Beer Brats & Grasshopper Dessert

Yep, it is Wednesday! Time for Aldi sales! Sales are from Sept. 19-Sept. 25.

    (I had about 5 recipes to share this week….that is TOO many, so I had to choose  only 2……THAT was hard….SUCH good veggie sales this week!!)
*Broccoli is $0.99 for a 1 lb. package. I will be getting some to make this Broccoli Salad!!
* A head of cabbage is $0.69, I have 2 salads that I enjoy to make for my family, why pick??? I might just make Cabbage Crunchy Apple Slaw and Chinese Salad, will you???
*Red Potatoes are really good and for $0.79 for a 5-lb. bag ~ they are FANTASTIC!!! Now to choose between…..BLT Red Potatoes or Ranch Potatoes??
* Cauliflower is $0.99 each. I will grab one and get you a recipe ANOTHER day!! 🙂
* One of our favorite snacks is the Savoritz Wheat crackers. Plain OR dipped in BLT Dip or Pepper Jelly ~ have you tried either of these yet???
* I know that it is not “grilling” season per say, BUT Aldi has brats on sale, so that means I get to share a  “brat” recipe with you!!! (I have not tried these particular brats from Aldi….sorry, cannot give a true “critique” of those ~ had anyone tried them?? Are they good??? Prices range from $2.69 – $2.99 for 8oz.-16 oz. pkgs.
* Chocolate Creme Sandwich Cookies (aka Oreos….) are on special for $1.89. They have chocolate or mint, lets enjoy a taste of the Holidays with Grasshopper Dessert!!! (Or file this for your holiday parties….not me, I will be making it ASAP!!! (again….)

As always, I would love to hear if you tried anything, liked or disliked anything ~ maybe I shared a recipe that you already know and love!! I would love to hear about it all!! Lets have a gab session….oh.. Hey, don’t forget IF you have a recipe your family LOVES and want to share it with me, so I can make it and share it with EVERYONE, share it here @  favoritefamilyfoods@hotmail.com  !!!

Now for the recipes……

I really wanted to make this for my husband, he had been requesting brats and I wanted to make them “special” ~ it WAS easy, and delish…..and I don’t like beer, but the flavor was nice. I had eaten “beer brats” before, but have never made them. I will FOR SURE do it again, it was nice to have them simmered and ready to go when we were ready to throw them on the grill. Just keep in mind that the red pepper flakes pack a wallop of heat ~ so go for less if you are not into that sorta thing!!! Enjoy this truely summer treat.

Beer Brats
2 cans of beer
1 onion, chopped
5 brats (good quality ones IF you can get your hands on them)
3/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Bring the beer and onion to a boil, I used my large deepish skillet for this. Add the rest of the ingredients and lower the heat to medium and cook about 10-12 minutes. Take the brats out and grill, just keep on eye on them and turn them when they need to be and talk to my husband more about the about of time and doneness and when to take them off I am not even going to pretend to tell you how long they took to cook and he is not here right now to remind me….breath…..moving on. Simmer the onions till liquid is cooked down a bit and onions are wonderfully tender. Serve the brats on buns with the onions and mustard. ENJOY!

Recipe adapted from a recipe shared with me from a friend via Facebook.

Ready for DESSERT!????!!!

Anyone enjoy mint chocolate chip ice cream??? Mint Meltaways?? Grasshopper cookies? Mint Oreos?? York Peppermint patties??? Maybe you are in? Maybe you are not. I just know that mint/chocolate is wonderful combination that I have loved for as long as I can remember. I was hot, I was hungry, I wanted something cold for dessert (I know…..making this “Christmas lookin’ ” dessert in the summer, I must be CRAZY!….. I was going to wait till  the holidays ~ to share this with you ~ but it is not MY fault that Aldi has mint Oreos NOW……NOR will you find me complaining, just all the more I can make this dessert!!  We fought over the leftovers the 1st time I made it, so since then ~ yep, I double it to a 9″ x 13″ pan. 🙂 Nice and versatile.

* I used this Hot Fudge Sauce. (Cooled NOT actually hot.) Though I am sure that a hot fudge sauce from the store will be fine, you do NOT want to use chocolate syrup though, it will most definitely change the whole consistency of this thing I am sure!

* Mint oil can be found in the cake baking section of stores like Wal-Mart or Joanne’s. It has a VERY strong flavor without using much, so proceed with caution and just start with a drop, taste, add a drop, taste, go from there. IF you go over board your nose will begin to feel like you have a peppermint stuck in there…sorry. I would imagine you could also use mint extract, though I have not tried it that way. Start with 1/2 tsp. or so, that would be my guess.

Grasshopper Dessert 
15 Mint Oreos, crushed
1 1/2 TB. melted butter
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. HOT FUDGE sauce (from the store or maybe this one?)
8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed and divided to 2 – 4 oz. sections
mint oil
green food coloring, opt.
1-2 mint candy canes, crushed (or crushed Starlight mints)
3 TB. (or so) of mini chocolate chips
Combine the crushed Oreos and the butter, press this mixture into the bottom of a 9″ square pan. Set aside. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar, add the hot fudge (not hot though :)) and beat just till combined. Fold in 4 oz. of the Cool Whip. Pour into crust. Set aside. Fold a drop of mint oil in the remaining 4 oz. of Cool Whip, stir ~ give  it a taste and see if you need to add another drop you two. You want a nice mint flavor, nothing TOO overpowering. Add a drop or two of green food coloring. Stir, spread over chocolate layer. Top with crushed candy canes and mini chocolate chips. Freeze. ENJOY!!!