I signed up for a recipe competition and received and case of different flavors of banana pepper sauces.  Of course, my immediate thought was a barbecue sauce for ribs.  I planned on smoking them, but since I smoked leg of lamb already this week, I thought I’d pressure cook the ribs.  Because I want everyone to be able to make ribs to baste with this delicious barbecue sauce. If you don’t have a pressure cooker you can make Dutch oven ribs.

My immediate impression of the sauce is that it reminds me of my hot pepper jelly.  Like, I wanted to drizzle the sauce over some cream cheese and serve it with Ritz crackers.  That’s how much it reminded me of that southern classic dish.  Next, I thought I’d make a version of chicken dip.  That’s still in the works.  But I’m glad I decided to make barbecue sauce for ribs because it is oh so delicious with a kick. Especially if you use this smoked chicken rub on the ribs. Yes it says chicken but it’s a great all purpose rub and easily customizable.

What are Banana Peppers?

Banana peppers are a type of chili pepper that are mild and tangy.  This makes them perfect for adding a bit of zing to your barbecue sauce. They are typically yellow when ripe, and their name comes from their banana-like shape. Whether you use them fresh, pickled, or as a component in your barbecue sauce, banana peppers are sure to enhance the flavor profile of anything you make with them.

Making Your Own Barbecue Sauce

I love making my own barbecue sauce, but I haven’t in a while.  I’ve made a slew of different kinds of mop sauce like blueberry bourbon using my favorite local spirit.  I’ve made apple butter barbecue sauce to simmer some chicken in.  I have cherry chipotle, honey mustard, mango, and date ketchup sauce.  If you can find a company that makes different kinds of fruit and vegetable ketchup, you’re golden! 

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For me, the basis of a barbecue sauce has a range of seasonings and spices depending on the type of sauce you wan to make.  But the base of all my sauces is brown sugar, ketchup, and vinegar.  You alter the flavor of your barbecue sauce recipe by changing up the herbs and spices.  Similar to changing the taste of your BBQ rub, you can change the flavor profile of your sauce by doing the same thing.

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For a sweeter sauce, increase the amount of brown sugar or honey. If you like it spicy, add more cayenne pepper or hot sauce. A splash of apple cider vinegar can enhance the tanginess. Or try a flavored balsamic vinegar for an interesting twist.  Don’t forget to taste as you go and adjust the seasoning accordingly.  And make sure to let the sauce simmer so the flavors blend and meld together.

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Using a Dry Rub to Flavor the Ribs

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I talked about using a dry rub in my post about spicy bbq dry rub.  I used that rub on these banana pepper barbecue ribs.  Making sure to sprinkle it all over the ribs, I wrapped them in plastic and let them sit in the fridge until I was ready to cook them.  I didn’t even take them out early to warm up before cooking.  They went straight from fridge to the cooker.

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When I took the plastic off, they were a deep red color and had the most incredible aroma.  I knew that these ribs were going to taste amazing  With the combination of the dry rub and the barbecue sauce, these ribs did taste amazing.

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Cooking the ribs

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Smoking is a traditional method for cooking ribs.  It imparts a rich, smoky flavor to the ribs. Set your smoker to a low temperature, around 225°F, and use wood chips like hickory or apple for a distinctive flavor. I use to 2-2-1 method.  I smoke the ribs for 2 hours then I wrap the ribs in foil and continue to cook them for 2 hours, then remove the foil and slather them with sauce and baste them for an hour.  Then I wrap them in the foil again and let them rest for at least 15 to 20 minutes.  They are tender, delicious, and full of so much smokey flavor using this method.

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Pressure Cooking the Ribs

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If you don’t want to smoke the ribs or don’t have the time to smoke the ribs, but still want finger licking good ribs, then try cooking them in the pressure cooker or InstantPot.  Cover the ribs with a dry rub and wrap in plastic to chill in the fridge until you’re ready to cook them.

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Take them out of the fridge, remove the plastic, and put them in the pressure cooker.  You want to put them on their side in the cooker.  I have a steamer basket that I put upside down in my cooker.  This provides a nice ring around of the outside for the ribs to sit in. 

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Then I pour liquid in the middle.  This is anything from apple juice to orange juice and even beer or broth.  Just make sure there’s some flavor to the liquid you add to steam the ribs with.  Set the timer for 35 to 40 minutes and allow for a natural release. 

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You have will the most tender and delicious ribs.  But they don’t have that lacquer of sauce on them!  No problem.  Turn your broiler on, put the ribs on a sheet pan, slather them with sauce, and put them under the broiler.  Keep an eye on them and watch the barbecue sauce start to brown and bubble.  It makes that lovely barbecue sauce crust on your tibs.

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Sides to Serve with Barbecue Ribs

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Sometimes I struggle with this.  Sometimes I made some mac and cheese and sometimes I do corn.  I mean, typical is baked bean and slaw.  And we had a version of that with these ribs.  I heated up a can of beans and added a little of the barbecue sauce to bring the meal together.  Since I had some kale in the fridge, I thought I’d try a kale slaw.  I purchased some broccoli slaw mix to go with the kale and used mayo with some poppy seed dressing.  Simple yet oh so delicious.

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I’ve made some cornbread doughnuts to have with barbecue.  Those were delicious.  All spicy with jalapneo and sprinkled with cheese.  I’ve made a Mexican street corn salad with some southern fried corn.  And the there’s fried green tomatoes.  Those are so good with barbecue.  But, they’re your ribs, so make whatever sides you want.  If that’s a baked potato, then roll with it!  Sweet potato fries or tots, so be it!

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What do these banana pepper barbecue ribs taste like?

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They have a kick from the banana pepper sauce.  If you don’t want them to have some heat, then use a milder base for your barbecue sauce.  Not all banana peppers are spicy, but you can’t really tell from looking at them which are spicier than others.  They had great sweet and tart flavor and packed with herbs from the rub. 

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I took the leftovers for lunch the next day.  And turned them and the leftover slaw into delicious tacos.  So, there’s an idea for ya!  They were sweet and spice and the kale slaw was also sweet and added nice coolness and crunch.  It was a delicious dinner and a delicious lunch!

Yield: 6

Banana Pepper BBQ Ribs

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Get ready for some finger-lickin' goodness with these Banana Pepper Barbecue Ribs! Perfect for your next backyard barbecue!

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5.0 Stars (1 Review)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup diced onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 1/2 cup banana pepper sauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 to 3 pounds pork loin back ribs

Instructions

1. Coat the ribs in a dry rub, wrap and plastic, and let them rest in the fridge for about an hour.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and stir with a whisk until combined. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until thickened.
3. Remove the ribs from the fridge, remove the plastic and place in your pressure cooker making sure to use something to elevate the ribs so they're not sitting in the bottom of the pot. I use a small steamer basket in mine.
4. Pour 1 cup of juice, broth, or other flavored liquid into the pot and set the pressure to high and cook the ribs for 30 minutes with an additional 15 minutes of natural release.
5. Preheat the broiler to high and set the rack about 8 to 10 inches away from the heat. Place the ribs on a baking sheet lined with foil and slather them with the sauce. Broil until the sauce is bubbly and sticks to the ribs.
6. Cool slightly before serving.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 597Total Fat 25gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 188mgSodium 805mgCarbohydrates 28gFiber 2gSugar 22gProtein 63g

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Welcome to #BBQWeek where we celebrate all things barbecue related! From slow cooked pulled pork to grilled chicken, salsa and sides, and delicious pies there’s a recipe that’s perfect for your summer cookout parties.

