bourbon onion jam

So one day, I had this AMAZING burger at a restaurant (which I will share later this month during burger week).  Part of that burger was bourbon onion jam which I promptly went home and made.  We ate it on EVERYTHING--sandwiches, burgers, baked items, grilled items, etc.  I'm certain this will be your next favorite condiment.

 {bourbon onion jam}

one year ago:  shaved asparagus pizza

bourbon onion jam
from salted and styled

makes 3 cups

2 large sweet onions, finely diced
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoons dried thyme
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup bourbon (your favorite)

1. Heat a large pan over medium heat; add butter and heat until melted.
2. Add onions and thyme cooking until onions are translucent.
3. Add remaining ingredients to the pan and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
5. Cool and store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
6. Put on sandwiches or over grilled items.  Use your imagination!

Pictured above the bourbon onion jam is on ranch baked pork chops (ranch dressing poured on pork chops and baked for 30 minutes or until done).

Have you ever had something at a restaurant and went home to make it?  It's not my first time and certainly won't be the last!  I made garlic butter lima beans and Cajun garlic bread from restaurant inspiration before! 

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KY Derby | Kentucky champagne

I'd never heard of Kentucky champagne until we did a wedding at my job that asked for it.  It's a cocktail made from bourbon and Ale-8 (Ale-8 is a soda made in Kentucky).  I thought I'd give it a try one day, and it's one of my favorite cocktails because it is so easy and delicious!  If you don't have access to Ale-8, then ginger-ale would be a good substitute.

 {Kentucky champagne}

 {getting everything ready to make the drinks}

 {just bourbon and Ale-8}

 {pretty it up with cute straws and mint}

Kentucky champagne**

makes 6 drinks

4 1/2 oz bourbon, your favorite
6 pack of Ale-8
ice
pretty straws
mint (optional for garnish)

1. Place ice and 3/4 oz bourbon in the bottom of a glass.
2. Open 1 Ale-8 and pour over ice and bourbon.
3. Stir with straw a few times.
4. Serve garnished with mint.

This is a good option for those non-bourbon drinkers (like me) although you want to get into the spirit of the Derby and drink bourbon.  How do you like to drink your bourbon?

 **Please drink responsibly because this recipe does contain alcohol!

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Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake

It's Monday....  What better way to start out the week than with cake?  I didn't think so either!

Although I made a delicious savory recipe with bourbon, Bourbon Mushroom Sauce, I just really couldn't help myself when I saw the recipe for this pound cake.  Needless to say, my family devoured it when I brought it for a coffee and cake visit one Sunday.  The cake was light and tasty--not too sweet--and the bourbon glaze (I'm talking straight-up bourbon) was perfection.  The roasted pecans?  Blew this cake out of the water!  Just go make this cake!!!

 {Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake}

 {My empty Woodford bottle :( time to replenish!}

 {I *might* have been eating on this as I took the pictures....}

 {About to bake the cake}

{In my kitchen, I get to lick the spoon, and I enjoy every minute of it!}

Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake
from Gourmandistan

Makes 12 servings

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
6 eggs, room temperature
7/8 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon bourbon whiskey
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted and cooled
1/2 cup white sugar

FOR THE GLAZE:
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey

1. Preheat oven to 325° F.
2. Spray non-stick in a bunt pan and flour it. 
3. Sift salt, baking powder, soda and flour together, then set aside. 
4. Stir bourbon, vanilla, and buttermilk together, then set aside.
5. With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. 
6. Gradually add the eggs mixing well after each addition.
7. Then alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk in 3 parts starting and ending with the buttermilk. 
8. Stir in pecans. 
9. Bake in center of oven for about 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. 
10. Let the cake cool on a rack for about 15 minutes, then remove from pan. 
11. While cake is cooling, prepare the glaze by melting the brown sugars, butter and water together. Bring to a full boil. Remove from heat, stirring in the bourbon when the glaze has cooled slightly. While the cake is still warm, spoon the glaze over its surface.

