Jenn's Barbecue Sauce

The last time I made my Barbecue Bacon Meatloaf (recipe to come soon), I decided to venture into the world of home made barbecue sauce.  I have never been able to find a store bought sauce that tasted the way I wanted my barbecue sauce to taste.  All the brands were too tangy, too spicy, too smoky, or just "too" something and I decided enough was enough.  I had been missing out on some great recipes because I couldn't find a sauce that I absolutely loved. 

I came up with the brilliant plan to Google for a recipe.  Ok, that turned out to be an overwhelming experience!  There are about as many versions of barbecue sauce online as there are potato salad recipes in the United States.  Everyone, does something just a little different.  So I joined the crowd and made my own.  It is thick and sweet with a little kick and a slight tangy finish.  The thing about barbecue sauce is that there are many common ingredients, but the proportion and what a cook does with those ingredients can create hugely different results.  I can't wait to try this recipe out on a nice piece of grilled chicken, and I know it is fabulous with my Barbecue Bacon Meatloaf....so go ahead, make some for that next get together at your house.  I am confident that it will be a hit with everyone!

Jenn's Barbecue Sauce

Recipe Source: Me, A Cook's Quest

*Makes about 2 cups of sauce

1 cup Ketchup

1/2 can (3 oz) Italian Style Tomato Paste

2/3 c apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar (we like a sweet sauce, adjust to your taste preference)

1 tsp onion salt

 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp instant coffee

pinch of allspice

pinch of cinnamon

pich of cayenne pepper

*If desired you can also add a small amount of liquid smoke.  I didn't have any, but I will try it next time.

Over medium heat combine all ingredients and stir until the mixture just begins to boil.  Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally.  Allow sauce to cool (it will thicken during this time) then store in the refrigerator or pour into freezer safe containers and freeze.

**Cook's Note-If you taste the sauce before you allow it to cook there will be a very strong vinegar flavor--it won't be overly appetizing.  Once everything has cooked together, you will really be able to taste each spice and the vinegar flavoe will mellow out. 

Total Cost $1.29 (approximately)
Ketchup $.25
Tomato Paste $.12
Vinegar $.10
Brown Sugar $.47
Spices $.25 (about)

This cost is higher than what I would pay at the grocery store.  Most of the time, when an item is on sale and I have coupons I can get Barbecue sauce for $.50 or less, however, with that comes artificial flavors, preservatives, chemicals and my less than enthusiastic taste buds so it is worth the extra money to make my own.  For many, $1.29 is quite a bit less than a regular priced bottle of sauce so it is a good deal for them as well.

Crash Hot Potatoes

I would bet money that there isn't a potato dish that I haven't loved.  You know what I adore about potatoes?  There are so many ways to prepare them so they never get boring and they are so inexpensive to make.  You can dice them, shred them and slice them; you can boil, bake, and my personal favorite method, fry them; you can add any variety of ingredients and 99.9999% of the time the result is something that is mouth wateringly delicious. 

I am constantly on the lookout for potato recipes because potatoes are insanely cheap.  I usually go for a Russet or Yukon Gold because they are easy to find in the potato state that I reside and usually in my budget.  But, my favorite by far is a small red potato such as the Klondike Rose.  Red potatoes are low in starch which makes them perfect for boiling and roasting, not to mention the sweet flavor they have.  Pair a red potato up with a little salt, pepper and butter and I am in starch heaven!  So needless to say, when I first saw this Crash Potato recipe I knew it was a recipe that would be gracing my table as soon as red potatoes were on sale!  It looks interesting, the method is easy and the flavor can be modified for any meal.  I liked this recipe so much I made it two nights in a row and it was all I could do not to take thirds. 

