"Mommy? I'm Hungry!"

Back To School Giveaway!

2008-08-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

I think you all know her, Bakerella is all about Nickelodeon and cake pops these days! She has a giveaway going on right now, if you Give Back and visit the parenting site leaving a tip for back to school. Check it out! Hurry, you have until August 31st!

A Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

2008-08-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

I get sucked into Good Eats every now and again, sometimes he bores me with all the science, haha. When he did this show on Three Chips for Sister Marsha, about 3 different kinds of chocolate chip cookies, I just knew I had to try them for myself. I am on a quest to find a chocolate chip cookie that I like. I like them soft with a great flavor. No hard crunchy or flat cookies here, no no. So, I opted to give it a try. I don't have a #20 scooper, but after some research, I think it measures out to be about 1/4 cup, so I used that. I did not get 2 1/2 dozen cookies like they state, using 1/4 c I got 14 cookies. These are nice cookies, but I'm not a huge fan of all the brown sugar flavor. These were soft, even softer on day 2. I'm not sure about being chewy though. *sigh* I guess I keep searching.

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Hardware:
Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
Parchment paper Baking sheets
Mixer

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning.
Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Recipe from Alton Brown & Foodnetwork
See this also at Just Baking

cookies #13 & 14 were huge ones

Steak Tacos and Pico De Gallo

2008-08-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

Mmm, tacos! I usually do chicken, but had a craving for steak. I used a simple thin sliced cut of meat, marinated in some fajita seasoning with some red onion and cilantro in oil. Grilled it up, sliced and served with shredded lettuce, sour cream and pico de gallo in a tortilla. I would've put some avocado in there, but I was not about to pay $2 for 1 small avocado!

My Pico De Gallo:

3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced fine
1/2 large red onion, diced fine
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 TBL crushed garlic
salt & pepper to taste
juice of lime

Combine all, and allow to sit in the fridge for a few hours.

we love our tortilla pan -a cast iron griddle

Pigs In A Blanket

2008-08-12T23:53:00.000-07:00

I was getting bored with the kid's lunches, and then these came to mind! Very very easy to make. I didn't cut my triangles, just wrapped and baked. I also used some garlic herb seasoning, parsley and parmesan to flavor them. The second time I made them, I sprinkled some cheese in with the little smokies. My kids ate some, because they just aren't hot dog eaters. These would be great for a party though.

Happy Birthday! Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes!

2008-08-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend we celebrated our little girl's 5th birthday. Since we did a little party, I made ice cream cone cupcakes to serve! I have never made them before so I read up on other sites, reviews and tips before starting them. I used a vanilla cake recipe from Magnolia Bakery and a beautiful frosting recipe for the cones. I only made 12 cones and used the leftover batter for a round layer, that I frosted with a butter cream frosting also from Magnolia Bakery. The cones turned out sooo sooo cute and what fun they were! All us adults even ate one.

So, some tips I have about this entry are, be careful moving the decorated cones, they will tip! Thankfully it was the leftover ones that fell to the floor. I was afraid of them melting (haha!) in our warm house, so I put them in the fridge. The frosting turned a little hard, but was ok. This is a marshmallow-like frosting and is super sticky! Do not overfill your cones, I only filled them to that line, and they were perfect while baking but all of a sudden they grew over the cones in the last minutes. Use a large star tip to achieve the soft serve look, I had to go get a tip just for these, I think it was a 1 M that I got. The cake was wonderful, I really liked it overall! Very easy recipe, except I think it was just a tiny bit dry. I will for here on out, buy better food coloring, like a gel or paste. Those little squeeze bottles are lousy for coloring frosting. I also used too big of a tip (or the cake was too small) to write her name, so it looked like squiggles, haha.
I wish I had all the tools from my cake decorating days in a bakery, 14 yrs ago. I certainly don't get to practice enough, hence the silly decorated cake.

a new photo place

a new oven (I swear it's 100' off!)

I forgot the cherries for the final pictures

yea, I spread the frosting on thick

I'm Back!

2008-08-07T21:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks goodness for nice cable companies. We were able to reconnect sooner than planned, yay!We're all moved in, but not all unpacked, well the important things are, gee I wonder what that could be? Hey, I still have to play maid around here and do my daily chores. Soon though, soon. I have a few recipes to share when I can get time to sit down, and get a routine going again too. Excuse me while I try to find a good photo spot and best time of day, there maybe a lot of windows in our new place, but they are short and not easy to set up next too, or there are the skylights which are too harsh.

