While most of us spent last summer holed up in our houses and apartments, the summer of 2021 is shaping up to be... a little better. If anything, it's allowing us an opportunity to cautiously reconvene with family, friends and neighbors at backyard barbecues, pool parties, beach days and picnics. And for the first time in what feels like forever, many of us will be able to stuff our faces with food at these outdoor get togethers (instead of masks). This sounds like the perfect time to get better acquainted with your Magical Butter Machine by trying your hand at some recipes that will put the fire back in your summer.
Be the Grill Boss with That Fire Sauce
The Magical Butter Machine (often erroneously referred to as the Magic Butter Maker, the Magic Butter Machine, you get the picture) excels at creating infused sauces, dressings, dips, condiments and anything that gives your summer party the flavor that makes it the spot to be. While most of the recipes we’ll be sharing today are taken directly from the Magical Butter Machine’s generous compendium of recipes on their official site, we have a couple for the more confident and creative culinary mavericks out there that require you to determine how much “magic” to add into the mix. Todd Wilbur’s Top Secret Recipes’ take on McDonald’s “secret sauce” is one of these. You’ll have to use your own judgment when deciding how much magical butter or infused oil to toss into this recipe for the burger mega-chain’s famous (or infamous depending on who you ask) sauce. While mostly everyone has concluded that the special sauce that made the classic Big Mac so iconic is simply thousand island dressing with slight creative liberties, we think anyone lucky enough to get an invite to your end-of-summer cookout will appreciate the nostalgic nod.
Infused pesto is another sauce that could give your burgers an exotic kick or be used in a summery pasta. Magical Butter offers an original recipe for the zesty, garlic garnished flavor juggernaut that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser. But the undisputed king of summer condiments is barbecue sauce and you better believe Magical Butter has a recipe that will add a special kick to ribs, chicken, burgers, and anything else you pull from the grill. Barbecue sauce is a condiment bordering on the sacred, so we recommend adding a personal touch to make it your own thing, but the Magical Butter recipe offers a great place to start.
A Bit of Magical Butter Brings Side Dishes Front and Center
Anyone who has that aunt that brings the green bean casserole or that cousin with the macaroni and cheese knows that the heart of a cookout may be what’s on the grill, but the soul is in the side dishes. The Magical Butter Machine can make a mean side and you’ll find a recipe for virtually any accompaniment you can imagine, but we’ll get you started with some of our favorites. Would it really be a barbecue without some potato salad? One of the most popular sides at any cookout (although if you hate it, you really hate it), potato salad can be done right or horribly wrong, but we feel Magical Butter’s recipe is on point. However, if you have a secret family recipe, we recommend taking Magical Butter’s recipe as a reference to see how you can put a new spin on a family tradition.
While we can understand some people refusing the potato salad, you’d have to be a straight up monster to pass on the mac and cheese. A favorite to rival any main course, the absence of macaroni and cheese at a barbecue, picnic, pool party, holiday meal, etc. is often regarded as a cardinal sin. Fear not, because Magical Butter have put their own spin on mac and cheese, casting their euphoric spell on the summer staple.
These Beverages Have Extra Chill
After spending a solid year in air conditioning, this summer’s no doubt going to feel like a hot one. But you can easily cool yourself off with some chill beverages courtesy of your Magical Butter Machine. Just add ice to Magical Butter’s recipe for dried fruit-and-herb tea for some refreshment from the afternoon heat.If you’re looking for a more straightforward (though similarly elevated) recipe for iced tea, try using this black tea recipe as a starting point. From there, just add plenty of ice and a heaping helping of sugar if you like that southern sweet tea flavor.
You can also use your Magical Butter Machine to make a slew of infused summer cocktails. While their site has numerous options, we recommend staying with the summer theme by using their recipe to concoct some “nectar” lemonade. It’s hard to make chilling in a shaded hammock even better but we wager this lemonade can handle the challenge. Even if you’re not trying to make it a “magic” beverage per se, you can still use your Magical Butter Machine to infuse alcohol with fruits for a more festive flavor.
Save Room for Dessert
You can hit your entire meal out of the park but still leave a disappointed crowd if you don’t wrap it up with some dessert. There are so many different directions you could go with this, but we’ll stick with an American summer classic… apple pie. Magical Butter have a recipe for apple pie pockets that are a bit more convenient than more traditional pies. These infused apple pie pockets are an excellent treat for any time of the year, but we’re sure they’ll be the perfect cap to a legendary cookout.
Of course, these are just a few suggestions and we tried to lean toward crowd favorites. But the Magical Butter Machine can infuse a lot more than we’ve covered above, so if there’s a personal favorite dish we didn’t mention that you absolutely need at your big farewell-to-the-summer soiree, a quick search will likely pull up a recipe idea or two. And if not, you can be the pioneer! The Magical Butter Machine is all about creativity. Everyone’s going to need to come some comfort food after the last year. A little magical butter may be just the way to do it.