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The post The Ultimate Guide to Making Banana Pepper Barbecue Ribs appeared first on Bring Gourmet to your Every Day - A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.

I don’t know what it is about mole sauce that fascinates me. Ever since I first tasted it forever ago, I’ve been addicted to its rich depth of flavors. And there are many different variations and heat levels so there is no excuse not to try mole sauce. But beware, once you do, you will be hooked just like I am.

What is mole sauce and where does it come from?

Mole is a versatile and treasured sauce that families pass down from generation to generation. Each generation adds their own unique twist to their family recipe. This makes mole sauce not just a sauce but a labor of love. The process involves a harmonious marriage of various ingredients, each contributing to the scintillating flavors that make up this velvety sauce. Traditional mole recipes include a blend of chili peppers, nuts, seeds, spices, chocolate, and other ingredients that vary depending on the region and the family recipe.

Derived from the Nahuatl word “molli” meaning sauce or concoction, mole is deeply rooted in traditional Mexican cuisine. It’s believed to originate from Oaxaca, Mexico by a nun in the 16th century. She created the first mole sauce as a tribute to the archbishop who was visiting the convent. She created the sauce with what she had on hand, including chili peppers, nuts, spices, and unsweetened chocolate. The resulting sauce was a revelation that quickly became a staple in Mexican cuisine.

Today, mole sauce is celebrated as a signature dish in Mexican culture and is often reserved for special occasions or festive gatherings. It has become a symbol of Mexican cuisine and a testament to the country’s rich culinary heritage. From the vibrant red mole of Oaxaca to the dark and silky mole negro, each variety showcases the creativity and regional influences that have shaped Mexican cuisine.

How many different varieties of mole sauce are there?

There is a wide range of mole sauces to choose from. You might be wondering just how many different varieties actually exist. The truth is the exact number is difficult to pinpoint. Some sources suggest there are over seven distinct types. Others claim there could be as many as dozens or even hundreds of them. The variations are the result of ingredients, techniques, regional preferences, and family secrets.

One of the most well-known types of mole sauce is mole poblano, which hails from the state of Puebla.  Chiles Rellenos are also from this area. This complex and flavorful sauce is made with a combination of dried chili peppers, chocolate, nuts, and spices. Another popular variety is mole negro, which originated in Oaxaca is one of the most complex to make. This version includes the distinctive flavor of blackened or charred chili peppers.

Beyond mole poblano and mole negro, is mole verde which is a vibrant green sauce made with fresh herbs, pumpkin seeds, and tomatillos. There’s mole amarillo that incorporates yellow chili peppers and a blend of spices for a milder yet distinct taste. These are just a few examples of the diverse array of mole sauces that await your culinary adventures. So, whether you’re a fan of bold and spicy flavors or prefer something milder and tangy, there is a mole sauce out there to suit your palate.

What ingredients are in easy mole sauce?

Mole sauce has an interesting array of ingredients that you wouldn’t imagine putting together to make a rich and delicious sauce. Commonly used chiles include ancho, pasilla, and guajillo. For this easy mole sauce, I used guajillo, New Mexico, and Pasilla peppers. Those are the peppers I had in the pantry to use. Just like most mole recipes, you use what you have readily available to you. Their smoky, earthy, and slightly sweet notes add complexity to the sauce.

Another essential component of mole is nuts. Some call for sesame seeds or almonds. For this mole I used some natural peanut butter. It’s readily available in your pantry, already roasted, and blended into a paste that melts right into the mole sauce.

One of the primary sources of sweetness in mole is either chocolate or piloncillo or both. While it might sound unusual, the bitter sweetness of dark chocolate complements the savory and spicy elements of the sauce. For this recipe, I opted for cocoa powder, but the sweetness comes from dried dates. It’s close in sweetness and taste of piloncillo. To cut the sweetness I added some fire-roasted tomatoes which balances out the mole sauce.

Finally, there’s a variety of herbs and spices that are also essential in creating the complex flavor profile of mole. Commonly found spices include cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, coriander, and cumin, which add warmth and aromatic notes. Some use Mexican oregano and thyme to bring a hint of herbal freshness to the sauce. These carefully selected herbs and spices work together harmoniously to create the distinct taste that makes mole so extraordinary.

With the exception of the dried peppers and the dates, most of these ingredients are already in your fridge or pantry. If you don’t have dried chile peppers, you can use a combination of vegetable or chicken broth and chili powders with the rest of the ingredients to make a similar mole sauce. But I suggest getting some dried chile peppers. You can use them for more than just this mole sauce. 

How do you use easy mole sauce?

The versatility of mole sauce knows no bounds, making it the perfect addition to a variety of dishes. One classic way to use mole sauce is by simply pouring it over cooked chicken or turkey and serve it with a side of Instant Pot Mexican rice or some cheesy chili muffins. But don’t limit yourself to just poultry! Use it as a marinade for grilled steak or try simmering pork in mole sauce until it becomes tender and succulent.

For those who prefer meatless options, mole sauce is a fantastic choice for adding flavor to vegetarian or vegan dishes. Its bold and complex taste can elevate simple roasted vegetables or top some portobello tacos. You can even use it as a base for a delicious vegetarian mole chili, incorporating beans, plate based protein, other hearty vegetables for a satisfying meal.

Mole goes beyond main courses. Mix mole sauce with mayonnaise or sour cream to create a unique and flavorful dipping sauce for fries or vegetables. Drizzle it over a cheesy casserole for an unexpected twist, or even use it as a glaze for roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes.

How do you make easy mole sauce?

I grabbed my double burner griddle and placed the onions, peppers, and garlic on it to char. The last time I made mole sauce, I did this in the broiler and my peppers managed to catch fire when I opened the oven. That’s not something I want to experience again so I opted for the griddle pan. Once everything had a nice char on them, I put everything in a saucepan, covered it with water, and brought it to a boil.

Then I simmered the mixture for 20 minutes then turned off the heat to let everything cool enough to handle. I pulled out the peppers, removed the stems and seeds, and tossed them into a blender with the onions, garlic, and about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of the water from the pot. Starting on low, I blended everything increasing the speed until it was a completely blended.

I strained everything through a fine mesh strainer to make sure there were no seeds and no tough, pepper skins. The strained mixture went back into the pot along with the remaining ingredients and I simmered on low heat for at least 30 to 45 minutes or until it was thick, rich, and delicious. Make sure to taste it for your salt and heat preferences. If you want more heat, add more cayenne or chili powder. Try a chipotle chili powder, if you can find it. Its smoky heat is perfect for mole.

