Bacon Pimento Cheese Cherubs

After what feels like the longest no win streak in the history of forever, I'm happy to say that  these gorgeous bites are 1 of 4 finalists in the running for a really amazing prize! Nature Sweet Tomatoes asked for innovative tomato recipes for their Tomato-Vators contest and my Bacon Pimento Cheese Cherubs caught the judges eye! The recipe that earns the most votes will win a grilling experience for the winner and a guest at the Weber Grill

Academy at the Weber Grill Restaurant in St. Louis, MO, a Weber Spirit II E-210 LP gas

grill, and a Weber iGrill3 wireless thermometer!!!!

I don't have a gas grill and would really love the chance to go to BBQ school too!

If you have a moment, I would appreciate every vote I can get! The voting is open until July 10th and each email address can vote once a day

VOTE HERE

My recipe was a spin on the classic Southern Tomato and Pimento Cheese Sandwich but in bite size form. I took their super sweet cherub tomatoes, rolled them in pimento cheese then in crispy panko bread crumbs and bacon. They are the perfect summer bite especially with a chilled glass of wine. My kids helped me roll them out and form them. Good messy fun!

Bacon Pimento Cheese Cherubs

1 cup panko bread crumbs

4 slices cooked bacon, chopped very finely

1 ½ cup pimento cheese spread, well chilled

40 Nature Sweet Cherub Tomatoes

Heat oven to 400 degrees. 

Place the panko on a cookie sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray. Toast in the oven for about 5 minutes. Watch closely to prevent crumbs from burning.  Once panko is golden and toasted, mix with the bacon and place in a small bowl. 

Place the pimento cheese in a mini food processor and pulse until smooth.

Mold about 2 teaspoons of the pimento cheese around each tomato shaping it into a ball and then roll in the breadcrumb bacon mixture pressing lightly to help them stick.  

Set on a serving platter, refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until firm and serve immediately. 

Just a few tips when making these: make sure the pimento cheese is well chilled when rolling and that the tomatoes are completely dry. The firmer the cheese mixture is, the easier it is to form it around the tomatoes. I did the cheese part and then plopped it on the pan of bacon breadcrumbs and had my kids roll them in that. The assembly line made it much quicker!

Sizzlin’ Skirt Steak Tacos with Asparagus Corn Salsa and Creamy Chipotle Steak Sauce

I am participating in the first ever “Budweiser Sauces Ultimate Blogger Recipe Challenge – Freedom Reserve" and I am absolutely over the moon excited about my first entry! Budweiser sent me a load of their BBQ sauces, Wing Sauces, Steak Sauce and, my favorite, their Marinade Bags. These things are genius and I knew that was the first thing I was going to try out! You literally have to just throw your meat in the bag and let it sit until you're ready to cook. No mess, no cleanup, so so easy and I was very impressed with the flavor.

First up is my Sizzlin’ Skirt Steak Tacos with Asparagus Corn Salsa and Creamy Chipotle Steak Sauce. I put my skirt steak in the Budweiser Sizzlin’ Steakhouse Marinade Bag and let it sit in the fridge until I was ready to use it later that night. Then I made a summer salsa loaded with grilled asparagus, corn and some jalapeno for kick. I knew I wanted a sauce to drizzle over these tacos so I kicked up the Steak & Burger Sauce with some chipotle which totally made the perfect pair with the grilled steak and veggies. Add in the crumbled bacon and goat cheese and I truly think I have a winner!

Sizzlin’ Skirt Steak Tacos with Asparagus Corn Salsa and Creamy Chipotle Steak Sauce

1 ½ pounds skirt steak

1 (12 ounce) Budweiser Sizzlin’ Steakhouse Marinade Bag 

¼ cup Budweiser Steak & Burger Sauce 

½ cup mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon milk

2 teaspoons pureed chipotle in adobo

8 ounces asparagus spears

2 ears fresh corn

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 jalapeno, diced

4 green onions, sliced

3 Tablespoons lime juice

2 teaspoons garlic salt

2 Tablespoons olive oil

12 warm flour tortillas

6 slices cooked chopped bacon

4 ounces crumbled goat cheese

Place the skirt steak into the Budweiser Sizzlin’ Steakhouse Marinade Bag and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 8 hours long. Mine sat in the fridge for 7 hours and it was perfect!

