Jason

July 13, 2016 By Jason

Dark and Stormy Cocktail Recipe

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There are things that make Summer be Summer. One of them is an ice-cold drink in your hand, I mean the whole season should be spent drinking something delicious, grilling something in the backyard and planning road trips with the family. So in my quest to find the perfect Summer drink I discovered the Dark and Stormy Cocktail Recipe and I only wish I found it sooner.

Dark and Stormy is a traditional cocktail made with dark rum (that’s the dark art on the name) and with ginger beer (that’s the stormy section). It’s a super easy, super straightforward recipe that’s really packed with a punch.

The traditional recipe only calls for the rum and the beer but I decided to take it up a notch and add a couple of drops of bitters. In my personal opinion bitters are the spices of cocktails and let you amp up any drink without a lot of effort. Without bitters, a drink would be just a drink, nothing to call home about.

The traditional drink is also garnished with a couple of lime slices and I can’t recommend using them enough. Seriously bro, I thought the garnish was just for decorating purposes so the first time I made the Dark n’ Stormy I did it without the lime and it was good but missing something, you know what I’m talking about? When the cocktail is good but nothing remarkable.

So I shut down my ego, tried the recipe again with the lime and that was it. It was just like the one you buy from an expensive urban bar but better because you can make them every time you are craving one, no need to wait until you pay a visit to the place.

Dark and Stormy Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients

2 oz. Dark rum
8 oz. Ginger beer
3 drops bitters
ice
lime or lemon wedge

Directions

Fill a glass with ice.
Add the 1 or 2 ounces of rum, complete with ginger beer.
Add the bitters drops. Stir.
Top with a lime or lemon wedge.
Enjoy.

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July 6, 2016 By Jason

Bacon Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe

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It’s Summer, it’s hot outside, the grills are sizzling and the days are perfect to be outdoors by the lake, by the grill or camping, which means that’s the perfect moment to eat ice cream. Specifically this bacon chocolate ice cream recipe.

I know I know, bacon in the ice cream is probably one of my craziest ideas so far. But I’m on a pursuit to include it in each meal, including dessert and this is the best way to do so. The combo is not crazy, quite the opposite is pretty good!

If you have had a maple bacon donut then you probably already know that the sweet salty combo is GOOD, in this case, we also have the creamy crunchy one that takes things to a whole new (bacon) level.

And then we also have the chocolate because chocolate makes everything better. So creamy, crunchy, salty, sweet and with a chocolate punch? Count me in pal!

But to eat bacon chocolate ice cream you have to actually make it, which can seem like the most difficult thing on the planet. Except that is not. It’s easy, really easy. You just need a couple of easy to find ingredients, really crunchy bacon bits (the crunchier the better is how the saying goes) and an ice cream maker.

Just mix everything, pour into the machine and let it do it’s own thing while you sit bag and watch a game, go out to throw some balls or start the BBQ process.

Once the ice cream make ends up the cycle (it can take as little as 30 minutes if you have a good machine) serve the ice cream in a bowl and top it off with more bacon bits because there’s not such a thing as too much bacon. This Bacon Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe is sure to please.

Bacon Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe

Ingredients

1 Cup milk
1 Cup heavy cream
1/4 Cup cacao powder
1/4 Cup melted chocolate
1 Egg yolk
1/2 Cup sugar
1 Cup chopped bacon bits

Directions

In a bowl mix the milk, heavy cream, sugar, cacao and the egg yolk.
Slowly pour in the melted chocolate, add half of the bacon bits and keep mixing until everything is well incorporated.
Pour into the ice cream maker and churn according to directions.
Scoop into bowls and top with the remaining bacon bits.

Enjoy this Bacon Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe and let us know what you think!

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June 29, 2016 By Jason

Marinated Asian Steak

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Guys, today I’m bringing you a great recipe. One of those recipes that you should always have on hand. It’s the kind of recipe that leaves people talking for days about your cooking abilities. I’m talking about Marinated Asian Steak, and you should go to buy the ingredients and make it this weekend.

First, this is very easy to make, but it has a couple of tips and tricks that you should keep in mind when making it. After all, this is the best piece of steak you are going to eat.

The most important thing? Marinate your meat. It lets the meat infuse with flavor, leaving you my friend with one tasty steak.

Then comes the Asian kick. This Marinated Asian Beef is not your traditional BBQ (nothing against it, BBQ is delicious!). This has an international flair to it, so we are using a couple of seasonings that are basics in the Asian cuisine: ginger, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. When you throw in honey, brown sugar, garlic and sriracha sauce (for the hot factor), you have something special.

You can find those Asian condiments in your supermarket, at a specialized food store or if you are feeling lazy and want things to arrive at your doorstep on Amazon.

