Pesto

If you're like me, you have a ton of basil in your garden right now.  This is a great recipe for that.  Not only does it use a lot of basil but it also can be made ahead or frozen!

Every once in a while I feel like having something other than red sauce on my pasta and this is a great alternative.  It's also great on chicken and then grilled.  I've even seen some recipes for pesto used in dips, check Pinterest for some of those. Not matter how you use it, it's awesome to have on hand.

Easy to put together and delicious!

Pesto

Recipe from Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 3 Tbsp (9 cloves) garlic, chopped
• 5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups good olive oil
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking Directions

1. Add the nuts and garlic to the bowl of a food processor with the blade attachment.
2. Pulse for 15 seconds.
3. Add the basil and salt and pepper to the bowl and then begin to pour in the olive oil through the top while the processor is on. Process until thoroughly pureed.
4. Add the Parmesan cheese and process until mixed in.
5. Either serve immediately or store in the refrigerator or freezer. Air is the enemy of basil so if you're going to store it, either place plastic wrap over the top making sure to get the air out of it or pour more olive oil over the top so no air is touching the pesto and then store as you wish.

Ultimate Barbecue Sauce

I made this sauce once long ago and I never forgot it.  Sometimes that happens.  That is a perfect example of why I now have a blog.  I have to have some sort of record as to what I've made or else I'll never remember. But I digress…

So my husband told me a couple of nights ago that he really felt like making baby back ribs, as it turned out, I really felt like eating some so it worked out well. The only thing I didn't feel like, was store bought barbecue sauce.  Don't get me wrong, I use store bought all the time and it's totally yum.   But, I wanted to have super fancy, very special ribs, so I just made a sauce myself.  I LOVE this sauce.  I love it as much this time as I did last time.  It really takes the flavor of the meat to a whole new level.  It's not spicy, it's sweet with a bite of vinegar.  It's smooth but it has pieces of onion.  It's just perfect in my opinion.

I doubled the recipe so I'd have some in the refrigerator for other uses.  The original recipe is for barbecued chicken so maybe I'll whip some of that up.  You can't go wrong with this sauce!

Ultimate Barbecue Sauce

Recipe from Tyler Forence

Ingredients

• 1 slice bacon
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 cups ketchup
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika, smoked if you have it
• fresh ground black pepper

Cooking Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and then wrap the slice of bacon around the thyme and add it to the hot oil. Cook for about 4 minutes so the bacon can render.
2. Remove the bacon/thyme and discard.
3. Add the chopped onion and garlic and let cook but do not brown it. Cook about 5 minutes.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and then reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

What do you do when you have all these fresh strawberries and they are starting to go bad? Make jam! I know, I know, don't panic.  Freezer name is much easier then traditional jam making.  You don't even have to have canning jars, but you do need some sort of jar with a lid.

I'm sure you've noticed how fast fresh strawberries tend to go bad, right? Don't let your efforts be wasted by throwing them away.  Even if you just bought them from the grocery store, don't throw your money away either.  Freezer jam is easy.  No thermometer, canning jar's or supplies are needed.  I promise.

You do need a box of pectin but that's all you need from the canning jar isle, unless you specifically want the canning jars.  Even if you buy too many there are a million and one uses for canning jars.  Store everything from spices to leftovers in them.  I make salad dressing in them because it's convenient to just shake it in the jar and them just set the jar on the table for serving.  Give gifts in them, use them as a flower vase.  Really, you can always use extra jars and lids.

Just store the jars in your freezer when you're done, let them thaw in the refrigerator and then use them in about a month and you've saved all that yumminess and money for later use.  The jam is so tasty!  Peanut butter and jelly never had it so good, or use it to spread on toast.  There are so many uses for canned jams and jelly's.  Even if you give them away to your family or friends, they'll be so happy and you'll be a hero.  Give this recipe a try!

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Recipe from All Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, crushed
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 (1.75 oz) package pectin powder
• 3/4 cup water

Cooking Directions

1. Crush the strawberries and add the sugar, stir and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine the water and the pectin. Bring to a hard boil and boil for 1 minute.
3. Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 minute.
4. Mix the pectin mixture in with the crushed strawberries, stir until the sugar has dissolved and let sit for 3 minutes. Pour into the containers and tighten the lids. Let sit for 24 hours and then place in the freezer.