This mole sauce is rich and full of chocolate slightly sweet pepper flavors. It’s unlike any sauce you’ve tasted before. Or at least it’s unlike any sauce I’ve tasted before. And I’ve made a chocolate picada sauce for steaks, too. They are not even remotely similar, but both delicious.

Yield: 1 quart

Easy Mole Sauce

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Spice up your meal with this Easy Mole Sauce. It's the perfect balance of heat and flavor that will your taste buds dancing and your friends asking for the recipe!

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Ingredients

• 2 dried guajillo peppers
• 3 dried New Mexico peppers
• 2 dried Pasilla peppers
• 2 large onions
• 4 to 5 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 3 dried dates
• 1 chipotle in adobo
• 15 ounce canned tomatoes

Instructions

1. Char the peppers, onions, and garlic. I used a double burner griddle, but you can use a cast iron skillet, broiler, or a comal if you have one. Make sure the peppers are nice and browned and the garlic and onions have good black spots. Yes, you want to burn them in spots for added flavor and color.
2. Put the peppers, onions, and garlic in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until the peppers are pliable.
3. Remove the peppers from the pot and let them sit on the cutting board until they’re cool enough to handle. Seed and stem the peppers, roughly tear them into pieces, then add them to a blender along with the onions, garlic, 2 cups of water from the saucepan and the remaining ingredients. Blend until pureed and then strain through a fine mesh strainer.
4. Return the mole sauce to the saucepan and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mole is reduced by one third and is thick and rich.
5. Add more salt and cayenne as needed for your liking. Simmer an additional 10 to 15 minutes before either serving or cooling and pouring into a jar to save for later.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 98Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 0mgSodium 152mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 4gSugar 6gProtein 4g

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The post Elevate Your with Dinner with Easy Mole Sauce appeared first on Bring Gourmet to your Every Day - A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.

Some of you might be saying, “What in the world is velouté sauce?” It sounds so fancy. It is one of the five mother sauces. They are called mother sauces because they’re the base that many other sauces are created from.

Initially, I was going to use a bechamel to make a mornay sauce for macaroni and cheese, but I didn’t have cheese. To some, I might be speaking a foreign language, but if you’ve thickened milk with butter and flour and added cheese to it to make macaroni and cheese, then you’ve done just that. Made a mornay sauce from a bechamel.

What are the five mother sauces?

I touched a bit on that in my post about Espagnole Tater Tot Poutine. And I should have touched on that in my Chicken Chasseur post because apparently chasseur is part of espagnole sauce. I didn’t even know that until I did some research for this post. Maybe I’ll go back and mention that in that post. We’ll see.

The five sauces are:

1. Bechamel
2. Velouté
3. Espagnole
4. Tomato
5. Hollandaise

From bechamel, you can make mornay, like I mentioned above. That’s perfect for macaroni and cheese and lasagna. Soubise is another sauce where you simmer onions in the bechamel and then strain the sauce. Nantua is another version where you add in cream, butter, paprika, and shellfish. That sounds delicious.

Velouté is the base for many delicious sauces and the icing on the cake of my Chicken with Cajun Velouté Sauce. Allemande adds in eggs and cream. Suprême has lemon and cream for a vibrant flavor to top asparagus or pork. Finally, cardinal sauce has fish stock, cream, cayenne, and lobster. All delicious combined into a sauce.  This sauce would be perfect on air fryer cornish hens, too!

Espagnole, which I discussed previously lends itself to not chasseur, but chateaubriand with wine, shallots, lemon, and tarragon. Bordelaise, as you might have guessed, has red wine (Bordeaux?) shallots, bay and thyme. Robert is perfect for steaks with onion, mustard, sugar, and butter. Finally, there’s duxelles sauce with onions, mushrooms, white wine, and tomatoes.

Tomato sauce needs no true introduction. From tomato sauce you can make Creole, Spanish, Milanese, Neapolitan, and Bolognese just to name a few. All sauces that are more commonly used in our house than any of the others I’ve mentioned.

Finally, there’s hollandaise. From there you can make béarnaise with shallots, tarragon, and vinegar. I made a version of this sauce with my Filet with Crabéarnaise. I added crab to the sauce. The other sauces I’ve never heard of. Mousseline made with whipped cream. Interesting. Maltaise made with orange juice and zest. Grimrod only adds in saffron. Choron adds in a second sauce, béarnaise, along with tomato paste and heavy cream. It sounds very interesting, and I might have to try it!

How do you make Chicken with Cajun Velouté Sauce?

First you start the sauce. Add the butter to a saucepan on medium-high heat. When it’s melted and bubbly, then stir in the flour. Cook the roux until it starts to turn golden in color. The velouté is a light colored sauce, so do not cook it too long.

When the roux is golden and bubbly, stir the stock into the roux with a whisk. Stir constantly to ensure no lumps form. When the sauce begins to bubble, add the Cajun seasoning, then turn the heat down and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Make sure to stir the sauce frequently so it doesn’t stick or burn to the bottom of the pan. 

Rub the olive oil on both sides of the chicken breast and sprinkle with the homemade Cajun seasoning. My chicken breast was rather large. So, I cut it in half lengthwise to make it more portion friendly. They were about 1/3 to 1/2 an inch thick after slicing them, which made cooking the chicken quick and easy. I put them in my air fryer at 400 for 7 to 10 minutes per side. They were still juicy on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside.

What does Chicken with Cajun Velouté Sauce taste like?

The chicken is crispy and delicious. It has the family blackening spice mix on them. It’s one Dad received during one of his many trips to New Orleans. He was a foodie before the word even existed. He always came home with a sauce, spice mix, or dish we had to try. I put my chicken in a bed of buttered rice and drizzled the Cajun velouté sauce on top.

The sauce, oh my word. Not only is it as smooth as silk, but it was full of delicious chicken flavor from the chicken stock and I used. And it had that kick of blackened or Cajun seasoning goodness to it. But the rich flavor of such a simple sauce. I will most definitely be making velouté sauce more often.  I needed this easy homemade rosemary bread to mop up all that sauce goodness!

The rice was the perfect vessel for this Chicken with Cajun Velouté Sauce. It elevated the velouté sauce making it more flavorful and delicious. Of course, feel free to serve yours with noodles, mashed potatoes or even this smoked potatoes recipe. Any of these will make the sauce taste that much more delicious.

Just look at how smooth and creamy that Chicken with Cajun Velouté Sauce looks!  I’m not kidding when I say the sauce is as smooth as silk.  I had to go back and grab a little more rice and a little more sauce.  It was that delicious.  And the chicken was tender and juicy with a perfectly crisp outside.  Smooth and creamy with a kick and a little crunch.  It really is a delicious dish.

Yield: 2

Air Fryer Chicken with Cajun Velouté Sauce

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Chicken with Cajun Velouté Sauce

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Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts (or one large one split in half)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Cajun or blackening seasoning
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup chicken stock

Instructions

1. Rub the chicken breasts with the olive oil and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the Cajun seasoning. Set aside.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When melted and bubbly stir in the flour with a whisk.
3. Cook the roux until lightly golden brown, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in the remaining Cajun seasoning and the chicken stock. When the sauce begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
5. While the sauce simmers, place the chicken breasts in the basket or rack of your air fryer. Cook at 400 for 20 to 25 minutes depending on the thickness of your breasts. Mine were about 1/3 to a 1/2 inch thick and took 17 minutes.
6. Stir the remaining tablespoon of butter into the sauce before topping the chicken and serving.
   

