Final party at Camp Stupid

My boyfriend Huck's house has always been the gathering place for everyone. It wasn't uncommon to have 5-10 people over on a Tuesday night hanging out in the driveway. We decided to rent the house since we will not be staying there and the family that will be moving in on December 1st, so we thought it would be a good idea to throw a final Camp Stupid party.


I spent ALL day cooking. ALL DAY!!


Smoked Jalapeno Dip

• 1 lb Jalapeno (I just cut the stems off, but if you do not like very spicy food, I would remove the seeds too) 
• 8 oz Cream Cheese-Soften
• 1 Cup Shredded Cheese (I used a Mexican Blend)

1. Cut stems off Jalapenos. 
2. Wrap jalapenos in aluminum and place on the smoker for 30 minutes. 
3. Remove from smoker and finely chop. I used my Slap Chop for this. 
4. Combined with Cream Cheese and Shredded Cheese. 

            Serve with Tortilla chips.

I really did not think this dip was going to taste that great, but everyone loved it. Not bad for a last minute idea :)


Smoked Boston Butt 

• 10 lb Boston Butt/Pork Shoulder
• 22 oz Coffee Stout Beer (I used Southern Tier Imperial Jah-va Coffee Stout)
• Pork Dry Rub

1. Rub dry spices on meat and pour beer over meat. Marinate for 12-24 hours turning in beer a few times. 
2. Prep Smoker. If you don't have a smoker, you can use a slow cooker.
3.  Wrap meat in aluminum foil and place on smoker. 
4. Using leftover marinate, reduce over medium heat and brush on meat ever 1-2 hours.  
5. Cook meat 1 1/2 hours per pound. 
6. Let meat rest before slicing or chopping.

I have seen a few people marinate meat in coffee to add extra flavor and beer is a meat tenderizer, so I came up with the idea to us the coffee beer. I love to cook with beer. I have another blog, Beer Meet Food, with a few of my Food and Beer creations.  

Beerbecue Sauce 

• 1 cup Ketcup
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 cup Beer (I like IPA's or Stouts) 
• 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 Onion- Fine Dice or grated

1. Combined ingredients and cook over low to medium low heat until sauce starts to thicken. 

Mini Pecan Pie

• 15 Mini Phyllo Dough Shells
• 1/2 Cup Pecans-Chopped
• 1 Egg
• 1/3 Cup Corn Syrup
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tbsp Butter-Melted

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. Toast Pecans in oven for 5-7 minutes. As Rachael Ray says, Your nose will know when they are toasted. 
3. Remove from oven and coarsely chop. I used my Slap Chop, again. 
4. Place phyllo shells on foiled pan. 
5. Combined the nuts, egg, syrup, sugar, vanilla, and butter. 
6. Spoon mixture into shells. 
7. Bake for 12 minutes. 
8. Allow to cool before serving. 

My Grandpa's Girlfriend gave be a whole bag of shelled pecans to make pecan pie for the party, but I wanted to try something a little different then a traditional pie. I thought about using Puff Pastry, but then I seen the phyllo shells and thought it would make cool bite size desserts. It took every ounce of self control I have to not eat all of them before people arrived.

My Dad, Sister, and Brother-in-law enjoying their food 

Our great neighbors

My whole family 

My Best Friend since 7th grade and her family

My baby sister!