When you are ready to cook, take the marinade bag out of the refrigerator so it can come up to room temperature and heat your grill to medium-high heat. 

To make the Creamy Chipotle Steak Sauce, whisk together the Budweiser Steak & Burger Sauce, mayonnaise, milk and pureed chipotle in a small mixing bowl. Place in the fridge to chill.

For the Asparagus Corn Salsa brush the asparagus spears and corn cobs with the vegetable oil and grill for about 5-8 minutes, or until the corn has nice char marks. Slice the asparagus into rings and remove the corn kernels from the cobs. Stir together the sliced asparagus, corn kernels, jalapeno, green onions, lime juice, garlic salt and olive oil in a small mixing bowl.

Raise the heat on the grill to high (mine was 550 degrees) and grill the steak for 3 minutes per side. Remove from the grill, cover with foil and allow the steak to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. Once ready, cut the steak against the grain, in thin slices.

To assemble the tacos, spoon the Asparagus Corn Salsa into the warm tortillas. Top with slices of steak, chopped bacon and goat cheese. Drizzle with Creamy Chipotle Steak Sauce and serve immediately.

Makes 12 tacos.

You can visit Budweiser to see all of their sauces and marinades here, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

#BudweiserSauce #BudweiserBBQSauce #KingOfSauces

You can find Budweiser Sauces and Marinades at WalMart, HEB, Giant, Winn Dixie, BiLo, Brookshire and Publix

Ham & Swiss Slider Burgers

Have you ever tried those baked slider sandwiches before with the sweet and sticky glaze, ham and melty cheese? They are absolutely decadent and delicious and I think I just raised the bar by making them into burger sliders! My son stopped in the middle of scarfing one of these down and declared 

"I could live off these for the rest of my life"

Me too son, me too.

I swapped the traditional dijon for a spicy brown mustard in the glaze and used Golden Potato pillowy slider buns to soak up all of the buttery glaze.

Look at those buns!! Who could pass that up?

Ham & Swiss Slider Burgers

2 Tablespoons spicy brown mustard

8 Tablespoons melted butter 

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 pound ground chuck

1 pound ground sirloin

3 large garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

12 slices deli ham

12 slices swiss cheese

1 package Pepperidge Farm Golden Potato Slider Buns

Heat a gas grill to medium-high heat and set the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small mixing bowl, stir together the mustard, melted butter, onion powder, Worcestershire Sauce, poppy seeds and brown sugar.

To make the Burger Patties, add the chuck, sirloin, garlic and salt into a large mixing bowl. Mix until well blended, handling as little as possible to avoid overworking. Shape into 12 even patties to fit the bun size. Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook about 3-4 minutes. Flip the burgers over and top with ham and then cheese. Cover and cook another 3 minutes longer, or until the patties are medium rare and the cheese is melted. 

Place the bun bottoms on a large foil lined cookie sheet and brush them with a very thin layer of the melted butter mixture. Place the bun lids on top and then brush the remaining butter over them. Place in the oven and allow to toast for 5 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning. 

To assemble the burgers, remove the buns from the oven and place the burger patties on top of each bun bottom, top with the bun lids and serve immediately with lots of napkins!

#RespectTheBunPromotion   #PepperidgeFarmBuns  

The Cobb Salad Burger

I'm so so excited to share my next entry for the Pepperidge Farm Respect the Bun Promotion!!
This one is a stunner for sure. Who doesn't love a good Cobb Salad?!
It's definitely hearty enough to satisfy those people that don't think a salad can be a meal. But there is no question this version is a full meal. Bacon, hard boiled eggs, blue cheese, avocado; I'm all in.
As amazing as this burger combo is, I think the real star of the show on this beauty is the Ranch Butter Buns. Yep, you read that right- Ranch. Butter. Buns.
Honestly, the Ranch Butter would be good on just about anything. Popcorn, grilled corn, baked potatoes, shrimp. I'll stop there to not pull a Forrest Gump, but I promise if you end up with extra butter, that would be a good problem to have.