Nutrition Information

Yield

2

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 500Total Fat 30gSaturated Fat 14gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 151mgSodium 2677mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 42g

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Let’s Get Saucy

• Air Fryer Chicken with Cajun Velouté Sauce from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
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• Homemade Tartar Sauce from Art of Natural Living
• Sausage and Mushroom Pasta Sauce from That Recipe
• Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

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The post Air Fryer Chicken with Cajun Velouté Sauce appeared first on Bring Gourmet to your Every Day - A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.

I cannot express how easy this alfredo sauce truly is! With just 5 ingredients, three of which are spices or seasonings, there’s no excuse to not make this easy alfredo sauce. And it’s so delicious! I couldn’t get enough of it! I seriously wanted to lick the pan.

What is authentic Alfredo sauce?

Alfredo di Lelio invented this simple pasta sauce with just 3 ingredients. The story goes that his wife lost her appetite after giving birth. So, he created a dish with simple and nutritious ingredients for her to eat.

What are those three ingredients? Pasta, butter, and Parmesan cheese. Yes. I know that doesn’t sound very sauce like. But the hot, fresh pasta is combined in such a way with the butter and cheese to make a deliciously creamy and delicious pasta dish.

Alfredo’s wife loved the recipe so much that he started to serve it in the family restaurant called Alfredo alla Scrofa. Fast forward a few decades of serving this simple recipe to his patrons. Two of those patrons happened to be American actors. Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks were on their honeymoon there. They tasted the spaghetti with alfredo sauce and asked for the recipe. Alfredo, of course, gave it to them.

The famous couple raved about the restaurant and the pasta dish so much that other famous actors made a point to stop in and try it for themselves. The restaurant has enjoyed success and popularity from celebrities for over a hundred years. It must be the best fettucine Alfredo ever!!

What’s interesting is that according to some, fettucine Alfredo isn’t popular in Rome. And only 2 restaurants serve it. Both of which were at some time owned by Alfredo. But the popularity of this simple dish is evident in the States. Because there’s a slew of variations of this delicious dish like ground turkey alfredo.

When is cream added to Alfredo recipes?

I’m sure you can imagine that back in the 20’s and 30’s, ingredients like rich butter, egg pasta, and Parmesan cheese were readily available. The eggs in Rome are richer and so is the butter. And the cheese? Probably not the same caliber as Alfredo’s. So, to recreate that creaminess that people experienced in his restaurant, they added heavy cream.

I’m glad they did. But it also means I must try the original recipe at some point. And that involves finding the best butter, cream, and fresh pasta I can in order to try to recreate the recipe. But for now, the cream does the job of creating a delicious and creamy Alfredo sauce.

Even with the cream, most don’t realize how easy and simple Alfredo sauce is to whip up. I kid you not. I cooked this up while I was making the actual dinner, we were having that night. Yes. I didn’t wind up making this for dinner like, I hope. But I made it anyway so I could share it with y’all. And that’s what I had for lunch the next day. And it was the best lunch ever. Lick the bowl delicious.

What is in this easy Alfredo sauce recipe?

Technically, there’s 6 ingredients in this meal as pictured. There’s pasta, cream, Parmesan cheese, garlic salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. But you don’t have to add the garlic salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Though I might argue that the nutmeg really does round out the cream sauce. Almost any time I make a bechamel I add nutmeg. It brings out the richness of the sauce.

I used penne because I didn’t have fettucine on hand. However, fettucine is the traditional pasta for this dish. The size and shape of the noodles are best for holding all that creamy and delicious goodness. My penne pasta had ridges, so it did a pretty good job of holding the sauce, too.

I’m sure you’re asking how I managed to reheat that delicate cream sauce. For me, that’s low and slow. That means I put it in the work microwave for 2 minutes on power level 4. I also added a little cream to the bowl before reheating. I stirred everything together and then heated it for another minute on 3. There was some separation but not as much as putting it straight on 4 minutes at regular power.

What does this easy Alfredo sauce taste like?

I told you. I wanted to lick the pan. And the bowl for lunch the next day. I ate every bite of that pasta because the sauce is so delicious. It’s simple. So you should use quality ingredients. Don’t get the can of powdered Parmesan cheese. And I would shy away from the pre-shredded Parmesan cheese. Not that it’s bad, but sometimes they might add cornstarch to keep it from sticking together in the package. That could alter you how recipe turns out.

Get a block of Parmesan cheese and grate it yourself. You only need one to one and half cups for 4 servings. I don’t think that’s too much to ask from. It’s not like you’re going to shred the whole wedge. But you could if you wanted to. Save some for later. Like a Caesar salad or some Parmesan crisps. Great uses for leftover Parmesan cheese.

I didn’t have any parsley to garnish this with. So, I sprinkled it with a little more nutmeg. You could garnish it with a little more cheese on top. Maybe some black pepper. It’s up to you. Or get some parsley and have a colorful garnish on top. It’s up to you!

Yield: 4

Easy Alfredo Sauce

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Easy Alfredo Sauce has 3 ingredients. It’s easier and simpler than you think to make a restaurant quality Alfredo sauce that is lick the plate delicious.

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Ingredients

• 8 ounces cooked pasta
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Place the heavy cream in a nonstick skillet and bring to a boil.
3. Simmer while the pasta cooks.
4. Ad 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water to the heavy cream.
5. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and remaining ingredients.
6. Simmer until slightly thickened.
7. Stir in the cooked pasta and simmer 5 minutes.
8. Let the pasta cool 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 499Total Fat 40gSaturated Fat 25gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 122mgSodium 674mgCarbohydrates 24gFiber 1gSugar 3gProtein 13g

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Friday #DairyMonth Recipes

• 3 Ingredient Strawberry Cream Cheese Fruit Dip by Blogghetti
• Tropical Milkshake by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cheesy Potato Casserole by Hostess At Heart
• Cheddar Cheese Crisps by Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Easy Cheesy Corn Dip by The Spiffy Cookie
• Fresh Cherry Clafouti by The Freshman Cook
• Fried Cauliflower Feta Balls by Magical Ingredients
• Fried Ice Cream Bars by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Easy Alfredo Sauce by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Marinated Boccancini Salad by Palatable Pastime
• Smoked Fish Dip by Art of Natural Living
• Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Honey Butter by Jen Around the World
• Three Cheese Garlic Grilled Cheese by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Vegetable and Cheddar Tarts by Karen’s Kitchen Stories

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This post is sponsored by JSL Foods, but all opinions are my own.  Thank you for supporting the brands that support A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures.

I cannot stress enough how much I love stir fry recipes. They are simple and you can make them with almost anything you have in the house. I’ve used Spam, Italian sausage, Kyiv style chicken, and even a Cajun flavored stir fry. To me, stir fry is a method and not just an Asian recipe.

