for you!

Cinnful Pulled Pork

Hello! With the end of fall, we've been thinking of all the recipes we can to incorporate our favorite flavors. Pretty much all of our family loves cider, and we love pulled pork. Why not combine the two? Cinnful Apple from Angry Orchard made the perfect base for our recipe.

Ingredients

1. One pork shoulder, about 2 lbs. (can also be called Boston Butt depending on the market)
2. 1/4 cup of brown sugar
3. 1/8 cup of sugar
4. 2 teaspoons of salt
5. Dash of cinnamon
6. Two apples
7. One bottle of Angry Orchard Cinnful Apple
8. One crock pot

First thing you want to do is to make a dry rub with the two kinds of sugar, the salt, and the dash of cinnamon. Just throw it all in a small bowl and mix it together, doesnt have to be perfectly mixed. Then you take out your pork shoulder and cut off any excess fat you see. After that, you put the pork in a large mixing bowl and pour your dry rub in. You want to massage the dry rub into the pork for about 10 minutes. It should get sticky and absorb pretty well. Once that is finished, cut the two apples into slices, and line the bottom of your crock pot with them. Pour in half a bottle of the Angry Orchard, then put in your pork. Put another layer of apples, and a little more cider.

Before it starts cooking

Let the meat cook on high for about 5 hours, adding cider as you wish you keep the meat nice and moist. After the meat is done cooking, take it out and grab two forks. The meat should be fairly tender, so you can just start pulling strips off. We enjoyed eating ours on a bun, but you are welcome to enjoy it however you like.

Alternately, you can let the meat cure overnight by applying your dry rub, then setting the pork in the refrigerator. This will increase the amount of flavor soaked up by the meat. 

This meal is an easy setup, and would be ideal for starting in the morning, so you have dinner ready when you get home (but set your slow cooker on low instead of high!).

Are you planning on trying this recipe, or do you have one similar that you love?  Let us know in the comments!  Share this recipe to save for later (pin it, g+, whatever floats your boat).  And, as always, stay classy, San Diego.

In Honor of Chocolate Day: Quadruple Chocolate Cupcakes

Woo!  So,  I found out that it was Chocolate Day just a few hours ago...  How I didn't know there was a whole day dedicated to one of my favorite things, I still don't know.  Anyway, I decided to whip up a new cupcake recipe in honor of this day, and I've decided to dub them the "Quadruple Chocolate Cupcakes" henceforth.  There really are four ways of chocolate in these things...  Plus a little bit of vanilla in the icing, just because.  But I'll get to that in a moment.



DISCLAIMER!
So there are two parts to this cupcake recipe:  the batter, and the icing.  And, good news for everybody, there is booze in both parts!  Now, the alcohol bakes out of the batter... but it is still fully present in the icing, so beware!  If you wanted these to be sober cupcakes, you would just need to substitute the alchohol there for regular vanilla!

Continuing on...

INGREDIENTS
Batter:

• 1 3/4 c. flour
• 2 c. granulated sugar
• 3/4 cocoa (the darker the better)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1 c. milk
• 1 c. chocolate vodka (we use 360)
• 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips (optional)

ICING

• 2 1/2 c. powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 c. milk
• white chocolate syrup (can usually be found near the coffee creamers)
• vanilla moonshine to taste (we LOVE Ozark Distillery!!)
• chocolate syrup (for decoration)

PROCEDURE

The batter portion of this recipe is adapted from the Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" recipe found here.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.  Add the egg, milk, oil, and milk to the mixture and mix on a medium setting for about a minute or so.  Next, add the vodka!  It will seem kind of runny compared to most batters, but it's okay!  If you'd like, you may add some extra chocolate chips at the end.

Distribute the batter into cupcake liners (about 2/3 full or so) and bake for about 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.

While the cupcakes are baking, it's time to start the icing!  Yay!  Now...  Ever since I worked at a bakery, my recipes for making buttercream types of icings has gone out the window, since I mostly learned to make icing by consistency and taste.  The measurements listed are approximate, and may need to be adjusted...  But here goes!

Mix the powdered sugar, butter, salt, white chocolate syrup, and milk together at a medium-high speed.  You want the icing to be thick enough to keep its shape after the mixer has stopped.  If it's too runny, add more powdered sugar.  If it seems too stiff, add more milk.  If you want the white chocolate flavor to be stronger, add some more syrup!  Once you've got an icing you're satisfied with, add the booze!  I think I ended up with about a teaspoon and a half or so.  Since we added more liquid, you might need to add more powdered sugar, depending on just how much liquid you added!

I used a vanilla flavor in the icing with the white chocolate, just to lighten up the flavor a bit (and I really love that vanilla moonshine, AND I really like the whole chocolate-vanilla-swirl thing... There might be a whole recipe for that another day), but if you really wanted to be gung-ho about the chocolate, you could absolutely substitute it for more of the chocolate vodka, and even add some cocoa instead of some of the powdered sugar.  That felt like a wee bit too much to me, and Aaron doesn't love chocolate, but if that's what floats your boat, go for it, my friend!

So, to count up the chocolates:  cocoa, chocolate chips, chocolate vodka, and white chocolate icing!  Too much...?  Maaaaayyybe.  But we can all indulge every now and then, right?