Holiday Boozy Side Dishes, Desserts, and Cocktails
Today, I was featured on the Thanksgiving Day Special on WCIU, You and Me This Morning. It was a blast because I found a way to sneak some booze into all of my food... and of course pair each dish with a complimenting cocktail. I mean, a little booze helps to make it through the crazy holiday season, am I right?! I covered the 3 major food groups, Vodka, Bourbon, and Cachaca. Here's what I made!
Spiced Red Eddy Rocktail
2 oz Deep Eddy Cranberry Vodka
1 oz Spiced Apple Cider
1 oz Pomegranate Cranberry Juice
1/4 oz Rosemary Simple Syrup (Steep Rosemary in simple syrup on the stove for 5 min over medium heat)
1 dash bitters
Shake all ingredients together with ice and strain in a mason jar over ice. Garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig.
Spiked Vodka Sauce with Turkey Meatballs
In a slowcooker, add pre-made frozen turkey meatballs with this "Sicilian"-flavored spiked sauce from Kelly's kitchen:
1 cup Deep Eddy Vodka
1 package frozen turkey or chicken meatballs
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1 28 oz Can of San Marzano Tomatoes
1/2 Onion, Diced
2 tbs Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic chopped
Salt, Pepper To Taste
Grated cheese (parmiggiano or pecorino)
You can make this in a slow cooker or on the stove. Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until soft, add in slow cooker with tomatoes, vodka, meatballs, salt and pepper. Cook on hi for 4 hours. Add cream and cook 30 more minutes. Grate cheese on top and serve!
My Mom always makes her famous baked beans for every holiday, this is her recipe but I decided to cut out the pork and add some bourbon!!
Buzzed Baked Beans
1/4 cup Bourbon (I used Jim Bean)
2 med size cans of Vegetarian Baked Beans
1/2 Onion
Turkey or Duck Bacon
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
2 tbs yellow Mustard
1/3 cup Ketchup
1/2 onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
Cook bacon in pan until about 75% cooked. Set aside. In same pan, sauté onions and green peppers in a bit of vegetable oil until softened. Put beans in a caserole dish, add onions, green pepper, mustard, ketchup, and 1/2 of brown sugar, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Lay 3-4 slices of bacon on top and sprinkle rest of brown sugar on top of dish. Bake in oven uncovered for 30-40 min at 350 degrees.
Fall Bourbon Sangria
1 bottle Malbec Wine (or another full-bodied red)
1/2 cup Bourbon Whiskey
1/2 cup Spiced Apple Cider
1/2 Apple, Sliced
1/2 cup Dried Figs
1 Plum, Sliced
1/2 Pear, Sliced
1 Cinnamon Stick
Add all ingredients together in a large pitcher and store in refrigerator for at least 3 hrs and preferably over night.
Winter Caipirinha Rocktail
2oz Novo Fogo Barrel Aged Cachaça
½ lime
1 ½ tsp sugar or simple syrup
1 dash orange bitters
Muddle ½ lime in glass with sugar or simple syrup
Fresh Cranberries
Add all other ingredients and shake with Ice and strain into rocks glass over ice. Garnish with fresh cranberries.
Cachaça Cupcakes
Save room for a sweet desert with a twist!
Bake cupcakes using your favorite chocolate or vanilla cake mix.
Add Novo Fogo Barrel Aged Cachaça & lime & zest into a buttercream frosting.
Frost cupcakes, grate some more fresh lime zest on top, and serve!