Great picnic presentation for a crowd

I cook whole hogs for pig pickin's many times throughout the year.  And summertime is perfect for cooking whole hogs and entertaining.  But I always have leftover BBQ.  So I turn leftover BBQ into BBQ sundaes.  And then invite friends and family over for a BBQ picnic the next day!  It's all the picnic fixin's in one jar!

To assemble the sundaes:
You will need pint size mason jars, BBQ, coleslaw, baked beans, BBQ sauce, diced red onions.  And something cold to drink, like an ice cold frosty beer!

Layer the mason jars like so; baked beans on the bottom, next comes the BBQ, top with coleslaw and red onions.  Finish the sundaes with a drizzle of BBQ sauce. And enjoy!!



  

Watermelon Granita

Easiest dessert ever! Watermelon is at its peak right now. Very ripe and sweet. Turn it into a yummy frozen treat! Super healthy too!!!

6 cups seedless watermelon, diced
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
Handful of fresh mint leaves

Purée watermelon in blender. You may have to work in batches. Add the lime juice and mint. Blend until mixed.

Pour mixture into a 9x9 inch metal pan, cover and freeze. Stir mixture every hour with a fork. The granita is ready to serve when the mixture is frozen and resembles ice crystals, about 5 hours. Use a fork to scrape granita into large ice crystals. Serve in a chilled martini glass and garnish with a mint sprig.

New toy!!

New toy added to the kitchen. Meat grinder. Just made fresh ground hamburgers from chuck roast and a few strips of bacon. Grinding your own meat DOES make a difference! HUGE difference!!!!!! Simply amazing burgers! Give it a try and then YOU can influence what ingredients go in to your ground meat!

Turn "overgrown" veggies in to something yummy

Been away on vacation to come home to an overgrown garden? Take those large zucchini and squash and slice them to 1/4 inch, toss in to some buttermilk and then in to some seasoned cornmeal and fry until golden brown. Yes, I said fry. Remember to salt when they come out of the oil!

Citrus & the grill

Everyone knows a squeeze of lemon, lime or orange goes a long way to making a dish "pop" after the cooking process. But to add another layer of flavor, cut your citrus "du jour" in half and add it to the grill, along with your protein, flesh side down. Grill until charred and THEN give it a squeeze. You'll be surprised at the difference!!! Give it a try!

"Hot" Cherry Cocktail Spritzer

1 habanera pepper, seeded
5 fresh cherries, pitted
3 fresh mint leaves
1 lemon
1 lime
1 tablespoon simple syrup, recipe below
4 oz Vodka
ice
club soda

Muddle the habanera, cherries, and mint in bottom of shaker.  Add simple syrup, vodka, and ice and shake vigorously.  Strain into a chilled martini glass and top with a splash of club soda.  Garnish with mint sprig and cherry.

Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Add water and sugar in sauce pan and heat over medium heat to dissolve the sugar.  Remove from heat then zest and juice the lemon and lime into the sugar mixture.  Stir to combine.  Allow to cool before adding to the cocktail.