 Now that I am out of bourbon, I think that I have sufficiently celebrated Bourbon Heritage Month! 

Thanks to Cake of the Week for hosting this Baking with Spirit challenge!

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Bourbon Mushroom Sauce

What better way to celebrate Bourbon Heritage month than consuming some bourbon?  Not a bourbon drinker?  Yeah--me neither.  I'd rather eat it!  So I celebrated by making this spoon-licking good sauce for grilled steak and pork chops (I seriously licked the spoon--twice)!

 {Bourbon Mushroom Sauce}

This couldn't be easier if your significant other handles the grilling (The Hubby is the greatest!).  If not, you can always sear the meat in the pan first, and then make the sauce! 

 {Gathering ingredients}

 {Finished sauce}

 {Top view--served with steamed broccoli and roasted garlic toast}

One year ago:  Marble Cake with Ganache

Bourbon Mushroom Sauce

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 onion (local), sliced
2 tablespoons bourbon
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1. Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat with the butter. 
2. Add in the mushrooms and the onions and sear (cook until golden brown on one side).
3. Pour in the bourbon, chicken broth, and mustard. 
4. Turn heat to low and let simmer for 2 minutes. 
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Just before serving, pour over the steak.

Bottom's up!  Or fork's up is more appropriate!

PS--Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

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Peach Raspberry Mint Julep

Originally posted on HerKentucky!

We all know what's right around the corner--the Kentucky Derby!  One race tradition is to have the famed Mint Julep!  According to The Kentucky Derby Museum, the Mint Julep has been sold at the Derby since 1938.  Mint Juleps are traditionally served in silver or pewter cups, but this recipe is too beautiful to place in anything but a Mason jar! 

{Peach Raspberry Mint Julep}

Traditional mint juleps are just simple syrup, bourbon, mint and ice, but I wanted something a little different this year.  I was speaking with a bartender, and they made some suggestions that I had to try!  For instance, using honey instead of simple syrup and adding some fruit.  At the last minute, I decided to pour some sparkling cider in this drink which gives this a light, crisp finish.  Watch out though!  Those peaches pack a bourbon punch!

{I used Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon (seriously delicious, and I am not a bourbon drinker!)}

{Peaches soaked in bourbon overnight}

{Muddle fruit and mint together to release and mingle the flavors}

Peach Raspberry Mint Julep

Serves 8

Prep time: 10 minutes

Stand time: 1 day

Assembly time: 10 minutes

2 peaches, cut into bite-sized chunks

1 cup Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon (or whichever bourbon you prefer)**

1 pint raspberries

1 package mint leaves

8 tablespoons KY Proud honey, divided (one for each drink)

Ice

1 liter sparkling cider

1. The day before your event, mix peaches and bourbon together and allow to set overnight.
2. Place a few peach chunks, a couple of raspberries, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 4-5 mint leaves in each glass.
3. Take a spoon and muddle the fruit together.
4. Add 1 oz of bourbon to each glass.
5. Top with ice.
6. Pour cider over ice.
7. Stir drink with a spoon.
8. Serve!

**Bourbon is a form of alcohol so please be responsible while consuming any beverage containing it.**

To say that this was delicious was an understatement!  I can see making this beyond just for the KY Derby, during those hot summer days, when we have fresh peaches (we used peaches that we froze from last year) and mint that we planted. 

Have you ever had a mint julep?

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Food for Thought

 {Distillery at Woodford Reserve}

Your relationship is not supposed to be perfect all the time, your business is not supposed to do well all the time, your soufflés are not supposed to raise perfectly all the time.  Everything is designed to go wrong so that you can gain the skills of rediscovering your tracks, even in difficult or frightening circumstances. Especially in difficult and frightening circumstances. 

~Martha Beck

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Food for Thought

I had an epiphany the other day to buy those space saver bags (you know--the ones you vacuum out the air) to put all of our big comforters and extra pillows in to save space in our closet.  It went downhill from there because now I have empty closet space.... Which led me to getting "the itch".  My itch?  Pulling everything out of the closets, shelves, nooks, etc and reorganizing, rearranging, and getting rid of items that we do not use/wear/need/want.  Then I deep clean those spaces.  I have informed Ben, and he's already rolling his eyes.