The Cobb Salad Burger
Ranch Butter
4 Tablespoons room temperature butter
2 Tablespoons Ranch dressing seasoning mix

Burger Patties
1 pound ground chuck
½ pound ground sirloin
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

4 Pepperidge Farm Sesame Seed Buns
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
8 slices cooked bacon
4 large tomato slices
8 slices ripe avocado
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Heat a gas grill to medium-high heat and set the oven to 500 degrees.
In a small mixing bowl stir together the butter and Ranch seasoning mix.
To make the Burger Patties, add the chuck, sirloin, garlic and salt into a large mixing bowl. Mix until well blended, handling as little as possible to avoid overworking. Shape into 4 even patties to fit the bun size. Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning only once, about 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare.
Lay the opened buns on a large cookie sheet. Spread each bun top and bottom with an even thin layer of the softened Ranch butter. Place in the oven and allow to toast for 5 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning.
To assemble the burgers, place shredded lettuce, blue cheese and then a burger patty on top of each bun bottom and then top with two pieces of bacon. Place tomato, avocado and hard-boiled egg slices on top of the bacon. Place the top half of the toasted buns on each and serve immediately with lots of napkins!

#RespectTheBunPromotion #PepperidgeFarmBuns #Burgers #Grilling

The Italian Sub Burger

I just got home this week from a fabulous vacation in Mexico. 

14 people, 7 days, tons of belly laughs and more tequila than you can imagine. It was perfection! 

As usual, the time flew by way quicker than I was ready for and before I knew it I was home, unpacked and in the kitchen. First on the to do list: burgers.

Pepperidge Farm is hosting a contest perfect for Summer and I am excited to share all of my entries here with you! Their #RespectTheBunPromotion is calling for the best Burger and Hot Dog recipes that feature their delicious buns and I'm having so much fun coming up with entries for this one.

My first entry is  The Italian Sub Burger. I topped a perfectly grilled burger with all of the goodies you'd find on an Italian Sub; peppered salami, ham, melty provolone cheese, a sweet and spicy cherry pepper spread and tons of fresh crunchy veggies. As delicious as all of that is, I didn't forget the bun. I brushed it with Italian Vinaigrette and toasted it. Kinda like an Italian crouton. Sooooo good!

 The Italian Sub Burger

1/3 cup jarred pickled sweet and spicy cherry peppers

1 pound ground chuck

½ pound ground sirloin

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

4 slices provolone cheese

4 Pepperidge Farm Onion Buns

3 Tablespoons Italian vinaigrette dressing

1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce

4 slices deli ham

12 slices peppered salami

4 large slices tomato 

4 thin red onion slices

 Heat a gas grill to medium-high heat and set the oven to 425 degrees.

In a small food processor or blender, puree the pickled sweet and spicy cherry peppers until smooth.

To make the Burger Patties, add the chuck, sirloin, garlic and salt into a large mixing bowl. Mix until well blended, handling as little as possible to avoid overworking. Shape into 4 even patties to fit the bun size. Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook about 3-4 minutes. Flip the burgers over and top with cheese. Cover and cook another 3-4 minutes longer, or until medium rare. 

Lay the opened buns on a large cookie sheet. Brush each bun top and bottom with an even thin layer of the Italian vinaigrette dressing. Place in the oven and allow to toast for 5 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning. Once buns are toasted, spread each of the top halves with 1 Tablespoon of the cherry pepper spread.

To assemble the burgers, place shredded lettuce and then a burger patty on top of each bun bottom. Top with ham, salami, tomato and red onion. Place the top half of the toasted buns on each and serve immediately with lots of napkins!

