It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia returns as one of the leaders of food-as-plot-device-comedies, with its narcissist protagonists often tangling delicious (or disgusting) cuisine up in their antics. Grilled Frank, in particular, is ripe for innovation.

 

Ingredients

Mac’s Mac and Cheese

  • 1 cup milk

  • 1 ½ cups water

  • ½ cup panko breadcrumbs

  • 3-4 Tbsp butter

  • 8 ounces pasta of choice

  • 2 ounces grated Romano cheese

  • 4 ounces shredded American cheese

  • ½ tsp dijon mustard

  • 4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar

  • Shake of cayenne pepper

Paradise Cocktail

  • 3 ounces gin

  • 1 ½ ounces apricot brandy

  • 1 ½ ounces orange juice

  • Ice

  • Lemon juice (optional)

  • Lemon twist (optional)

Caribbean Paradise Cocktail

  • ½ ounce grenadine

  • Ice

  • 3 ounces fresh pineapple juice

  • 1 ½ ounces coconut flavored rum

  • 1 ounce blue curacao

  • 1 ounce water

Grilled Frank
For the savory pepper jelly:

  • 1 green pepper

  • 1 red pepper

  • 3 jalapeños

  • 2 cups granulated sugar

  • 3 tsp pectin powder

  • 1 cup white vinegar

For the crepes:

  • 2 eggs

  • ¾ cup whole milk

  • ½ cup water

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 3 Tbsp melted butter

For the filling:

  • Thick cut pieces of bacon

  • Breakfast sausages

  • Spam

To deep fry:

  • Unsalted butter

  • 1 egg

  • ½ cup milk

  • Plain breadcrumbs

  • Ghee (clarified butter)

Method

Mac’s Mac and Cheese

  1. Combine 1 cup milk and 1 ½ cups water in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. In a separate skillet, toast panko breadcrumbs in melted butter. Once the milk and water are simmering, add 8 ounces of a pasta of your choice.

  2. On medium low heat, gently cook pasta until all liquid is absorbed. Go back and forth between stirring pasta and flipping breadcrumbs.

  3. Once breadcrumbs are a nice golden brown, remove from heat, put in a bowl, and toss with about 2 ounces of grated Romano cheese.

  4. When the liquid is absorbed, put the cooked pasta on very low heat and add 4 ounces of shredded American cheese along with a heaping ½ teaspoon of dijon mustard and stir.

  5. Once the American cheese is melted, stir in additional 4 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar. Add a little shake of cayenne, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes.

  6. Stir, then put in a separate serving bowl and top with the Romano breadcrumb mixture. Enjoy!

Paradise Cocktail

  1. Chill a martini glass in freezer.

  2. In a cocktail shaker add 3 ounces of gin, 1 ½ ounces of apricot brandy, and 1 ½ ounces of orange juice, and shake over ice.

  3. Strain into chilled martini glass. Add optional splash of lemon juice and an optional lemon twist. Enjoy!

Caribbean Paradise Cocktail

  1. Start with a tall festive cocktail glass and add a ½ ounce of grenadine at the bottom, and top with ice to the brim.

  2. In a cocktail shaker add 3 ounces of fresh pineapple juice, 1 ½ ounces of coconut flavored rum, and shake over ice. Strain into cocktail glass over the grenadine and ice.

  3. Combine 1 ounce of blue curacao and 1 ounce of water in separate glass, stir, then slowly pour on top of the drink to create the desired layering effect. Enjoy!

Grilled Frank

  1. Start by making the pepper jelly: chopping the green pepper, red pepper, and a few jalapeños and don’t remove seeds to keep that heat. Put into a food processor until it’s at a salsa-like consistency.

  2. In a medium bowl, add 2 cups of granulated sugar and 3 teaspoons of pectin powder, then whisk together and set aside.

  3. In a medium saucepan combine chopped peppers and 1 cup of white vinegar, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. In the meantime heat up a giant pot of water with two canning jars inside.

  4. Once the peppers have simmered for 10 minutes, add the sugar pectin mixture, and cook for an additional 2 minutes until dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool for about 15 minutes.

  5. Then take the canning jars out of the hot, but not boiling water, and set on towel. Fill with pepper mixture, leaving a ¼ inch headspace at the top of the jar. Go ahead and wipe the jars and place lids on top.

  6. Gently place the jars into the big pot with enough boiling water to cover them completely. Boil for 10 minutes.

  7. Safely remove and see if the caps have popped down yet, indicating that a vacuum has been created; however it might take a few minutes after removing from water. Let jars cool overnight.

  8. Make the crepe batter: In a blender, add 2 eggs, ¾ cup whole milk, ½ cup water, 1 cup all-purpose flour, and 3 Tbsp melted butter. Pulse that together about 10 times, making sure it’s smooth and homogeneous. Let chill in fridge for at least 45 minutes up to overnight so there are no bubbles.

  9. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cover an oven pan with foil and place a rack on top to cook the meat. Then place various meats including thick cut bacon, breakfast sausages, and some thin slices of spam on top. Cook in oven for 20-25 minutes until brown and crisp.

  10. Bring out a crepe maker pan and lubricate with unsalted butter. Begin pouring a thin layer of crepe mix on top and cook both sides. Repeat until desired number of crepes.

  11. Fill the crepes with a couple pieces of each of the meats and wrap like a burrito.

  12. In a small bowl beat 1 egg and a ½ cup of milk. In another small bowl fill halfway with plain breadcrumbs. Coat each burrito crepe in the egg milk mixture, then cover generously with breadcrumbs.

  13. In a saucepan, heat a generous amount of ghee (clarified butter) to 375°F before dropping in the coated crepe burritos. Deep fry.

  14. Enjoy the deeply unhealthy and culturally confused crepe things!