Posts tagged: summer
Lemon Meringue Mason Jar Pies
Lemon meringue mason jar pies are sweet, tart and incredibly simple to pull together for your summer celebrations and barbecues. With a crust, filling and topping that come together in minutes, you are only 20 minutes away from a fresh, fruity dessert that no one will be able to resist.
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
BBQ Chicken Avocado Flatbreads
Welcome to 2017 piggy peeps! I don't know about you but I am not ready to get back into the swing of things to kick off the New Year. It feels like there are 5 million to-do's on my list and I am barely making a dent in them a few days into the new year... One thing that's falling off my radar? Dinner. I am struggling with pumping out tasty meals without spending wayyyyy too much time on them. Since I have too much to do at work, I am starting to rely on meals of popcorn and soda - NOT how I wanted to start the year.
Instead, I'm pulling out my Pig of the Month BBQ Shredded Chicken and I'm making something more than just a sandwich with it. These flatbreads are one of the easiest meals EVER and there's no one that can resist them, I don't care how picky of an eater they are. The fluffy naan with BBQ sauce, chicken and avocado is the best base for any pizza. Throw in the bite of some red onion and salty cheese and holy wow, this pizza is one the entire family will be begging you to make on a regular basis. Not to mention it's pretty dang healthy in terms of pizza, so you can feel ok about sticking to those New Year resolutions ;)
INSTRUCTIONS: Place naan on a lined baking sheet.
Spread each with half of the BBQ sauce.
Top with chicken, red onion and cheese.
Place under broiler set to high for approximately 2 to 3 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
Remove from oven, top with avocado, cilantro and a sprinkle of queso fresco. Serve.
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Pig of the Month BBQ Shredded Chicken
Pig of the Month BBQ Love Me Tender Sauce
*Recipe and photos by Meghan Bassett
Pig Overload Fries
Who's ready to get down on some serious pig?? That's exactly what these Pig Overload Fries are here for! When it comes to watching that pigskin fly and rooting for my favorite team, football food is everything I need to make me happy in life. Well, along with a couple of beers of course.
It's only natural to load up all the pork and bacon on these delicious fries, because y'all know I like my fries with a side of meat, plus some extra meat. Then I load it up with some cheddar cheese deliciousness and top it all off with some BBQ sauce. Talk about a hot mess of deliciousness, am I right? Thus the best fries you will ever eat in your LIFE were born.
Seriously, these are the best fries ever. Just look at that gorgeous mess and then tell me that you can resist it... Yea, didn't think so. So go ahead, get messy. Eat it all. Feel no guilt and chug a cold brew. This IS football season, people. Get into it already!
INSTRUCTIONS: Cook French fries according the instructions on the package. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with paprika and cayenne powder. When melted and just starting to bubble, stir in 1/8 cup flour. Let brown, approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute, and whisk in 1 1/2 cups milk.
Continue to stir the milk mixture until it thickens, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar cheese until melted.
Place cooked fries in a large serving dish. Top with pulled pork and bacon. Drizzle over cheese sauce and BBQ sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.
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Pig of the Month BBQ Pulled Pork
Pig of the Month BBQ Applewood Smoked Maple Bacon
*Recipe and photos by Meghan Bassett
Spicy Dry Rub Ribs
Spicy Dry Rub Ribs are smoky and spicy, perfect for your next BBQ gathering! The ribs come out extra tender and juicy, hot off the grill and finger-lickin' good.
It's finally grilling season! Is anyone else as excited as I am about this? I've been busting out the grill almost every single night for dinner and I gotta tell you, that grilled charcoal flavor is what I've been missing since Labor Day. Chicken, vegetables, burgers, steaks, I've been grilling it ALL.
Recently though, I've been obsessed about perfecting dry rub ribs on the grill. I've baked them more times than I can count, but nothing gets that BBQ flavor packed into the ribs like a grill. These ribs are the best combination of spicy and smoky on the outside, with perfectly tender and juicy meat on the inside. Seriously, the meat practically melts in your mouth with every bite.
Your next BBQ NEEDS these ribs. Or even your next weeknight meal! Rub the ribs down and wrap 'em up before you head to work in the morning, then just throw 'em on the grill when you get home. You'll have grilled up ribs in under an hour that'll curb all those BBQ cravings you've been having lately.
INSTRUCTIONS: In a medium bowl, stir to combine salt, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, black pepper and cayenne pepper.
Rub down the racks of ribs with the dry rub evenly. Wrap the racks in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Heat up your grill to 350 to 400 degrees and rub the grill racks with olive oil. Remove the ribs from the plastic wrap and place directly on the grill. Cook for 40 minutes, turning occasionally, until crispy and cooked through.
Allow the racks to rest 10 minutes before cutting into them and serving.
Recipe & photos by Meghan Bassett