Once you have your condiments mixed, rub your steak with it and let it marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes. If you have more time, let it sit in your fridge longer. I usually advise to let it sit overnight for a full flavor explosion.

Then just cook the Marinated Asian Steak in a pan or grill for a couple of minutes on each side and serve it with some slaw or potatoes.

Marinated Asian Steak

Ingredients

10 oz. steak
3 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Minced garlic clove
1 Tbsp grated ginger
Pepper and Sriracha sauce to taste
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Side

Slaw salad

Directions

In a bowl mix the honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sriracha sauce and pepper.
Add the steak into the mix, and let it marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes (up to 1 day).
Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat.
Place the marinated steak in the pan and cook for 7 – 10 minutes.
Optional: add some of the marinated sauce to the pan.
Serve, top with some black pepper, and enjoy.

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June 22, 2016 By Jason

Bacon Huevos Rancheros Recipe

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Bacon Huevos Rancheros

If you’ve been a reader around here for a while then you probably already know that I could eat bacon for every meal. Yes, just like my sidebar says I’m powered by bacon badassery all day every day. So obviously when I make breakfast, I add bacon to it, enter these bacon huevos rancheros that you should make right now.

This is one of those heavy recipes that’s especially good after you spent a night out or if you want to fuel up for a packed day. This is full of cheese, bacon, with just a hint of spiciness and served with a generous side of chips I mean that pretty much makes it the best breakfast in the world if you ask me.

The recipe is really simple as well, is one of those recipes that pretty much consists of throwing everything into a pan and waiting for it to works its magic. The ingredients? Diced tomatoes, jalapeños (this is Mexican, after all), beans, eggs, cheese and bacon. Let’s be honest, you probably have all that in your kitchen already.

Then it’s just a matter of placing the tomatoes, jalapeños, beans, and cheese in a pan. While they are cooking fry a couple of eggs and the bacon and then just mix everything up.

However, you need to keep one thing in mind, the bacon is the spotlight of this dish, so make a good one. Cut a couple of bacon strips really small, you want them to be everywhere on your bacon huevos rancheros and not only in a couple of spots, so the tinier the better. Then place in a pan and cook over medium heat until they are sizzling and look crunchy. Crunchy is the way to go here.

Pair with a side of chips and you are done.

Bacon Huevos Rancheros

Ingredients

Pepper to taste
1 Diced tomato
1/4 Cup jalapeños, chopped
1 Cup black beans
2 Eggs
2/3 Cup cheese
4 Bacon strips, finely chopped

Directions

Fry the bacon in a pan over medium heat until crispy.
While waiting, fry the eggs in a pan over medium heat.
In a separate pan or skillet place the tomatoes, jalapeños, beans, and cheese and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
In a dish serve the tomato and beans mix, place the eggs on top, and top with the crispy bacon.
Serve with chips and enjoy this Bacon Huevos Rancheros Recipe.

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June 16, 2016 By Jason

Whiskey Lemon Cooler

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Whiskey Lemon Cooler

There’s nothing better, at least in my opinion than a good Whiskey Lemon Cooler. Sure you could have an Old Fashioned or a Whiskey Sour but when it’s summer and you have plans to spend the day outdoor there’s nothing like this drink.

This is my go-to beverage when I’m hosting friends outdoors or when the temperatures are high. It’s refreshing, strong, and packed with flavor. It also happens to be a crowd favorite…so I keep making it. If it’s not broken why change it right?

This is also super simple to make you just need to keep a couple of things in mind.

1. The herbs: Add them. There’s no turnaround, you really need to add them if you want your drink to taste really good. Herbs infuse the Whiskey Lemon Cooler with a lot of flavors and add another layer of flavor. So if you are going to skip any step, don’t pick this one. I went with thyme because in my opinion it goes great with the whiskey, but this drink goes great with basil as well.

2. The seltzer: The carbonated factor in the seltzer is what makes this drink really refreshing. if you feel like making this recipe even stronger you can swap the seltzer for beer. The whiskey, beer combo is a bomb so drink it with care.

3. Ice: Go big or go home with this one. Seriously tho, fill your glass to the top with ice, this is to cool down after all.

I prefer to mix up things individually instead of whipping up a pitcher. since this recipe is bubbly I find that if you make a huge pitcher you lose up part of the bubbles and it’s just not as good.

Pair this Whiskey Lemon Cooler with some Citrus Glazed Pork and you are all set for the day.

