Paradise Bloody Mary with Meat Stick Straw

Makes 1 drink

1 cup spicy vegetable juice, such as V8

1 ounce locally produced Of The Earth Beetroot Spirit, or your favorite vodka

2 teaspoons creamy horseradish

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2-3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

2 dashes Tabasco, or other hot sauce

A dash celery seed

Garnishes:

1 stick celery

1 Fantasma's Finest Jalapeno Snack Stick, flavor of your choice

1 slice Fantasma's Finest Jalapeño or Black Pepper Bacon, cooked to desired preference

1 Fantastma's Finest Bleu Cheese Olives

1-inch square cube Hemme Brothers Apple Smoked Cheddar

Ice

In a blender, combine vegetable juice, beetroot or vodka, horseradish, black pepper, Worcestershire, Tabasco or other hot sauce and celery seed in a blender. Pour tomato mixture over ice in a beer glass.

Garnish cocktail with celery and meat straw*. Thread bacon, olives and cheese on a bamboo toothpick and serve across the mouth of the glass.

*To make a snack stick "straw", use a bamboo skewer and carefully work from both ends to hollow out the middle to create a straw. Make sure to keep the skewer as straight as possible, avoiding poking out on the sides. (Do not allow the meat stick to remain liquid for more than 30 minutes or the hole may close!)

Extra-Cheesy Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf

Makes 8 servings

1 pound Fantasma's Finest Sugar Cured Jalapeño Bacon

1 pound Fantasma's Finest Ground Beef

1 pound Fantasma's Finest Ground Pork

1 cup Italian breadcrumbs

2 teaspoons Mexican oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 eggs

3/4-1 cup High-Temperature Cheddar Cheese Bits (available in our retail store; this cheese is the same product we use in our flavored bratwursts)

1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce (we used Fiorella's Jack Stack Original Barbecue Sauce), plus more for serving

Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350° F. Place a rack on a baking pan and set aside.

On a flexible surface such as silicone baking mat or parchment paper, weave a 5-slice by 5-slice square, alternating the strips under and over. You may wish to alternate fat and thin ends of the strips to make a tighter weave. Set the bacon blanket aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add beef and pork. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper with the eggs, mixing with a fork to create a smooth binder. Add the binder to the beef and pork and knead with your hands until thoroughly combined. Add cheese bits and combine until evenly spread through the mixture.

To test the final consistency of the meatloaf, hold your hand upside down; the meat mixture should stick to your hand. Kneading and mixing are important to get enough protein extraction, so the meatloaf stays together and isn't crumbly.

Form the meat into a loaf shape and place on the rack. Carefully slide the bacon weave onto the loaf and tuck the ends under the loaf. If necessary, use a few toothpicks to secure any stray bacon ends.

Baste the bacon with barbecue sauce and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Check the meatloaf with a meat thermometer and continue basting with sauce and cooking up to 20 more minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160° F.

When fully cooked, remove the meatloaf and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with parsley and serve more barbecue sauce on the side, if desired.

One-Pot Chicken and Rice with Artichokes and Green Olives

Makes 6 servings

1 whole Barham Family Farm Young Chicken, giblets removed, available at Paradise Locker Meats retail store)

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 lemon, cut in half, quarter half, slice the other half

1 bunch thyme

1/2 cup chopped Fantasma's Finest Marinated Artichokes, plus 1/4 cup jar marinade (available in retail store)

6 Fantasma's Finest Stuffed Blue Cheese Olives, thinly sliced (available in retail store)

2 cups water

1 chicken bouillon cube, such as Knorr's

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads

1 1/2 cups long grain rice, such as basmati

Garnishes, if desired: 

Charred lemon slices

Crumbled feta cheese

Chopped marinated artichokes

Sliced olives

Chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 350° F. 

In a deep cast-iron pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat the vegetable oil. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper and place breast side down, cooking 5 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully flip the chicken with tongs and brown the opposite side. Add quartered lemon and thyme to the chicken cavity.

In a large microwave-safe measuring cup, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 foil-wrapped bouillon cube to the water and stir. Add marinated artichoke juice and white wine to make 3 cups of liquid. Add the liquid to the pot, pouring into the spaces around the chicken instead of over it. Allow the liquid to come to a boil. Add rice and use a spatula to make sure to remove any grain clinging to the chicken as the grains will not cook unless submerged. Carefully sprinkle the olives, artichoke and saffron threads around chicken and over the rice. Place the lemon slices over the top of the chicken. Place the lid on the pot and place in the oven for 40 minutes.

Turn the oven to broil.

Remove the lid on the pot and cook the chicken and rice for 10 minutes or until the internal temperature on a meat thermometer registers 165° F. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before carving. Remove the meat, chop or shred and stir into the rice, scraping the sides of the pan to get all the crispy rice bits. 

Add parsley and stir the chicken and rice. Garnish with lemon slices, feta, additional artichokes, and olives, if desired