BBQ Sauces

 I love making BBQ sauces.  Ever since I started cooking a lot I have really tried to make my own BBQ sauce, spaghetti sauce, sloppy joe sauce, and any other sauces that I know can be made.  It saves money, and they taste so much better!  So in ode to summer I thought I would post some of my favorite recipes that I have come up with over the years.

The Original BBQ Sauce

1/2 C. minced onions

4 cloves garlic minced

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 Tbs. salt

2 C. Ketchup

1/4 C. tomato paste

1/3 C. cider vinegar

1/4 C. Worcestershire

2/3 C. packed brown sugar

1 Tbs. Butter

In a large skillet cook the onion and garlic with 1 Tbs. Butter until translucent.  Set aside.

In a large saucepan combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth.  Once the sauce is thick add the onions and garlic.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Enjoy!

The Basics

I want you to know that all of you can make BBQ sauce with a few main ingredients.  The main things you have to have in every BBQ sauce is Brown Sugar, Vinegar, Garlic, Ketchup, Tomato Paste, and Salt and Pepper.  With those main ingredients you can basically make any recipe you want.  If you get that base you can create just about any flavor you want.  If you come up with a recipe you love, make sure to post it on my page so we can share!  Here are a few more BBQ recipes.

BBQ Sauce for Ribs

 2 cups ketchup

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup minced onion

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons water

3 cloves garlic crushed

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 teaspoon dry mustard

fresh ground pepper to taste 

Blend onion and water into a puree. Heat a medium sauce pan over a medium heat. Add olive oil. When oil is warm, pour in onion puree. Simmer until slightly browned. Add remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Mustard BBQ Sauce (my personal favorite)
1 cup prepared yellow mustard
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Mix all ingredients together and simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes.

Indoor Smore Bar's

I love summer for the outdoor cooking.  My favorite thing about summer though is camping with my family.  We bring the dutchovens, the griddle, tin foil, and always the Marshmallow sticks.  So of course my most favorite food of the summer are Smore's.  I have loved them since I was a little girl and went on my first camping trip to Flaming Gorge. 

I want Smore's all year round though, and living in Utah I don't get to go outside for about 7-8 months of the year, so I had to come up with an "indoor" Smore's recipe.  Here is is for all of you!

Ingredients:
2 Sticks Unsalted Butter Melted
18 Plain Graham Crackers
1/4 C. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Fine Sea Salt (I just use Morton's)
3 Cups Milk Chocolate Chips (and you have to use a GOOD milk chocolate.  My favorite are the 16oz. bag of Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips.  They come in a silver and blue bag, and when they melt they are to die for!)
3 1/2 Cups Mini Marshmallows

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Line the bottom and sides of a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper. You want to leave about 4 inches of overhang on the 2 opposite sides. These are going to serve as your handles to remove the bars from the pan in 1 piece, so make sure that there is enough of the overhang for you to have a solid grip. Grease the foil/parchment well with softened butter. 

In your food processor, grind the graham crackers into a fine meal (you need 2 cups).  Melt your butter in the microwave. In a large bowl, combine your crumbs with the sugar, sea salt and melted butter. The mixture should look and feel like wet sand.

Set aside a heaping 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture for the topping. Evenly press the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom the lined pan. Pop your crust into the oven and bake until it is golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and allow it to cool.


Melt the milk chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring continuously until fully melted. (I do this a really simple way and I never burn my chocolate because of it.  I don't have a double boiler so I fill a saucepan with water, bring it to a boil, put my chocolate chips in a large glass bowl that is wider then the saucepan and put the glass bowl on top.  I slowly stir until all the chocolate is melted.  It's my "cheap" version of a double boiler) Do not turn up the heat to hurry this process, you must keep it on low.


Pour the melted chocolate over the cooled graham cracker crust. Spread the chocolate evenly over the crust with a butter knife. Sprinkle the marshmallows over the chocolate and press them lightly into the chocolate. Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over and in between the marshmallows so that you cannot see the chocolate peaking through the marshmallows.  Refrigerate until the chocolate has hardened a bit.  About 20-25min.

Preheat the Broiler.

Broil the bars 6 inches from the flame until the marshmallows are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.


Refrigerate the bars until the chocolate is completely hard, 2 hours or so.


To serve, grab the ends of the liner and lift the bars out of the pan in 1 piece. Move to a cutting board and cut into 24 pieces, or 12, however big you want your Smore.  

Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls

This is one of my husbands favorite recipes.  I love it because it's healthy, easy, and so dang delicious!  If you like regular cabbage rolls or stuffed green peppers, you will love this recipe!

Ingredients:

1 Head of Cabbage

3 Cups Tomato Juice

1 8oz. can tomato sauce

1 egg

1/2 C. uncooked brown or white rice

1 envelope Onion soup mix

1 lb. Ground Turkey or Extra Lean Ground Beef

1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Peel 8-12 big Leaves off the Cabbage head and place in a microwave safe dish.  Cover in about an inch of water and microwave on high for 2 min. 

