It is summer time again and the heat is up!  But luckily the heat doesn't have to be limited to the weather...

... Let's get to smokin' this summer with Heather & Eric and see what kinds of smoky flavors we can cook up!

Mezcal Margaritas:  Ryan & MJ

There was no easing our taste buds into our smokin' evening, we hit them straight off the bat with a delicious smoky mezcal!  The lightness of the lime juice really allowed the smokey flavor to come through in this refreshing drink.  We kept Ryan & MJ busy while we sat on the back patio with requests for seconds, and thirds, and.... :)

Recipe:
http://www.eater.com/drinks/2015/4/24/8490545/ace-patio-drinking-with-this-smoky-mezcal-margarita

Ryan & MJ made these drinks substituting regular margarita salt and spicy cocoa bitters.

Smoked Salmon and Smoked Gouda Cheesecake & Little Smokies:  Ann & Jason

I got a few odd looks when I said I was making a cheesecake with salmon in it, but I assured my fellow Culinary Couples that it would be delicious, and it was!

A savory version, it is baked in a water bath just like a standard cheesecake.  Due to my "fundamental lack of geometric understanding" per my husband, when I decided to take a recipe that was made in two 4.5" spring-form pans and apply it to fit in my single 9" spring-form pan, I did not realize that the volume was substantially larger, resulting in a flat "tortilla-like" cheesecake.  Nonetheless it did not affect the taste, and some even thought it may be preferable to a thicker cheesecake!

And since you can't have a Smokin' themed dinner without Little Smokies, we also brought a crockpot of those bad boys with homemade barbecue sauce.

Recipes:

Smoked Salmon and Smoked Gouda Cheesecake:
http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/savory-smoked-salmon-cheesecake/
To make this healthier, we substituted low-fat cream cheese and greek yogurt for the sour cream

Little Smokies:
http://www.food.com/recipe/barbecued-lil-smokies-32362

Smoked Turkey, Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes, and Brussel Sprouts with Hickory Smoked Bacon:  Heather and Eric

Heather and Eric brought out all the stops with their beautiful old-fashioned smoker!  

And inside of this was an even more beautiful smoked turkey.  Talk about Thanksgiving dinner in July - yes please!

After brining the turkey for 2 days, they smoked it for 4 hours and the end result was nothing short of amazing.




To go with the turkey, they made smoked gouda mashed potatoes, well mostly smoked gouda with a few potatoes....

and cooked brussel sprouts in a a pan of delicious hickory smoked bacon!  Here's Eric putting the final touches on the brussel sprouts.

Dinner is served!

Recipes:

Brine Turkey
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/85839/out-of-this-world-turkey-brine/

Smoke Turkey
http://www.butterball.com/how-tos/smoke-a-turkey

Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/smoked-gouda-mashed-potatoes-recipe.html

Brussel Sprouts with Hickory Smoked Bacon
http://www.panningtheglobe.com/2014/04/27/skillet-brussels-sprouts-bacon-sherry/

Smoked Blueberry Crumble:  Heather & Eric

Since this was our first 6-member Culinary Couples, we had agreed that "well.... I guess we don't need dessert....."  However, after we finished dinner, Heather told us that we had a "surprise guest" for the evening - and low and behold - she had made us dessert!  Thank goodness!!!! ;)

This dessert took the Smokin' theme to a whole new level - if you have thought about eating a campfire, this was it!  Absolutely ridiculous.

Recipe:
http://grillingwithrich.com/blueberry-crumble-done-on-the-smoker/