Posts tagged: Recipes
Bacon Jam Burgers
Who’s ready for a long weekend filled with barbeques and fireworks? This girl, that’s who! There’s nothing like digging into a thick, juicy burger on the Fourth of July. It’s the ultimate American dish, especially when it’s hot straight off the grill. This holiday, instead of bringing out the same ol’ burger and cheese combo you’ve used in the past, try kicking it up a notch with bacon jam. Yes, that’s right, I said bacon jam.
Trio of Fruit Mini Skillet S'mores
S’mores is my favorite dessert EVER. So much so that you’ll find me heating up the gas burner on my stove in the dead of winter, just so I can get that perfectly toasted marshmallow. But what’s even better than a perfect s’more...
Watermelon Granita
Looking for a refreshing, healthy dessert? Look no further than this icy cold watermelon granita! 
Making a granita is such a simple task and it tastes absolutely heavenly on a hot summer day. It’s also a fantastic way to create a great dessert with the kids while they are out of school! You and the kids can check on it as it freezes, scarping each frozen layer with a fork to create your very own shaved ice dessert.
We used watermelon to really capture the flavor of summer – it’s light, refreshing and quite addictive. Plus, you don’t have to worry about the kids eating too much of it! They’ll be getting in their servings of fruit in such a fun way, leaving you happy and your kids cool.
INSTRUCTIONS: In the bowl of a food processor and working in batches if needed, puree the watermelon chunks. Add to a large bowl and stir in the sugar, lime juice, and lemon juice.
Add the mixture to a large baking dish and freeze for two hours. Remove from the freezer and scrape the frozen layer with a fork to create the texture of shaved ice.
Return the granita to the freeze and freeze for another hour before scraping again. Continue freezing for an hour at a time until the whole mixture is frozen and looks like shaved ice. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe & Photos by Meghan Bassett
Garden Herb Bacon Potato Salad
I’ve got a creamy, dreamy pile of bacon-packed potato salad for you today!
Before I go any further, tell me you’ve tasted the Pig of the Month Garden Herb bacon. If you haven’t, I demand that you immediately order some RIGHT NOW. This just so happens to be one of my favorite flavors of bacon for summer cooking. It’s the perfect balance of herbs and savory bacon in every bite.
And it just so happens to be the star ingredient of this garden herb bacon potato salad! The fresh herbs and bacon really come through in this super simple potato salad, making it a perfect side dish for your picnics and barbeques. The flavors are fresh and savory with a slight tang from the mustard and vinegar, making it a cooling salad to pair against a massive deli sandwich or a good ol’ burger.
Happy picnicking!
INSTRUCTIONS Fill a large pot with water and season with 1 Tbsp salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and add the cubed potatoes. Cook potatoes until fork tender (approximately 10-15 minutes). Drain potatoes and add to a large serving bowl. Allow to cool completely. Add mayonnaise, onion, white wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir until all the potatoes have been evenly coated with the mayonnaise and spices. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before serving.
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Pig of the Month Garden Herb Bacon
Recipe & Photos by Meghan Bassett
Eggnog Bread Pudding
What do I love most about the holidays? EGGNOG.
As soon as eggnog shows up on the shelves in the grocery store, I'm buying it in bulk and enjoyed every smooth, rich moment of joy. Since eggnog never graces grocery store shelves for long enough in my opinion, I try to find new ways to use it throughout the holiday season.
Nothing says holidays more than eggnog and this eggnog bread pudding is going to be your new favorite holiday dessert. It's smooth, creamy, spiked and filled with the eggnog flavor you love. It makes for a delicious dessert, or even breakfast on Christmas morning!
With only a few steps to eggnog perfection, there's no reason not to make this gorgeous dish. No one will know how easy it was for you to make!