What is stir fry?

Stir try is a cooking method where ingredients cook in very hot oil for short periods of time. That’s the basics. However, there’s some technique to stir frying. And most do not know that there are two styles of stir fry. One includes a sauce which is chao and the other doesn’t have a sauce making for a crispier stir fry. The latter, called bao, shows up later in Chinese history.

For stir fry to be successful the ingredients must be similar in size and shape. Think thin strips or bite sized pieces. This allows everything to cook evenly and quickly. It also allows everything to cook with little oil and preserving as many nutrients as possible from the raw vegetables. The longer vegetables cook, the more nutrients they lose. So, stir frying keeps all that goodness in your veggies along with the delicious flavor of stir frying.

Since stir frying uses such a high heat and quick cooking method, meat and veggies sear quickly. This prevents the natural juices from escaping and evaporating into the pan. Which makes for a more flavorful dinner on the quick.

Why stir fry in a wok?

Stir fry is cooked in a wok. Usually the wok has that iconic shape for a reason. There are zones to the wok that allow for different cooking times based on the ingredients. The woks sold in the US are have a slightly different shape. And that’s because we don’t cook over a piping hot flame.

If you’ve ever watched one of those travel cooking shows where they go to Asia, you’ll know what I mean. It’s almost like the wok is over a large Bunsen burner with focused heat. None of use cook that way here. So, our woks have a flat bottom. Or if they’re round bottomed, they have a ring to place over the burner.

Stir fry is sort of like planning Thanksgiving dinner. You should start with the thing that takes the longest to cook and work towards the thing that is the shortest. But as you work towards the quicker ingredients you don’t want to keep everything in the bottom of the pan. That’s where the iconic wok shape comes into play.

The flat bottom of the wok is for the things you are currently cooking. The sloping sides of the wok is a staging area or warming area for things you’ve seared but still need more cooking time. This is the beauty of stir frying. Everything eventually goes in the same skillet but in pecking order based on cooking times.

Can you stir fry in a skillet? Yes, or course. Before I got my wok I used a large skillet to stir fry dinner. And when I say large, I mean LARGE! I think it’s at least 16 inches across? This leaves plenty of room to cook in the center of the pan to sear and room on the edges to hold ingredients that are seared and waiting to join the rest of the ingredients.

Can stir fry vegetables be frozen?

Yes. But I wouldn’t suggest they still be frozen if you’re cooking the bao style stir fry. They will not get hot enough to sear properly. And they might cool the pan too much and prevent the rest of the ingredients to cook properly for a crispy stir fry.

However, for a chao style stir fry, absolutely. I’ve made stir fry with frozen vegetables all the time. Especially if I make my homemade easy stir fry sauce. It allows the vegetables plenty of time to get a little sear on them before simmering in the sauce. And this stir fry homemade sauce is super easy and comes together with some basic pantry staples.

Can you make stir fry using leftover pork?

Absolutely! I did for this recipe. We had two nice, pan seared pork chops in the fridge leftover from a previous dinner. They were even sitting in a nice cream sauce. But I knew I would not eat them as they were. So, I repurposed them in this stir fry.

You can use any kind of leftover ingredients for stir fry. I’ve used peas, ham, chicken, and even sausage! Because who says that stir fry must be Asian in flavors? I sure don’t! I just use the methods to make delicious stir fry in many different types of cuisines. So, grab those leftover meatballs and make a different kind of spaghetti to go with them!

Is stir fry healthy?

It can be. Stir frying doesn’t require lots of oil. It’s more of a sear which keeps most if not all the nutrients in the veggies and meat. And the ingredients don’t sit in the oils like other cooking styles. It’s like me with shopping. Get in, get the job done, and get out. There’s no meandering in the pan with the oil so it can absorb into the ingredients. Stir fry is about quick cooking so the oil doesn’t get the change to permeate the food and lingering.

And if you chose lean meats with plenty of vegetables it can absolutely be healthy! I like to use center cut pork. And for beef, it’s usually eye of round or sirloin. Lately it’s been a top or petit sirloin because they have great flavor, are lean, and when quick cooked are still tender.

Make sure to watch the sodium content of your sauces. I always get the reduced sodium soy sauce. My preference is the tamari soy sauce. It has a great, rich flavor that’s different from regular soy sauce. I think it’s gluten free, too. Don’t quote me on that one.

For me, I must watch my use of sesame oil. It tastes delicious and I use it sparingly as a little garnish at the end of the cooking. If they made a perfume out of sesame seed oil, I would totally buy it. The aroma and flavor is so intoxicating to me

Just look at all that ramen goodness right there! There’s the lean pork, green onions, red bell peppers, some squash, sugar snap peas, and a little water chestnut. That’s my favorite stir fry veggie mix. It has great crunch and flavor. And is perfect with the pork and stir fry sauce.

And yes, stir fry can be reheated in the microwave. It might make everything a little softer since they reheat from the inside out, but it’s totally doable. I do it all the time. Of course, I also eat it cold from the fridge, too. It has a different flavor. Try it sometime.

Yield: 4

Pork and Noodle Stir Fry

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Pork and Noodle Stir Fry is a quick an easy dinner on the table super quick. The Fortune noodles cook up quick and taste hearty and delicious in this simple stir fry.

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Ingredients

For the stir fry:

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• 2 cups diced cooked pork
• 2 cups frozen stir fry vegetable mix thawed and drained
• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 packages Fortune Hot and Spice noodles
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

For the homemade stir fry sauce:

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• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame seed oil
• 1 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 to 3 teaspoons of the hot and spicy packet mix from the noodle package (add more if you like it really spicy)

Instructions

For the stir fry sauce:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a quart jar with a lid and shake vigorously until combined. Or put the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and stir well with a whisk until combined.

For the stir fry:

1. Heat a large wok or skillet over medium-high to high heat. I personally like high heat but it can make some smoke in the kitchen.
2. Swirl in the olive oil and add the pork.
3. Stir fry until the pork is extra crispy on the outside, about 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Move the pork to the outside of the wok or pan and add the vegetables.
5. Stir fry the vegetables 2 to 3 minutes or until they start to brown.
6. Remove the Fortune noodles from the outer package.
7. Pierce the inner bag and microwave on high 1 1/2 minutes for the two packages.
8. Move the vegetables to the outside of the pan and add the noodles to the center of the pan to stir fry 1 to 2 minutes.
9. Shake the stir fry sauce and carefully pour it into the pan.
10. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce is thickened.
11. Garnish with the green onions before serving.

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You guys! Have you been following #BlueberryWeek?? There are some insane recipes shared so far this week. We have all gone well beyond blueberry pancakes and bread or muffins. My goodness. I have added so many recipes to my must make list. I’m going to have to order more blueberries from Seasonal Roots!

As soon as we announced blueberry week, I knew Blueberry Bourbon Barbecue Sauce would be on my list to make. I’ve made a few barbecue sauces. One of them I made with some Not Ketchup. The white pepper and blueberry Not Ketchup, I might add.

