Ahoy, me hearties! Today be the grandest holiday ever yanked out of Poseidon’s bloomers, Talk Like A Pirate Day! Never a day more timbers be shivered, more ‘lubbers are landed, or more men blown down than this. We have a mighty good spread below decks for ye SRSLY fans, with a properly piratical theme to keep ye scurvy dogs sails full on yer day o’ swashbucklin’! Avast, hold true, and may ye live the good life in the sweet trade, matey’s!

SRrrrrSLY Scallywag Stew

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds pork, cubed
• 2 parsnips, roughly chopped
• 1 pound dried navy beans, rinsed and checked for stones
• 4 ounces dried cherries (unsweetened if you can find them), roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns, cracked with the side of your knife
• 1 1/2 cups rum
• 1 1/2 cups chicken or ham stock (or both… or vegetable. Doesn’t really matter.)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds

Regular method: Heat your soup pot to medium high, sear your pork cubes on all sides, about a minute per side. Reduce heat to medium, and deglaze your pot with stock, whisking to get all the brown bits off the bottom. Add all your ingredients, and simmer covered 3 to 4 hours, or until the beans are done.

SRSLY method: combine all ingredients in a zip-top bag and freeze. To serve, heat in slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Served over hardtack, or barring that, biscuits will do too.

This recipe was cross-posted from our sister site, Living Behind the Curve. For more information about the “Slow Cooking Really Simplifies Life, Yo. (SRSLY)” method, click here.

Image by PussNBoots

The three components of this dish, cherry, lime, and bourbon, complement each other so well that I’m surprised this drink isn’t a standard summertime picnic fare. To add some sparkle to your drink, substitute sparkling water for plain. On hot August evenings, add extra ice and run it through a blender for a frozen treat.

Cherry-Bourbon Limeade

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups freshly squeeze lime juice
• 1 cup simple syrup
• 4 cups ice water
• 2 cups fresh or frozen cherries, pitted and halved
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 cups bourbon

In a small bowl, toss cherries and sugar. Set aside to macerate at room temperature for 1 hour.

In a tall pitcher, stir lime juice, syrup, bourbon, and water. Add cherries with their juices and mix well. Serve immediately in tall glasses or champagne flutes.

Serves 6-8.