INSTRUCTIONS: Grease a large baking dish with butter or cooking spray. Add bread cubes to the baking dish and set aside. Over medium heat in a large saucepan, heat eggnog and milk until it just begins to bubble. While the milk and eggnog are heating, whisk together eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt until frothy. Add 1 cup of the warm eggnog mixture, whisking as you pour. Whisk in the remaining eggnog mixture, vanilla, rum and nutmeg.
Pour custard over the bread in the baking dish, making sure to slightly push down the bread pieces to get them saturated with the liquid. Chill for at least 1 hour or up to overnight (breakfast, anyone?). Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake the bread pudding for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and the custard is set. Serve warm.
Recipe & Photos by Meghan Bassett
Cranberry Sangria
Cheers to the holidays, friends!
Christmas is next week! How did that creep up so fast? If you're anything like me, you're frantically planning your holiday get togethers, trying to find the perfect (and easiest) recipes to serve your family and friends. When it comes to cocktail hour, my family takes their drinks very seriously. Instead of stocking an entire bar, this year I'm going straight for buckets of sangria to serve.
Any holiday festivities you have planned NEED this sangria. It's full of the traditional holiday flavors you know and love, plus it brings an extra festive element to any get together with the fresh cranberries and cinnamon sticks floating about.
You'll be hard pressed to find anyone who will turn down a second glass... Or third.
INSTRUCTIONS: Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher ad refrigerate for at least 5 to 6 hours before serving (ideally overnight).
Recipe & Photos by Meghan Bassett
Chocolate Dipped Candied Citrus Slices
Still wondering what in the world you're going to get that special someone for Christmas this year? Don't worry, because I've got you covered with these chocolate dipped candied citrus slices!
After a while, buying presents gets a bit tough because everyone seems to have everything they need or want. When you want to show you care, I always say go for the tastebuds. Nothing says I love you like a plate full of beautifully candied citrus slices, dipped in chocolate and served with a bow, am I right?
These elegant slices of sugary citrus are dipped in dark chocolate and look so fancy, no one will know that it took you very little time and effort to create them.
INSTRUCTIONS: In a large skillet, heat water and sugar over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add the orange and lemon slices and continue to cook over medium heat, turning from time to time. Once the liquid is reduced to a thick syrup and the slices are translucent, approximately 20 minutes, reduce heat to low and simmer until the syrup is thick. Turn the slices occasionally as then cook, approximately 10 minutes.
Transfer the slices to a cooling rack and you can save the syrup to use as a citrus simple syrup in cocktails! Cool the slices for at least 12 hours before dipping.
Dip the citrus slices halfway into the melted chocolate and set on parchment paper to harden, approximately 1 hour. Package in cute little mini loaf pans and wrap as desired.
Recipe & Photos by Meghan Bassett
Boozy White Hot Chocolate
It's beginning to look a lot like winter! The temperatures are dropping, the snow is starting to fall, and it's about time to start snuggling up under blankets next to a roaring fire every night. Nothing goes better with a snuggly night in than a giant mug of warm hot chocolate, spiked with a little booze of course. :)
This Boozy White Hot Chocolate is a fun way to shake up your usual hot chocolate routine, featuring indulgent white chocolate and spiced rum for just the right touch of much-needed extra warmth.
Holiday movie marathon? Oh yea, this'll do the trick better than that tired ol' egg nog.
INSTRUCTIONS In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, chocolate chips and vanilla. Stirring constantly, heat the mixture until the chocolate is melted and the mixture begins to simmer, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Divide evenly between two large mugs and serve with marshmallows and whipped cream.
Recipe & Photos by Meghan Bassett
The Pig's Top Turkey Tips
Thanksgiving is ONE WEEK AWAY! It always sneaks up on us and no matter how well-prepared we think we are, there are some last minute questions that always come up. We're rounding up our top Thanksgiving tips for you this year to make sure you're on your game! Look no further pig-lovin' friends, we've got your Thanksgiving covered.
Don't forget how long defrosting a turkey actually takes! You can thaw your bird either in the refrigerator or cold water. If you're using the refrigerator, use the equation of 1 day to thaw for every 4lbs of meat. Short on time? No problem. Cold water thawing is much faster at a rate of 30 minutes to thaw for every pound.
