Slow Cooker Apple Bourbon Baked Beans

 

My parents used to have a very large house at the Lake of the Ozarks. Every holiday, all five of those bedrooms were filled, many sections of the floor covered in sleeping bags, and it was always a whirlwind of activity. Some people would be out fishing, others boating, I would be in the water with my friends, the men would be stoking the outdoor barbecue, and the women in the kitchen working on desserts and sides, and happily chattering away. I don’t think I appreciated those times nearly as much as I probably should have.

 

My number two son, now in his 30s, caught his first fish at the lake. 

But before I bring all of you down with sweet nostalgia, I’ll tell you that one of the ways I deal with holidays, now lacking all of the senior family members with whom I used to enjoy them, is to make myself a good, holiday meal. For me this past Memorial Day that meant pork steaks, my grandma‘s mustard potato salad, deviled eggs, and baked beans. I have a lot of good recipes for baked beans, but wanted to vary from what I normally do by looking up recipes online, and adding my own special spin. These turned out to be phenomenal! I ate more of them than I probably should, but I could not stop. They were that good.Slow Cooker Apple Bourbon Baked Beans

2 22-oz. cans baked beans

2 21-oz. cans apple pie filling

1 small onion, diced

½ c. BBQ sauce

1 12-oz. pkg. bacon, cooked and rough chopped

¼ c. bourbon

1 t. Brown Sugar Bourbon seasoning

Place all ingredients into a 6-quart slow cooker in the order listed. Give it a good stir, and cook on low for 4-5 hours; high for 2-3 hours. Serve hot.

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French Toast BLT

 

After the rousing success I had with the Beef Burgers with Bourbon Mushrooms, I thought I would try my hand at another recipe from that same 2016 issue of Sauce Magazine, namely, the BLT French Toast. I’m not going to lie to you, this did not sound good. I think I was more intrigued with the process, the fact that there was bourbon in the egg mixture, and that this was a savory dish involving French toast. As it turned out, I thought it was excellent, and something likely to be served at a high-end restaurant. I did not expect to taste the bourbon in the bread slices, but I did, and that really enhanced this knife and fork sandwich. It’s not difficult to make, but it takes some time due to the waiting in making the savory French toast. The garlic vinaigrette was a wonderful surprise, and I found myself really enjoying this restaurant quality sandwich that, I’m warning you, is big enough for two.

 Here is the recipe as printed. I cut it back by three.

French Toast BLT

5 eggs

2 c. heavy cream

¼ c. bourbon

6 1-inch slices challah

12 strips thick-cut bacon

2½ c. grated Gruyere

12 tomato slices* (about 3 small tomatoes)

Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

3 c. spring mix

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

 In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream and bourbon until well combined. Pour in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the challah and soak 10 minutes. Flip the slices and soak an additional 10 minutes.

 Meanwhile, place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until just crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Spoon off most of the bacon fat from the skillet.

 Add 3 challah slices and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet, then repeat with the remaining slices.

 Bake the bread slices until cooked through, about 6 minutes. Top with the grated cheese and bake until the cheese melts, about 4 minutes.

 To assemble, place 2 strips of bacon and 2 tomato slices each on 3 challah slices and drizzle with the vinaigrette.

Toss the spring mix with enough of the vinaigrette to coat. Divide the greens evenly over the 3 prepared challah slices and top with the remaining 3 slices. Serve warm.

 Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

2 heads of garlic

¾ c. olive oil, plus more for drizzling

2 T. sherry vinegar

1 T. Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

 Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

 Slice off the tops of the garlic so the cloves are exposed. Place the garlic heads in a small baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with foil and roast until the garlic is golden brown, fragrant and softened, 20 to 25 minutes.

 Let the garlic cool, then squeeze the cloves into a blender, discarding the skins. Add the vinegar and mustard, and blend until smooth. With the machine running, add ¾ cup olive oil in a steady stream until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

*I used one large slice from a red Melissa's Produce Heirloom Tomato.

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Plastered Hot Fudge Sauce

As I promised when I showed you a small (read: minuscule) portion of my recipe postcard collection, I tried the recipe for Plastered Hot Fudge Sauce. If you have never made hot fudge sauce before, this is the recipe to start with because it is easy and so good! I used the called for Jack Daniels, but my guess is that you could use the spirit of your choice, e.g. brandy, scotch, or bourbon, or a favorite liqueur like Kahlúa, Amaretto, or even Grand Marnier for a luscious orange and chocolate combination. This is delicious over ice cream, orange sherbet, or pound cake, and a tasty dip for fresh fruits like strawberries, raspberries, or bananas. Easy, delicious, and with a hint of booze, what’s not to like?

Plastered Hot Fudge Sauce
From page 179 of Jack Daniel’s The Spirit of Tennessee Cookbook

1 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa, sifted
1 t. instant coffee granules (I used espresso powder)
Dash of salt
2 T. Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup butter

Combine sugar, cocoa, coffee, and salt in a medium saucepan. Mix Jack Daniel’s Whiskey with cream; add to sauce and whisk until sauce is smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. When sugar has dissolved, add butter and cook until thickened, about five minutes. Serve warm. Makes 2 cups.

PRINT RECIPE

If patience is not one of your virtues, try this Microwave Fudge Sauce.

This post is linked to:

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things
Pink Saturday
Snickerdoodle Create Bake & Create

Best of the Weekend

Grace at Home

Friday at the Fire Station
Create, Bake, Grow and Gather

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Kentucky-Style Pimiento Cheese

When you saw this post, I’m sure you said yourself, “Is this woman demented?! She has already given us recipes for pimiento cheese!“ And so, I have. And I may or may not be demented, that’s still up for debate, but I do like pimiento cheese, and my goal is to try every recipe I can find.

Generally I’m a purist when it comes to pimiento cheese. Just the basics are all I want. But recently I stumbled upon a recipe with a lot of ingredients that called itself Southern Pimiento Cheese. I don’t consider a pimiento cheese recipe with a lot of ingredients to be truly Southern, but because I hadn’t tried this one, and because my goal is to try them all, I thought I would make it truly Southern by adding some bourbon to the mix. Boy, is this stuff good! Because I used Kentucky bourbon, my version gives a nod to that fine state. If you’re a pimiento cheese fan the way that I am, you need to give this one a try.

Kentucky-Style Pimiento Cheese

2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup chopped Melissa’s Fire Roasted Red Bell Peppers
1/3 cup Duke’s mayonnaise
1 ounce Kentucky bourbon
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. onion powder
1/4 t. smoked paprika
1/4 t. Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 t. cayenne, more or less, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl until combined. Store in refrigerator.

PRINT RECIPE

For many more irresistible Pimiento Cheese recipes, click here.

This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things
Pink Saturday
Snickerdoodle Create Bake & Create

Best of the Weekend

Grace at Home

Friday at the Fire Station
Create, Bake, Grow and Gather

This post contains affiliate links.