In a mixing bowl combine tomato sauce, egg, turkey or beef, rice, onion soup, and cheese, and mix with fingers until well combined.

Grease your crock pot with some Pam cooking spray.

Carefully place a ball of the meat mixture into the middle of each cabbage leaf and roll up into a ball, and place on the bottom of your crock pot seam side down.  Do this until all your meat mixture is gone.

After you have all your cabbage rolls in the crock pot, pour the 3 cups of Tomato Juice on top. 

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Momma Cay's Rice Pudding

This is the rice pudding I grew up on.  I just happened to be at my Mom's the other day while she was making it, so I had her teach me and asked her if I could use the recipe on my blog.  So here you go everyone!  When all your friends and family die over how delicious this rice pudding is, you can thank Momma Cay!

 
Ingredients:
1 5 1/3 oz can evaporated milk
2 c whole milk
1/2 c sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 tsp salt

2 c cooked white rice
1/2 c raisins (optional)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Scald milks together in a medium to large saucepan.

In a small sauce pan dump raisins and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and turn them off and let them plump while you put the rest of the recipe together. 

Combine sugar, salt and cornstarch in medium mixing bowl. Add to milk mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth. Add rice and bring to boil.

Add about half the pudding mixture to the eggs, stirring while you pour.  (tempering the eggs) This is important so that your eggs don't curdle. Return egg mixture to saucepan and stir over medium heat until thickened.

Remove from heat. Drain your raisins.  Add vanilla and spices and raisins. Serve warm or cold. Chill to keep several days.

This makes an excellent breakfast, dessert, or snack.  I absolutely love this recipe.  The only thing I do a little differently is I add about 1/2 c. more COOKED rice to the finished product because I like mine a little thicker.  :)

Avacado Ranch Dressing

Ingredients:

1 Hass avocado

1 cup sour cream

1/2 C. Buttermilk

Juice of 1 lemon

1 clove garlic, grated or finely chopped

A small handful of fresh chives, finely chopped

A small handful of fresh dill, finely chopped

A small handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

In a food processor or blender combine all ingredients.  Pulse until the avocado is well broken down the the dressing runs smooth, and until it has a nice pale green color.  

Serve on Hamburgers, Salad's, anything you would normally use Ranch Dressing with it's delicious!  Enjoy!

Twice BAKED Fries with Fry Sauce

I know the traditional "frite" or "fry" is fried.  I must admit that I have never been the biggest fan of french fries, and I really don't like fried food, but I love Hamburgers and you have to have a fry with hamburgers.  So, I came up with a french fry recipe that you bake.  Not only do you bake them once, but just like the true "frite" you bake them twice to get that extra crispiness to them.  I promise you, once you try these fries you will never want any other fries again!

Ingredients:

6 Idaho Potatoes

Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Drizzling

Sea Salt and Pepper for dressing

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

  

Peel the potatoes lengthwise, leaving a patch of the skin on each end of the potatoes. Cut each potato into very thin fries lengthwise, no more than a quarter-inch thick – the thinner they are, the crispier the end product will be.

In a bowl dress the fries with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Toss lightly.

On a baking sheet place your wire cooling rack so there is some vent below the fries.

Dump your fries on top of the cooling rack and place in the oven for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, take your fries out and turn the oven to 425 degrees.  Make sure that the oven acknowledges that it has hit 425 degrees and then put the fries back in for 15-20min. until they are crispy and lightly browned.

I sometimes will take them out when they are done and put them back in the bowl and dress them with garlic and chives, but you don't have too.  I have also just eaten them with some good 'ol fry sauce. (For those of you out of Utah I will post my fry sauce recipe and you can start eating a "Utah Staple".  :)  Enjoy!

Utah's Fry Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

1 part Ketchup

2 Parts Mayonaise

a Dash of Mustard

Directions:

Mix together and enjoy with your fries!

Dairy Free Banana Pudding

I love Soymilk.  I also love cooking with Soymilk.  When I use Soymilk I only use Silk because in my opinion it's the best.  So here is a delicious Dairy Free recipe!  And for those of you who use Dairy, you can replace the soymilk with milk and the soy margarine with butter.

 

(This picture is not my picture)

Ingredients:

½ cup sugar
⅓ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups Silk Vanilla soymilk
3 tablespoons soy margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
about 45 vanilla wafers
4 ripe bananas

Directions:  

Whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan. Slowly whisk in Silk, making sure there are no lumps. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Lower heat and simmer, whisking occasionally until mixture thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Cool.

To assemble: spread a layer of vanilla wafers in a 9x9 square baking dish, top with half of the banana slices and half of the Silk pudding. Continue with another layer of vanilla wafers followed by remaining bananas and ending with remaining pudding, spreading to cover all banana slices. Cover with plastic wrap and chill over night. To serve, top with toasted coconut and whipped topping. For six individual servings, layer wafers, bananas and pudding and individual glasses. Set aside 24 wafers and one banana for serving. To serve arrange reserved wafers, sliced banana and non-dairy whipped topping on top of pudding