Oh Holy Jacky D!

Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey, what is it good for other than drinking with a little splash of cola? EVERYTHING!

This night was all about the Jack!  Which is very fitting for Jack and David's house... it is only their favorite choice of liquor.  

We started with Jack Daniel's Whiskey Barrel Charcoal 

Then enjoyed a Whiskey infused dip (Lucky 13 Party Dip) with chips. 

A little bit of Jack Daniel's Original No. 7 Recipe Barbecue Sauce. 

Don't worry, the American Flag is proudly displayed in the living room. 

Ribs grilling over the fire. Soaked with the Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce. 

Beautiful Ribs! 

Southwest Salad with some Jack Daniel's Ranch Dressing

Our praise the holy Jack Daniel's Dinner! 

Cheers to the night with the Declaration of Independence Shot Glass with Jack Daniels. 

(Sorry, I can't do full shots!)

What's for dinner?

This last weekend I was down in southern California and if you were there you would also know it was really hot! Very hot! When it is hot at night and you can't sleep, Pinterest is to the rescue!

I found this recipe Saturday night and have not stopped thinking about it since.

I added a special touch of our traditional balsamic... It really took it to the next level!

It's a winner at our house, look how much Andrew liked it!

Fried Chicken and Everclear: #riverrat

For Labor day weekend a few friends and I went to the Colorado river in Parker, CA/AZ! Not sure what is the right state. 

The weekend was filled with boat rides, sunsets, coors light, floating beer pong, and pasties.  In addition we enjoyed some river favorites, Fried Chicken from Manor Market and Road Rapers from the Roadrunner floating dock.   

Ready for Some FOOTBALL!

And to try some Pinterest recipes! I have been pining for the last few months saving recipes to make for  guests, but we have been so busy we haven't had anyone over for a few weeks.  Well the time has come that I get to try 2 pinned recipes.

First for an appetizer dip while watching the game I made The Food Gospel According to Ruth's, Caprese Dip!  I used Ruth's recipe for the most part but added ricotta to add more volume and a lighter consistency.  I think it worked while it was hot, but I hated the textured when it cooled.  I need to find something to keep my dips warm, I was thinking a crock pot, but that isn't cute on the coffee table!

I drizzled some of our amazing balsamic vinegar on top from the wine fest! 

This year I have had a serious thing for peaches, and reasonably so because they are sooooo good!  You can see on my Yummy board many peach recipes.  The one I pinned from Bakerella's blog is a Peach Cake Crumble.  In true Sarah fashion, I have to add my own adjustments.  Instead of canned peaches, I used fresh peaches sautéed in a stick of butter and sprinkled brown sugar and let them soften and get really juicy!

Finally I got to use my new plates!!! They are so small, but I love them! 

By the way, who won the game?  

What's for Dinner?

In Seattle, Andrew and I fell in love with Macrina Bakery & Cafe's Mushroom and Pepperoni Quiche.  It was to die for and I decided I wanted to try and make it, but make it without grains or dairy.  I used this recipe here, on the Paleo Diet Lifestyle blog to guide me and then added pepperoni and sauteed mushrooms, and a little bit of Parmesan cheese.  I avoided the crust this time, but I have been researching some grain free options like this crust here.  It was great, a slight taste of coconut, which was weird, but it didn't bother me because the pepperoni and mushrooms were so savory!

What's for Dinner?

I have been wanting to make the Cauliflower pizza for so long.  Finally, usually our night to order pizza delivery, I decided to make Against All Grain's Meat Lover's Pizza with Cauliflower Crust. 

So we used the meat and veggies we already had, chicken sausage, pepperoni, and tomatoes.  It turned out very nice! I wouldn't say pizza, but it was delicious!!! I will definitely be making this again trying out different toppings!

Grillin' Week #3: Cornish Game Hen (My Week)

Ok, you must be thinking, what happened to Grillin' Week #2, well that was the same night as the Picnic at the Mission which was scheduled before we found out the couples for our weekly dinner could only host dinner the same night.  Sorry, but the picnic won!

So Week #3 was at our house, and the Henwood/Pilato/Kelly Household selected a nice little hen as the mystery meat for the night, cornish game hen.

I have cooked this once before, but couldn't remember a thing about what we did or how it turned out, good thing is at least it isn't a bad memory! The first thing that came to mind when given this challenge was beer can chicken! We made this one night in our BBQ Cooking class and it was super juicy and delicious.  I went through all my saved recipes, but couldn't find it anywhere.  So I find an email from our BBQ teacher and hoped he gets back to me within a few hours.  Well to the rescue Mr. Feeney (No, not the same one from Saved by the Bell) was able send me a copy of his recipe!

It was pretty simple, season the chicken (cornish game hen for tonight), pour half the beer out or drink it, place the chicken on the beer so the beer is tightly in the chicken's cavity and nicely holding it up.  Then place on the BBQ until the meat is at 180 degrees.

I served the beer can cornish game hen with a side of Pancetta & Sweet Potato Hash and Lemon Parmesan Roasted Broccoli.  These are two of my favorite quick and easy sides to make that went perfectly with the hen.  I have to say I was pretty impressed with results!