What's Cookin' --Homemade BBQ Sauce

We have an endless debate in our house about sauces -- pizza, spaghetti, barbeque, etc.  Eventually we come to a compromise.  I recently made this barbeque sauce and while it's not really my husband's tastes, it is mine.  It's easy to make and can be used in many recipes.

Homemade BBQ Sauce
(Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook)

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp chili powder (I use less)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I use less)
1 cup ketchup
5 Tbsp light or dark molassess
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard (I use French's Yellow)
1 tsp Tabasco (I use less)
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in large saucepan.
2.  Add onion and cook until softened.
3. Stir in garlic, chili powder and cayenne for about 15 seconds.
4. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer for 25 minutes. Sauce should thicken.
5. Cool to room temperature before serving.

**You can adjust how spicey/hot you want this by adding more or less chili powder and cayenne.**

I have used this for a dipping sauce with grilled meat and then used the remaining sauce with a pork roast in the crockpot for pulled pork sandwiches.

Slicing Strawberries Tip

If you need to chop strawberries into small slices, simply use an egg slicer.  You will be so impressed how easy it is.

Check out this simple Strawberry Refrigerator Jam over on my other blog!

What's Cookin' - S'mores

Check out how to make S'mores in the microwave on my other blog.  Simply substitute dairy-free chocolate chips with milk-chocolate or semi-sweet!

What's Cookin' -- Porcupine Meatballs

Check out my mother-in-law's recipe for Porcupine Meatballs over at my other blog Life with a Dairy-Free Toddler.  Yummy!

What's Cookin' -- Honey Ginger Carrots

I took this recipe from here.  Very easy and different than the typical sweetened carrots.


Honey Ginger Carrots


1 pound carrots, sliced
1/4 cup butter (use dairy-free margarine to make dairy-free)
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 pinch ground ginger
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste

Directions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until tender but still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain.
2. In a large skillet over low heat, melt butter with honey. Stir in ground ginger and lemon juice. Stir in carrots and simmer until heated through.

For more great recipes check out the Grocery Cart Challenge!

What's Cookin' -- Dairy-Free Candy

I am now a contributing author to Must Follow Recipes.  I posted a really yummy dairy-free recipe for valentine's day chocolate.  Check it out here!

What's Cookin' --Crockpot chicken drumsticks

I took this original idea form Make it Fast, Cook it Slow, by Stephanie O'Dea.  Her recipe was for fried chicken in the crockpot, but after I changed the recipe some it didn't turn out like fried chicken at all. Since I changed enough to make it my own, I thought I would share.  It was still really good even though it wasn't the fried chicken I was hoping for.

12 drumsticks, unthawed
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp celery salt
1 tsp salt
Dash chili powder
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup butter (I used dairy-free Smart Balance)

1. Mix spices together with flour.
2. Put spices in ziplock bag with chicken.  Shake.
3. Spray bottom of crockpot with cooking spray.
4. Put chicken in crockpot. Pour melted butter over top.
5. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or high for 4 hours.

For more great recipes, check out The Grocery Cart Challenge!

What's Cookin' -- Nachos

Here's a really good recipe for nachos.  I took the base recipe from Stolen Moments Menu Planning  (see sidebar) and added a few changes to make it to our taste.  I got a "yum" from my husband after he took his first bite.

Nachos

1/2 ground beef
1/2 can refried black beans (about 7.5 oz)
1/4 cup taco sauce
1 cup tomatoes
1/4 cup onion
1 tsp dried cilantro (1 Tbsp fresh)
1/2 to 1 cup cheese (depends how much you want.)
12 taco shells
 2 to 4 Tbsp Veg. oil

1. Heat vegetable oil on medium in small skillet.  Add taco shells for 20 seconds each side. Set aside to cool.
2. Ground beef. Drain.
3. Break taco shells off and place on platter or casserole dish.
4. Mix together ground beef with black beans and taco sauce.
5. Mix together tomatoes, onion and cilantro.
6. Place ground beef/bean mixture on top of broken taco shells. Pile toward middle.
7.  Place tomato mixture on top of beef/bean mixture.
8. Sprinkle cheese over all.
9. Bake on 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

**To make dairy-free use vegan cheese.**

Dairy-Free Recipes

I just went back and labeled those of my recipes that are free of milk, dairy-free.  If you struggle with meals for those with a milk allergy or lactose intolerance, I hope you might find one or two that will work for you!!

What's Cookin' -- Pork Shoulder Roast

I made this last week to use up the last pork roast we had (from last year's meat buying).  It was a shoulder cut, which is pretty tough.  I didn't have any port wine for my favorite roast recipe, so I tried this recipe.  It was really good, and the leftovers worked great for Pork Fried Rice!!