Apple Chipotle Meatballs and Smoked Gouda Grits Bowls

Did everyone have a good Memorial Day Weekend? My kids were off of school Friday and Monday, and we were super busy the whole time. A Crawfish Boil, a pizza party, swimming, we went and saw Solo and lots of sleeping in- it was fabulous. Until this meatball decided to overheat running around in the backyard and nearly gave me a heart attack. 

The meatballs I'm sharing with you today are a lot like Beignet- sweet and spicy, they take a little bit of time but are SO worth it. They were my second entry for the Simply Wholesome Foods Applesauce Contest. Creamy, smoky cheesy Gouda grits piled high with smoky sweet Apple Chipotle Meatballs. My kids went nuts for this meal!

The applesauce make these turkey meatballs so tender and the chipotle sauce gives a smoky kick that make these meatballs irresistible. They'd be fabulous on their own as an appetizer as well, but who doesn't want cheesy grits for every meal?!

 Apple Chipotle Meatballs and Smoked Gouda Grits Bowls

Sauce:

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

¼ cup finely minced shallot

1 ½ cups Simply Wholesome Foods Touch of Honey Applesauce 

½ cup ketchup

4 Tablespoons molasses

2 Tablespoons honey

1 ½ teaspoons chipotle chile powder

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Meatballs:

1 large egg 

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs  

1 cup Simply Wholesome Foods Touch of Honey Applesauce  

1 large shallot, minced

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon pepper 

2 pounds lean ground turkey

Grits:

2 cups milk

2 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup stone ground grits or polenta

8 ounces shredded smoked gouda cheese

3 Tablespoons butter

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

To make the sauce, place the vegetable oil and minced shallot in a large sauté pan over low heat. Sauté until the shallot has softened, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly. Using a stick blender or food processor, puree until smooth.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and cover a large cookie sheet with foil. Liberally spray the foil with olive oil cooking spray. 

For the meatballs, stir together the egg, breadcrumbs, applesauce, shallot, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Gently fold the seasoning paste into the ground turkey, being careful not to overmix the meat. Using a medium ice cream scoop, make about 24 meatballs and lay them on the prepared cookie sheet. Spray the tops of the meatballs with olive oil cooking spray and bake for 20-25 minutes. 

While the meatballs bake, bring the milk and chicken stock to a low boil over medium-high heat in a large sauce pot. When the liquid is bubbling, slowly whisk in the salt and grits and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes. Once the grits are tender and thickened, turn off the fire and stir in the cheese and butter. Cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

Once the meatballs are fully cooked, place them in the sauté pan with the warm sauce and gently stir to coat evenly. 

To serve, ladle the cheesy grits into shallow bowls. Top with meatballs and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately. 

Makes 6 servings.

Fennel Apple Bisque with Crispy Shallots

Do you like fennel?

I really love it and I think it's one of the most underused veggies out there. It's always in season and not very expensive either. Shaved super thinly in a salad, roasted with Parmesan, caramelized and added to bolognese...I could think of a million ways where fennel just adds a certain subtle sweetness that can bring a dish a notch up instantly.

When I saw the call for Simply Wholesome Foods Applesauce Contest I knew I wanted to try my hand at savory dishes to use up their delicious applesauce, and this was the first entry I came up with. It is the most silky smooth soup ever and even though the ingredient list is short, the flavor this bisque packs is massive! Roasting the fennel creates this amazing caramelized deep flavor and if you're pressed for time, this step can totally be done ahead.

This Bisque is Beignet approved

My little kitchen helper is always ready for clean up duty!

Fennel Apple Bisque with Crispy Shallots

1 large fennel bulb 

3 ½ Tablespoon olive oil

1 small shallot, sliced thinly

¾ cup Simply Wholesome Foods Touch of Honey Applesauce

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ cup half and half

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the fennel bulb into 1 inch cubes and reserve the leafy fennel fronds for later use. Toss the cubed fennel in 1 ½ Tablespoons of the oil and roast for 20-25 minutes.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a small soup pot over medium heat. Add the sliced shallot and sauté until brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove the browned shallot from the oil and set aside.