No one likes lumpy gravy... Bust out the sieve or strainer! This will get all those gross lumps right out. You can also use your good ol’ blender to puree the lumps outta there.
Did you mail-order a Pig of the Month BBQ Feast, Whole Turkey, or Smoked Turkey Breast? First off, high five for being a Thanksgiving genius. You just made your life SO much easier. Now that you've got the main attractions covered, it's time to think sides that go with all the POM deliciousness. If you want to make something extra, go for the veggies. For a quick fix, grab your fav veggies, chop them up and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder or chopped garlic. Roast on a lined, rimmed baking sheet at 400 degrees until tender. Have everyone else bring the rest of the fixings and kick up you feet to watch the Thanksgiving parade.
Come on, you can do better than plain ol' canned cranberry sauce. We'll solve this with one word – ORANGE. Add about 1 tsp of orange zest and 1/2 Tbsp of orange juice (or more if you prefer). This will brighten up that plain old canned cranberry sauce so much that your guests will be asking for the recipe. Shhhhh, we’ll keep the secret for ya!
Aren't Thanksgiving leftovers the BEST? Answer = YES. The best (and safest) way is to cool everything down. Pack leftovers in shallow containers instead of big deep containers so they cool faster. Yes, it’s a bit of work with all those containers and playing refrigerator Tetris, but the small containers will help your leftovers stay fresh and take up less space in the fridge!
This is the tip that will save you countless times in the kitchen on Thanksgiving Day. Chicken stock is your ultimate Thanksgiving savior. Simply keep a large saucepan of chicken stock warm on the stove throughout the day. It can rescue dry stuffing, too-thick gravy, dry turkey, and countless other emergencies that pop up at the absolute worst time. Anything you have leftover can be stored or frozen for later use, or use it as a base for leftover turkey soup! Who's ready to conquer Thanksgiving? You are! Don't forget to check out our mega list of 50+ Thanksgiving tips for even more turkey day wisdom! If it's all too much and you're tired of basting a bird for 6+hours, let us do all the work and order you smoked turkey today! Ships free with code "novship"
Sausage in a Blanket
When I ventured to Scotland about a year ago and had my first good sausage in a blanket I was blown away. Such a simple dish packed so much flavor and satisfaction; it seemed too good to be true. I was sure there was some sort of secret Scottish trick to making these wrapped sausages so addictive. Turns out, all you need is some dough, Dijon mustard, cheese and incredible sausage to make the dream come true at home!
I used Pig of the Month’s Wine & Swine Sausages here, but you can use any of their sausage selections to make your own variation of this recipe. This is a great weeknight dinner that will satisfy both the kids and the adults! It also makes for a great handheld lunch on the go, so be sure to pin this for those back to school lunches.
INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray (or use a silicone mat). Add the beaten egg and water to a small bowl and whisk briefly to combine. Set aside. Roll out the pizza dough on a clean surface. Cut the pizza dough into 4 rectangles, about 4x5 inches in size. You may need to roll out the dough a bit from its original size to accommodate the squares. Prick each square all over with a fork. Spread 1 Tbsp of Dijon mustard on each piece of dough. Divide the slices of cheese into 2 triangles each and place them on the dough, spread out a little so the cheese doesn’t get stuck all in one place.
In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the sausages until a nice medium brown sear forms on both sides, approximately 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove from heat. When sausages are cool enough to handle, roll each one up in a piece of prepared dough. Spread the seal with a thin brush of egg wash. Place seam side down on the baking sheet and brush the top with egg wash. Cut three slits in the top with a sharp knife to create vents. Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the dough and sausages are cooked through. Serve with dipping sauces such as extra Dijon mustard, ketchup and barbecue sauce.
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Pig of the Month Garlic Sausage Links
Recipe & Photos by Meghan Bassett
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