Pork Shoulder Roast -- Crockpot
(I found this recipe from a couple different sources and adjusted as noted)

1 roast (4 to 5 pounds)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 medium onions (I used just one and it was fine)
2 bay leaves
1 whole clove (I used 1/8 tsp ground cloves)
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp soy sauce


1. Rub roast with salt and pepper.
2. Make small slits in roast and put garlic inside.
3. Brown roast on medium on stovetop for 7 to 10 minutes.  (One recipe roasted in the oven for 20 minutes).
4. Put half onion on bottom of crockpot.
5. Add roast and remaining ingredients over the roast.
6. Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours.  Or low for 10 to 12 hours.

For more great recipes, check out the Grocery Cart Challenge!

What's Cookin' -- Oven Fries

I have been trying to perfect this one for a long time. Either the fries burn or take forever to bake. Either way they just never really taste that great. Here's what I did that made them taste good and actually like french fries. Recipe is adapted from here. I also took the idea from my baked potatoes to microwave the potatoes first in order to cut down on time and burning. And it seemed to work pretty well!

Oven Fries

3 Baking potatoes

1/2 TbspVegetable oil

Salt

Pepper

Onion powder

Garlic Powder

Spices are to taste, I probably used about 1/8 tsp to 1/4 tsp of each.

1. Don't peel potatoes. Cut in 1/2 inch length-wise pieces. Try to cut them all around the same size.

2. Place fries on microwave safe plate and lay flat on plate. Microwave for 5 - 6 minutes.

3. Mix oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder together in baking dish (I use a white Corelle casserole dish).

4. After fries are softened in microwave, mix with oil and spices.

5. Put in 425 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. They will be soft fries, not very crispy.

For more great recipes, check out the Grocery Cart Challenge!

What's Cookin' -- Sloppy Joes (even better)

I was planning on making sloppy joes the other night and when I went into the pantry to get the tomato soup I found none. Guess my stock pile is gone. I bought so many tomato soups and cream soups in the spring that I just now and running out. I looked at the browned beef in the skillet and thought about making something else. Then I looked at the thawed buns on the counter and realized I better just come up with an alternative. I knew there was a recipe out there with ketchup, but I've never liked anyone else's recipe with ketchup before. After a quick Google search I came across this recipe. Normally, I read the reviews and make some conclusion on making the recipe the best it can be, but there wasn't any time. The recipe is adapted from here.

Sloppy Joes (alternate version)

1 lb ground beef

1/4 cup green pepper, chopped finely

1/2 to 1/4 cup yellow onion

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp mustard

3/4 cup ketchup (I used 1/2 cup and then added a little more)

3 tsp brown sugar

1. Brown meat with green pepper and onion. Drain.

2. Mix remaining ingredients with browned meat. Keep on medium-low until heated through.

3. This can sit on low for half hour to get flavors mixed well.

For more great recipes check out The Grocery Cart Challenge!

What's Cookin' -- Pretzels

A while back I went through a phase were I ate Aunt Annie's pretzels when I went to the mall -- a treat for myself for being out without the little one. Recently, I started eating them again and really haven't been that impressed with the quality. I looked up several recipes for soft pretzels and tried this one the other day. I just cut the dough into strips because I'm not talented enough to figure out the pretzel twist.

Pretzels

1 1/4 cup warm water

1 TB plus 1/4 teaspoon yeast

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup plus 2TB powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup butter, melted (optional or use dairy-free margarine)

kosher or pretzel salt

Bath

4 cups warm water

1 1/4 cups baking soda

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a small bowl or cup. Let sit for a few

minutes.

2. Combine flour, powdered sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add water with yeast and vegetable oil.

3. Stir with a spoon and then use your hands to form dough into a ball. Knead the dough for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface. (Dough will be nice and smooth when ready).

4. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover it, store in a warm place for about 45 minutes or until dough rises to double in size.

5. When dough has risen, preheat oven to 425 degrees.

6. Make a bath for the pretzels by combining the baking soda with the warm water and stir until baking soda is mostly dissolved. Note: This seemed like way too much for what I needed.

7. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 8 even portions. Roll each portion on a flat non-floured surface until it is about 3 ft long. Pick up both ends of the dough and give it a little spin so the middle of the dough spins around once. Lay the dough down with the loop nearest to you. Fold the ends down toward you and pinch to attach them to the bottom of the loop. The twist should be in the middle. I just cut my dough into strips.
8. Holding the pinched ends, dip each pretzel into the bath solution. Put each pretzel on a paper towel for a moment to blot the excess liquid. Arrange the pretzels on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. If you want salt, sprinkle pretzels with kosher salt or pretzel salt. DON'T salt any pretzels you plan to coat with cinnamon sugar. You will likely have to use two baking sheets and bake them separately. Bake the pretzels for 4 minutes and then spin the pan around and bake for another 4-5 minutes or until the pretzels are golden brown.
9. Remove the pretzels from the oven and let them cool for a couple of minutes. If you want to eat some now, brush them with melted butter first before serving.
10. If you want the cinnamon sugar coating, make it by combining the 1/2 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl. Brush the unsalted pretzels with melted butter. Sprinkle a heavy coating of the cinnamon sugar on the pretzels over a large plate.