Add the roasted fennel, applesauce, salt, pepper and half and half to a blender and puree until smooth. Pour the mixture back in the pan with the remaining oil used to crisp the shallots and turn the heat to medium. Stir constantly until soup is heated through, about 5 minutes. 

Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with fennel fronds and crisp shallots and serve immediately. 

Greek Garden Zucchini Spiral Salad with Shepherd’s Sumac Salsa

Update: I'm happy to share that this entry won the Vegan Category of the #SimpleButTwisted contest!!


Look how pretty those noodles are! 

A few months back we were asked to join in on a couple’s trip to Mexico at an all-inclusive adult only resort.  Within hours Louis had booked our room, booked our flights, joined a gym and hasn’t touched a carb since. I’m totally serious. 

Luckily, my kids eat anything, and I’ve gotten really creative lately with all sorts of carb free meals and vegetable based swaps. Of all the cauliflower rice, cauliflower mash and spaghetti squash dishes I’ve made my favorite swap of all is zucchini noodles.

This version is a mash up of all my favorite Greek and Israeli flavors and bonus points for being vegan. The hummus vinaigrette and sumac salsa are amazing all on their own, but tossed on the zucchini noodles the combo makes such a satisfying light meal perfect for a summer night with a glass of Rose’!

Now, if you’ve never heard of Sumac don’t be intimidated. It’s a citrusy unique spice popular in Israeli dishes and I’ve been able to find it in the bulk spice section of my grocery store with no problem. If you can’t find it, no worries, the dish will be amazing even without it!

Greek Garden Zucchini Spiral Salad with Shepherd’s Sumac Salsa

1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into half inch cubes

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons Greek herb seasoning

1/2 cup diced tomato

1/2 cup diced English cucumber

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoon sumac 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 Tablespoon parsley, chopped

1 Tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

¼ cup vegan hummus

3 Tablespoons olive oil

¼ teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon sugar

2 packages Cece’s Veggie Noodle Co. Organic Zucchini Spirals (10.7 oz each)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Stir together the cubed eggplant, olive oil, salt, pepper and Greek seasoning in a medium mixing bowl until evenly coated. Place the seasoned eggplant on a large cookie sheet that has been liberally sprayed with olive oil cooking spray and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Stir the eggplant around and return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. 

While the eggplant roasts, stir together the diced tomato, cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, salt, pepper, parsley and mint in a small mixing bowl. Set in the fridge and allow to chill.

In the same bowl used for the eggplant, whisk together the hummus, olive oil, salt, red wine vinegar and sugar until smooth. 

Add the zucchini noodles and roasted eggplant to the dressing and toss until the mixture is evenly coated. 

To serve, divide the zucchini noodles into 4 serving bowls, top each with sumac salsa and serve immediately. 

@cecesveggieco #TwistingUpCostco #SimpleButTwisted

The Ruby 75

If you're still stumped as to what to do or get for your mom for Mother's Day, I am here to help! Make her a cute basket filled with ingredients to make this gorgeous brunch cocktail. Throw in a few pretty champagne flutes and pre-chill the prosecco so there's no wait time and you're golden.

Have you ever had a French 75? 

Prosecco, lemon, gin and sugar is the typical line up for this classic cocktail but recently, I decided to give it a little twist. Grapefruit was never something I was into until I tried a Texas Ruby Red a few years ago. They are so naturally sweet, gorgeously pink and thankfully don't pack the bitterness I was used to dealing with when trying them in the past. When I swapped the lemon for a dash of Ruby Red grapefruit juice and added fresh basil leaves as a garnish I think I hit it out of the park!

The Ruby 75

6 basil leaves

3 ounces freshly squeezed Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice

1 ounce gin

1 ounce simple syrup

16 ounces champagne or prosecco, well chilled

Roughly tear apart 2 large basil leaves and place them in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add the grapefruit juice, gin and simple syrup and stir to combine.

Strain into 4 champagne flutes. 

