This month we are taking the tried-and-true “burger” and giving it some kick!  This will be your new go-to recipe for your football watching weekends!

Ingredients

1½ pounds ground beef

1/2 tbsp. Kosher salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper (or more/less to taste)

Hot Pepper Jelly

Guacamole

Bacon

Rolls

Greens (lettuce, spinach, etc.)

Directions

In a bowl, toss meat with seasoning. Form into patties and place on a large plate or baking sheet (about 7­-8 patties). Cover and chill 2 hours or overnight. Allow burgers to come to almost room temperature before grilling. Season all sides of the burgers with additional salt and pepper.  Clean, oil and heat grill. Once hot, place burgers onto the grill and cook until done to your liking. Once you flip the burger, baste the cooked side with some of the hot pepper jelly, when you remove the burgers, baste the other side. Assemble burgers with guacamole and bacon. Add an additional dollop of jelly on top of the burger and top with the other half of the bun. Smush it down a bit and dig in!

For more great recipes like: wild mushroom and blue cheese stuffed burgers, grilled lobster tail with Baja butter, apricot glazed pork kabobs, grilled sausage stuffing, blueberry dumplings or grilled pineapple with coconut caramel glaze … taste here!  

Now that’s a mouthful … but a delicious mouthful.  For this month’s recipe star we got a taste of inspiration from Hearth & Home.  The great thing about this recipe is if you’re fishy about fish, you can substitute the protein for grilled chicken or even steak.

Ingredients

Mahi­-Mahi Tacos 4 (5­6 oz.) Mahi­Mahi fillets

2 tbsp. olive oil 2 tbsp.

Pit Boss Mandarin Habanero spice

2 cups shredded red cabbage

1 cup sour cream

12 small corn tortillas

Mandarin Habanero Mango Salsa

2 mangos, peeled and diced

1/3 cup red onion, diced

2 tbsp. lime juice

1 tsp. Pit Boss Mandarin Habanero seasoning

¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Rinse the Mahi­-Mahi fillets under cold water and blot dry with paper towel. Rub fillets with olive oil, then sprinkle Pit Boss Mandarin Habanero seasoning over both sides of the fillets, rubbing the seasoning in. Set aside.

Prepare the Mandarin Habanero Mango Salsa by combining all ingredients in a medium­-sized bowl, tossing lightly to mix. Set aside.

Light the ceramic charcoal barbecue to 400°F. Place Mahi­-Mahi fillets directly on the grill and cook 5–7 minutes on each side. Remove the Mahi­Mahi from grill and let rest 5 minutes before pulling apart into small pieces. Carefully remove cooking grate from barbecue using oven mitts or grill grippers. Replace grill grate with heat deflector and place tortillas on heat deflector, heating for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until warm, but not hot.

Stack the tortillas in twos. Distribute the fish evenly between each set of tortillas.

Top with red cabbage, sour cream, and mango salsa. Serve immediately!

Sit back and listen to the “mmmms!”

A little salty and a whole lotta sweet … our recipes of the month were found in Hearth & Home.  TCP tested and approved, so enjoy!

Steak Diane

Ingredients

2 beef tenderloin steaks

Freshly ground black pepper

Coarse sea salt 2 tbsp.

Butter

1/4 large onion

Diced 1 clove garlic pressed

3 tbsp. whisky

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. dijon mustard

3/4 cup beef stock

1/4 cup whipping cream

Seasonal vegetables for serving

Mashed, boiled, or baked potatoes for serving

Directions

Oil your grids and preheat your grill to low, about 300 to 325°F. Crust your steaks in salt and pepper, nice and thick for a crispy outside. Grill your steaks over indirect heat for about 20 minutes, until an internal temperature of about 140°F. Using the Napoleon Wireless Thermometer for this is helpful, it will allow you to make the sauce while you’re waiting. To make the Diane Sauce, melt the butter in a frying pan and add the onion. Cook the onion for a minute or two, until it’s beginning to get translucent. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute. Add the whisky to the garlic and onion, letting it sizzle. Simmer for about a minute or two, to allow the alcohol to evaporate a little before adding the Worcestershire and dijon. Add the beef stock and bring the whole thing to a boil, letting the liquid reduce by nearly half before adding the cream and bringing the sauce back down to simmer and thicken to perfect gravy consistency. When the steaks have reached temperature, remove them to a plate for a minute to rest while you crank your lit burner to high and heat the grill up for searing, about 500°F.