**Once thawed, they will last for about 1 month in the refrigerator. 

Dinner Club: Theme - Kosher/Israeli

Our lovely and talented host this month was Lisette.  She is the one who chose Kosher/Israeli as the theme, a theme I was not familiar with.  I'm overjoyed with the theme because not only was it something new for us all to try but it tasted amazing.  This is definitely one of my new favorite types of food.  There wasn't one single thing that I tried that I didn't like.  

Thank you Lisette for hosting!  She made two delicious dishes, one was the kebabs you see above. So good. She made both beef and lamb varieties and they were so tasty.  Ton's of flavor, tender and dipped in the cucumber sauce she made was the perfect compliment.  Great job!

Kofta Kebabs

Recipe from AllRecipes

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 pound ground lamb (or beef)
• 3 Tbsp onion, grated
• 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 Tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 28 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes.

Cooking Directions

1. Mash the garlic into a paste using a mortar and pestle or the side of a chefs knife.
2. Mix the garlic in with the ground lamb and add the the spices. 
3. Form the mixture into 28 balls.  Slide each ball onto a skewer and flatten into a 2" oval. 
4. Place all the skewers into a baking dish and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 12 hours. 
5. Heat a grill (indoor or outdoor) to medium heat and lightly oil the grates. 
6. Cook the skewers until they reach the desired doneness.  About 6 minutes per side for medium. 

Lisette also made this yummy Israeli Salad.  Very refreshing.  The dressing was very light and not over powering and the veggies were crisp and cold.  The couscous added another texture.  Loved this side dish. 
Israeli Salad

Recipe modified slightly from "The Shiksa in the Kitchen"

Ingredients

• 1 pound cucumbers, diced
• 1 pound fresh tomato, seeded and diced
• 1/3 cup onion, minced (optional)
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup Israeli Couscous, cooked

Cooking Directions

1. Place all the vegetables, couscous and the parsley in a large bowl.
2. Use a whisk to mix the olive oil and lemon juice and pour it over the top of the salad, mix well.
3. Season with salt and serve at room temperature or chill and serve cold.

Lynn T. brought these amazing Knishes.  I'd never had a Knish before and my first experience with them was true love.  You dip them in some deli mustard first and it was A-MAZING. This was dish number 1 that Lynn brought.  

In case you're wondering, a Knish is a dough filled with a potato onion mixture in this case.  You can either fry them or bake them and I can't wait to make them for my family to try. 
Potato Knish

Recipe from Kosher Culinary Arts

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 to 1 1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/2 cup cold tap water
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 1/2 pound Idaho or Russet potato, boiled and mashed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 whole egg
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar

Cooking Directions

To make the potato filling: boil the peeled potatoes until they are tender.  Remove from the heat and mash them up.  Incorporate the sautéed onion, salt and pepper.  The mixture will be thick but if you feel they are too thick you can add a spoonful or two of water. You will need about 3 cups of mashed potatoes. Let cool.

To make the dough: 

1. Combine flour, salt and turmeric in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl beat eggs with the water, oil and vinegar. 
3. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour the egg mixture in it.  Work together until a nice soft dough forms. 
4. Knead for one minute. 
5. Wrap the dough in some floured plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. 
6. Cut the dough in half and work with one half while the other half stays in the refrigerator. 
7. Roll the dough out thin on a lightly floured surface. Stretch the dough in your hands being careful to avoid making holes.  It should be nice and elastic. 
8. Cut the dough into 8 even sized squares. 
9. Fill each dough square with an even amount of the potato filling and seal the edges.

To Bake: 

Preheat the oven to 350-375º. Place the oven rack in the top portion of your oven. Brush the filled knish's with egg wash (1 beaten egg and 2 Tbsp water). Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden. 

To Fry:

Heat 1/4 to 1/3" oil in a skillet.  When the oil is hot (test my placing the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil, if it bubbles around the wooden handle, then it's ready).  You might need to adjust the temperature so that the oil doesn't get too hot. Place the knish's in the oil two at a time. They take about 1 minute on each side, until golden brown. Place on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.