To help me unwind from all the stresses of moving, I made my favorite brownies and spread some chocolate ganache (recipe from this book) on top! Oh my my! I think these were the best yet! I made them in a 9x13 pan this time. If you like chocolate, these will not let you down. I love them and maybe ate more than 1 or 3! If you have not tried these yet, please do. They are brownie heaven.

Moving On, Break Time.

2008-07-31T00:03:00.000-07:00

(photo found on google)

Iam giving myself a break from cooking and baking, as we move to another place. The landlord's home was sucked into the great foreclosure crisis and is no longer affordable to them. So we are moving on, to a much bigger place. We won't be back online for a few weeks as we get settled into a new town, new schools and new adventures. At least I'll get to bring you more recipes from a brand spanking new stainless steel oven and photos from new areas (yay, no more toys in the background)! Ooh, goodie goodie! So hang tight my friends, it won't be long (I have to keep telling myself that). See you late August when I return with TWD, Just Baking and more!

Sour Cream Chicken Quiche

2008-07-30T05:39:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with this recipe, I love the chicken and Swiss in it. My favorite way to eat it is cold the next day for lunch. I double this just for the leftovers.

1 (9 inch) frozen pie crust, thawed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper (I use a trio blend of peppers)

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese

2 eggs, slightly beaten

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a 9 inch pie plate with thawed pie crust. Keep in refrigerator until ready to fill.

In medium frying pan, heat olive oil on medium-high. Add onion and green pepper. Cook three minutes, stirring frequently. Add flour and cook for two minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in chicken, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Spread this mixture over bottom of unbaked pie shell and top with Cheddar and Swiss cheese.

Combine eggs, milk and sour cream, mix until smooth. Pour over chicken mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake 30 to 35 minutes until inserted knife comes out clean.

Recipe found at Allrecipes. See this also at Just Baking.

Dorie’s Best Chocolate-Chip Cookies

2008-07-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

Who can resist chocolate chip cookies? For these I used some leftover plain M&Ms and other chopped up chocolate and I left the nuts out.. I really enjoyed the flavor of these cookies but was sad that they came out so flat. Although I love a puffier cookie, the flavor wins overall, so I’m sharing these with you.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt (1 1/4 if you really like salt)

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 sticks (8oz) unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla

2 large eggs

12 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped into chips, or 2 cups store-bought chocolate chips

1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.
Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed for 1 minute or until smooth. Add sugars and beat for another 2 minutes or so until well blended. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for one minute or so between each egg.
Reduce speed to low, and add dry ingredients in three portions, mixing only until each addition is incorporated. On low speed or by hand, mix in chocolate and nuts.
(The dough can be covered and refrigerated for up to three days, or frozen. Dough can also be frozen in mounds.)
Spoon the dough by slightly rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between spoonfuls.
Bake cookies one sheet at a time, rotating at the midway point, for 10-12 minutes or until brown at edges and golden in the center. They may be soft in the middle, and that’s just fine. Pull the sheet from the oven, and allow cookies to rest for one minute. Then carefully transfer with a wide metal spatula to racks to cool to room temperature. Repeat with remainder of dough, cooling the sheets between batches.

~Recipe from Dorie Greenspan found online. See this at Just Baking also!

Got Milk? Chocolate Pudding

2008-07-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

In honor to help promote World Breastfeeding Week, Linda has put on a Got Milk? blog event. I made Dorie Greenspan's Chocolate Pudding. This is my story.

Nursing did not come easy for my first 2 children, the longest they fed was up to 4 months. When my 3rd child came along, I was determined to nurse much longer. I read lots of information, talked to nursing moms, and surfed the Internet all I could. Once he was born and as soon as we could, we nursed. I talked to a lactation consultant to get her support before heading home from the Hospital. Once home, I did everything I could to help build my supply, from eating oatmeal, taking Fenugreek, Mother's Milk Tea, drinking lots of water, pumping throughout the day and nurse nurse nurse all the time. I am proud to say, that at 15+ months and still going, he's a happy happy boy and I am a happy momma! While my supply was never bountiful, we did use some formula to supplement. Now that that is gone, he is on cow's milk and still likes his mama's milk too. To all the nursing mom's of the World, I bring you chocolate pudding. Keep up the good work, it's doing your little one good as well as yourself.