I made purple people eater sliders with the blueberry Not Ketchup. It has grape jelly, barbecue spices, and some liquid smoke. Since you make them in the slow cooker, it cooks the barbecue sauce and the pork all in one. The grape jelly adds an interesting flavor combined with the blueberry and white pepper Not Ketchup. Since I made one barbecue sauce with blueberries (or blueberry ketchup), I thought I’d make another one with fresh blueberries.

So, that’s what I did.

And since I can’t just make plain old blueberry barbecue sauce, I had to add some of my favorite bourbon. I added some KO Distilling Bare Knuckle Bourbon to this Blueberry Bourbon Barbecue Sauce. And let me tell you, this is one delicious barbecue sauce.

It seems like just yesterday, their PR firm contacted me about their moonshine margarita. Since I’m super close to them, and I had been there before, I am thrilled to support a local business. I mean, it takes like 10 minutes to get there. You can’t get more local than that. Well, you can but that’s the restaurant up the street.

Ever since then I’ve eagerly highlight and share my experiences and recipes using their products. The most popular being the lightning lavender margarita. It spread like wildfire across Instagram. To the point where I’ve am challenged to create a pink drink just as gorgeous as that one.

I’ve been to events and book signings at their distillery. When there’s a new recipe or product I’m there to check it out. I’ve even become a plank owner, so I’m invested in their success. Which is why I try to use their spirits as often as I can. And that’s why I decided to add some of their bourbon to this barbecue sauce.

The bourbon is a perfect pair with the blueberries in this Bare Knuckle Blueberry Bourbon Barbecue Sauce. It has that rich smoky flavor from the bourbon, a kick from the spices, and then sweetness from the blueberries and brown sugar.

When the Blueberry Bourbon Barbecue Sauce finished simmer and I was putting it in a jar, the hubs took a taste. He was surprised at how delicious it turned out. I was, too, at how delicious it turned out. I haven’t really simmered a barbecue sauce not in a slow cooker. So, I will be making more barbecue sauces this way. They’re so rich and full of layers of flavor.

Why haven’t I been doing this all along?

Now I must confess that I’ve had a moonshine barbecue sauce on the must make list for along time. Like years. And it’s still on the list of things to make. It will just have their white whiskey in it, which is like moonshine. But so much better than moonshine. It’s almost syrupy going down and full of such great flavor and history. If you check out the lightning lavender margarita, I go into a bit of the history of white whiskey.

I’m not going to delve into the history of bourbon. That needs to be another post. And I’ve already talked about blueberries and their benefits. One thing I’ve never looked into is the history of barbecue sauce. Which could date back to the 1600’s. There are some that believe it’s from the new American colonies.

Fast forward a few hundred years and the arrival of German settlers to the Carolinas. They brought with them a type of mustard sauce which is the predecessor of the South Carolina mustard sauce. Which is, if course, the ancestor to the South Carolina mustard sauce. And countless other barbecue sauces.

What amazes me of the most is the range of sauces and styles. From the vinegar style of North Carolina to the tomato-based Kansas City sauce and finally the Alabama white barbecue sauce there’s such a range of regional styles. And there’s probably even more in the Midwest that we haven’t even talked about. 

If you haven’t tried the Alabama white sauce you really should. It’s so good!! I used it on some chicken I made in this Alabama cobb salad. Not only does it have the white Alabama sauce, but there’s delicious hominy on this cobb salad. I should make it again. I love hominy.

What is in this Blueberry Bourbon Barbecue Sauce?

There are four common denominators to all these barbecue sauces. They are either mustard based, vinegar and pepper based, light tomato based, or heavy tomato based. It’s sort of like the 5 colors of the Olympic rings. Y’all know about that right? One of those 5 colors are in all of the flags of all the countries in the

world.

I would have to say this one is tomato based? It does have ketchup in it. It’s light on the ketchup side and heavy on the blueberry side. Hence the dark purple color. There are 3 cups of blueberries in this Blueberry Bourbon Barbecue Sauce so you know it’s going to have great flavor.

It’s rich, thick, sweet, and has a smoky bourbon flavor to it. It’s perfect for chicken, pork, or beef. Not sure about fish, but would you really put barbecue sauce on fish? Shellfish maybe, but fish? That’s something I’ll have to think about. And maybe try?

Anyway, I can’t wait to baste some ribs with this delicious Blueberry Bourbon Barbecue Sauce. Stay tuned for that recipe later on this summer. I’m perfecting my pressure cooker ribs recipe. And it will include this delicious Bare Knuckle bourbon blueberry barbecue sauce. 

Bare Knuckle Blueberry Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Bare Knuckle Bourbon Barbecue Sauce is rich and full of sweet blueberry and smoky bourbon flavor. It's my new favorite sauce for ribs, roasts, and chicken.

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup diced onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 3 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the olive oil, onion, and garlic and sauté
   until the onions begin to soften. 
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes.
3. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerate up to 2
   weeks.

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More than 20 top notch bloggers are sharing a variety of blueberry recipes from breakfast to dessert. Follow #BlueberryWeek on social media so you don’t miss one delicious recipe.

Blueberry Week Recipes Breakfast

• Blueberry Cheesecake Crescent Coffee Braid by Palatable Pastime
• Fluffy Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes by Food Above Gold
• Glazed Blueberry Banana Coconut Bread by Jolene’s Recipe Journal

Drinks & Appetizers

• Blueberry Peach Lemonade by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

Dinner

• Bare Knuckle Bourbon Blueberry Barbecue Sauce by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Dessert

• Peachy Blueberry Hand Pies by The Freshman Cook
• Rosemary Linzer Cookies with Blueberry Preserves by The Spiffy Cookie

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I can’t believe Florida strawberry  season will be over soon.  It seems like just yesterday it was December and now it’s almost April.  Time flies during their growing season which runs from December through April.  I will miss those familiar containers of deliciously sweet berries in my Aldi or Weis markets.  That just means I need to stock up now and preserve these red gems, so I can eat them throughout the year until their season starts up again in December.

One of my favorite ways to preserve strawberries is to freeze them whole.  Of course, this does take some planning because you’ll need room in your freezer.  And, if you’re like me, there’s typically not a lot of room in there.  Mine is packed with beef!  But that’s another post.

Anyway, I love to freeze Florida strawberries.

There’s so many ways you can prepare them for freezing.  You can freeze them whole, sliced, crushed, or pureed.  Then there’s the option to have them frozen in syrup (syrup pack), in sugar (sugar pack), or in in unsweetened juice or in water (unsweetened pack).

However, I prefer to freeze them whole on a baking sheet which is called dry packing.  Then I can pop them into a freezer safe container, like a plastic zip top bag, jar, or other container.  The key being, you don’t want air to get in or get out of the container.  So, make sure it’s air tight!

First, you want to make sure your berries are bright red and not too ripe.  Then you need to wash them, dry them,  and remove the caps.  Don’t do this step ahead of time.  You only want to wash your strawberries right before eating or preserving to make sure they are as fresh and ripe as possible.

