Awesome BBQ Sauce!

I have been trying to master BBQ sauce for a while.  I've gotten close to perfect before..but tonight I was experimenting again and ROCKED it!  

You Will Need...

~1 1/2 cups Ketchup
~1 clove minced garlic
~2 Tablespoons Worcheshire sauce
~2 TBL Apple Cider Vinegar
~2 TBL maple syrup
~2 TBL brown sugar
~1/2 tsp regular sugar
~1/4 tsp lemon juice
~1/2 tsp Jack Daniel's Whiskey
~1/4 tsp pepper
~a few dashes of liquid smoke

Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Make sure you stir often.

Trial and Error....

Everyone makes mistakes...even at something they're good at.  It's only a matter of time before a mistake occurs.  I think it's only fair that I put a few of my kitchen mishaps on here to show everyone out there, that even people who have been cooking a while mess up.  So here is what happens when one is trying to cook and has no patience and is in a rush...

~Last night's dinner..Pizza!  I wanted to be creative and make my own pizza dough..FROM SCRATCH.  I have never attempted this, shouldn't be that hard, right?  Just mix a little yeast with warm water, flour, olive oil, etc...

Being extremely hungry and ready to eat...I wasn't about to wait the amount of time the directions said for the dough to rise...1 hour!  Also, it had to be in a draft free room (away from AC).  I also thought that didn't matter much.  So I just covered the dough and put it on the kitchen table and waited about 30 min...

Anyway, so then all seems to be going accordingly, so I decide to put it on the round pan and dress it up.  (note to self, if doing this..put enough cornmeal at the bottom so it will slide off easily onto pizza stone...

So far, so good right?  Looks yummy..lots of cheese, can't wait to eat!   But then...

DISASTER...

Lesson learned on this one.   Don't try to rush things by cutting directions!!  The directions are there for a reason.  Several errors on this one, but mainly...I didn't put near enough cornmeal, so it stuck when I tried to slide it onto the pizza stone.  Better luck next time!! : / Dinner last night consisted of garlic breadsticks....those were quite tasty!

Beef Tips & Rice

So easy and so yummy!

You Will Need...

~1 package of stew meat
~2 packages McCormick brown gravy mix
~1 small onion, chopped
~2 teaspoons garlic, minced
~2 1/2 cups water + 1 cup water for gravy
~salt and pepper


Brown stew meat in about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil for about 15-20 minutes.  Add onions and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.  Add garlic.

Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 45 minutes, covered.  In a bowl, fill with 1 cup of water and empty gravy packets.  Stir until dissolved in water and slowly add to beef tips.  Stir in gravy and bring to a boil.  Let boil for an additional 5 minutes.  Cook rice according to directions.  Serve beef tips over rice.


 
After gravy is added                                    
Finished with side of spinach!
                                                            
             

A Tip for Cooking with Vino...

I have recently started cooking with wine.  Red and white.  I've always been a big wine drinker, but I thought with cooking...I could cut costs by using a really "cheap" wine.  Don't do this!   Your food will still have the flavor of the wine.  Only cook with wine you would drink.  If you pour yourself a glass and it makes you gag...your food won't taste much better....  Just a tip!

A Great Dinner Made With Leftovers

I had no clue what to make for dinner last night..I was tired and just wanted to be lazy.  So I went through the freezer and we have had a container of red beans frozen for a couple of weeks...I made it into a great dinner!  Red Beans and Rice and Cornbread.  Winner!

Best Sushi!

Brookshire's Sushi Bar is THE BEST.  I know you're probably thinking grocery store sushi....um no.  I'm telling you, the location in Shreveport on Line Avenue is seriously some good sushi.  It's always fresh and affordable.  I can get a 6 piece nigiri and a 12 piece roll for 15.95 total.  It would be twice that much in a sit down restaurant.  I love the salmon nigiri and spicy tuna roll!

Chicken Parmesan

Really easy and very good!   You will need....

~2 boneless chicken breasts
~3 TBL olive oil

~salt and pepper

~1 tsp Italian seasoning

~Spaghetti sauce(about 2 cups)...homeade or from a jar

~1/3 cup of Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.  Mix olive oil and Italian seasoning together and brush each side of chicken.  Brown chicken in a large pan for about 4-5 minutes on each side. 

Then, place chicken in a greased casserole dish and put spaghetti sauce on top of chicken and all around.  Sprinkle top with cheese and but a little slice butter on top of the cheese.  Bake for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

YUM!