It's almost a new year, so that's a great time to do it!  Right?  So this weekend will be spent at home scratching my itch with plenty of food, music and fun!

{Barrels being cleared out of the warehouse at Woodford Reserve}

Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.

~John Rohn

Have a great weekend!

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Food for Thought

Sorry for not having a Spice It UP!!! posting today.  I won't lie--I didn't make time to write one.  My brain has been on the verge of exploding--only the hardness of my head is keeping it contained.  I will be back next month with a new Spice It UP!!!  But for now, I'm posting like a regular Friday.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

 

{Barrels at Woodford Reserve}

In every moment, we have the power to choose our attitudes and reaction to every person and situation we encounter.

~Oprah

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Mint Julep

It's that time of year!  Kentucky Derby!  And what else screams "DERBY" than Mint Juleps?!  Nothing!  I've never had one, so of course, I wanted one!  It was on my (rather short) list of cocktails that I wanted to try.  I'm typically a red wine drinker; I don't drink liquor too often.  I've heard it's bad luck to drink liquor alone so I invited my mom over for drinks and dinner; she said 'yes' before I could even finish my sentence...  ;o) 

{Mint julep--ice, bourbon, and mint simple syrup garnished with mint}

So...  Derby is around this time of year, right?  Well, I went to the store to get fresh mint (on Wednesday), and all they had left was a teeny-tiny package of mint which made just enough syrup for two.  Come on people!!!  Order more mint this time of year!  Sheesh!  On the other hand, it might be a good thing they only had that much mint or else I would have been enjoying their sugary goodness all weekend....

{We used Woodford Reserve bourbon because that's the bourbon that we like--feel free to use whichever you prefer!}

{Sugar and water heated together makes simple syrup}

{Bruise the mint with a wooden spoon.  You don't want to pulverize it, just slightly mess it up}

{Do not stir or touch the simple syrup while it is heating up!  This will form crystals at the liquid line and are a PAIN to clean up!  Just stir it right when there are a few undissolved sugar crystals and right before you pour it into the mint jar.  Side note--making simple syrup is a great way to sweeten cold tea!}

{You have to bruise it to get the essential oils flowing from it}

Mint juleps are traditionall served in a chilled silver cup.  I had no such cup, nor was I looking to buy some so I came up with a Kentucky alternative--mason jars!  LOL

{Mint Julep}

There are several methods for making mint juleps, but I wanted my simple syrup to be infused with minty flavor so I made the simply syrup, poured it over bruised mint, and let everything cool in the fridge overnight to extract every last flavor!

Mint Julep**

Makes 2 servings

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 oz mint leaves

3-4 oz bourbon

1-2 oz cold water (if you don't like incredibly sweet cocktails)

1. Make simple syrup:  Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and heat on medium until sugar is dissolved.  Do not stir the pan while this is happening!  When 99% of the sugar is dissolved, give the syrup a quick stir and set off to the side to cool.
2. Place mint in a container and use a wooden spoon to 'muddle' or bruise it.
3. When syrup has cooled about 15 minutes, add it to the bruised mint. 
4. Allow the infusion to cool on the counter for another 20 minutes then refrigerate overnight.
5. Place the glasses you will use for the mint juleps in the fridge overnight too.
6. To assemble:  Get glasses out of the fridge and fill with ice.  Add 1.5 oz bourbon to each glass and top with strained mint simple syrup.  If you don't like really sweet cocktails add more bourbon (yes it will be stout) or 1-2 oz cold water.
7. Garnish with more mint.

**WARNING:  This is a beverage that contains alcohol.  Please drink responsibly!  Always have a designated driver!

So now I've got to pick my 2013 Kentucky Derby winner!  Let's see...  The track is supposed to be wet so I'm going to go with VERRAZANO!  Who do you think will win the Derby? 

Have a safe and wonderful weekend!

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