Snack idea

Check out my other blog Life with a Dairy-Free Toddler for a great snack idea (cheap and easy!)

Rice Pilaf

Here's a nice alternative to plain rice and I really like to use it when I have veggies to use up.  I always like recipes that taste good and are made with ingredients I normally have on hand.   I found this recipe in Preventions Cookbook: Quick recipes for and from the freezer.

Here's the recipe if you plan to freeze it.

Rice Pilaf

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp butter (I omit this due to my daughter's milk allergy)

6 cups white rice, uncooked

2 cups chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onion

8 tsp chicken boullion granules (I used 4 bouillion cubes)

4 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp pepper

4 freezer bags, 1 gallon

1. Heat olive oil and butter in large skillet over medium heat.

2. Add rice carrots, celery, and onion. Cook until rice is brown -- 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Cool rice.

4. Divide rice mixture into freezer bags (about 3 cups each). Into each bag add one bouillon cube, tsp parsley and 1/4 tsp pepper.

5. Seal and freeze.

To serve

1. Place frozen pilaf with 3 cups of water. 

2. Bring to boil, reduce heat.  Cover and let cook for 20 minutes or until water is absorbed.

For more great recipes, check out The Grocery Cart Challenge!

What's Cookin' -- Chicken Stock

Check out this dairy-free brownies recipe over on my other blog -- my daughter even helped me make them!

Now, to today's recipe. A while back I found cut-up fryer chicken really cheap.  I picked up three.  I've never made chicken stock before and found this recipe in Preventions Freezer Cookbook: Quick dishes for and from the Freezer.  It was very easy to do and yielded three 1 cups and two 14 oz of chicken stock.  On top of that I was able to freeze the chicken for future use for chicken salad or casseroles.  

Chicken Stock

14 cups water

4 lbs chicken pieces

2 large carrots

2 small onions

6 cloves garlic

2 bay leaves

1. Combine all in large stock pot. 

2. Bring to boil over medium-high heat.

3. Skim foam from top. Reduce heat to low.

4. Cook for 2 hours.

5. Strain stock through colainder.

6. Save chicken for later.

7. Discard vegetables.

8. Refrigerate overnight. Defat by skimming off and any solidified fat before using.

**Freezing tip:  pour into 1 cup containers (I used cheap containers from the dollar store) and place in freezer for a few hours.  Place in foodsaver bags or freezer bags after frozen.  I also will re-use glass jars to freeze stock, as well.** 

Check out more great recipes at The Grocery Cart Challenge!

What's Cookin' -- Lemonade

I've mentioned that I'm on a lemon kick lately.  If you missed last week's lemon cookie recipe, check it out here!  

This is a great recipe for lemonade.  I found the recipe here and followed it exactly.  So good!!

Lemonade

3 lemons

1 lime

1 cup sugar

1 cup boiling water

2 quart pitcher

Water

1. Boil water.

2. Add sugar and stir until dissolved.  Take off heat.

3. Add lemon and lime juice.

4. Pour mixture into 2 quart pitcher.

5. Fill the rest of the pitcher with cold water.

** Between steps 3 and 4 you can strain the lemonade if you don't want pulp.**

What's Cookin' - Pizza Burgers

These are a great alternative to hamburgers.  They reminded me of a pizza burger I used to eat at A&W years ago.  They taste very different from my other pizza burger recipe.

Pizza Burgers

These can be frozen, which is another great reason to love them. I found this recipe in Prevention's Freezer's Cookbook: Quick dishes for and from the Freezer.

1 lb ground beef

1/4 cup onions

1/4 cup bread crumb (I use crushed saltines)

2 Tbsp ketchup

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp pepper

Trimmings

4 slices mozzarella cheese (recipe calls for 1/4 shredded mozzarella cheese, but I found slices easier to use. Use vegan or soy-based cheese to make dairy-free)

4 hamburger buns

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp mayo

4 tomato slices

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Mix meat, onions, bread crumbs, ketchup, garlic, oregano, basil and pepper together.  Form into 4 patties.

3. Place patties in broiler for 8 minutes.

4. Flip patties and broil for 5 minutes or until no longer pink.

5. Place cheese on top and broil for one minute longer.

6. Mix mayo and mustard together and spread on buns.

7. Place burgers with tomatoes in buns.

Check out more recipes at The Grocery Cart Challenge!

Toddler Friendly Recipe

Check out my other blog for Toddler-Friendly Quesadillas!  

What's Cookin' -- Hamburger Barley Stew

This is a great and easy recipe for the crock pot.  I even froze some for quick lunches for my daughter. 

Recipe for Hamburger Barley Stew can be found here!