Once my berries are all prepped, I place them on a baking sheet coated with parchment and popped them into the freezer.  They should be frozen within 2 to 3 hours but leaving them in overnight will not hurt them.  When your Florida strawberries are frozen, then you can put them in an airtight container.  This is where I pull out my vacuum sealer to store the frozen berries.

If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, that’s okay!  You can still put them in a zip top plastic bag removing as much air out of the bag as possible.  Some people might double bag or put that plastic bag in another container to ensure that no air will get into the container or the bag.  Excessive air will cause crystals to form on the berries.  When crystals form on frozen foods, it could lead to freezer burn quickly.  And that’s not a good thing no matter what you’re freezing.

Of course, frozen Florida strawberries don’t usually last long in our freezer.  I turn them into popsicles like these homemade frozen strawberry frozen yogurt popsicles.  Or they turn into cocktails like these watermelon strawberry martinis.  I also put them in baked goods like scones or cookies.  Once thawed you can use them for almost anything.  Including chutney.

Surprisingly, I was not always a fan of the sweet and savory combination.  Then one day I realized that figs and blue cheese were amazing.  Which made me branch out and make some delicious grilled cheese  with apples and manchego.  So so good.  The world of combining the sweet and savory together is just amazing.

This is where my strawberry chutney baked blue cheese brie comes in!  The sweet flavors of the Florida strawberries, the herbs and spices, and the combination of the slightly sharp, creamy blue cheese brie makes for an amazing appetizer.  The sweet strawberries are the perfect pair for brie, but I’ve kicked it up and served it with a creamy blue brie cheese.

Now, if you haven’t tried a creamy blue cheese brie, I highly recommend it.  It’s one of few brie cheeses I could eat with the rind.  It doesn’t have the sharp, flavor that most brie rinds have.  At least the ones that I have in my local grocery store don’t.  It could depend on the brand.  But either way, you still need to find you a blue cheese brie because it is a match made in heaven.  The blue cheese brie combined with the Florida strawberry chutney is a match made in heaven.

Yes, I know this post isn’t about the cheese.  It’s about the Florida strawberries and this chutney.

There are a few ways to make chutneys.  You could process a bunch of herbs together with some garlic and some oil; similar to a chimichurri.  Then there’s the cooked version which combines fruits or vegetables with some herbs and spices, a little oil, and some peanuts for rich chutney.  Then there’s the nut chutney.  We won’t go there, but it’s just nuts.  No, seriously, it’s just nuts and herbs.  No fruits or veggies in there.

After the chutney cooks, you add the fresh basil to the strawberry mixture.  This, without a doubt, lends to a bright sauce that’s rich with strawberry flavor.    It’s perfect for grilled meats like fish or chicken and is the perfect topping for curries.  The versatility of this chutney is amazing.  You could even spread it on top of bruschetta with some goat cheese for a great tapas!

You see what I mean?  Just look at that bright color.  You know those Florida strawberries are going to have amazing flavor.  The herbs and spices just elevate those berries.  Then the blue cheese brie adds that complimentary sharp and earthy flavor that rounds out this recipe.

What’s your favorite way to preserve Florida strawberries?

Of course, you should obviously be following Florida Strawberry Growers Association on all forms of social media.  You don’t want to miss out on any of their recipes or events so be sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube so you don’t miss any fresh strawberry recipes!

Strawberry Chutney Baked Brie

Cook Time: 27 minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes

Frozen sweet, Florida Strawberries are thawed and turned into a sweet and savory chutney which makes the perfect topping for brie, grilled chicken or fish, or on top of some flatbread or naan.

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Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen, Florida strawberries, thawed
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons serrano honey balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 6 ounces Cambozola or other blue cheese brie wheel

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Slice the top of the brie cheese off and set aside.
2. Place the strawberries in a small saucepan and crush with a potato masher until coarse. Add the next seven ingredients (brown sugar through cayenne pepper) and simmer until thickened; about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Remove the chutney from the heat and stir in the serrano honey balsamic vinegar and the basil. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Place the brie in an oven safe container (I used a small cast iron skillet, but a baking pan will work well, too.) and bake for 7 to 12 minutes depending on the size and shape of your wheel. Once the cheese appears melted and begins to bubble on top it's melted through.
5. Remove the brie and place on a serving dish. Top with the Florida strawberry chutney and crackers.

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And so #CranberryWeek continues!  Have you been following all the delicious recipes these amazing bloggers have put together for this event? You really should!  Those pork recipes yesterday looked amazing!  And the cornbread both sweet and savory version are truly going on the menu.

I’ve been seeing these commercials for a popular sandwich restaurant.  They have a turkey sub that has cranberry mustard on there.  It looks delicious!  Every time I see it I think to myself, “Mustard isn’t hard to make.  I wonder if I can make some.”

And that’s precisely what I did!  I took leftover cranberry sauce (or relish) and added it to some yellow and brown mustard seeds for a delicious homemade, whole grain, mustard.  Not only is it delicious, but its super simple to make.  I kid you not!

Now, I’ve made mustard before.  Granted I haven’t opened that jar in a while, but I’ve made mustard before.  It’s not very difficult.  You simply marinate some seeds in some vinegar and process.  Voila!  You’ve made mustard.

The other mustard I made I haven’t really shared, yet.  I’m not sure why not.  I just haven’t.  It was one of my stranger ideas that I had.  I call it margarita mustard.  I marinated these seeds in some tequila.

No, you don’t always have to use vinegar.  You can marinate them in other liquids, too.  I was thinking maybe bourbon at some point?  But then the hubs would fuss because we have all these jars of mustard and we don’t eat them often.  He’s a Dijon person.

However, I had this large jar of apple shrub in the refrigerator and thought that would make the perfect base for this cranberry mustard.  I know, it’s an apple shrub, but the flavors and spices in there really compliment the cranberry sauce (or relish).

See how delicious this mustard looks?  All that cranberry color, those mustard seeds simply packed with delicious flavors.  This is the perfect mustard for your leftover turkey sandwiches.  Heck, I even BOUGHT turkey lunch meat just so I could put this mustard on a turkey sandwich.  I’m not kidding.

Just a word of caution.  When you first taste the mustard it might seem a little spicy or pungent to you.  I thought the same thing.  However, after allowing it to rest in the refrigerator at least 24 hours before using, the flavor of the seeds mellowed out and blended in with the sweet of the cranberries.  Trust me on this one.  It turned into a deliciously sweet mustard with a nice little whole grain kick to it.

Have you ever made your own mustard?  Are you like my hubs and a Dijon or yellow only person?