Wendy S. brought this cold salad, it was apples and cinnamon goodness along with a bunch of other flavors.  You don't see many recipes were you grate an apple but we all really liked the texture and flavors.  Thanks Wendy!
Charoset

Recipe from Wolfgang Puck

Ingredients

• 6 cups Granny Smith apples, cored and grated
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup kosher for Passover sweet red wine

Cooking Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, mix well and serve.

Lynn's second dish was this amazing dessert.  Just look at it, almost too good to eat. Almost. Flavored with orange this was a delicous cake.  The texture was moist with a hint of the olive oil used.  It was another first for me and I loved it! 
Orange Olive Oil Cake

Recipe from Food Network by Melissa d'Arabian

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing the pan
• 1 1/4 cups + more for the pans all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 orange, zested and juiced (3 Tbsp juice, 1 Tbsp zest)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• confectioners' sugar for dusting

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
3. Use the bowl of a stand mixer (or a hand mixer) and add the sugar and eggs. Mix until light and smooth. Add the orange juice and zest and mix well.
4. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
5. Add the flour mixture little by little to the wet ingredients in the mixer bowl. Mix on low, just until incorporated.
6. Pour the dough into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
7. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes, dust with confectioners' sugar and serve.

Everyone loved this meatball that was brought by Amber.  Amber is actually a new member to dinner club so we loved having an opportunity to catch up with her and found out what an amazing cook she is.  My husband will love this meatball and I plan to make it for him soon.

The Pomegranate glaze was sweet and tangy at the same time.  Perfect!  Thanks Amber and see you at the next event!

Spinach Beef Meatballs with Pomegranate Glaze

Recipe from Kosher in the Kitch

Ingredients

• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen spinach
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp montreal steak seasoning

Directions

1. Sautee the onion and garlic in olive oil. When soft and cooked through, add the spinach and cook until warmed through. 
2. In a large mixing bowl add the ground beef and the garlic and onion, mix. 
3. Add the eggs, bread crumbs and seasonings and mix well. 
4. Preheat the oven to 400º
5. Shape the meat mixture into 1" balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. 
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until slightly golden. 
7. Serve with rice, or quinoa and the Pomegranate glaze below. 

Pomegranate Glaze

Ingredients

• 1 cup Pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp water

Cooking Directions

1. Bring the ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan, then simmer until the glaze has thickened.

It was a night of many first for everyone, but I was particularly intrigued by this cake that Emily brought.  I asked her what was in it and she strolled through several items you would not normally have just sitting around your kitchen so I couldn't wait to sample it.

The thing I liked most about this cake was how the syrup used on top just sort of made a candy like, chewy bite.  The flavor was so amazing, I really don't know how to describe it.  It's something you really have to experience.  I truly loved this one, thanks Emily!

Basbousa

Recipe from Cousins Cooking it Up

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups coarse semolina
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 cup castor sugar
• 1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 200 grams (7/8 cup) thick yogurt
• 200 grams (7/8 cup) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 25-30 blanched almonds
• milk if needed

Syrup

• 330 grams (1 1/2 cups) sugar
• 250 ml water
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp rosewater

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. Mix the first seven ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mixture should be quite stiff but you can add a little milk if needed.
3. Spread mixture into a buttered 30x25x5 inch baking tray.
4. Cut into diamond shapes, pressing hard.
5. Place an almond in the center of each diamond shape.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
7. While the cake is baking, make the syrup:  Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stir until the sugar has dissolved. 
8. Simmer for 5 minutes without stirring. 
9. Stir in the lemon juice and rosewater and remove from the heat, let cool. 
10. Pour the syrup over the cake while the cake is still hot.  Let cool before serving. 

Melissa Y. brought this yummy appetizer.  No recipe needed here.  It's just a plain bagel smeared with cream cheese and topped with salmon. I believe that smoked salmon was used in this case, found in the meat department of the grocery store. I am quite a fan of salmon so this was right up my ally. It had me craving bagels and lox for days after….

This recipe was my contribution to the night.  I had never heard of these before but I found a recipe on Pinterest on a board labeled Israeli food.  I was thrilled with how they turned out.  It's a pretty basic recipe of making a dough in the food processor.  Keeping it cold and then rolling it out and filling it with a luscious cheese and egg mixture.

The finished Borreka was delicious.  The crust was buttery and soft, the filling was cheesy and flavorful.  I will make them again for sure, great to bring to a party or just to have at home.  