This pudding was tricky to make. There were lots of steps of cooking it, processing it, whisking it...and of course I tried to do them all at once. Add 3 kids running around you in the kitchen, while you're trying not to burn the pudding, fun. This came out really beautiful, creamy, rich and extremely chocolaty! It set up almost immediately too. I will definitely be making this again and again.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler

2008-07-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

As if I didn't already cook and bake enough, I thought it'd be fun to join TWD and bake at least twice a month along with many other Dorie Greenspan fans. This is my first recipe for TWD from Baking: From My Home to Yours. I love rhubarb, so I was excited to try this cobbler. I used freshly grated ginger, frozen pitted cherries and fresh rhubarb. Pairing it with the cherries, was such a wonderful combination. See more of my cobbler at my Flickr! Visit the TWD blogroll to see all the other cobblers!

Mom's Sloppy Joes

2008-07-17T15:14:00.000-07:00

Very simple and much much better than that canned stuff. Yes, I did try it once, when my Husband did the shopping that week. He knows not to buy it again. I make a double batch (posted below) for my family of 5 and it'll give us leftovers for lunch the next day.

2 lbs ground beef or ground turkey (or mix both, I did)

2 TBL each of:

white vinegar

water

mustard

Worcestershire sauce
granulated sugar

24 oz. bottle of ketchup

Brown meat and drain. Mix with remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve on buns.

Focaccia Bread

2008-07-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

Another one to cross off my list there, Focaccia Bread! This was really easy and tasted great. I don't know what took me so long to make it. I love this served with a favorite sandwich, so I made it in a round cake pan to give it some height and shape so I could slice it. I'll be making this more often instead of having french bread with dinner, I think this will be a nice change. Speaking of changes, I changed the original recipe as others reviewed it with some great tips.

1 cup warm water or milk (110')
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons garlic herb seasoning
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons olive oil -for brushing on top
1 tablespoon grated shaker Parmesan cheese

*Proof the yeast: Combine the yeast with the warm liquid. Stir in about 1 teaspoon of sugar and stir to dissolve. Let it sit 10 minutes; if it's bubbly and foamy, the yeast is good. Continue on...

Using a stand mixer with a dough hook, stir together the flour, salt, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil and black pepper. Mix in the oil and yeast water mixture.
When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large glass bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 40 minutes.
Preheat oven to 4o0'. Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet or in pan. Pat into a 1/2 inch thick. Poke fingers all over top to make indentions. Brush top with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover and let rise a 2nd time for 30 minutes. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

~ Original recipe from Allrecipes

*Also written for Just Baking

Celebration Time!

2008-07-11T22:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am in the kitchen way too much, I'm falling behind on my recipe blogging! These are a couple of days late. Apparently I'm loosing track of time too, since something just had a Birthday and I missed it!
So what are we celebrating? Well, first of all my little Blog here turned 1 years old June 25th ! It's funny to go back and see what I was cooking up and even more funnier are my photos! This was my first recipe to be blogged here. Times have changed, but the food is still good!
Also my little boy just turned 15 months old so I had to make cupcakes! I think that was also the day, my Blog was given an award. Ok, so I needed a reason to make them *wink.

So here you go, all my faithful readers gets a vanilla cupcake with cream cheese frosting. These were made especially from my Hello, Cupcake! book, that I won a little while ago at Yummr! Go check them out, tell them I sent ya, you might also win yourself a book for the month of July! Thanks to all of you, who help keep me blogging!

So after I won that book, I had to get me some cake decorating tips and bags and such. No, I did not already have that stuff, my kid's birthday cakes lately have been simply frosted with candies sprinkled all over. Now they'll be a little more elaborate. Let's see if I can remember my cake decorating skills from the days of the big Hobart mixer in the bakery/deli. Well something I didn't realize was the tip size. Haha, I ordered small tips, I need the bigger tips! Oh well, the small star worked OK for these.

Ok, enough talk, let's eat!

Focaccia Chicken Sandwich

2008-07-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

I seem to make this once a year (no reason why), and surprisingly around the same time as you can see from my review for this at the website, haha. The first time I made it my Husband thought I had bought it from a fancy deli. It's so good! There's tons of flavors and fills you up good, giving you leftovers for a later time. This time, I decided to finally try my hand at making my own Focaccia bread for this (recipe to come!). It came out well. Anyways this sandwich gives me 6 big wedges.