Whiskey Lemon Cooler

Ingredients

1 oz. whiskey
1 lemon, sliced
1 lime, sliced
Seltzer
Ice
fresh thyme sprigs

Directions

Fill half a glass with ice.
Add the whiskey and complete with seltzer.
Add the lemon and lime slices, and stir.
Add some thyme sprigs.
Enjoy

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June 10, 2016 By Jason

Grilled Cake Sundae

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This is the perfect dessert idea to share with your family and friends after a hot day spent grilling outdoors. This grilled cake sundae is a super versatile recipe that you can top with almost anything you have in your fridge and you love and it’s one of those things that the whole crowd will love.

You can go the full DIY route and bake the cake from scratch (ingredients and direction at the bottom) or you can make it easy on yourself and take care only of the grilling and filling with tasty things side.

If you decide to go with the grilling, then just buy some cake from your local supermarket. Sturdy cakes like pound cakes will work better for the grill since they hold up better, which basically means that your cake will not end up in crumbs in the bottom of your grill.

Cut thick slices of the cake and place them directly on your grill for a couple of minutes on each side, in my opinion, the smoky flavor is what packs this cake with a punch.

Serve the cake straight out of the grill, trust me when I say this is better enjoyed when it’s hot. Then comes the time to top it. I always top the ones I make for my family with whipped cream and a generous drizzle of chocolate syrup. Easy, straight and to the point.

You can also serve it with a couple of scoops of ice cream, some banana coins, and a maraschino cherry if you want to make it a full grilled cake sundae.

If you have some leftover cake, you can still use it the next day for another grilled dessert. Cube it, add some marshmallows and chocolate chunks and wrap everything in aluminum foil. No need to throw away anything when you have a grill close.

Grilled Cake Sundae

Using store bought cake

Ingredients

2 Thick vanilla cake slices
1 Cup chocolate syrup
Whipped cream to taste

Directions

Place the cake slices on a grill, skillet, or pan over medium heat.
Grill for 4 minutes or until brown.
Cover with chocolate syrup swirls.
Top with whipped cream.
Serve and enjoy.

Making the cake from scratch

Ingredients

1 Egg
3/4 Cup flour
1 Tsp baking powder
½ Cup sugar
¼ Cup butter
¼ Cup milk
1 Tsp vanilla extract
For the Topping: 3 Cups peanut butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place all the ingredients in a bowl.
Use a mixer to mix them until there are no lumps left in the batter.
Grease a cake pan and pour the batter into it.
Bake for 40 minutes or until done.
Once the cake is done, remove from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes.
Carefully remove the cake from the cake pan and let it cool for 25 minutes.
Once cooled cut in thick slices and grill for 4 minutes or until brown.
Cover with chocolate syrup swirls.
Top with whipped cream.
Serve and enjoy.

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June 1, 2016 By Jason

Spicy Pork Tacos Recipe

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This recipe is spicy, it’s hot and it’s perfect to share with family and friends. It’s also a great appetizer to serve for a game watching party or to make for a summer get together. But trust me pal, these Spicy Pork Tacos are going to become the talk of the town.

There are two secrets to making this recipe so good. First: Go heavy on the jalapeño and chiles. Add some, and then some more and then top everything with more jalapeño, this is what makes this recipe smoking hot good. Second: Make the pork flavorful, the pork is one of the stars of this recipe so you want to have a meat that’s properly seasoned and that packs a punch on itself.

To pack the pork with flavor I use a spice mix, basically adobo (great to have on hand if you like to cook Mexican or Latin food), cilantro, BBQ sauce and sriracha. You want to cook everything together until the pork is done. When cooking you can add a couple of tablespoons of water to make the pork more tender.

Once your meat is done is time to mix everything and create your Spicy Pork Tacos. You can either serve everything in bowls and dishes so everyone can make their own or you can prepare them yourself. If I’m making them for a party I prefer to go the DIY route but if I’m cooking dinner for my family I prefer to make them myself and serve them already done.

To make them I warm the flour tortillas in the oven wrapped in aluminum foil for a couple of minutes. Fill them with pork, cilantro, red cabbage, corn, and jalapeños and that’s it. Sometimes I also add cheese and other times I place them in a baking dish, cover them with a couple of cups of cheese and bake until bubbly.

Spicy Pork Tacos

Ingredients

4 Cups chopped pork
2 Tbsp adobo
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp pepper
1 Tsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp BBQ sauce
2 Tbsp sriracha sauce
1 Cup cilantro
2 Cups corn
2 Cups chopped red cabbage
½ chopped jalapeño
Flour tortillas

Directions

Place the pork, adobo, salt, pepper, garlic powder, sriracha, BBQ sauce, and ½ cup cilantro, in a pan over medium heat.
Cook until done and set aside.
Optional: in a pan over medium heat place the corn and grill it for 5 minutes.
In a bowl mix ½ cup cilantro, the corn, red cabbage, and jalapeño.
Fill each tortilla with ⅓ Cup pork and ⅓ Cup corn mixture
Serve and enjoy.Tips: Add some cilantro mayonnaise for a moister result. Swap the pork for chicken, ground beef, or tofu. Swap the flour tortillas for corn tortillas to make it gluten free.