Cheese Borrekas

Recipe from May I Have That Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 16 Tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, diced
• pinch of salt
• 1 whole egg
• 2 Tbsp ice cold water
• 5 ounces cheddar, shredded
• 6 ounces Feta, crumbled
• 2 whole eggs, beaten separately
• 1/8 tsp salt
• sesame seeds

Cooking Directions

1. Combine the flour, butter and salt in your food processor and pulse until the mixture looks like wet sand.
2. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and cold water.  Pour into the flour mixture. Pulse until a dough forms. 
3. Lightly flatten the dough, wrap in in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 
4. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350º.
5. Prepare the filling: In a large bowl, combine the cheddar, feta, 1 beaten egg and salt. Stir to combine. 
6. When the dough has cooled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch. 
7. Use a glass or cookie cutter to cut 3 1/2 inch circles. 
8. Use about a 1-2 tsp of filling per dough round.  Fold over the dough and make a half moon shape.  Crimp the eyes using your fingers or a fork. (A fork works best).
9. Brush the tops of the Borrekas with the beaten egg and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.  
10. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

I'd also like to thank Lisa F for coming and bringing Challah bread.  I'd never had Challah bread before either but it's sweet and dense and delicious.  Someone mentioned that it makes great french toast and I cannot wait to try that!  

On another note, we had an assortment of wines available at dinner that night.  Lynn told us that her family mixes half sweet red wine with half cream soda so we all tried it.  It was amazing!  Really, who'd have ever thought those two things would be good together? Just goes to show you that you can learn so much from other nationalities (or just from your neighbors)!  I can't wait to see what the next dinner club brings us! Thanks for participating everyone!

Secret Buffalo Wing Sauce

It's not uncommon in my house for either my husband or I to just have a sudden wing craving.  We love them!  Some nights you just gotta have wings and they are so easy it seems silly not to cave in an make them.  Granted, this recipe does require a small amount of time to throw the sauce recipe together, but it's very likely that you have all of the ingredients on hand AND it doesn't need that much time to simmer.  I had the wings and sauce done in about 30 minutes or less.

This isn't your typical wing sauce, in lots of ways it isn't typical but it's so very flavorful.  I found myself wishing I had some bread to sop of up leftover sauce with.  It's not spicy so I gave some to my daughter to try and sadly, but predictably, she didn't like it.  But she doesn't like anything.

Feel free to spice yours up by adding more hot sauce or some minced jalapeño. I truly loved this sauce, it's got a lot of butter in it so that's probably one reason I loved it, but it's also got a lot of complex flavors that melted together so nicely.

I will absolutely make this recipe again.  No doubt about it!

Secret Buffalo Wing Sauce

Recipe from Food Network Sierra's Grandma's Secret Buffalo Wing Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter
• 4 Tbsp brown sugar
• 5 Tbsp tomato sauce
• 1/4 tsp garlic
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp oregano, fresh or dried
• dash beer
• dash hot sauce (I used Franks)

Cooking Directions

1. This recipe is enough for about 20 pieces of cooked chicken wings.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar.
3. Use a whisk and add the remaining ingredients, adding the beer last to taste.
4. Cook over low heat until smooth and the flavors have melded, about 10 minutes or so.
5. Pour over cooked chicken, stir to coat and serve hot.

Homemade Jerky Marinade

My husband is in airports all the time, and in case you haven't been in an airport lately you should know that everything is very expensive.  If you want a salad you're looking at about $9 or more. Healthy food in an airport is always expensive.  Needless to say we try to think of things that he can take with him from home.  That way we know what's in it and we know that it's healthy.

We made some jerky a little while ago and now we're just on a quest to try out different marinades.  I have to tell you, out of the two this one is my favorite.  You can make it as spicy as you want but I liked the tanginess of the hot sauce better then the red pepper flakes.  This way is more of an all over spice and not just spice when you eat a flake.  It's a little sweet and very flavorful.  I'm looking forward to trying more but this one will be done again.  It's just a good all around flavor that I enjoyed immensely.

If you're into making your own jerky you should definitely give this one a try!

