Posted in Side Dish

Side Dish ‘n’ Saturdays: Buttermilk Corn Muffins

Buttermilk Corn Muffins

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Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

Prep Day: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a muffin tin or line it with cupcake liners.

In a medium-sized bowl combine the melted butter with the sugar. Beat in the eggs until well blended.

Add in the baking soda and then slowly pour in the buttermilk while you stir.

Add in the cornmeal, flour, and salt and stir until well combined. Pour batter into the prepared muffin tin.

Bake in the 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until the tops start to brown.

Freeze.

Serve Day: Thaw. Warm in microwave.

Posted in - Pork, Budget Friendly

Frugal Fridays: Simple BBQ Ribs

Simple BBQ Ribs

Serves 4

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40 oz. bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (I used sweet baby ray’s) – $2.44
3.38lb. St. Louis style ribs – $6.05 ($1.79lb.)

Total Cost – $8.49
Cost per serving – $2.12

Prep Day: freeze ribs.

Serve Day: Thaw Ribs. Put your ribs in the crockpot. Lather them with bbq sauce. I highly recommend Sweet Baby Ray’s. I’m one who likes to make most everything from scratch, but when it comes to bbq sauce, I can’t make better than Sweet Baby Ray’s. They aren’t even paying me to say that.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Gently remove the racks and lay them out on a foil lined baking tray. Add more bbq sauce on top.

Broil under a broiler for 3-5 minutes until the bbq sauce starts to bubble and caramelize. Alternately you could wrap them in foil and throw them on a heated grill for the same effect. I sometimes do this for crowds and picnics. This keep the ribs warm until ready to eat and makes it easy to pass out portions.

Eat and Enjoy!

Posted in Beverages, Holiday Good Eats

In Honor of 4th of July: Fireworks Red, White and Blue Daiquiris

Fireworks Red, White and Blue Daiquiris

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Serves 6

Blue:
2 cups ice cubes
1/3 cup blue passion fruit liqueur, such as Hpnotiq or Alize
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)
2 tablespoons blue curacao liqueur
2 tablespoons white rum
2 tablespoons sugar

Red:
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup watermelon chunks, frozen
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
2 tablespoons white rum
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup ice cubes

White:
1 cup coconut sorbet
1/4 cup rum
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 cup ice cubes

Begin by making the blue layer: Put 1 1/2 cups of the ice cubes in the carafe of a blender. Add the passion fruit liqueur, lime juice, blue curacao, rum and sugar. Blend until slushy and there are no chunks of ice left, adding the remaining 1/2 cup of ice if needed. Transfer to a large measuring cup or small bowl and place in the freezer while you make the next layer.

For the red layer: Rinse out the blender and then add the frozen strawberries, watermelon, lime juice, rum and sugar. Blend until slushy and there are no chunks of fruit. With the motor running, add the ice, a few cubes a time, until thick and smooth. Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water if the consistency is too thick. Transfer to another small bowl and place in the freezer while making the final layer.

For the white layer: Rinse out the blender and add the coconut sorbet, rum and lime juice. Blend until smooth and thick. With the motor running, add the ice, a few cubes at a time, and continue to blend until thick and no bits of ice remain.

Pour the red layer into the bottom of six 8-ounce glasses, about 1/3 cup each. Gently spoon 1/3 cup of the blue layer over the red layer so they stay separate. Finish by spooning 1/3 cup of the white layer over the second layer in each glass.