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May 24, 2016 By Jason

Beer Banana Breakfast Bites

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Yup, you can have beer for breakfast. There. I said it. At least if you make these Beer Banana Breakfast Bites.These tasty concoctions are made on the grill and that take around 20 minutes from start to finish.

The recipe is really delicious and everyone, family and friends alike, will love it. It’s also an great recipe to make if you are camping since you can easily make it over a campfire.

So this recipe has become a staple in my home when I crave something delicious for breakfast or when I invite friends over. It’s not only a great breakfast idea but it’s also delicious as a sweet snack.

While I love it with banana you can take em out and substitute in some crunchy bacon, add an egg on top, or even some chocolate pieces and marshmallows. All the options are just as delicious and are great variations of this beer banana breakfast bites.

To make them you just need to place in a bowl 1 egg and some beer. if you want to make them sweet add also a tablespoon of sugar, if you want to make them savory add a pinch of salt and a crack of pepper.

Then roughly cut a bread into cubes and dunk the pieces in your beer and eggs mixture until they are highly coated. And then comes the fun part just wrap your coated bread with some foil and add the toppings (that way they also get roasted). and take to your grill for around 15 minutes or until they are golden and slightly crunchy in the borders.

Once they are done you can either serve them in a dish for everyone to grab or open the tin foil and serve it there which is especially handy if you are camping.

Beer Banana Breakfast Bites

Ingredients:

8 Sandwich bread slices
2 Eggs, beaten
1 Cup beer
1 Tbsp sugar (optional)
2 Bananas sliced

Direction:

In a bowl mix the eggs, beer, and sugar.
Cut the sandwich bread into slices and coat the cubes with the egg mixture.
Make a foil wrap and fill it with the breakfast bites, add the banana.
Take to the grill and cook for 15 minutes.
Serve and enjoy.

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May 18, 2016 By Jason

Citrus Glazed Rotisserie Pork Recipe

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Pork has got to be one of the most requested meats in this house. While I am a steak lover, I still really enjoy pork and nothing is better to me than meat on a grill. Grilling brings out some amazing flavors in both meat and vegetables.

This pork recipe is super simple and absolutely delicious. My kids have already asked for it again and we just made it the other night. I like to always make a little extra for leftovers or to create another dish. However, this Citrus Glazed Rotisserie Pork Recipe was gone the first night. It really was that good.

Citrus Glazed Rotisserie Pork

Ingredients

1 to 2 medium sized pork loins (usually this is one package at the store)
1 small orange or 2 clementines
¾ cup barbecue sauce
3-5 tablespoons cherry jam

Directions

Zest one clementine or half of the orange and then thin slice the citrus.
Heat the barbecue sauce, jam and zest in a small pot on the stove until it has started to come to a boil, then turn down and let the sugars caramelize a little bit as it reduces.
Place the pork loins in the rotisserie wrack and preheat the grill to roughly medium heat .
Coat the pork loins in the sauce and then place on the grill. The cook times will widely very depending on the size and thickness of the pork loins along with the temperature of the grill. You’ll want to cook the pork until you hit the recommended temperature. For us this took about 30 minutes.
Baste the meat every 5 to 10 minutes until it is done or the sauce is gone.
Once you have hit temp, let the meat rest off the grill and covered with foil for about 10 to 15 minutes.
We sliced ours and enjoyed it with roasted potatoes and sautéed squash.

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May 11, 2016 By Jason

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

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For as long as I can remember, I have loved mushrooms. I love all types and all kinds. I especially love to use them in cooking. Today I have a recipe where mushrooms are the feature. Don’t these crab stuffed mushrooms look amazing?

I love appetizers that are quick and easy to make but that wow my guests. You can play around with the filling by not using crab or just substitute cheese instead of crab. No matter what you do, your guests will thank you later!

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

Ingredients

2 6 oz cans white crab meat, drained
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 lemon, juiced
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp payenne
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 lb whole Cremini mushrooms, washed, stems removed
3 Tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
¾ Cup Panko bread crumbs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
In a bowl combine the Crab meat, Onions, Lemon juice, Parsley, Salt, Pepper, Cayenne and 4 Tbsp. melted Butter.
Place the mushrooms in a baking dish open side down and brush with Olive oil. Flip the mushrooms over and stuff with the Crab mixture, about a teaspoon.
Mix the Panko crumbs with 2 Tbsp. melted Butter. Top each mushroom with Panko crumbs molding it like a meatball. Place back in the baking dish.
Bake at 400˚ until the tops are deep golden brown, 12-15 minutes.
Serve hot.