Homemade Jerky Marinade
Recipe from AllRecipes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 tsp hot pepper sauce, or more to taste
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Cooking Directions

1. Blend all the ingredients together.
2. To use: Place 1 lb of sliced lean meat in a zip lock bag or leak proof container and pour the marinade over the top.
3. Turn the meat and sauce every couple of hours to coat well. Let marinade for at least 24-48 hours.
4. Remove the meat from the marinade and discard any remaining marinade.
5. Follow manufacturers instructions to dehydrate the meat.  It took me about 6 hours.  Keep checking it as it will depend on how thick the meat is.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Are you looking to shake things up for dinner?  Who isn't!  This recipe is fast and easy.  You can have it on the table in less then 30 minutes and it's totally delicious!

Most of us have had sweet and sour chicken at a favorite Chinese restaurant right? This is the same sauce (only without all the MSG) and it's over meatballs which can be bought frozen or even pre-mixed and shaped into balls for you at your local meat department.  How cool is that?

Serve with a nice salad, rice or noodles and you've got yourself a fast meal that will make your family happy.

Unless your family is like my daughter, who apparently doesn't like sweet and sour.  What can I say, I just keep trying!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Recipe from TasteOfHome

Ingredients

• 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks
• 3 Tbsp vinegar
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 30 fresh (cooked) or frozen meatballs
• 1 large green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces (optional)
• Hot cooked rice (optional)

Directions

1. Drain the can of pineapple into a measuring cup and set the pineapple chunks to the side for use later.  You are looking for 1 cup of pineapple juice, add water if needed to make 1 cup. 
2. Add the pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar and cornstarch to a large saucepan and whisk until smooth.  
3. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thick.  Add the pineapple chunks, green pepper and meatballs.  Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes or until heated through.  
4. Serve over hot rice if desired. 

Buttery Caramel Sauce

For those of you who "like" me on Facebook, you know that recently I messed up a recipe and yet it still turned out well.  This was that recipe.  I suggest you follow the correct instructions below, but on the off chance that you don't, it might still turn out well.

The flavor is out of this world.  I truly love it's classic caramel taste and texture.  Very smooth and delicious on top of apples, or ice cream, or when licked off your finger.

If you let the caramel warm up to room temperature it becomes soft and somewhat pourable.  You might need to microwave it for a couple of seconds to get the consistency you want.  I'll be making this recipe again for sure.  It's my new "go to" caramel recipe. :)

Buttery Caramel Sauce

Modified slightly from HowDoesShe?

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

1. In a large saucepan, add the sugars, corn syrup and butter. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a hard boil. 
2. Remove from heat and let sit about 5 minutes. 
3. Add heavy cream and vanilla and mix well. 
4. Let cool slightly before putting into a glass jar and storing in the refrigerator. 

PW's Barbecue Sauce

Another rainy day here in the South, how about you? I'm not complaining, it saves me from having to water the garden (which is exploding right now).  All this rain has really helped and my tomato plants are huge!

It's also the time of year where there's at least one cookout every weekend.  I mention this because you might need some barbecue sauce and maybe you don't have any on hand.  Or maybe you want to try something new.  Or maybe you always make your own.  I'll stop.

I tried this sauce with some pulled pork I made a while ago and loved it.  It's the sweet kind that my husband loves and was perfect for our pork but I also used it later on some salmon I grilled and it was also delicious.

I hope you have some fun plans this weekend, and hopefully they involve this sauce somehow!

PW's Barbecue Sauce
From The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Canola oil
• 1/4 whole onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 4 Tbsp distilled vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 4 Tbsp chipotle and adobo (I didn't have any)
• dash of salt

Cooking Directions

1. Mix all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Let simmer for about 20 minutes or so.

Steak Tip Marinade

It's that time of year again, break out the grills and little plastic swimming pools.  Temperatures here are making me wish our community pool was open. We're making due with running through the sprinklers instead.  My husband decided a couple of days ago that he was going grill me some steak tips, one of my favorites!  If you're going to grill steak tips, you gotta have a good marinade and this one is awesome!

I had to stray from the recipe slightly since I didn't have a bottle of barbecue sauce in my refrigerator and I didn't want to run out.  I'd say it was a winner since these steak tips didn't need anything additional and I couldn't get enough!

We marinaded our tips for about 24 hours prior to grilling.  Make sure to pull the meat out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before grilling to they can come up in temperature.