1/4 cup Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. pesto
1 loaf (12 oz.) focaccia bread, cut horizontally in half
2 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1/2 lb.), grilled, sliced
4 Provolone Cheese Slices
3/4 cup roasted red peppers
1 jar (6 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, thinly sliced
1 cup salad greens

Mix mayo and pesto until well blended; spread onto cut surfaces of bread.
Cover bottom half of bread with chicken, cheese, peppers, artichokes and greens; cover with top of bread.
Cut into wedges to serve.

~Kraftfoods

an oldie photo of mine, store bought Focaccia

Late Night Chit Chat

2008-07-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

Let me end tonight with a shout-out and a Thank You to a fellow food blogger who I've met along the way of the food blogospehere, who is so wonderful and kind. She's always there to leave a comment on your blog or photos, boosting up your morale. Elle passed along the award of Excellence to me for my little blog, what a sweet heart she is! Thank you so much! So go check her out, and tell her I sent ya! Her blog is Elle's New England Kitchen.

Cranberry Macadamia Biscotti

2008-07-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

One late night I was watching Paula's Party, and they made these biscotti. They made it look so easy, I knew I had to try them (again). See, I've only ever made them once many yrs ago, and I remember it taking forever to bake and harden. I used dried cranberries, chopped macadamia nuts and white yogurt chips. The dough was beautiful to work with, and the recipe was easy! They baked just fine, bake for the proper times and everything, except you'd never know the yogurt chips were in it. They just melted away as if they never existed, except for the ones that darkened on the outsides. I then dipped them into dark chocolate to make them even more decadent.

Madeleines With A Twist Of Lemon Glaze

2008-07-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

These are the Lavender Madeleines, take 2. Here are some tips that I've come up with to help produce little beauties.

Make this batter before bed, let it sit in the fridge overnight. When scooping the now thicker batter, which I prefer, I used just under 1 Tablespoon amount for each mold. Anymore more, and they bake too big, I know. Bake the pan directly on the oven rack (for about 6-8 minutes at 350'), this helped give me great humps. When I used a baking sheet under the pan, my humps were not so big. I then glazed them with a simple lemon glaze of 1 Cup powdered sugar, 3 Tbl lemon juice, and 2 Tbl water mixed well. Let dry.

When I made the chocolate Madeleines, I didn't refrigerate 1 batch and baked it off right away. I wanted to see if the whole cold thing helps with the humps. Mine were flat. For the rest of that batch, I did put it in the fridge, and got some sort of shapely hump, but not much. My conclusion is because there wasn't baking powder in the recipe for those. No, I did not take pictures of them, they were flat and not pretty.

I need to find me a pan with more defined scallops, those are really pretty.

Lemon Bars

2008-07-02T06:48:00.000-07:00

For the crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on. For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature. Cut and dust with confectioners' sugar.

~ A recipe from Ina Garten ~ The Barefoot Contessa

Lavender Madeleines

2008-06-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

I can't help it, but this song always comes to mind when I say Madeleine. So after my lucky win of my own homemade Madeleines, I needed to get me a pan of my own, guess you could say it was love at first bite plus they're so cute! I almost bought one online one night, but I decided to wait. Lo and behold the very next day, I found one for super cheap at a local 2nd hand shop, piled under a stack of mix match pans! I was so excited! I just love that shop, infact many of my plates and dishes you see on my blog, came from there (like the 3 for this shoot). I told my Husband that I need a hutch just for all my great finds. Anyways, we all loved these, my 14 month old especially just can't get enough of them!

5 Tb. Butter
1 Tb. edible lavender
¾ cup flour
½ tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup sugar
Grated zest of half a lemon
2 large eggs
2 Tb. honey
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Melt the butter with the lavender and let sit for 15 minutes to infuse. Strain but keep half of the lavender in with butter, or discard the whole amount.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
Mix together in another bowl, the sugar and lemon zest with your fingers.
Working with a stand mixer, beat the eggs, sugar and lemon zest until pale and thick, about 3 minutes. Add the honey and vanilla and beat for one minute more.
Switch to a rubber spatula and gently incorporate the dry ingredients. Fold in the butter.
Refrigerate the batter at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. (the longer chill helps form the hump that is characteristic of the madeleines).
Preheat oven at 400'. Butter and flour your madeleines molds and divide the batter evenly. Bake 12-14 minutes* until they are golden brown. Remove from pan gently prying them if needed. Dust with powdered sugar.
Best eaten the same day. Store in a sealed container.