Top with champagne, garnish with remaining basil leaves and serve immediately. 

Makes 4 cocktails.

 Cheers!

Founders Day BBQ Cookoff

 This past weekend was Dripping Spring's Founders Day Festival; a 3 day event complete with a parade, carnival, live music, tons of local vendors to shop from and BBQ cookoff right in the heart of town. Last year we had applied to be part of the cookoff but we never got a spot. We applied again and this year and were finally won a space!

We packed and shopped and prepped as much as we could early in the week and drove our gigantic rig out at noon on Friday to begin set up. It really is amazing to see the process of all the teams setting up on a small street in such a short amount of time. Louis built two bar sections to put in front of the pit area, we put some bar stools up and we started unpacking and organizing immediately.

After settling in, we started to chat with the teams on either side of us. Both of them had twice the space that we did and had been competing int his cookoff for 15 and 18 years. Also, each team had matching uniforms and at least 12 people (if not more) in their crew working the whole time. It was definitely intimidating to be sandwiched in between these two, but luckily one of the teams was super friendly, partied the whole time, was serving us drinks and gave me the nickname "NOLA girl"

Before we knew it, the parade was starting and friends were coming by to see the set up and say hi! The first entries to turn in were due at 7:30 for the Margarita round. I made 2 entries; a Pineapple Habanero Margarita with a Sweet and Spicy Sugar Rim (recipe at the bottom) and a Mango Serrano Margarita with a Smoked Salt Rim

After turn in we were able to relax and hang out with friends. It was a blast, but by 11 I was exhausted so we headed home to be ready for the next day 

Louis got back to our spot at 4 am on Saturday to begin the brisket and I met him later with the kids at 6 am. We knew Saturday would be the busiest day for us with Chicken, Ribs and Brisket due at different times of the day. All meat had to be served off the bone (even the ribs) which I thought was strange, but our ribs and chicken came out great!

Turn in time is always stressful!

Luckily, we had awesome friends taking pictures all weekend for us since we were too busy to do it ourselves. Thanks again DJ!!

Although the brisket had a great smoke ring and was seasoned perfectly, it stalled way too long for us to recover from, so it wasn't as tender as we would have liked.

Our other awesome neighbors gave us a huge batch of Smoked Venison Sausage and Cheese and Jalapeno Venison Sausage. We grilled batches of it all weekend long and set it out as samples. Brianna really loved helping with that part. Thanks again Derrick and Amber!

Apparently I make a ton of faces while cooking.... 

Smoke Ring

Ahhh the life of a competition kid

Gotta get a funnel cake at least once!

Sunday morning started bright and early again, this time for Chili and Salsa turn-ins. Me, my mom, Louis and a few friends judged the salsa round which was fun. We tasted and judged 16 salsas. Most of them were good, but some of them were pretty awful

After judging we started on Bloody Marys to share, and the chili

In the end, we made final table for our chicken and ribs and placed 7th overall out of 120 entries for ribs! For our first time, competing against teams that have been doing this for almost 20 years, I guess we didn't do too badly.

I'm sunburned, hoarse and everything we had out there smells like smoke now, but I learned a lot through the process and look forward to doing even better next year!

Pineapple Habanero Margarita with a Sweet and Spicy Sugar Rim

2 cups silver tequila

1 cup fresh pineapple chunks

1/4 - 1/2 habanero pepper 

1 Tablespoon tajin seasoning

1/3 cup turbinado sugar

In a high powered blender puree the tequila, pineapple chunks and depending on how spicy you want it, use 1/4 to 1/2 of the pepper habanero pepper. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Combine the tajin seasoning and sugar in a shallow dish. Dampen the rim of your glass with some of the strained tequila and dip into the sugar mixture.

2 cups strained infused tequila

1/4 cup agave

1 cup fresh lime juice

1 cup passion fruit juice

In a pitcher stir together the tequila, agave, lime juice and passion fruit juice. Fill the rimmed glasses with ice and margarita mixture. Serve immediately.