Cowgirl Caviar

Usually tailgate food is so heavy & greasy, and almost always deep-fried. So, when I am planning out what I am going to make for the week, I like to make something that is a little more refreshing. Cowgirl Caviar is my take on the popular dip, "Texas Caviar" or "Cowboy Caviar". Instead of using black beans & black-eyed peas, I used pinto beans because they are pink and cute, and more girly? I guess. I don't know. Either way, this dip is so easy to throw together and feeds so many people! You can honestly add any vegetable you like, that's the glory of this dip... it's simplicity. ROLL TIDE ROLL & Go Dawgs!! Enjoy :)

All of our Football Food

Cowgirl Caviar

For the Cowgirl Caviar:

2 15oz Can of Pinto Beans, Rinsed & Drained

2 Cans of Chunky Rotel Tomatoes, Rinsed & Drained

2 ½C Charred Corn Kernels

1 Small Red Onion, Finely Diced

3 Green Onions, Thinly Sliced

½C Candied Jalapenos, Finely Diced

1 Green Pepper, Diced

1 Orange Pepper, Diced

1 Roasted Red Pepper, Diced

¼C Cilantro, Finely Chopped

1-2T Taco Seasoning

1-2T Ranch Seasoning

Juice of 1 Lime

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

2. Serve with tortilla chips. 

Coca Cola Molasses Baked Beans

I know I have already talking in detail about my obsession with Coca Cola. I literally drank it like water, not a good thing to do, so I kicked that habit. But oh how I miss a cold can of coke on a hot summer day. So every now and then, I like to add some coke into some of my recipes. It's like an old friend visiting, so delicious. Anyway, I made Coca Cola Cake last week, but I just couldn't get the idea of making Coca Cola Baked Beans out of my head for the 4th of July. Instead of adding in ketchup or BBQ sauce, I decided to reduce down some coke into a thick, syrupy molasses and add that to the baked beans, to give it a great molasses flavor. I think these baked beans turned out really great, the coke wasn't overpowering, but it definitely made you think to yourself, "What is that flavor I'm tasting... is that coke?" Yes, yes it is coke. Well, give this a try at your next BBQ or cookout. Enjoy :)

Coca Cola Baked Beans and Red, White, & Blue Potato Salad

Coca Cola Molasses Baked Beans 

For the Coca Cola Molasses:

5C Classic Coca Cola

1t Corn Starch

For the Baked Beans:

8 Slices of Thick Peppered Bacon, Halved

1 Medium Onion, Chopped

½ Roasted Red Pepper, Chopped

3 16oz Cans of Pork & Beans

1C Prepared Coca Cola Molasses

2T Brown Sugar (plus a little extra for sprinkling)

2t Apple Cider Vinegar

2T Hot Sauce & Grainy Mustard

½t Paprika, Onion Powder, Cajun Seasoning & Garlic Powder

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

  

Directions:

1. To Make the Coca Cola Molasses: In a large, uncovered saucepan, heat coca-cola medium-high heat until the juice simmers. Reduce heat just enough to maintain a simmer. Simmer for about an hour, or until the juice has a syrupy consistency, and has reduced to 1C. Pour into a bowl and whisk in the cornstarch, and then let cool completely (to thicken it slightly).
2. To Make the Beans: Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Fry the bacon in a large, deep sauté pan until bacon is partially cooked (and it has released about ¼C of the fat drippings). Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels. Add in the onions and red peppers to drippings and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, coca cola molasses, and remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.  Pour the flavored beans into a greased 13x9 baking dish. Top with bacon and a sprinkle of brown sugar, and then bake until beans are bubbly and sauce is thick & syrupy, about one hour (depending on your oven). Let stand to thicken slightly. 
3. Serve wam. 

source: best baked beans.

Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs with Jalapeno Creamed Corn

I think this has been one of my favorite meals since I've started the blog. It just hit the spot, such a comforting meal. Nothing feels more like home than some good ole' southern cookin' y'all :) Well, I started off by marinating the chicken thighs in buttermilk for a day, and then I rubbed them down with my favorite spice blend. I grilled the chicken thighs for some of that nice smoky flavor and the brushed 'em down with some sweet & tangy BBQ sauce (yummm). On the side, I made some Jalapeno Creamed Corn. It was delish. I mean, it's sweet, spicy, salty, and creamy... pretty much everything I want in a creamed corn. And I might mention that Clayton is an avid creamed corn hater, but his tune has changed after this recipe. We also made some baked beans, one of my favorite side dishes. It's such a filling meal and still budget friendly. We could've easily have fed 4 people with all the food we made, which isn't too shabby with one package of chicken thighs, frozen silver queen corn, and a can of baked beans (I mean cheap-o). And I'm still claiming it as one of my favorite meals, silly me. Anyway, if you have a budget, but need to feed (and fill up) some of you family or friends, this will be a go-to meal for you! Enjoy :)

Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs with Jalapeno Creamed Corn & Baked Beans

Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs

For the Marinade:

6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs, Washed & Dried Thoroughly

3C Buttermilk

1t Paprika

1t Cayenne

1t Chili Powder

1t Garlic Powder

1t Onion Powder

1T Hot Sauce

For the Dry Rub:

1T Salt

2T Brown Sugar

2t Garlic Powder

2t Onion Powder

1t Cumin

1t Chili Powder

1t Black Pepper

For the BBQ Chicken:

Prepared Chicken Thighs, Marinated & Rubbed

3T Olive Oil

BBQ Sauce

Directions:

1. Marinate the Chicken: Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients and pour into a gallon size bag and place the chicken thighs in as well. Toss the bag so that the buttermilk mixture has coated all the thighs. Refrigerate the chicken and marinate over night. The next morning, dump the contents of the bag into a strainer and drain the chicken from the buttermilk. And then, completely dry the chicken.
2. Making the Dry Rub: combine all in the spices in a bowl. Once combined, rub this mixture all over the marinated, dried chicken thighs. Put the rubbed chicken thighs in the refrigerator to let the spices penetrate the meat. Leave them alone until ready to grill. 
3. Grilling the Chicken: Remove the chicken thighs from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Rub them with a little more of the spice rub. Heat your grill (or you can grill inside or sauté them). Once the grill is nice and hot, cook the chicken thighs for about 7-10 minutes on each side. After each side has grilled, brush on some of your barbeque sauce. Remove the chicken from the grill and let them sit for about 5 minutes. Brush with more BBQ sauce before serving. 

Jalapeno Creamed Corn

For the Garlic Cream:

1 ½C Heavy Cream

8 Whole Cloves of Garlic, Peeled

1 Jalapeno, Deseeded & Deribbed

For the Creamed Corn:

2 ½C Charred Corn, Decobbed

1C Prepared Garlic Cream (roughly chop the jalapenos & mash the garlic in it)

2 Fresh Jalapenos, Deseeded & Diced

1 Shallot, Diced

1T Green Onion, Sliced

¾C Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

¼C Parmesan Cheese, Shredded

¼t Cayenne

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. For the Garlic Cream: Place the cream in a heavy sauce pot and add in the garlic cloves and jalapeno. Bring the cream to a simmer, and then turn down the heat to low-medium heat. Let it reduce to 1 cup.

2. For the Jalapeno Creamed Corn: Char the corn in a hot iron skillet. In a separate pan, add in the charred corn, jalapenos, green onions, shallot, and prepared garlic cream (with the chopped jalapenos and mashed garlic that was simmered in the cream). Bring to a simmer and reduce by ¼ volume. Add in the cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Stir to blend and melt the cheese. Once the cheese has melted and reduced, season it with cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste. 

3. Serve hot. 

Check out Everyday Sisters Blog for this recipe!