Crash Hot Potatoes
Recipe Source: The Pioneer Woman and modified by A Cook's Quest

Red Potatoes (as many as you need to feed your crew)
Olive Oil
1/4-1/2 c Butter (depending on how many potatoes you have)
Salt and Pepper
Fresh Herbs, Seasonings, Cheese if desired
Garlic

Boil your potatoes until fork tender and very soft.  Turn oven on to broil and drizzle olive oil on the bottom of a broiler proof pan.  Place potatoes on the pan and gently smash them with a potato masher or large serving fork.  Rotate the masher 90 degrees and mash a again.  You should have a flattened potato.

Melt 1/4 c butter  with a smash garlic clove (you can use garlic powder too if you wish) and brush on potatoes.  Sprinkle potatoes with salt, pepper, herbs and the seasonings you prefer.  I LOVE this McCormick Steak Seasoning on potatoes...YUM! So I add that as well. 

Put the potatoes under the broiler until they turn crispy and brown (I wasn't very patient at this point so mine didn't get a crsipy as they could have.)  You can top them with additional toppings if you so desire, but I love them simple.  Pair them up with any meat of your choice or eat them all by themselves if you wish...either way you will be so happy you made them!

**For beautiful photos of this recipe check out The Pioneer Woman's website.

Total Cost about $1.40
Potatoes I am estimating about $1.00 (the bag cost me $2.00 and I used about 1/2 each night)
Butter and Oil $.25
Seasonings/Garlic $.15

Smile

Quote of the Day: I see the best of me inside your eyes.  from Smile by Uncle Cracker, one of my favortie songs.

(Photo from Summer 2007)

My oldest son and I got braces on the same day, summer 2007.  Wow!  We've both changed so much since then.  He's way taller, now.  Doesn't look like that little boy.  He got his license and drives!  I got my braces off last summer.  He's still wearing his, much to his frustration. 

The younger brother got braces on last fall.  The race is on to see who gets his off first!

These guys make me smile.  Their younger brothers make me smile, too, especially when they do something funny, or come home with a funny story from school.  I like to ask this question at the dinner table, "Who has a funny story to share from today?"  Often the story comes from the lunchroom, sometimes from the playground, hallway, or classroom.  They all involve friends.  We laugh together.

More than one of these guys has given me the beaming smile of relief when I've been there after an injury, twice after coming out of an emergency surgery (ripped up knee, and appendicitis!).  I get the happy to see you smile when they come home from school, and I flash it right back at them.

Who lights up the room with a smile in your life?  Who beams back at you when you smile at him? 

There's a rush of connection when your eyes meet.  Suddenly, you're in a big grin contest with a laugh ready to burst forth, and you have the overwhelming urge to give him a big hug.

A smile is free.  Straight teeth and a lined-up bite, now, that's an investment!

Journaling Prompt:  Write about a person who often brings a smile to your face and/or smiles when you enter a room.

Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus on Crostini

There are occassions that sometimes require really good food regardless of the price.  I have rules for these occassions, 1)I have to get at least a taste of the fabulous food, 2) Others eating the food have to really appreciate it so this usually excludes children (though mine love most of these dishes) and 3) The food has to include ingredients that I don't use everyday.  There aren't many occassions like this, but I thought my book club would be a perfect time for one such recipe.

Once a month I get together with a group of women for a book club.  Like my really good food rules, there are a few book club rules, 1) Everyone brings food, 2) Everyone brings a drink of choice, and 3)No men or children. The result is easy conversation--sometimes about the book we read--a lot of laughter and most importantly relaxation from busy lives. 

Often we start and end the evening gathered around the food; last night was no exception.  There was everything from eclairs and brownies, to shrimp kabobs and pesto pinwheels baked in puff pastry...can you say mouth watering?  My contribution was  a crostini with prosciutto wrapped asparagus.  Prosciutto is similar to what Americans call ham, only it isn't smoked and is usually sliced very very thin.  The cost is high, but so is the flavor.  It pairs wonderfully with fresh asparagus which is starting to make appearances in grocery stores. 

