Saucy!

 

Sometimes what you really need to make something really special is homemade sauce. This is one awesome barbecue sauce, and it won't take long to whip it up from scratch.

Coca-Cola Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup Coca-Cola
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
3 tablespoons A1 Steak Sauce
1 teaspoon onion flakes
1 teaspoon garlic flakes
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a heavy nonreactive saucepan and gradually bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat slightly to obtain a gentle simmer. Simmer the sauce until reduces by a quarter, 6 to 8 minutes. Use right away or transfer to a large jar, cover, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate. The sauce will keep for several months.

Source: You can find it online here. It's from Steven Raichlen's Barbecue! Bible Sauces, Rubs and Marinades, Bastes, Butters & Glazes.

Stay Focused

 

This is one of those recipes that doesn't take too long to make and isn't terribly hard to make, but it also requires 100% of your focus while you are making it. It is far too easy to cook this too long...not only is it easy to overcook, but it is easy to burn. So, don't think you can make pancakes, eggs, and bacon at the same time that you are making this syrup. Make the syrup first and then turn your focus to the rest.

Buttermilk Syrup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla


Special note: Be sure to use a large pot with high sides because the syrup will foam up to double or triple its size when you add the baking soda. It's better to err on the side of a pot that is too big than have it boil over.

Directions:

Combine the butter, sugar, buttermilk, and corn syrup in a pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat (my dial was set to 7). Let boil for 2 minutes while stirring frequently (set a timer to keep track). Quickly add baking soda and vanilla and stir until combined. The color of the syrup will turn to a golden brown. Once baking soda and vanilla are incorporated, remove from heat and continue to stir until the syrup thickens. Let it cool and serve immediately or store in fridge in an air tight container. If refrigerating, you can warm it up in the microwave later (reheat 30 seconds at a time until warmed through).

Source: I got this recipe from my sister-in-law. It is fantastic. I still love pancakes with maple syrup, but this is a nice way to change things up from time to time.

Notes: This is really rich. Because it is butter-based, you shouldn't need to top your pancakes with butter as well. The buttermilk caramel sauce is enough! Also, since it is so thick, it won't seep through your pancakes the way maple syrup does. So, depending on how saturated you like your pancakes, this might be just right, or you might find that you need a lot of syrup to make your pancakes just right. This recipe makes a little over a cup of syrup.

If you cook the syrup for too long, it will become more like caramel than like syrup in consistency and you won't be able to pour it.

 

 

 

 

Above: Speaking of being able to pour this syrup, it really isn't that easy to pour syrup over pancakes and take a picture at the same time! Ha ha!

All the Fixings

Do you want to know what I can't understand? I can't understand when people have a hamburger that only consists of a hamburger patty, a bun, maybe some cheese, and ketchup and mustard. That is just not enough! A hamburger isn't worth it to me unless there is some crisp lettuce, pickles, and tomatoes involved as well--and that is the minimum! Sometimes in life, more is better!

Here are some ways to make your burger even better!

Bacon Jam

Ingredients:

12 strips thick-sliced bacon, cut into 1/4-inch lardons
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 Spanish onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 sprig fresh thyme
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

Directions:

Render the bacon in a pan over low heat with 1/4 cup water until crispy, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the skillet and add the canola oil and onions. Sweat the onions over low heat until translucent and lightly caramelized, 20 to 25 minutes, and then transfer to a nonreactive bowl.

Pulse the bacon lardons in a food processor until they reach a coarse consistency. Fold the bacon into the onions, and then stir in the vinegar and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and then let cool to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Remove the thyme sprig when reheating.

Yield: About 2 cups.

Source: You can find the original source of this recipe here.

Notes: Good stuff. It really added a lot to the burgers.

Special Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/2 tablespoon Sriracha
1 clove garlic
Kosher salt and ground white pepper

Directions:

Blend together the mayonnaise, ketchup, sherry vinegar, Sriracha and garlic in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper, and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Yield: about 2 cups.

Source: This recipe was part of a greater recipe (which also included the Bacon Jam). Here is the link again.

Caesar Spread

Ingredients:

1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (1/2 ounce)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
1 anchovy fillet, finely chopped (optional)
Black pepper

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Parmesan, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, anchovy (if using), and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.

Tip: Before you grate cheese, coat the grater with cooking spray. It will be easier to use and wash.

Source: Real Simple. You can find the recipe here.

Secret Burger Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chopped dill pickles
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, garlic powder, and pepper in a bowl, and place a dollop on your hamburger.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Soifua. You can find it here.

Paddington Bear's Favorite

 

I was intrigued when I saw these three glazes using the base of marmalade. I love marmalade...and I think it is really a great thing to have on hand for cooking purposes.

I loved all of these flavor combinations. I am going to type these recipes as originally written...but I will also tell you that I totally changed the proportions of all of these glazes. I doubled them all, and I increased the flavor enhancers because the marmalade should be like a canvas--a backdrop--to enhance, showcase, and complement the other flavors...rather than to be the overpowering flavor. As written, I felt that the flavor enhancers were just too subtle, and in some cases, they were completely overpowered by the marmalade. However, when the other ingredients were increased, the flavors were just so good.