Sear the steaks for about 1 minute per side, or until a crust forms and remove steaks to the plate again to rest. Before serving, add the resting juices to the Diane sauce, then cloak the steaks in the sauce. Serve with your favorite potatoes, such as Crispy Heirloom Potatoes and roasted broccoli.

Kitchen Sink Brownies

Ingredients

1 box premium dark chocolate brownie mix 2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup water

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 ½ cups halved walnuts

Fresh mint garnish, optional

Directions

In large bowl, blend all ingredients except for halved walnuts. Pour batter into greased large cast iron skillet. Top with walnut halves. Bake for 30 minutes at 325°F in an outdoor oven, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Who doesn’t love a good slider?  Our highlighted recipe for this month is versatile, feel free to change it up to your liking, but we have a hunch you may keep it just the way it is!  Meet this month’s mouth-watering, gotta-have grilling grub …

So what’s our secret?  See below …

Ingredients

1 red onion

Extra virgin olive oil

Butter (salted) (secret #1)

Fine sea salt

4 pretzel rolls, about 3­in. in diameter (secret #2)

1 pound thick-cut ham

4 oz. Brie cheese, Cut into chunks

4 cocktail skewers

Directions

Prepare the grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat, about 500°F grill grate temperature. Slice the red onion into 3/4­in. thick slices. Oil both sides and season liberally with salt.

Grill the onion slices until translucent and soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from the grill, brake the slices down into rings and set to the side.

Slice the pretzel rolls. Spread salted butter on each side (don’t be conservative, didn’t you hear? Butter is good for you now, so go ahead and take advantage before they change their mind on us again)!   Grilling the buns (especially these buns) will make all of the difference, trust us!

Brush each slice of ham on both sides with olive oil and season with salt. The olive oil will help form a crust on the outside of the meat. Grill ham, turning once, 1 to 2 minutes per side. After flipping the meat, add a large ring of onion to the top of each slice, so it sits neatly in a circle.

Add the cheese on top of the onion. The cheese will melt, almost into a creamy sauce, and the onions will help hold the cheese on top of the ham. While the cheese is melting, lightly grill the rolls.

Gently remove the meat when the cheese has melted and transfer directly onto the pretzel rolls.  Skewer each slider to hold it together.

Open wide and enjoy!

The big game is less than a week away and most everyone has their party plans tackled.  But what if you’re the party house … are you ready to score some tasty touchdowns for your guests?  When throwing a patio party, your team is always huddled around the food, so with the dips, drinks and sweets being the MVP of the celebration … you want to make sure it’s something to remember.  When you can’t predict if the game will be good, the halftime show will be in tune or the commercials will even be funny, you have to make sure the snacks are the star of the show.

We have tons of tasty blogs with great game day grub like a Party on the Patio Cocktail, Grilled Chicken and Veggie Enchiladas, Green Chili Cheeseburgers, even Pizza on the Grill!  Or you can visit out Pinterest page for hundreds of festive foods perfect for the big game.

But our “Recipe of the Month” goes to ….

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients

2 ­ 8 oz. blocks of cream cheese

Chicken meat from 2­3 chicken thighs (or breasts if you want white meat)

1/2 of a medium yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic minced (use dried garlic if preferred)

1 cup of Texas Pete’s Wing Sauce (or your favorite sauce)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup ranch dressing (optional)

*Optional Garnish with green onions, add bleu cheese crumbles and mix in dip

Directions

Cream cheese needs to be room temperature so you can mix the ingredients together. Start by adding the chicken, onion, garlic and cheddar cheese and mix thoroughly. Then add your wing sauce and ranch (you may want to reduce the amount of wing sauce to ensure it is not too runny if adding ranch).

You can add the bleu cheese crumbles now. (Many people do not like the bleu cheese, so try adding them on top of half of the dip in an 8 x 8″ pan. That way you have some with bleu cheese and some without.)