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus on Crostini
Recipe Source: A Cook's Quest

1 baguette, sliced thinly
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
Prosciutto
Asparagus (about 1 pound)
Garlic powder, (not garlic salt)
Italian Seasoning
1-2 tsp olive oil

Prepare each component:

Toss cleaned asparagus with olive oil.  Place on a sheet pan, sprinkle with salt and roast in a 400 F oven for about 5-10 minutes.  Don't over cook!  Just roast long enough to reach a crisp tender state.  Remove from the sheet pan and allow to cool completely.

For crostini, slice your baguette, and place on oven rack directly under the broiler.  Broil until lightly toasted.  Turn over and toast the second side.  Watch your bread very carefully because this cook has burn many a piece of bread while it toasted under the broiler.

In a small bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, with 1/2 tsp of garlic powder (not salt), and 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning.  Set aside.

Open prosciutto and slice into strips about 1 inch wide and two inches long.

Assembly
Spread toasted crostini with cream cheese.  Cut asparagus to a length that will fit on the bread, and wrap it with a strip of prosciutto, place on the crostini.  Continue until all the crostini are topped with asparagus.

Total Cost $11.14 (worth every penny!)
Baguette $1.99 (I could have made it, but I didn't have time)
Prosciutto $3.99
Asparagus $3.17
Cream Cheese $1.99

French Bread Rolls

If there is a bread heaven I am in it right now.  Oh. My. Gracious! These are the best rolls I have ever made or eaten (sorry Dad.)  They taste exactly like a perfect loaf of french bread, brown and crusty on the outside with a perfect chewy center, only miniature.  They are light and fluffy, tender and moist, and did I mention absolutely delicious.  Becase they are easy to make, with very few ingredients (no milk or eggs), and taste so heavenly I have found my go to roll recipe.   I really don't know what to say other than make them as soon as you can.  While you do that...I'm going to get another while they are still warm  :)

French Bread Rolls
Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Yield: about 12 rolls

**Cooks Note-This recipe is easily doubled

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 12-14 equal pieces, and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth (or greased saran wrap), and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Bake for 12-13 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

*Can freeze the rolls after baking – microwave on high for 2 minutes before serving.

Total Cost for a double batch $1.03 ($.04 each)
Flour (7 cups)-$.56
Sugar $.05
Oil $.12
Yeast $.30

Thick Mint Brownies

Have you ever experienced the smell of burnt peppermint? No, you say? Well if you wish to subject your sense of smell to this nauseating scent come on over to my house; I'm sure the odor will last for days! After the mint filling in these brownies oozed all over my oven and turned into a piles of blackened peppermint, there is no escaping the smell. I tried leaving for a while with B3 (my youngest) to let the house air out , but we returned to, yep you got it, the smell of burnt peppermint.

Had the recipe been at least somewhat edible I wouldn't be so bothered by the persistant odor invading my home however, it is next to impossible to eat more than one bite of this dessert and not encounter the scorched pepperpint flavor. I had such high hopes for this brownie recipe; it combined two of my favorite flavors, chocolate and mint, and looked so elegant and pretty in the photo. Maybe this would become one of my "go to" recipes when I was requested to bring a dessert..

I'm not sure what went wrong, or when exactly during the recipe it happened but, I have never had a recipe turn out so badly, (except for the spaghetti incident in the early 90's but I was only in junior high.) I followed the directions and the suggestions in the recipe review exactly because it used a method for filling the brownies that I had never seen before and, most importantly for this cook, it used ingredients that aren't the most inexpensive. This dessert was going to be a treat for us and it turned out very wrong. I will say though, the brownie portion has potential and I will try it again but I will be leaving the filling out. It oozed out of the top during baking, and upon cooling solidified into a hard crust....not appealing at all.

Thick Mint Brownies
Recipe Source: King Arthur Flour

Mint Filling
4 cups (16 ounces) confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter
6 tablespoons (2 5/8 ounces) vegetable shortening*
1/4 teaspoon peppermint oil, or 1 to 2 teaspoons peppermint extract (to taste)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or Signature Secrets Culinary Thickener (3/4 ounce)
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) heavy cream

Brownie Batter
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter
1 pound (about 2 generous cups) brown sugar
1 cup (4 ounces) Dutch-process cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups (12 ounces) chocolate chips

*Usually we don't use vegetable shortening due to its trans-fat content; but in this case it's necessary, to keep the filling from melting into the batter as the brownies bake.