Leave a little bit of space between the pieces so there can be even heat distribution.  We cooked ours for 5 minutes per side and they were perfect.  When you pull them off the grill let them sit for 5 - 10 minutes before eating so the juices can redistribute.

I'm telling you, you will want to try this marinade early this year so you can use it all year long, as I will be.  Love it!

Steak Tip Marinade

Recipe modified slightly from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 cup Italian style dressing
• 1 cup steak sauce (I used Peter Luger Old Fashioned Steak Sauce, found in the refrigerated section of the meat counter at my grocery store)
• 2 pounds beef sirloin tip steaks

Cooking Directions

1. Whisk all of the ingredients except steak tips together in a small bowl.
2. Add the steak tips to a dish that has a lid (or use plastic wrap).
3. Pour the mixture over the steak tips and turn to coat.
4. Refrigerate for at least an hour, longer is better.
5. Brush the grill with some olive oil to prevent sticking and cook the steak tips for 5 - 8 minutes on each side or until they've reached the desired doneness.
6. Discard marinade.

CopyCat Chic-fil-A Sauce

I know what you're thinking.  Chic-fil-A sauce with a picture of grape tomatoes isn't exactly what most people use this sauce for.  I didn't make it for tomatoes, in fact I made it to dip french fries in, and we did.  But I had some leftover and no chicken nuggets on hand, and no more french fries so I tried tomatoes.  I'm telling you, I fell in love with the combination.  I couldn't stop eating it with the little sweet grape tomatoes. I really know how to make a healthy food unhealthy don't I?

Some of you might not even know what Chick-fil-A is....sorry about that.  It's a fast food place found here in the South mostly but they are making their way North. They only serve chicken for meat options.  They are closed on Sunday's.  I like that.

I haven't tried the nuggets that go along with this recipe for the sauce, but she was right on with the sauce so I'm sure the nuggets would be delish as well.

CopyCat Chick-fil-A Sauce

From Table for Two

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp mustard
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp vinegar
• 2 Tbsp honey
• salt and pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients and mix until smooth.

Homemade Chocolate Sauce

Sorry for the lack of posting, my daughter and I just spent a week visiting family and friends in Montana.  We got home very late last night, well very early this morning actually.  Either way I'm very tired.  I promise to post some pictures of our vacation soon.

I made this chocolate sauce just before Christmas and we LOVED it! Full of chocolate and simple to make.  Great to make chocolate milk or as a topping.

I love this sauce because you probably have all the ingredients in your house to make this right now and you will not regret having it.  We started to look for reasons or ways to use it.

Put this on your "must try" list!


Homemade Chocolate Sauce
Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

1. Mix the sugars, salt and cocoa powder in a large sauce pan until combined and smooth.
2. Add the water and whisk until smooth and no lumps remain.
3. Heat the mixture on medium high heat to a boil, then reduce to medium low for about 5 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract and incorporate well.
5. Pour the mixture into a heat proof jar and let cool to room temperature.
6. Refrigerate in an air tight container.
7. To make chocolate milk, add about 2 Tbsp of the chocolate sauce to an 8 oz glass of milk and mix well. Add more if needed.

Cocktail Sauce

Do any of your holiday plans call for seafood? Shrimp perhaps? I have to admit that I have a slight obsession with cocktail sauce.  I could literally eat it with anything.  I've been known to dip potato chips in it.  I know, there's something wrong with me.

Recently we had some friends over for some appetizers and drinks and this sauce was a hit.  My husband said it was one of the best he's tasted and I would agree.  Totally potato chip dip worthy, or shrimp, whatever.

This cocktail sauce has all the classic flavors you love in a good sauce.  The horseradish is prominent but not so overwhelming that you need to slam the nearest drink.  The chili sauce adds a bit of sweetness and the ketchup and Worcestershire just compliment all of the flavors.  Perfect!

Cocktail Sauce
Recipe from Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chili sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce 

Directions

1. Mix all of the ingredients together and serve at room temperature with shrimp. 
2. Store leftover's in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Easy Alfredo Sauce

In my constant efforts to find something my daughter will eat I decided to try this Alfredo recipe.  As a kid I used to love Fettuccine Alfredo so I thought she would too.  Well, she did eat some of it but then decided she didn't like it.  I however LOVED it.  My husband ate the leftovers and he loved it too. My daughter is nuts.  Clearly she doesn't know good food when she tastes it.