Whole Grain Cranberry Mustard

Prep Time: 1 day

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 day 5 minutes

This Whole Grain Cranberry Mustard is simple to make, uses up leftover cranberry sauce, and tastes amazing on your leftover turkey sandwiches. Or any sandwich for that matter! #CranberryWeek

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup yellow mustard seed
• 1/4 cup brown mustard seed
• 1 1/4 cup apple shrub (or apple cider vinegar)
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup cranberry sauce

Instructions

1. Place the mustard seeds and shrub (or vinegar) in a jar. Shake the jar to blend the vinegar with the seeds. Allow to sit for 24 hours in a dark place.
2. Strain the seeds, reserving the leftover vinegar, and place in a food processor.
3. Process the seeds adding some of the vinegar to make sure the mixture is smooth.
4. Add the cranberry sauce, a little a time, until you reach your desired consistency and flavor.
5. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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Welcome to #CranberryWeek, hosted by Caroline’s Cooking and A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures. We’ll be sharing cranberry-inspired creations all week long in celebration of national cranberry day. Search #CranberryWeek to keep up to date and follow the #CranberryWeek Pinterest board for more cranberry inspiration. But first, see all the other cranberry recipes being shared today:

• Cranberry Borscht from Palatable Pastime
• Cranberry London Broil from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Cranberry Mustard from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Honey Roasted Orange Ricotta Crostini from Take Two Tapas

The post Whole Grain Cranberry Mustard appeared first on Bring Gourmet to your Every Day - A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.

When I started this whole food blogger nonsense, I knew nothing about hatch chiles.  Did you know about these green little gems of goodness?  Well, I didn’t.  It was about this time last year or maybe the year before that where I found out about them.  Of course, I couldn’t find them in the store anywhere here, so I was left with envy for those that had them readily available.  Kind of like garlic scapes.  I still can’t find those here.

One year I entered a giveaway and won some.  That was awesome!  I won chile powder, a package of dried chiles, and some fresh ones.  I roasted the fresh ones and made some delicious enchiladas.  The rest of the roasted peppers went into the freezer for later.  The dried have been sitting in the pantry until this past weekend, but that’s another post.  Stay tuned.

However, while I was doing my grocery shopping online at Harris Teeter, I saw they had hatch chiles on sale!!  What??  How and when did this happen?  I was super excited and order what I thought would be a little over a pound; about 6 or 7 peppers.  I saw some green chile sauce in my future.

Having never made green sauce ever in my life, I had to do some research on what to put in it, how to make it, and how to flavor it.  Yeah, I know, but I didn’t grow up in the southwest at all and have pretty much made my own version of everything, but this time I wanted it to be somewhat authentic.  Consequently, I had to do some research in my favorite place; Pinterest.  I did a search of about a hundred recipes before I found the right combination of flavors for the perfect green chile sauce for me.

The urge to make this sauce came about because of the hatch chiles at Harris Teeter and green chile chicken tacos on the slow cooker menu later on in the month.  I didn’t really want to use a canned sauce for these tacos.  I wanted to make something fresh, different, and delicious.  I wanted to make green chile sauce.  Bottom line.

I may get some more chiles and make some rellenos or something like that.  Those little stuffed chile bundles are so amazing.  I made something similar little while ago, but I think they need to be on the menu again.  Soon.  Can you tell I’ve entered my southwest period?  Like Van Gogh’s blue period, but with food?

Don’t you do that, too?  Have periods you go through with your cooking?  Sometimes we’re more Italian, others more Asian.  This time, I’ve got quite a few southwest recipes on the menu.  I’m drooling thinking of all the spices, cheese, and rice.  And since I have both green and red enchilada sauce, I’ll be making some tasty dishes!  You’re just going to have to see what I create in this period.

This is not a sauce with tomatillos. I know the hubs isn’t a huge fan of all that tang. I, on the other hand, do not mind it at all. This is a green chile sauce. Straight up. No tang. Because with these hatch chiles, that’s about all you need. They have incredible flavor all on their own. Just imagine a freshly roasted green chile, biting into it, that tender flesh and bright green chile flavor. That’s what this sauce tastes like. The perfect chile flavor in an amazing sauce.

This recipe made a little over a pint. If you have half pint jars, you’re probably going to need three prepared. I did not put mine in a water bath to seal them since I knew I was using them soon. I simply put them in the fridge for later. If you want to make them shelf stable, then I suggest you submerge them in a wire rack into boiling water to cover and boil for about 15 minutes. However, since I’m not a canning expert, you might want to verify that with the authorities.

But considering how delicious this sauce is, I’m sure it won’t last long. It’s perfect for some slow cooker tacos (recipe to come later), some green chile sloppy joes, enchiladas, combined with some cream cheese and cheddar for queso. Oh! Love that last idea. I should try that. Which means I need to make more sauce. Pity.

Honestly, just look at that gorgeous color!! Next time I make this I will definitely have to double the batch. I love the bright green color and flavor this has. I don’t think I can ever go back to purchasing canned or bottled green chile enchilada sauce ever again. Though I may have to experiment with adding a few tomatillos just for my own tang cravings. I’m sure the hubs won’t mind just a little tang in his tacos.

And since it was so simple to make I can whip up a batch any time I find hatch or any other green chile at the market. Honestly, the possibilities are endless! Hungarian, banana, hatch, poblano, even jalapeno or serrano if you’re feeling adventurous!! But make sure you prep you chiles with care on those last two in particular and mix and match so your sauce isn’t too spicy. Unless that’s what you’re going then have at it!!

Have you ever tried your hand at making your own enchilada sauce? Have you gone back to purchasing premade since then?

Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

Cook Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

With just a few, simple ingredients, you can make a delicious Green Chile Enchilada Sauce worthy of any southwest restaurant.

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 1/2 cups chopped chiles
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Heat a saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and peppers. Sauté until the onions become tender; about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the cumin and cook an addition 1 to 2 minutes or until the cumin is fragrant.
2. Sprinkle the flour over the onions. Stirring frequently cook the onions and flour mixture until the flour is no longer white and turns a light brown color. Slowly add the broth, stirring constantly to avoid any lumps. Bring the mixture to low boil and then simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the sauce is slightly reduced and creamy in texture.
3. Place the mixture in a blender, the bowl of a food processor, or using a tall container for us with an immersion blender and pulse until creamy but still has some texture. Pour into prepared jars and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

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The post Green Chile Enchilada Sauce appeared first on Bring Gourmet to your Every Day - A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.

New York-Style Pizza Sauce recipe

Cooking Light, July 2009

So, apparently I can’t read cans. I grabbed petite diced tomatoes, but when I started to make the sauce, I realized I bought a can with green chiles. *snort* I couldn’t tell when I tasted the sauce and when I ate the calzone that it had green chiles in it.

The sauce was rather tasty!! I, of course, added more garlic than it calls for. We LOVE garlic so I usually double what the recipe calls for. I couldn’t really taste the oregano or the basil much, but that’s okay. I think if you simmer it a little and allow it to cool, those herbs might be more noticeable.

This was an easy, tasty, thick sauce that was perfect for the calzones and I’m sure it would be perfect for pizza. It wasn’t too watery and was very flavorful.

Measuring cups and spoons

Knife

Cutting board

Whisk

Yield: 8

New York-Style Pizza Sauce

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Ingredients

• 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes with juice
• 6 ounces tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (or 2 t. dried)
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons sugar
• 1⁄2 – 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt (or 1 1/2 t. kosher salt)

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, olive oil, basil, oregano, sugar, garlic, and salt.
2. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
3. Use immediately or store in a air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
4. Bring to room temperature before using.

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The post New York-Style Pizza Sauce appeared first on Bring Gourmet to your Every Day - A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.