To make the mint filling: Beat the filling ingredients together till they're cohesive; the mixture will be the consistency of stiff cookie dough. Spread the filling, on a piece of lightly greased plastic wrap, into a rectangle just slightly smaller than a 9" x 13" pan; this is most easily done on the outside bottom of a 9" x 13" pan that you've covered with plastic wrap. Cover the filling with wrap, and refrigerate overnight, or till thoroughly chilled.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly greased a 9" x 13" pan.

To make the brownie batter: In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, till it's very hot, but not bubbling; it'll become smooth and shiny looking. The sugar and butter will separate; that's OK, just stir till some of the butter has been reabsorbed. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies; very attractive, should you choose not to cover the brownies with ganache.

Stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, stirring till smooth; then add the flour and chips, again stirring till smooth. Spoon half the batter (about 28 ounces) into the prepared pan. Using the plastic wrap as a sling to move the filling, slide it atop the batter. Top with the remaining batter.

Bake the brownies for about 40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a tiny amount of crumb clinging to it. Remove the brownies from the oven, and cool them completely before icing with ganache. Allow the icing to set before cutting and serving the brownies. Yield: 2 dozen brownies.

Chocolate Ganache Icing
Heavy cream. Chocolate. That's it. You can't go wrong.
2 cups (12 ounces) chocolate chips or chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1 cup (8 ounces) heavy cream or whipping cream

In a microwave-safe bowl, or in a small saucepan set over medium heat, heat the cream till it's very hot. You should see wisps of steam beginning to rise from it, and some very tiny bubbles around the edge. Add the chocolate to the cream, and stir till smooth. Don't panic—at first, the mixture will look disarmingly soupy, but just keep stirring. Very shortly it'll become a rich brown, thick, shiny spreadable icing. Yield: 2 cups icing.

Easy Breakfast Burritos

You know how when you live with someone long enough it seems like you can read their thoughts? This morning my husband was standing in our pantry staring at the many boxes of cereal and I could just tell that maybe it shouldn't be a cereal morning.  When I offered up breakfast burritos he gratefully said, "yes, please!"

These burritos are very common at many fast food restaraunts and you can easily pay a lot of money for them.  I love making them at home because I can make a big batch for breakfast and also make some for the freezer.  On busy mornings it is a snap to pull one out, pop it in the microwave and head out the door with a hot breakfast in hand.  Use whatever fillings your family likes and enjoy a portable hot breakfast!

Easy Breakfast Burritos
Recipe Source: A Cook's Quest, and many other cooks

1/2 pound sausage, diced ham, chorizo, or turkey sausage
1 small onion
6-10 eggs
red, yellow, green or orange pepper
flour tortillas
cheese

Brown you meat in a frying pan over medium high heat.  Add chopped onion and peppers.  While the meat and veggies are cooking, break your eggs into a small bowl and whisk.  When the veggies and  meat are cooked add your eggs and continue cooking until the eggs are set.

Heat tortillas in a the microwave or on the stove top to soften.  Add scrambled egg mixture, cheese and hot sauce if desired.  Eat immediately or wrap in plastic wrap and freezer for later.

To reheat: Microwave 30 seconds-1 minute depending on your microwave.

**Turn these burritos into breakfast enchiladas by putting the rolled burritos into a baking dish and covering with enchilada sauce and topping with grated cheese.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Total Cost $4.01 made 8 burritos (.50 each)
Sausage $1.25
Onion $.30
Eggs $.60
1/2 pepper $.32 (I found a great deal on red peppers for $.75)
Tortillas $.74
Cheese .80 (1/5 of a block that I bought for $3.99)