The cream cheese made the sauce really smooth and yummy.  I wouldn't really put this in the "diet" category but if you're looking for something quick and different for dinner you should give this a try.

Alfredo Sauce
Recipe found at "All Recipes" here

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 cups milk
• 6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a non-stick sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the cream cheese and garlic powder and whisk until smooth.  Add the milk a little at a time so it'll stay smooth.  Add the Parmesan and black pepper (I used white pepper so my daughter would eat it) and whisk.  Sauce will thicken as it cooks.  Remove from the heat when the desired consistency is reached.  When reheating or if the sauce gets too thick just add a little milk. 

Meyer Lemon Curd

Lemon Curd, what is it and what do you use it for? I'll explain. It's a condiment that you can use to fill cupcakes or spread on toast or even use in ice cream or other recipes.  It's sort of thick like a pudding.  It's delicious but I have never actually made any before.  Fast forward to me buying Meyer Lemons and looking for the perfect recipe's to try and you'll find me making Lemon Curd.

The process wasn't difficult and aside from my lemon curd not getting quite as thick as I'd have liked it (I blame the fact that I don't own an instant read thermometer) it's delicious and I plan to fill some cupcakes with it soon.

 

Recipe found at "Tracey's Culinary Adventures" here
Meyer Lemon Curd

1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice (from about 4 Meyer lemons)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

*As noted on Tracey's website - you can also use regular lemons, just increase the amount of sugar to 3/4 cup.*

In a medium heat proof bowl combine the juice, zest, sugar and eggs.  Whisk together.  Place the bowl over a saucepan with a small amount of water in it (to create a double boiler) and heat the water to a simmer.  Add the butter and whisk until the lemon curd has thickened and has reached 160 degrees. 
Strain through a fine mesh sieve and let cool to room temperature before refrigerating. Curd will keep for a week in the refrigerator.

Hot Fudge Sauce

I made this during the summer and just recently stumbled on it again (wrong folder, oops).  I knew if I tried to wait until next summer to post it I might lose it forever and it's WAY to good to be forgotten.  Plus, it's the holiday season and I can think of lots of things you can use fudge sauce for.

This recipe is so simple; you won't even believe it when it comes together.  Five ingredients and you're done!  This would make a fantastic homemade gift....just sayin.

I found this recipe here

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups white sugar
1 (12 ounce can) evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the first four ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.  Pour the hot mixture into a blender and blend for 2-4 minutes. Serve right away or store in the refrigerator.  This makes quite a bit and it will only keep in the refrigerator for about 1-2 weeks so you might want to gift some of it if you don't think you can finish it. :)

Caramel Sauce

I may have some sort of weird addiction to caramel sauce.  I'm just sayin, this is the second recipe I'll have posted about caramel and it's not likely to end anytime soon.

This one is super easy and super yummy.  That my friends is a dangerous combination.

Then entire recipe only has 4 ingredients.

Bring the first 3 ingredients to a hard boil for two minutes.

Add the sweetened condensed milk and let boil for just a minute.  Then remove from the heat.

Seriously.  That's it, you're done now.  Refrigerate in an air proof container, or eat all in one sitting.  It's totally up to you, I won't judge.

You can find the recipe here.

Quick Carmel

What do you do with a leftover can of Sweetened Condensed Milk? Make Carmel.  I knew I'd seen a recipe somewhere on how to make Carmel with this stuff so it didn't take long to find it on the Internet.
This is quick, easy and mess free for the most part. 

I dolloped some on apple slices and snacked on these.  The texture is nice and smooth with that lovely Carmel taste.  I could totally eat spoonfuls of this stuff...but I didn't. 

Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a 9" pie plate.

Cover with aluminum foil and place into a larger dish.

Pour some water into the larger dish and then carefully put it into the oven.

Bake at 425 for an hour.

Now whisk until smooth.  Lovely.  Delicious.

Mmmmmm, I want more.

Pour 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk into 9″ pie plate. Cover with aluminum foil; place in larger shallow pan. Fill larger pan with hot water. Bake at 425°F for 1 hour or until thick and caramel-colored. Beat until smooth.


For some different cooking methods click here