So, I doubled the marmalade because I would rather have too much glaze than not enough (and I like a lot of glaze), and I increased the other ingredients in addition to doubling them. My advice would be to taste the glaze and adjust the ingredients to your own personal taste. The flavor combinations are so awesome though. A great, easy idea for dinner.

Soy-Ginger Glaze

Ingredients:

1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger

Directions:

In a small bowl, stir together marmalade, soy sauce, and ginger.

Recipe Note: This sweet-sour glaze is great on grilled shrimp, turkey, beef, chicken, and pork, as well as salmon. When grilling, brush glaze on all sides 2 minutes before meat or seafood finishes cooking, then brush on again right after removing from the grill. For roasted salmon, brush fish with glaze before baking.

Source: Everyday Food, June 2010. You can find it here.

Notes: As mentioned above, I doubled the marmalade (1/2 cup) and added the soy sauce and ginger to my taste...more than what is called for in the recipe.

Orange-Mustard Glaze

Ingredients:

1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 1/2 teaspoons grainy mustard

Directions:

In a small bowl, stir together marmalade and mustard.

Recipe Note: This sweet-sour glaze is great on grilled shrimp, turkey, beef, chicken, and pork, as well as salmon. When grilling, brush glaze on all sides 2 minutes before meat or seafood finishes cooking, then brush on again right after removing from the grill. For roasted salmon, brush fish with glaze before baking.

Source: Everyday Food, June 2010. You can find it here.

Chipotle-Lime Glaze

Ingredients:

1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 1/2 teaspoons liquid from chipotle chiles in adobo
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Directions:

In a small bowl, stir together marmalade, chipotle liquid, and lime juice.

Recipe Note: This sweet-sour glaze is great on grilled shrimp, turkey, beef, chicken, and pork, as well as salmon. When grilling, brush glaze on all sides 2 minutes before meat or seafood finishes cooking, then brush on again right after removing from the grill. For roasted salmon, brush fish with glaze before baking.

Source: Everyday Food, June 2010. You can find it here.

Notes: I doubled the marmalade. I also added a little minced chipotle chile in addition to the liquid. Finally, 1 teaspoon of lime juice is nowhere near enough. I would say more like a tablespoon or more. Again, add the chipotle and lime according to your personal taste.

Dinner Silver Linings

Yeah, so dinner was a bust. I tried a recipe tonight that I have actually meant to try for a couple of years now. It's a chicken recipe that is topped with a watermelon salsa. I was intrigued. Perhaps my expectations were too high after wanting to try this recipe for so long.

I had read through the recipe and was sure I had most of the ingredients. So, I bought a few of the ingredients that I was missing...only to realize that I was missing a few more of the ingredients (some of them had been unexpectedly eaten by others).

I finally made it tonight after having been put off by one thing or another for two weeks. The watermelon salsa took forever to make. I had to make it during my older son's nap, which sometimes coincides with my baby's nap. However, my baby (who is usually a dream when I have to cook) woke up...and he fussed and cried the whole time I had to make the salsa. It was honestly a traumatic experience. But it was the only time today I could make it. If I'd realized it would be such a pain, I would have made the salsa portion of the dinner last night after my boys went to bed. Well, you live, you learn, I guess.

I had no other meal options that I could use for today instead when I discovered that I was still missing one ingredient! I thought I had it in my cupboard, but I was wrong. The missing item? Sweet chili sauce.

However, thanks to a quick Google search, I found a recipe for Thai sweet chili sauce and I moved forward with my recipe.

The result? The chicken with watermelon salsa was "meh." Nothing to write home about. Definitely nothing to blog about. Too much work for nothing special. But the Thai sweet chili sauce? Awesome! It tasted just like what you get at a restaurant.

So, I guess it was serendipitous that I forgot to buy the sweet chili sauce because the homemade stuff was so delicious and it was really quick and easy to make too. It's also ironic that while I didn't have the bottled sauce in my pantry like I thought I had, I had all the ingredients in my pantry to make it from scratch at home.

Maybe I was wrong--I mean, my husband loved dinner. But he's so sweet and he loves pretty much anything I make for him. But whether my taste buds were influenced by my experience making the watermelon salsa or not, I won't be making that recipe again. It wasn't worth the bother.

So, skip the fancy chicken with watermelon salsa and make some homemade Thai sweet chili sauce instead!

Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1 cup rice vinegar (I used seasoned rice vinegar)
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, minced (I used bottled ground ginger)
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 teaspoons hot chile pepper, minced (I used 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes)
2 teaspoons ketchup
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions:

Pour water and vinegar into saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in sugar, ginger, garlic, chile pepper, and ketchup; simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in cornstarch. Remove saucepan from stove to cool. Then transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until needed.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by WOOBSIEE (called Sweet Chili Thai Sauce)

This is one of the comments that accompanied the recipe:

"A savory sauce to use as a dip with shrimp or spring rolls, in stir-fries and noodle dishes, even on whole wheat pizza crust instead of typical pizza sauce with feta, sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, and vegetables."

Notes: I changed the title because it made more sense to me to put "Thai" first. :) I also put all the ingredients, except cornstarch, in the pan all at once and brought it to a boil. I mixed the cornstarch with a tablespoon of water to make a slurry. Once the mixture was boiling, I added the cornstarch. I whisked the mixture until it thickened. I then removed it from the heat. It was awesome!