~Dorie Greenspan "Baking: From My Home To Yours"

See this article at Just Baking too!

*my little note:
I chilled my batter overnight and baked them at 350' for about 7-8 minutes. They do not take very long. I want to say the long chill and baking powder helped with their hump. I just wish my pan had a more scalloped look.

-I also made some dark chocolate madeleines, but they did not get their hump like these (I chilled half of the recipe and baked the other half right away), nor did it have baking powder in the recipe. They also tasted like regular chocolate cake like cookies, and I found nothing special about them.

Homemade Oreos

2008-06-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, homemade! How fun are these? My oldest daughter's class was having an end of the year school party and she wanted me to make something for her to bring. Having seen these cookies around the food blogosphere, I said I'd make some Oreos! I pulled up some sites of everyone else making them to show her and used the recipe from Nosheteria. These are really easy and fun to make. I had to make a double batch because of her class size plus a few extras, and well because we wanted a few for home too. The ones for her class I placed colorful M&Ms on top before baking. They were a hit with the kids, her teacher even took 2! I do recommend eating these within a day or two, or they just aren't as fresh.

Little Cheesecakes

2008-06-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

Little cheesecakes, little cuties, big Mmms! I went along with a recipe I saw here at My Cake Wardrobe and topped each one with a choice of toppings. Here, I've done lemon curd, raspberry preserves, and dark chocolate. Not pictured, I also did one with apricot preserves, which I really liked. Want the perfect crust presser? Find a cup that will fit right into your muffin pan!

Chicken Nuggets

2008-06-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

You know those frozen or fast food chicken nuggets? Yeah, not so appealing, huh? Who knows what's really in them. With these you can feel better about feeding them to your family. These are really easy to make too.

Check out For the Love of Food and see how these are made. Check out this video too, it's helpful to see it being done. I put the chicken and seasonings all in the processor to combine it, made mine a little bigger, breaded them in flour-egg-flour, lightly fried them until golden (about 2 minutes), then baked them for about 6 minutes to finish them off. They puffed up while cooking, then they deflated when cooling to look more like a nugget. They sure came out flavorful and better than the ones you buy! I served ours with some of this homemade BBQ sauce.

BBQ and Grilling Sauces

2008-06-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

I love to grill, and at any time of the year. Until recently I always bought a jar of BBQ sauce off the shelf. Never really liking them as I always found them to be too vinegar-y, sweet, or just off, I decided to look up some recipes for BBQ sauce. Iam sharing 2 sauces that we like. One has been around for many years in our home and the other is a new keeper.

I came across this one and from the reviews thought I might have to try it. Sure enough it got our thumbs up, or in our mouths licking the sauce off our fingers!

Big Al's K.C. Bar-B-Q Sauce
2 cups ketchup
2 cups tomato sauce
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 1/4 cups red wine vinegar
1/2 cup molasses
4 teaspoons hickory-flavored liquid smoke (a must!)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix together the ketchup, tomato sauce, brown sugar, wine vinegar, molasses, liquid smoke and butter. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, celery seed, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper.
Reduce heat to low, and simmer for up to 20 minutes. For thicker sauce, simmer longer, and for thinner, less time is needed. Sauce can also be thinned using a bit of water if necessary. Brush sauce onto any kind of meat during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

~my side note:
I let this one simmer for almost 1 hour. then used it the next day to let the flavors merry and thicken up even more. This one will replace any bottle on the shelves for now on. You can make half a batch, since this one should make about 3 Cups.

Rib Glaze
1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 C)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar (12 oz) Heinz Chili sauce
1 Cup water
2/3 Cup light brown sugar
1 TBL Worcestershire sauce
3/4 ground cumin

In a medium sauce pan heat about 2 TBL oil, add onion and garlic, cooking and stirring for 5 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 15 minutes or longer. Brush ribs during last 15 minutes of grilling or BBQing.

~healthy meals in minutes recipe card

~My side note:
You can find the chili sauce near the cocktail sauces.

Some Of My Favorites

2008-06-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

I couldn't believe it when I went to Sprouts one day. The first thing you could smell walking through their doors, were ripe nectarines! They had these on sale for .99/lb each and they were all ripe!! Usually the fruits are hard as rocks, even being here in So Ca. I made sure to grab a bunch.