You can bake it at 325°F for 20 minutes or until it is bubbly all around the edges. Finish by garnishing with the green onion.

NOTE: This also works well in a crock pot. Just dump all the ingredients together on high until ready, then lower heat to warm.

Out with the old (well, kinda) and in with the new!  This month we are taking your  traditional holiday courses and giving them life!  Who needs pumpkin pie when you can have three layered pumpkin cheesecake or what about sourdough bacon stuffing?  Most of the recipes can also be found on our Pinterest page … get lost for days in our endless recipes, our most favorite completed patio projects, products we love for the outdoors and more!

Caramel Apple Mimosa

30 Unbelievably Good Thanksgiving Day Appetizers

Turkey on the Grill

Sourdough Bacon Stuffing 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Lasagna (yeah, you heard that right)

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

Snowflake White Chocolate Martini

Here’s a fun idea that’s quick, easy and delish … freeze coffee as ice cubes and toss in a cup of Baileys and vanilla vodka …

Cheers to the holidays …

Happy Thanksgiving from Texas Custom Patios!

September 29th is National Good Neighbor Day, so breakout your culinary skills, get to grillin’, and invite them over for a patio party.  We brought the heat by kicking up the spice on traditional burger recipe for this edition of our Recipe of the Month.

Green Chili Cheeseburger

Ingredients

Instructions

July is really bringing the heat, so this summer when it comes to cooking, we thought we would beat the heat and keep it outside (where it belongs).  So turn off your stoves and ovens and fire up the grill.  We made a hot list of 12 ideas for unlikely, but tasty foods you can cook on your outdoor grill instead of the stove!

Let’s bring the heat …

Grilled Bacon

Cut the greasy mess and leave the calories dripping into your grill … healthier and less mess.

Ingredients

1 lb. thick-cut bacon
1 cup Chopped Parsley
1 Tbsp. Chopped Garlic
1 Tbsp. Chopped Shallots
1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fine Sea Salt
Freshly-cracked black pepper

Directions

Whisk together all ingredients. Set aside.

Grill 1/8” thick-cut, smoked bacon on both sides until done (5 to 6 minutes on each side over medium-high heat).

Serve with 2 tbsp. of the bacon dressing mixture and finish with sherry vinegar making sure there is a little vinegar on the plate.

Grilled Pizza

Sounds amazingly delicious, right?  Try our Recipe of the Month from a few months ago, it’s amazing!

Grilled Avocados

Grilled Caesar Salad (yes, we said salad)

Ingredients

1 head romaine lettuce, root end removed
Olive oil, as needed
Kosher salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Dressing

1 egg yolk
2 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained (optional)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Kosher salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 c. oil (olive, canola, or a mix of the two)
Grilled bread cubes, for croutons
Grated Parmesan cheese, for topping

The Fourth of July is about coming together and celebrating with family and friends!  Be the “it” patio party this holiday … just add a little red, white & blue for all the oohs and aahs!  We have decor demos, tasty treats, boozy sips and kid-friendly fun on our Pinterest page! It is stocked with patriotic pins great for ideas on how to perk up your patio.  Check out these clever ways to use mason jars, perfect for centerpieces, decorative candles and more.

Or load up a clear mason jar with the something salty, sweet and super cute like these Patriotic Pretzel Dippers!

Something fun for the kids … homemade edible firecracker popcorn, made with POP ROCKS!  Watch out for the tasty lil’ explosion in your mouth!

Salute to this super salad that will leave you refreshed on a hot 4th of July!

How ’bout some 50 Star Chicken and other festive foods for the main course?

End things with a real bang with these boozy bombs!

And top it off with some Star Spangled Sweetness!

Enjoy your weekend mornings on the patio with our coolest cocktail concoction … the Creamsicle Mimosa!

makes 4 mimosas

3/4 cup orange juice

2 ounces marshmallow vodka

1 bottle of champagne (you will have some to spare)

whipped cream + crystal sprinkles for garnish

Combine orange juice and vodka into a measure cup. Pour about 1/4 of a cup into each glass, then fill the remaining space with champagne. Top with whipped cream and crystal sprinkles.

Cheers!